Life in the SCA

In the Society, I am Uilliam mac Ailéne mhic Seamuis. It became my registered Society name on the May 2005 LoAR. My old name, William the Mariner, is now released, although as a matter of usage I will probably append 'called the Mariner' from time to time as seems appropriate — or inappropriate.

I was born in the area of Inverness, around 1000 A.D., the third son of minor nobility. Being the third son, I had no realistic prospects in terms of land or money, so I ran away to sea at a relatively early age, and learned the trade of the seaman. By the time I was of age, I was also wanted; some silly sod of a sassenach started a fight in a pub, and wound up dead. His friends took the matter to the reeve; mine faded into the woodwork, leaving me to execute some fancy dancing as I got out of the country.

I've spent the years since then on merchant ships, first as a seaman, and later as master of my own ship, An Cait Dhubh, which in the Gaelic means "The black cat". I've traded up and down the coast of Europe and in through the Mediterannean, even to Byzantium, where I met and married a lass.

My lady and I lived in the East Kingdom, in the Barony of Ruantallan, for about six years, then came west to An Tir, where we now reside in Seagirt.

While still in the East, and through no fault of my own, I was given an Award of Arms during the reign of Gavin and Sedalia, on the occasion of the Investiture of the Barony of Ruantallan.

In An Tir, during the reign of Darius and Morgaine, I was received into the Right Noble Order of the Goute de Sang, An Tir's order for service. In accordance with An Tirean law and custom, I was also given a Grant of Arms at the same time. I have also received the Barony of Seagirt's Order of the Seagull, which is for service; and a Magister Ithra, for teaching on Horology. I still don't quite understand why all these nice people keep giving me awards and honours; I'd be doing whatever it is I got them for anyway, because it's fun. Nevertheless, I'm pleased and proud that my fellows consider me worthy of these honours.

On the 18th of July, A.S. XXXIII, at July Coronation in the Kingdom of An Tir, Seagirt was elevated to the status of Barony, and my lady wife and I were invested as Baron and Baroness Seagirt.

I was also been made a Temporary WOAW In Training (T.W.I.T.); for those who do not live in An Tir, a WOAW is a member of the Whimsical Order of the Ailing Wit; a WOAW will not only refuse to pass up opportunities for word-play, but will create them out of thin air, if necessary. As I see it, WOAWs and TWITs are licenses, more or less, even though everyone else seems to think they're warning labels of some kind.

At An Tir's annual Kingdom XIIth Night in A.S. XXXIII (2000), I received the rubber chicken, in a figurative sense, from the Grand Puntiff of An Tir, and so have joined the ranks of the WOAWs. According to some, this places me beyond hope of redemption.

My lady wife and I, having ruled Seagirt for two-and-a-half years in the name of Their Dread Majesties the King and Queen of An Tir, stepped down from our office at XIIth Night, A.S. XXXIV (2001). We were at the same time each granted the title and estate of Baron and Baroness of the Court of An Tir, by the hand of Skepti and Asa, then King and Queen.

We were going to relax and enjoy our retirement - an excellent plan, which lasted not even two weeks. As it turns out, a bud of mine, one Fingall McKetterick, was stepping down as Löwenmähne Herald (a deputy of An Tir's Black Lion Principal Herald), and like an idiot, I offered to relieve him at the helm. This meant all of a sudden I was nominally in charge of all town crying and field heralding in the Kingdom. This is a task roughly akin to herding cats, and with about the same amount of effectiveness. I also took on being the Principality of Tir Righ's Chirurgeon pro tem, and Seagirt's Chronicler office.

At Tir Righ's First Coronet Tournament and Investiture, in 2003, I was offered membership in the Order of the Pelican. I really can't tell you too much about what happened as it's mostly a blur. I do remember making a smart-ass remark about magazines in response to Barwn James saying something about playmates...

At the moment I've managed to shed all offices *gasp*, but having not learned from experience, I find I'm getting sucked into the whole SCA-Canada thing, as well as getting the Principality's nascent College of Heralds off the ground...

My Arms...

The blazon of my device is, Azure, a cock statant rousant, on a chief embattled argent, an annulet sable. This is actually canting arms, though you'd have to be a Canadian, and a Maritimer at that, to appreciate it. The bird is a bantam rooster; the embattled chief represents the many jettys or piers of Halifax harbour. The annulet can be taken as the letter 'O', so all in all, the device is "the bantam of the 'O' pier, eh".

My Badge...

The blazon of my badge is, (Fieldless) An anchor argent enfiling a pearled coronet Or pearled gules bendwise sinster. This is an example of a mad scramble to retroactively register something I came up with at, God save us, a class on making dyed-silk banners. It is also registered to me on the May '05 LoAR.

About Uilliam mac Ailéne mhic Seamuis

called the Mariner

My Arms...

My Badge...