The Bellowing Breeze - Heraldry by Njall
A Series of Articles by Njall Olaf Hagarson, Published in the Crown Prints
Field Heraldry
From the Crown Prints, August 2000]]
As some of you may know, I have once again taken up heraldic duties of Bellows Pursuivant Herald. I have taken this position within the College of Heralds with two goals foremost in my mind. The first is to train my successor. The second and most important is to do something about the lack of working Field Heralds in this Kingdom.
At our last Queen's Champion Tournament, we had 16 fields in use. We did not have enough heralds to do the job. At last year's Great Western War, we needed three to four heralds for each set of camp cries. Most shifts we were lucky to have two Heralds. At most baronial and shire anniversaries, we are also short of Heralds. This problem has plagued Caid for the last few years.
In part, the herald shortage is created by a growth in combat arts. At many events, Heralds are needed for Heavy Weapons, Light Weapons and Period Rapier lists. And done right, each additional list field needs two Heralds, so as not to place too great a strain on one voice alone. However, part of the shortage comes from the retirement of many of our most active field Heralds.
In short, we need more Heralds. Besides being part of the pageantry that makes the SCA what it is, Heralds are needed for more practical reasons. Heralds help move the tournament along faster by letting the fighters know where they need to be and when. They also perform the function of a recorder of results for the lists officer. And at times, they are an extra set of eyes for the Marshals. When we are short of Heralds, lists run much longer than they have to. This can be a very important issue, especially at an event like a Fall Queen's Champion, where we have very large Lists and very little daylight to finish it in.
So I ask you to consider giving field heraldry a try. The Heralds Office will be more than happy to provide on the job training. We will also be offering classes in Field Heraldry at upcoming Collegiums. Field Heraldry is fun and a great way to get to know all the people that you see out on the field. I also ask that if you are a field herald that has not been active of late, please come back out and help teach a new batch of Field Heralds.
Projection: Or the Art of Making Yourself Heard
From the Crown Prints, September 2000]]
Last month, I asked, no begged for people to come out and volunteer to be Field Heralds. This month I'll try to help all those new volunteers get out on the field and make themselves heard.
Projection is the term we used for the technique that allows you to be heard wile not straining your voice. If you project properly, your voice will last much longer and you will be more likely to be heard. Many Heralds are already using projection techniques, but still others are not. It would take more than just an article to teach people how to always project properly. So what I intend to offer here is Advice and Tricks to help you and your voice last through a day of Field Heraldry. This is not intended to replace the Field Heraldry class offered at Collegiums. If you get a chance, please take that class, which will not only teach you the heraldic forms used but to project as well.
Drink plenty of fluids. The constant use of your voice will dry the throat out. A dry throat is prone to stress injury (that loss of voice or raspy voice at the end of the day). Drinking plenty of fluids will protect your voice longer. If you don't keep your throat well moistened, then all the projection tricks in the world will not help.
Stand straight and speak over the cards. I have seen any number of Heralds look down at cards held in their hand while speaking. This does two things. First, it closes off the throat and second, it points the sound of your voice straight to the ground. Instead, stand straight and hold the cards out at about shoulder height. Then point your voice over the cards, while just looking down at the cards with your eyes.
Don't yell. When you "yell," you are using your lungs and throat to power your voice. That means your throat is working too haard and will not last the day. When you yell, you also waste a great deal of power in creating "side" frequencies. If you project a pure tone, all your vocal power goes into creating that tone, no is wasted. However, try not to make the announcement in a "sing song" voice either.
And last, but most definitely not least, project with your diaphragm. The muscles of your diaphragm are used to inflate and deflate your lungs. These muscles are the number one secret to projection. These muscles are located below the rib cage. This is something that is best taught in person. If you know any trained singers or actors, they can show you what I mean. Or if you can meet up with me at an event, I'll show you what I'm talking about. Just know where your diaphragm mussels are, and dress so that you don't restrict their use. Next month I'll look at heraldic forms used on the field. Until then, I hope to see many new faces on the field at upcoming events.
The Field Herald as a Traffic Cop
From the Crown Prints, October 2000]]
Last month I spoke about projection. The month before I spoke about the need for volunteers to be field heralds. So now that I have a whole bunch of volunteers that know how to project, I guess it is time to tell you what the job is. A Field Herald is a traffic cop. Your most important job is to keep the lists moving. Now, don't get me wrong. Part of the job is also the pageantry. That's why we have a special litany for the final round of Crown Tournament and Queen's Champion Lists. But first and foremost, it is your job as a Field Herald to get the fighters on the field in a timely fashion.
When you volunteer to be a field herald, you will be loaned a baldric or tabard. You will also be given a heraldic cheat sheet. This cheat sheet will contain the litany use by Field Heralds in this Kingdom. Once you have called the second or third combat on a field, you will most likely not need the cheat sheet any more. Being a field herald really is that simple!
When it is your turn to work a round, take a field as soon as you hear another Herald start to call the Order of Combat (O.C.) for your round. When the O.C. herald gets to your field, listen as he or she reads the names for your field. The hardest part about being a Field Herald is some of the names you will be asked to say, at the top of your voice. As you are calling the fighters to the field, do the best you can, with the names on the card. Even if you butcher a name (I still do it to this day), most fighters will gently correct how you say their name. And if you still can't get the name right, most will accept that with good grace. At some point you will come to a name you just can't get, no matter what. Do your best and move on.
Ok, so you are on the field, you have a baldric, cheat sheet, list cards and a pen or pencil (did I forget to mention that you need something to write with? Yes!). Now we come back around to the first pint. Your number one job is to move lists along. So don't mix up the cards. Work with the Marshals on your field. And make your loudest calls the ones to "arm and to the field" and to "arm and stand ready."
Obviously I can't teach the entire Field Heraldry class in this column. So come out to a tourney and ask to work a field and we will train you on the job. Next month, I'll talk about ceremonies for the final rounds of major events.
The Art of Field Heraldry: Ceremony
From the Crown Prints, November 2000]]
As I write this month's article, it is September and the big news is the Olympic Games being held in the Shire of Agaricus, Principality of Lochac, Kingdom of the West. Now if I were His Royal Majesty, I'm sure I could write something witty, tying the history of the Olympics to the Current Middle Ages. However, I'm not half so witty. So the best I can do is comment on the ceremony of the games.
As I was watching the track and field events, I was struck with how alike the SCA and the Olympics are. In the heats for the 100-meter sprint, each runner was standing in their lane behind the blocks. Behind the voice-over from the TV commentator, I could just hear the in-stadium announcer. He was announcing the lane assignments to the crowd. As he called each runner, they would step forward and give the crowd a little wave. This was done all the way through to the finals. This isn't too much different from what we do. In the Olympics, they announce the athletes because there are so many from so many different countries. We announce our fighters, because there are so many armors that look alike.
Beyond just announcing each fight, there is more to the ceremony of the SCA Field Heraldry. In the SCA, we try to be more than just another athletic club. That's one reason for some of the pageantry at SCA events. At the Olympics, one athlete swears an oath for all the other athletes at the very beginning of the games. In the SCA we promise to be at our best in each combat via our salutes. To me, it is the honor of our fighters that set us apart from other athletes, more than any other thing.
To enhance the feeling of that honor, we have a style of heraldic ceremony that embraces it. This is true for every combat of every list. In addition, the finals for Crown Lists, as well as Queen's Champion in both heavy weapons and rapier, each have a unique ceremony. The purpose of those ceremonies is to tell the populace about the fighters that hav emade it that far, as well as to remind all parties of the honor that is on the line. In addition these ceremonies remind the fighters of the duty owed by the victor to the populace in the case of Crown, and to the Queen in case of Queen's Champion.
Shortly it will be time for Queen's Champion Tourney again. And, I will need to add ceremonies for light weapons and boffers to those for heavy and rapier Queen's Champions. In addition I would like to see each regional Herald take some time and write s unique ceremony for the finals of your regional championships. In this way we can do even more to bring a unique and special feel to the SCA that isn't found in any other competitive sporting field.
As well after mentioning the upcoming Queen's Champion Tourney, I would like to add a plea for more Field Heralds. The number of Heralds that come forward to help at Crown Tourney pleasantly surprised me. I want to thank you one and all. However, the real work is coming just around the corner. At the last Queen's Champion there were four Lists with four fields each, for sixteen total fields. In order to make sure that all the Heralds get time off to rest their voices, we would need 32 working Field Heralds for the first few rounds. So, please come out and volunteer your voice to your Kingdom and your new Queen.
In Service, Njall
