Brígiða Vadesbana

Brígiða Vadesbana (AKA Brighid Anraith, Brighid of the Blue Hands)

Persona Bio

Brígiða Vadesbana (formerly known as Brighid Anraith) is a late mid-9th cen Irish woman from the area between Kildare and the Norse settlement of Dubh Linn. Her true name is Máel Brigde inghean Áeda, but as she currently spends most of her time amongst the foreigners in Dublin or Jorvik who have named her Brígiða Vadesbana, that's what she most readily responds to these days.

Her father's family did not approve of the match with her mother and when her mother died while she was still young, her family placed her in the abbey at Kildare. Having no vocation for the church but considerable skill with textiles, she left when she was able, and has made her way since as a weaver and dyer of luxury items.

After travelling on Norse trade ships for a period of time she found welcoming kinfolk she had not realized she had in Jorvik, including a couple (Kenneth of Shaftesbury and his Lady Wife Vivien of Shaftesbury) who promptly adopted her, to her surprise. Shortly thereafter she found herself even more astonished by becoming betrothed to a minor baron (Baron James Douglas) she met at an inn. She's still not sure how this happened, but suspects plotting on the part of her kinfolk. Being not unsatisfied with the match she has decided she will most likely go through with the marriage. Someday. It will make her mother happy.

SCA Bio

I have been in the SCA for 14 years, during which I've lived in 1 Shire, 2 Baronies, 3 Principalities and 3 Kingdoms. I have served as co-event steward for a few events, served as Skeldergate's Chatelaine for a year, and occasionally taught someone how to do something cool I've learned. Sometimes I write stuff.

I started in the College of Skeldergate, which shortly thereafter became the Canton of Skeldergate, in the Barony of Septentria, in the Principality of Ealdormere, which shortly thereafter became the Kingdom of Ealdormere, in the Middle Kingdom. I then moved to the Barony of Lions Gate in the Region of the North, which shortly thereafter became the Principality of Tir Righ (it's a coincidence, honest), in An Tir. I recently moved to the Shire of Vinjar, in the Principality of Avacal (An Tir).

I have been a member of or associated with several households over my career. The only one I am currently involved in is Holly House, which is located primarily in Lions Gate/Eisenmarche terrritory, but has members and associates scattered across the Knowne Worlde. I am an apprentice to Mistress Seiglynda Thyrisdotter of Elphinstone, head of Holly House.

AS I currently live quite remotely even from Vinjar, I spend the majority of my SCA time these days attempting to complete several [A&S50 challenges]

Areas of interest:

Textiles: weaving (cloth, inkle, tablet, tapestry, pile and flat rug), early medieval embroidery, costuming ('Celtic', Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, Japanese), dyeing (especially indigo/woad), hand-sewing

Sociology and History: textile and textile industry history, kinship structures, rulership, pagan religion in period, mythology of Northern Europe, early Christian theology, court life in Heian Japan, world-view of the Middle Ages, SCA culture

Early period poetry: Irish, Welsh, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, Japanese

Toys: rag dolls, hobby horses, leather balls. So far.

Random minor interests: masks, puppetry, drama, illumination, jewellery construction, beads, games, hairstyling, nalbinding, spinning, temari balls, cooking period sweets, carving bone and antler (textile tools, and dress pins)

Upcoming interests: bookbinding, cheese-making, painted and printed cloth, sprang, lace-making, period wire jewellery, furniture and large tool making (pole lathe, warp-weighted loom), viking sail making, basketry, cord making

You can find photos of some of my projects [here] Write-ups of A&S projects sometimes appear [here] and [here]

Some of the stuff I've written:
The Line of Tir Righ
Persona Worksheet
A Measured Response from an Avacalian

Pronunciation

Brígiða is pronounced "Bree-GEE-tha" or "Bree-GEE-da" (hard 'g').

Vadesbana is pronounced "WAH-dess-Bah-na".

I don't know the appropriate alternate title to "lady" in Old Norse. "Fru" is apparently the closest. I don't like "Fru". This will require more thought.

Brighid is pronounced "Breed", or more precisely "Bre'ed" as there's a bit of a catch in the "ee" sound. I also answer to the pronunciation "BREEG-ed" (hard 'g'). Bridgit (BRIDGE-et) is RIGHT OUT. I'll answer to it, but only to tell you that's not my name.

Anraith is pronounced "AHN-raid". I think. This is all wrong anyway. After nearly 15 years I FINALLY found back the name upon which I based 'Anraith' and either I'm an idiot with no memory or I had a really old and/or terrible book that told me it was Anraith. It should have been "Anfaid". But that's probably wrong too. At least in construction. I'm not going to bother looking it up though, since I don't use that name anymore anyway.

I do NOT use the title "Lady" as Lady Breed just sounds dumb. I prefer Bantiarna, which, as far as I can tell, is actually pronounced like it's spelled, despite being Irish.

Most people just call me Bree anyway.