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 Dublin. Her name is actually 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, Áed mac Dúnlainge, a younger son of minor nobility with ties of kinship to the kings of Osraige through his mother, met her mother Eithne inghean Máele-Brigte; the daughter of lay-servants of the Abbey at Kildare when he traveled to the fairs at the Abbey. Before he left he married Eithne, and promised to devote his first born child to St. Brigit's service in thanks for the wife he took from it.

He died before her first birthday during a skirmish between the Osraige and an invading Viking force. Her father's family did not approve of the match with her mother, so when her mother died while she was still young, her family sent her to be fostered by a couple from her mother's family at the abbey. Her foster-parents were Cináed mac Riacáin and Bébinn inghean Flainn. It is there that she developed her fascination with string and her obsession with cheeeeeeeeese. 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.

Portrait of TH Kirk and Bryjna and family

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.

Brígiða is what she has been called since she first left the Abbey and began dealings with those speaking Northern tongues. They had difficulty pronouncing her real name and when they understood it's meaning, one of them decided they should just call her Brígiða, a name they have gotten from the Saint and begun using to name their daughters. She must not be very devout, for she find it bothers her less than her upbringing says it should, to be named so straightly after a Holy Saint.

They later named her Vadesbana (Woad’s Bane) as a nickname given due to her propensity towards blue hands, and messing with woad vats.

Miniature Tapestry based on a 4thC Coptic fragment

SCA Bio
I have been in the SCA since January, 1996, during which I've lived in 1 College/Canton, 1 Shire, 3 Baronies, 3 Principalities and 3 Kingdoms, surprisingly without actually moving around all THAT much! I have served as co-event steward for a few events, served as Skeldergate's Chatelaine for a year (around 1998), and competed and judged several A&S competitions at various levels. Currently, I am co-Chronicler of The Avantgarde, newsletter of the Principality of Avacal.

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! Seriously, I had nothing to do with it, I just find it funny!), in An Tir. In recent years I've lived in King's Land, near the Shire of Vinjar, in the Principality of Avacal (An Tir). Currently, I reside in the Barony of Montengarde (Avacal, An Tir).

Roman Era Doll, dressed in 10thC Dublin (left), and Coptic (right)

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 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.

I spend the majority of my SCA time researching for myself and others, making things (especially toys and accessories), and committing acts of wanton experimental archaeology. I am attempting to complete several A&S50 challenges, currently I'm up to 49 items of largesse- with 2 1/2 years to go, I'm now going for 50 items of largesse EACH of toys (27 so far), hats (23), and bags (6)!

Awards

Award of Arms: 1998-04-25 Middle Kingdom, by Berus and Marion, Last Prince and Princess of Ealdormere
Golden Flame: 2010-09-25 Principality of Avacal, by Kirk and Bryjna
Order of the Jambe de Lion: 2011-06-18 Kingdom of An Tir, by Skeggi II and Taisiia II
Order of the Rose Petal: 2012-01-14 Barony of Montengarde, by Beothuk of the Beothuks and Wilma the Still

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; recently I've become fascinated with Viking Age Tapestry

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)

Things I'd like to be interested in if I had time: 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 on my [Flickr] page.
Write-ups of A&S projects sometimes appear on my [persona blog]

Double-faced Tablet Weaving; chain pattern

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" (pronounced AHN-a-ha). 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. Especially since "anraith" is a type of soup. Don't get me wrong, I *like* soup. I make great soup. I just don't want to be Lady Breed Soup. Seriously. Don't call me that. I'll write nasty poems about you. Also it should have been Brigit. Or possibly Brigid.

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.