Elf Hill Times

Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, before the internet, it was hard to come by information. If you didn’t have a large university nearby, or lots of money to buy books, there was little info available about medieval/Renaissance life. It was also before the popularity of social history. I remember talking with a professor of medieval history from, maybe, Vancouver, B.C., who said to me (close paraphrase here) “Well, we’re not interested in the kind of stools they used, are we?” I thought to myself, that, yes, we are interested in just that! Now social history is popular, historic re-creation is a legitimately recognized way to understand the material culture of a time period, and we have the internet. But ‘back then’ we desperately needed SCA-published journals and newsletters as a way of sharing what knowledge we were able to collect. The Elf Hill Times served that purpose admirably.

As An Tir’s cooking guild faltered and stopped publishing their newsletter “A Watched Pot,” I wanted to preserve and spread the information that they had gathered over the years, so I proposed to the remaining guild people that Alfargaugr Publishing Society bring out a Best of “A Watched Pot”. They agreed, so I compiled and edited the two volumes and published them in 1988 and 1991.

Around 2012, just after I had re-issued The Complete Elf Hill Song Book, I had a request from a bookseller in the Midrealm for a reprint of the Best of… volumes. I took a thorough look at them and decided that they were really no longer relevant. There are a number of really good and widely available medieval and Renaissance cookbooks out now that are far better than what we published those many years ago.

So, the Elf Hill Times, the Song Book, and the other titles that APS published are now a part of An Tir’s (and the SCA’s) early history.

By [Yseult of Broceliande]

Elf Hill Times / Alfarhaugr Publishing History

Issue #1, Jan. 77, The Adiantum Elf Hill Times was the special Arts and Sciences Issue of the [Adiantum] Baronial newsletter, Brulla MacKhan and Ailantha of Greani Velir, editors.

Issues #2-6: The Elf Became a twice yearly (Jan. / Midwinter Feast & May / Egil's Tourney) publication independent of the newsletter. Editor for Issues #2-6 (July 77-May 79), Victoria Payton (Victoria de Toledo).

Sometime between July 77 and Jan. 78, Manfred and Koressa, Prince and Princess of An Tir, declared it the official A & S publication of the Principality of An Tir. There was no real follow-up to this. Adiantum just continued to publish it twice a year.

Issues #7-15 (Jan. 80-Jan. 84), editor was Patsy Dunham (Chimene de CinqTours). #9 (Jan. 81) was the An Tir Song Book. The revised edition, retitled the Elf Hill Song Book and issued by Alfarhaugr, appeared under her editorship with the help of Beth Moursund (Shara Tunoy) in Jan. 84.

February 1984 Alfarhaugr Publishing Society (APS) was incorporated in Oregon as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational corporation. #15 was the first Elf issued by APS rather than the Barony of Adiantum. Proceeds were donated to the Barony of Adiantum or occasionally the Kingdom of An Tir.

Issues #16-29 (May 84-Jan. 91) editor was Pam Perryman (Yseult of Broceliande). Under her editorship also appeared 1988, Best of "A Watched Pot" 1989, The Viandier of Taillevent, translated by James Prescott (Thorvald Grimsson), the first English language translation of this important 14th century cookery book. 1991, Best of "A Watched Pot", Vol. 2; 1991, The Supplement to The Elf Hill Times Song Book, ed. By Gwion ap Bleiddyn 1991, Doublet and Trunk Hose, by Robert Trump 1991, The Complete Elf Hill Song Book (the original + the supplement)

Issue #30 (Jan. 92) editor was Beth Davis (Caterina di Rafelli/Aelflaed). Issue #31 (July 93) editor was David McGlone (Yrio Kirjawiisas) Issue #32 (Jan. 1998) editors were Jonna Hayden (Fearga Kavanagh) and Valeria Mainwald (Valeria bat Adama ha Khzari)

The Oregon incorporation of Alfarhaugr Publishing lapsed in the 1990s.

In 2010 Pam Perryman (Yseult of Broceliande) printed a limited edition of The Complete Elf Hill Songbook (the 1991 edition) as a fundraiser for the Barony of Adiantum (specifically, to defray costs for 12th Night 2011).