Bran Mydwynter

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Introduction

Hlāford Bran Mydwynter is a woad-covered artist in a 1st century creolizing, newly-Roman Britain, where the Britonnic life is still active and Roman colonization is still fresh. He finds it intellectually and emotionally cathartic to explore the question: How do you make space to thrive in a cultural landscape which disregards the song of your heart as barbaric, invalid, and a threat to the status quo?

He is an art historian, a polymath, and an iconoclast.

He has a lot of clothes.

Most have holes in them.

(He ain't fancy.)

Websites

Personal SCA site, portfolio etc: mydwynterstudios.com

Art history specific: applied-art-history.com

What's Applied Art History?

In the SCA, he feels passionately that it’s important to be aware of the context and character of the art we’re striving to emulate. Understanding the greater context of our references will allow us to make intelligent, consistent, and appropriate choices. This is vital in several ways. And you can find an exploration of these ways at https://mydwynterstudios.com/about/why-applied-art-history/

Why Hlāford?

Before officially receiving arms, someone erroneously called him “Lord Bran”. It sounded and felt so viscerally discordant that he immediately went looking for something better, and found “Hlāford” (pronounced HLAH-ford; the H is a puff of air before _lah_). It is the linguistic evolution of a kenning, an eventual conflation of the phrase “loaf-ward”, the guy responsible for caring for and justly doling out nourishment to his people. It was perfect. Early period, Old English, with an implication of service that really resonated. He'd found his title.

For more, see mydwynterstudios.com.

Abbreviated Scadian History

His first event was the East Kingdom's Simple Faire in 1994. From then he attended as many events as possible for a teenager who had to score rides with friends, and he never met a feast he didn't help to produce. He sang, he fenced, he learned dead languages, he swam in the ocean wearing garb.

But little did he know that once he was allowed to attend Pennsic in 1998, his entire life would change.

While he could no longer attend most events once he graduated from college, Pennsic was an everyyear constant (until plague intervened). In 2003 he moved to Atlantia. He sauntered vaguely downward to the Pennsic Bog. He became a core member of the Iron Age Celtic group Dalhraidia. He worked for merchants. He studied Insular art. He became a professional historical and folk musician. Onto Pennsic he also layered on Gulf Wars and Estrella War, whenever he could.

He was liminal to the Society, and that was enough.

In 2020, however, his life changed again. With the proliferation of the Online SCA and the resolution of some longstanding personal complications, he could now engage with the Society Proper in a way that was never possible before. He has since begun to integrate the academic study of art history (itself also facilitated by the internet) into scholarship within the SCA, with the hope of enriching his community's A&S endeavors.

There are all sorts of ways to make art and to serve. Bran likes to do both at once.

Arms Blazoned

Per pale argent and sable, a tree blasted and eradicated and in chief two ravens respectant all counterchanged.
Bran Mydwynter: OP A more appropriate (read: earlier period) image of his arms is forthcoming.

Awards Received

Service

  • First ever Digital Scroll Deputy, a new Kingdom position he began to develop in the reign of King Ragnarr and Queen Mary Isobel (October 2023) and continues to hold
  • Chronicler, Barony of Hidden Mountain (January 2021–2023)
  • Frequent Scroll Doctor and Researcher, for scribes who need help.
  • And constant teaching; see next section.

Teaching

Bran teaches online frequently and consistently, and is happy to teach for your group. Please feel free to ask him.

Classes include:

design based

"Scribe Like a Graphic Designer"

"Building Scrolls"

art history based

"Beyond Kells"

“Anglo-Saxon” Melting Pot"

"Elements of Byzantium"

"The Broad Silk Roads"

"The Art of Woad"

"Centering Ethiopian Art"

Class details, as well as a link to sign up for notifications when he's next teaching, are here.

Affiliations

Particular Specialties, Foci, and Fixations

  • woad
  • spirals
  • art history
  • abstract art and ornament
  • the digital humanities, particularly for connection and distance learning
  • the global interconnection of the premodern period
  • the academic study and concept of "Medievalism"
  • Old English poetry
  • weaving narrowware
  • leatherworking
  • beading
  • skulls and skeletons
  • crows
  • amber
  • copper
  • bronze

For details, see mydwynterstudios.com

In Case of Awards

Getting to and around events is tough due to health reasons, so while rarely a day goes by when he doesn't do something SCA-related, he seldom attends events in person. Virtual awards are perfectly and explicitly fine, especially if they're on video.

His ICOP lives here.

His preferred style is firmly early period (100 BCE–600 CE). 1st century CE Romano-British is best.

He is not courtly in the slightest, and will not swear fealty to people. Institutions yes, people no.

He is very uncomfortable with traditions derived from Christianity, such as vigils.

He really doesn't love having his picture taken (especially posted online), unless explicitly asked.


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