Celeste d'Arles

Photo
Coronation 2013
Information
Preferred title: Not specified Their Pronouns: Not specified Resides: Calafia Status: Active Awards: Visit the Caid Order of Precedence
Heraldry
Argent, a saltire between in pale two sailless ships and in fess two trefoils vert.
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Baroness Celeste d'Arles

Persona

Celeste is a french artist living in Arles, near Marseilles, in 1375. The Black Death, that great plague has not punished us for many summers, but she continues to fret about her friends and family, as the troubadors still sing songs and tell tales of this dark time. Celeste spends her time reading, an avocation not enjoyed by many women but she was taught by the local priest. "Although romances continued to be popular throughout the period, the courtly tradition began to face increasing competition from ordinary writers who became involved in producing gritty realist literature, inspired by their Black Death experiences. This was a new phenomenon, made possible because vernacular education and literature, as well as the study of Latin and classical antiquity, flourished widely, making the written word steadily more accessible during the fourteenth century." (wikipedia). Celeste enjoys the latest fashions, particularly the sideless surcoat which the church frowns upon, as th ose wide arm holes could be the gates of hell. She does take caution, though, and tries to faithfully wear her veils, since there is a superstition that if women didn’t cover their ears, the Devil could enter their bodies through the ear and impregnate them. (http://suite101.com/article/women-in-the-14th-century-a196534). Celeste's days are full of the normal vocations of a french woman in the late 1300s, She is in charge of the kitchen garden, beer brewing, and dairy and textile production. She loves creating new garments and even sneaks into the Arles woodworker's shop to create benches and boxes with her Lord Husband, Tristan from Burgundy.

Associates

• Friends with many wonderful gentles in fair Caid, not a member of any specific household.
• Founder, BMARC at Brock University in Ontario, Canada
• Founder, incipient Stronghold of Klakavirki in Iceland
• Former protégée, Mistress Genevieve Chastellain d’Anjou OL, OP

Offices & Positions

• Baronial Minister of A&S, ?, 1995-1997
• Founder and President of BMARC, 1998-2002
• Seneschal, Stronghold of Campofiamme (Naples, Italy), 06/?/07-12/?/08
• Lady in Waiting, Patrick and Kara, 11/?/09-10/?/10
• Constable-in-training, Caid, 05/?/11-Present
• Lady in Waiting, Patrick II and Kara II, 06/?/11-11/?/12
• Lady in Waiting, Mansur and Eilidh, 11/?/12-06/?/13
• Marshal-in-training, Caid, ?/?/09-05/?/13

Event Staff

• co-Steward, Various events, 1995-2008
• Demo Steward, High School Project
• Demo Volunteer, MWR Japanese-American Fest, Fall 2003
• Volunteer (Cleanup Crew and Lady in Waiting), Drachenwald, 01/??/04
• Autocrat, Revel in the Midnight Sun, 2004
• Co-feastcrat, Revel in the Midnight Sun, 2004
• Demo Steward, Medieval faire, ?/?/05
• Co-Autocrat, Revel in the Midnight Sun 2, ?/?/05
• Reservations Steward, Revel in the Midnight Sun 2, ?/?/05
• Demo Steward, Summer Fair, ?/?/05
• Water-bearer, camp set up etc for Drachenwald Royal Encampment at Pennsic War, ?/?/05
• Demo Volunteer, Demo at US Army Base, 05/?/06
• Set up and Clean Up, Drachenwald Coronation, 01/?/06
• Demo Volunteer, Demo at US Army Base, 06/?/07
• Demo Volunteer, Comic Con, 07/?/09
• Demo Volunteer, Comic Con, 07/?/10
• Co-Volunteer Steward, Potrero War, 2013

Projects & Publications

• Teacher at Great Western War: Veils and hats class, how to properly wear a circlet/coronet, TSHIRT BANNERS!

Timeline

• Summer 1995 I Met the SCA at a demo in Chippewa Park, as part of “Day in the Park 1995”. 2007’s annual camping and Melee event was number XXIV My first SCA Event was Melee XII. I have been active in the SCA since I was 15 years old; I have been active in the SCA for over 18 years.

• 1995-1997 While a high school student I organized a fighting demo for my French class as part of my project on Joan of Arc, held the offices of Baronial Minister of Arts and Sciences, began learning SCA Combat and obtained armor, became authorized to fight in the SCA, made my own garb, attended many events across Ealdormere and generally was a helpful, upstanding member of my SCA group.

• September 1998 Found BMARC. Awarded BEST NEW STUDENT CLUB by The Brock University Student’s Union. For four years I organized weekly student meetings each Thursday night in the student lounge of the History Department. I worked with Trudi MacAskill to make the club a success. We held meetings almost each week on a diverse assortment of topics, bringing in subject matter experts, guest speakers and attending SCA events as a group. Some of the many, many weekly topics we had included: falconry in the middle ages featuring real birds of prey and a guest speaker, calligraphy with a Laurel in calligraphy, SCA Archery with a captain of the Ealdormere archery group, Food in the middle ages with a real chef, fighting demos, many garb making sessions, Medieval Choral and Monastic Music with the Music professor and his spouse, treating us to a private live concert of existent music. We made our own shoes of horsehide, and much more.

• September 1999 Continue to organize and lead BMARC as president, completing mandatory paperwork with the University Student Union. Awarded BEST STUDENT CLUB by the Brock University Student’s Union. Beat ACE Brock business club for this honor, ACE Brock later won a national student club award.

• September 2000 Continue to organize and lead BMARC as president, completing mandatory paperwork with the University Student Union.

• September 2001 Continue to organize and lead BMARC as president, completing mandatory paperwork with the University Student Union.

• June 2002 Graduate BA from Brock University, Ontario. Close the student club BMARC, The Brock Middle Ages and Renaissance Club.

• Summer 2002 Become protégée to Mistress Genevieve Chastellain d’Anjou. *June 2002 Attend SCA Demo in Niagara Falls New York, with Baron Tancred and Baroness Rosalinda of Rising Waters dressed in my household tabard wearing household colors to explain the role of households in the SCA.

• August 2002 Arrive in Tokyo from Canada

• Fall 2002 MWR Event at Camp Zama Army Base SCA Demo. Met Lord Tristan. Had to take the train for 2 hours across Tokyo to attend demos, events and fight practices at Camp Zama. Attended fight practices monthly. Was active with the Stronghold of Vale de Draco from Sept 02-July 03.

• Winter 2002 Attended SCA Demo as part of GenCon style event called “Black Hole”. Displayed beadwork and answered questions about life in the middle ages.

• Spring 2003 Attended SCA Demo as part of GenCon style event called “Black Hole 2”. Displayed beadwork and answered questions about life in the middle ages. Due to resources constraints and space, could not participate as fully in my many hobbies within the SCA.

• March 2003 Competed in Palentine Barony of the Far West Baronial Tournament to select the next Baron and Baroness. Using only Japanese resources, translated into English by my friends and co-workers, created documentation for a hand painted Italian style vase, painted inside backwards in the historically accurate style. Created a requilary box for my aromatic oils featuring a painting of myself in armor with the heraldry of the Rozakii on my breastplate in tempura paint. Created a banner with an example of the potential arms of the Stronghold of Vale de Draco.

• Fall 2003 Attended MWR Japanese-American fest, SCA Demo. Taught audience members about garb in the middle ages and renaissance, answered a 20 minute Q&A session with audience. Assist with marshalling and water bearing.

• September 2003 Arrived in Iceland from Japan

• Summer 2003 Together with Lady Freydis Thorfinsdottir and Lord Tristan, founded the incipient stronghold of Klakavirki, a part of Insulae Draconis. Held the offices of chatelaine, Minister of A&S and marshal in training. Turned 8 people into SCAdians, leading to eight paid members of the SCA. We held A&S/Fight practices at our home and community center twice a month for over two years. Classes I led: Scroll making including calligraphy (Carolingian script) and basic illumination, leather shoe making, English country dancing, banner painting, rules of heraldry, drumming, playing the recorder, how to speak forsoothly, how to read basic rudimentary Latin, life and death in the middle ages, timekeeping in the middle ages, crime, punishment and torture in the middle ages, many garb making sessions, Pell work, slow work with single sword, how to brew mead, beading for necklaces and beading trim and many more classes.

• January 2004 Attended Coronation in Caerphilly castle, Wales. Part of cleanup crew and volunteer lady in waiting for various members of royalty in attendance. My first event in Drachenwald.

• Summer 2004 SCA Event autocrat and co-feastocrat, Revel in the Midnight Sun. Vicerene Moira from Insulae Draconis in attendance. Lord Tristan receives his AoA. 20 community members and SCA members in attendance. Proper court, feast and dancing held.

• Spring 2005 Organized and led Keflavik Iceland’s AT Mahan elementary school Medieval Faire, featuring a feast of bread and grape juice. Outfitted several staff and students in garb, taught all attendees the Maltese Bransle and Galliard. 40 children in attendance.

• Summer 2005 SCA Event co-autocrat and reservations Stewart, dance organizer, Revel in the Midnight Sun 2. 10 community members and SCA members in attendance. Proper court, feast and dancing held.

• Summer 2005 Organized and led the “Shire of Klakavirki” booth at the NAS Keflavik summer fair, sold leather tooled bookmarks and chain mail key chains to support SCA events in Iceland. Painted a huge lady and knight photo booth, where you put your face in the cut-out of the knight’s face and lady’s face.

• August 2005 Attended Pennsic War in direct support of TRM Cadogan and Eufemia, friends we made in Japan, who also moved to Europe. Set-up Drachenwald Royal Encampment as part of a team, hung Drachenwald banner in my own camp (Rozakii of Ealdormere), water bearer for most battles, My lord Tristan fought for Drachenwald, despite living in an Ealdormere mercenary camp.

• March 2006 Moved from Iceland to Italy. Closed the incipient shire of Klakavirki, Keflavik Iceland.

• Summer 2006 Donated via MPS military mail two complete sets of armor including helms and pads to the shire of Baerenau, Berlin Germany as a result of meeting SCA Germany members on a tourist trip to Berlin. Value of over $1500. The armor was residue from armor donations originally for the incipient stronghold of Klakavirki. (Iceland)

• May 2006 One day demo at US Army base, Camp Darby. Instructed 75 school aged children in the arts of beading, calligraphy and illumination and discussed various clothing styles. Outfitted nine little girls in garb over two days. Spent over $200 on tolls and accommodations to attend.

• January 2007 Set-up and Clean up crew of Drachenwald Coronation. Mentioned in thank-you letter in Dragon’s Tale, from autocrat, Lord Cernac. Dublin, Ireland.

• Spring 2007 Welcomed the Shore family to their new duty station of Naples, SCA members from New Orleans. Provided food and some basic supplies as they arrived, generally welcoming them to SCA Italy.

• April-June 2007 Outfitted over 14 people in the Naples Community Theater production of J.Howell’s “Pirates!” Taught primary fencing techniques to 5 cast members and choreographed 5 fencing fight scenes in the play, provided numerous props and set dressing. Mentioned in the program and thanked.

• June 2007 Two day demo at US Army base, Camp Darby. Instructed 100 school aged children in the arts of drumming and woodwind instruments, demonstrated the different drums of antiquity and discussed various clothing styles. Outfitted nine little girls in garb over two days. Spent over $200 on tolls and accommodations to attend.

• June 2007-Dec 2008 Seneschal of the Stronghold of Campofiamme. (Naples, Italy)

• December 2008 Move from Naples Italy to San Diego, California. (Alone with two dogs, Matt (Husband) to follow, March 2009)

• November 2009-October 2010 Court of Patrick I and Kara I. Assisted TRM at events across Caid. Assisted with setup of the pavilion, attended Her Majesty as she went about Her day, assisted behind the thrones during Court, assisted with site tear down and cleanup.

• July 2009 Comic con Demo: Staffed the display table, answered the questions of over 55 visitors in one day, and over 65 visitors on the second day. Assisted setting up and tearing down the demo list field, tables, and supplies.

• July 2010 Comic con Demo: Staffed the display table, answered the questions of over 55 visitors in one day, and over 65 visitors on the second day. Assisted setting up and tearing down the demo list field, tables, and supplies.

• May 2011 Began training as a Constable in the Kingdom, learning the handbook, volunteering at Potrero and at day events to practice excellent public relations, while maintaining public safety.

• June 2012-November 2012 Court of Patrick II and Kara II. Assisted TRM at events across Caid. Assisted with setup of the pavilion, attended Her Majesty as she went about Her day, assisted behind the thrones during Court, assisted with site tear down and cleanup.

• November 2012-June 2013 Court of Mansur and Eilidh. Assisted TRM at events across Caid. Assisted with setup of the pavilion, attended Her Majesty as she went about Her day, assisted behind the thrones during Court, assisted with site tear down and cleanup.

• May 2013- Co-Volunteer Steward Potrero War. Assist in organizing the early admission lists, secure volunteers for 24/7 coverage of certain positions, answer volunteer questions, control and issue volunteer cards, issue opportunity draw tickets.

• Summer 2009-May 2013 Marshal in training. Safely oversee medieval combat, ensuring the safety of observers, ensure minimum armor standards are being met by the fighters, assist in the authorization of new fighters.

More Information

• I have worked to promote historical re-enactment and the dream of the SCA in five Kingdoms, The Middle, Ealdormere, the Palentine Barony of the Far West, Drachenwald, and Caid. In Drachenwald, I served both in Insulae Draconis and the mainland. I have founded two SCA groups, BMARC at Brock University in Ontario, Canada and the incipient Stronghold of Klakavirki in Iceland. I have called myself a resident of many SCA branches. I was a protégée, on the path to my Pelican under the loving steady guidance of Mistress Genevieve Chastellain d’Anjou OL, OP, who presently is in hiatus from the SCA. Presently I live in San Diego, California. In the recent past I lived in Ontario Canada, Tokyo Japan, Keflavik Iceland and Naples, Italy.