Crown Poems
Caidan Crown Poems (aka Fighter Poems) are poetry chronicles of Caid's Coronet and Crown Tournaments.
The publication was commended by the William Blackfox Awards for best special interest publication in AS XLI and nominated in that same category AS XLIII.
History
The tradition of writing fighter poems comes to us from the West Kingdom. Begun by Steven MacEanruig as president of the College of Bards, the first set of poems were written by Diana Listmaker, Ruthven of Rockridge, Rima of Rockridge, Bela of Eastmarch and Gwydion Pendderwen.
Miranda Douglas of Schiehallion organized the first collections of poems in Caid when we were a Principality and for the first few years of Caid being a Kingdom. Theodric Pendar of Faulconwood followed her. Natalya de Foix did it for about 2 years, and then passed it to Edward Ian Anderson and Eichling von Amrum. Philippa Llewelyn Schuyler and William Schuyler took over production in 1992. Paul fitz Denis inherited the editorial mantle in 2016, followed by Avicia de Na Baiona in 2023.
For many years, the only way to get a complete copy of the collection was to win the Crown, be on the Throne, or to organize the writing of poems, type them all, fill in for any late poets, and make the copies. Since 1992, the poem books have been available for purchase by all members of the populace.
Chronicles
Purchase
Contact Lady Avicia de Na Baiona to obtain copies of previous and subsequent Crown Poem publications. The price for the booklet is usually very minimal, just enough to cover the printing cost (a few dollars).
Memories
From Robear du Bois
When we were a Principality, one of the great things about going to fight in Crown was the Fighter Poems. You might spend 8 hours driving up, spend less than a minute on the field fighting in a single elimination Tournament, and 8 hours driving back, but you got your own poem handed to you at Coronation a month or so later. The poems were shorter then, but I can still recite two of them, both written by William the Lucky.
From Lavendar of Lorne
Miranda Douglas of Schiehallion told me when I was first approached about fighter poems that she wished to initiate this custom in Caid, based on the long tradition in the West. Certainly, Robear, Natalya, and I are among the earliest contributors to the fighter poems collections here. I gather from an earlier post that the custom is not universal in the Society; indeed, we are fortunate in William and Philippa, and in all their predecessors, for this happy service we perform.
We all work very hard on our assignments, and I do my best to personalize each poem, assuming that all the fighters would at least see one of the booklets. Numerous fighters have made an effort to thank their poet, and many poets have improved their efforts over the years through study, innovation, and practice. I might add that when Miranda asked me to contribute, I'd never written anything but haiku!
