Anya Simonova

Photo
Anya with her display for Terra Pomaria's Artifacts of a Life event in AS 60
Information
Resides: Barony of Three Mountains Pronouns: she/her Date Started: A.S. 59 (August 2024) Awards: Order of Precedence Name pronunciation: Add the File link to your name recording here Preferred Title: prefers to use none Offices: Deputy to the Scribe of The Barony of Three Mountains
Heraldry
Anya's pending (not yet accepted!) device, shown in earth tones as is her preference Per chevron fimbriated Or, sable semy of crescents pendant argent and gules, a bee proper.

Anya Simonova

Anya Simonova (mka Jessica) is a member of the Barony of Three Mountains Populace.

Most of her research and engagement focuses on aspects of her persona culture, early 11th century Kievan Rus'. However, she is a broad lover and practitioner of the arts and sciences, including calligraphy (blackletter), woodburning, embroidery, chandlery, and ethnobotany/traditional medicine.

As of AS 60, she is a Scribal Deputy of Three Mountains. She is a member of the Compagnie de Cabril household.

Persona

Anya Simonova lived in the early 11th century in Polotsk, Kievan Rus' (modern day Polotsk, Belarus). She was from a Christian beekeeping family that served as favored chandlers to the Prince of Polotsk. Her parents’ handiwork supplied the castle in the city - as well as prominent monasteries and churches championed by the crown - with beeswax candles. Her father crafted, her mother helped, and Anya was their apprentice, learning chandlery while also running their deliveries. As Christianity spread, leading to the opening of new religious and academic centers, her parents’ business and fortune boomed.

After some time, Anya’s sister fell ill. While her parents were firmly Christian, faithful to the Prince who patronized them, Anya's grandmother rejected the new religion and believed that the girl should be treated using their traditional medicines. In the end, the Christian doctors failed to save Anya’s sister, and she passed away. Unbeknownst to her parents, this radicalized Anya against the ongoing Christianization, and moved her to begin secretly studying Slavic prechristian medicine and religion from her grandmother. When the pagan uprisings in her town began, she snuck out to help. She ultimately took a role using her healing knowledge to mend comrades’ burns and combat injuries – a proto-protest medic.

SCA History, Interests, & Activities

Jessica found the SCA at a difficult time in her life when she was seeking community and healthy pastimes in the immediate aftermath of her wife's death by cancer. Her first SCA event was Acorn War AS 59 (2024). The SCA has more than lived up to this hope, as in the years since, she has found a chosen family and many dear friends, as well as enough hobbies to last a lifetime! Jessica is a grad student working full-time, so she is less fully engaged than she would like to be, but can often be found at Barony-level weekend events or on the An Tir Discord.

As of AS 60, she is primarily working on developing her persona. Her "Protest Medic Kit" entry at Artifacts Of A Life was the official beginning of this journey, for which she was honored with Three Mountains's Myrtle Leaf. She is also working on two persona-relevant A&S classes: one on beeswax candles modeled after the finds at Gniozdovo dated to 970 and one on motanky. Stay tuned!

Other current projects of Anya's include a role as a scribal deputy of Three Mountains, and making woodburned boxes inspired by whimsical marginalia for kingdom largesse.

DEIB

Anya lived in a time of cultural genocide, and served those resisting it. After being awarded the Myrtle Leaf, Three Mountains's award honoring persona development, Jessica stated in a social media post, "If I’m going to get officially recognized for my work on a specific culture, I am going to get more political about it, not less. It would be extractive and exploitative – entirely antithetical to my ethics – to reap personal gain from a people’s struggle and give NOTHING back... The study of history is inherently political and to imagine otherwise is a fantasy of the privileged. Historical harms are the root of present injustice."

Associates

• Compagnie de Cabril - Household

• Carith de Cuevas - Scribe of The Barony of Three Mountains

Court Preferences

Anya has little court experience and is not yet certain of her preferences. For now, she would appreciate support knowing what to do in the moment (where to kneel, when to take hands, etc.), and grace if she misses any formalities. She is comfortable with physical touch in the court context and is able to kneel for a few minutes (though not extendedly).

She would love photos and/or videos of special moments! She struggles with memory loss and cherishes these reminders of happy times.

As Jessica works overnights, Anya is almost never at morning courts.