Maunche for Alys Treeby

 

Image of an illuminated scroll bearing the words in this article
Illumination by Agatha Wanderer (Rachel Case), Calligraphy by Christiana Crane (Chris Hill), words by Aneleda Falconbridge (Monique Bouchard)

Funi kveykisk af funa.
Swa cwæð Cyninga Kenric on mode
swa cwæð Cwene Avelina on mode
gesæt þeir sundor æt rune.
Gemon þeir selesecgas ond sincþege.

Well-famed is this woman,
brooch-crafter, glass-melter.
She turns dust jewel-bright
in the blaze-fire.
She crafts her hoard,
gives with open hand.
She studies the crafts,
consults the masters.
She shares fire
with the people.

Now spark joins fire,
now glass joins metal.
Now Alys Treeby joins
the Order of the Maunch
and is granted arms,
Argent, a tree blasted sable
issuant from a base vert
and beset by bees
sable and Or, winged sable.

This is done
at the Pennsic Court of the East,
cyningdom Aethelmarc,
day tīen of Weodmonað
in the year fīftiġ ānum
by our reckoning.

Wyrd bið ful aræd.
Swa cwæð
Cyninga Kenric and Cwene Avelina.

 


Text with translations

Funi kveykisk af funa. (flame kindles from flame)
Swa cwæð Cyninga Kenric on mode (So spake Kenric in his mind)
Swa cwæð Cwene Avelina on mode (So spake Avelina in her mind,)
gesæt þeir sundor æt rune (where they sat apart in counsel.)
Gemon þeir selesecgas ond sincþege. (They remember hall-warriors and the giving of treasure)

Well-famed is this woman, brooch-crafter, glass-melter. She turns dust jewel-bright in the blaze-fire. She crafts her hoard and gives with open hand. She studies the crafts and consults the masters. She has shares fire with the people.

Now spark joins fire, now glass joins metal. Now Alys Treeby joins the Order of the Maunch and is granted arms, Argent, a tree blasted sable issuant from a base vert and beset by bees sable and Or, winged sable.

This is done at the Pennsic Court of the East, cyningdom Aethelmarc, on day tīen of Weodmonað in the year fīftiġ ānum by our reckoning.

Wyrd bið ful aræd. (Events always go as they must!)

Swa cwæð Cyninga Kenric and Cwene Avelina. (so said King Kenric and Queen Avelina.)

# # #

The text is influenced by portions of the Havamal and the Anglo-Saxon portions are taken from the texts of the Havamal. A facing page translation is available online here: http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=get&type=text&id=Hav.

NOTES: Original: Swa cwæð snottor on mode, (So spake the wise man in his mind,)
gesæt him sundor æt rune. (where he sat apart in counsel.)
Weodmonað = August or “weed month”
Tīen = ten
fīftiġ ānum = fifty one