Sæunn hima
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 Sæunn hima, Stierbach Holiday Faire 2022 | ||||||
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History
Sæunn hima developed an interest in the SCA in 2012 when they met Master Naran Numuchi at a mundane archery tournament, where he cornered them to show them his handcrafted Mongolian arrows. They were lured to attend Stierbach Baronial Birthday by a number of other archers, where Sæunn was quickly distracted from their beloved bow by the fiber arts community. They officially joined the SCA in 2014.
In 2015, they registered the name 'Ciosa di Tommaso' and developed a Florentine persona. They spent much of their time learning the skills of tablet weaving, spinning, and embroidery while traveling with the Courtesans Guild. During this period, they received an Award of Arms, became a Companion of the Coral Branch, and were recognized by the Barony of Ponte Alto for their Arts and Sciences achievements.
They explored other pursuits such as heraldry and retaining, determining the latter was not their forte when a Baroness was nearly blinded and Sæunn's parasol authorization was revoked. They later discovered their aptitude as a Feast Server or Lady in Waiting - so long as their only responsibility was to ensure the availability of drinks (alcoholic or not.)
In 2018, they sought an apprenticeship with Mistress Molly (Mistress Mary "Molly" Isabel of Heatherstone), from whom they learned to skillfully wield a Sharpie in times of crisis.
After the post-pandemic resumption of SCA activities, they reached a determination that they would prefer a less strictly gendered persona and began investigating the existence of nonbinary peoples in-period. A photograph of a Russian reenactor in masculine garb provided by Mistress Ellisif Gydasdottir of Drachenwald piqued their interest. Some internet sleuthing and endless prodding of more knowledgeable SCAdians led them to begin researching the Finno-Ugrian cultures, narrowing their interest specifically to the Muroma people of the Upper Volga. Though documentation on this subject is scarce, they have done their best with the limited resources and their own equally limited ability to sound out words in Russian. Concluding that the Muroma were a noisy bunch, Sæunn slowly began creating and collecting bronze accessories for their garb, jokingly stating "If I'm noisy, I can avoid court."
Their objective proved to work against them when they once more attempted to retain and discovered their jingling announced a certain King's journey to the privies.
They decided this was not a condemnation of their garb, but of their usefulness as a retainer.
Recently they have reconnected with their passion for archery after Master Naran Numuchi aided them in setting up their period accurate Finno-Ugrian bow, then cornered them to show them his handcrafted Mongolian arrows.
Persona
Name Etymology
- Sæunn: Old Norse, thought to be related to the name 'Sæunnr'; possibly SE+UNN or SE+UNNR - 'sea' and 'to love' or 'sea' and 'wave', respectively
- hima: Byname attested in the Landnámabók meaning 'loiterer'/'dreamer'
Location and Time
9th-10th century Muromian, Upper Volga region of Russia.
Life and Culture
In Development
Affiliations
- Apprentice and Protégé of Mistress Mary "Molly" Isabel of Heatherstone, 2018-Present
- Foster Apprentice of Mistress Álfrún ketta (Æthelmearc), 2022-Present
- Knowne World Courtesans, 2017-2019 (Continued Supporter)
- House Blackhammer, 2022-Present
Service, Offices, & Positions
Current
- Minster of Arts and Sciences, Ponte Alto 2022-2023
Previous
- Deputy Herald, Ponte Alto
- Arts and Sciences Champion, Ponte Alto, 2019
Volunteer Positions
- Baronial Retainer On Call, Pennsic 46-48
- Herald's Point, Pennsic 48
- Newcomer's Point, Pennsic 48-49
- Baronial Retainer, Ruby Joust 2022
- Royal Retainer, Fall Coronation 2022
- Royal Retainer, Stierbach Baronial Birthday 2022
- Royal Guard, Stierbach Baronial Birthday 2022
- Royal Liaison, Holiday Faire 2022
- Royal Liaison, KASF 2023
- Royal Retainer, KASF 2023
- Baronial Retainer On Call, Ponte Alto Bloodbath (Upcoming)
Projects & Publications
There's no room on this or any other wiki to list all of Sæunn's unfinished projects.
Heraldry
Argent, a fox rampant gules, a bordure wavy sable.
Awards and Achievements
Awards
Atlantian Order of Precedence
- 8/5/2015 Award of Arms (Atlantia)
- 8/9/2018 Onore del Ponte d'Argento (Atlantia) (Ponte Alto)
- 9/22/2018 Companion of the Coral Branch (Atlantia)
- 8/8/2022 Augmentation of Arms (Atlantia)
- 10/8/2022 Companion of the Opal (Atlantia)
Classes Taught
- Introduction to Spinning Wheels and Drop Spindles
- Basics of Viking Wire Weaving (Virtual)
- Basics of Tablet Weaving (Video)
Mundane Information
Sæunn lives in the D.C. Metro area, where they study Folklore and Mythology and work to raise awareness about issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community, gender constructs and impositions, and neurodivergence. They are married to a non-SCAdian with whom they have a Shetland Sheepdog named Ollie and a hedgehog named Blixa.