Tamsin of the Raven Tresses

Tamsin of the Raven Tresses (Yoko Olsgaard) is still active in the Kingdom of the West and lives in Oakland, CA, not very far from where she first joined the SCA. She joined the SCA in AS 9, having attended her first event, the Valentine's Day Revel at Mills College where she was majoring in Psychology.

Tamsin and Trelon at their coronation as Princess and Prince of An Tir in Lion’s Gate in 1979.

Tamsin was invested as Princess of An Tir in 1979 at An Tir Coronation and Champion Tourney.

After reigning with Trelon of the Wood as Princess of An Tir, she married Duke Henrik of Havn and lived with him for over 26 years. She and Duke Henrik have two wonderful children, Erik of Havn and Leanne of Havn (named after Duchess Leanne of Maywood. She is single again but remains good friends with Duke Henrik. She would love to sign scrolls but does not get up to An Tir often enough. She would love to be contacted to sign scrolls as needed.

She can be reached at yolsgaard at yahoo dot com.

Some of her favorite memories of An Tir: 1. Wearing the beautiful garb that the kind folk of Adiantum made for her coronetting. Becoming Princess was quite a surprise and she was not prepared for it at all. 2. Judging some of the finest submissions in the arts - at the time, An Tir was known for incredibly authentic and beautifully crafted garb, jewelry, embroidery, calligraphy and illumination - pretty much anything in the Arts and Sciences would be astounding if it was submitted by a subject from An Tir. 3. Hugging the Baron and Baroness of Lionsgate - who at the time were Gerhard Kendal and Amanda of Westmoreland and loving their beautiful children. 4. Getting to know the People of An Tir who welcomed a foreigner (from the Mists) into their midst. 5. Being able to recognize and appreciate others who, like her, were relatively new to An Tir and contributing to their local groups. 6. Being of service to the Principality - Especially memorable was singing The Burden of the Crown during court with Dorothea, the lady who became the next Princess. 7. The fabulous food and the smell of the trees. 8. Teasing Steingrim and Edward Zifran of Gendy. And her entire guard. She was nuts about her guard. Having the McFlandry brothers hovering over her was an experience that cannot be forgotten.

An Tir will always be a wonderful and beautiful place. Tamsin will always have a very special place in her heart for the people of An Tir. Long Live An Tir!

About her Coronation event she wrote:

From The Page (September, 1979):

Following the usual last-minute, panic stricken sewing, Sir Trelon and I were crowned Prince and Princess of An Tir in a beautiful green meadow awash with smiling faces and sunlight. A foreign princess was NEVER treated with such courtesy, kindness, generosity, and graciousness as I was. Our reign began with greetings from Our noble cousins, Prince Christopher and Princess Esmirelda, in the Principality of the Mists, and our allowances (bags of gold coins) from the Kingdom Exchquer, Master Rodrigo de Cerdana. Prince Trelon received a banana cream pie in the face from one of my ladies-in-waiting, Lady Dorothea of the Dunes. Lest any would mistake this for an act of treason, Prince Trelon REQUESTED "a pie in the face" at the Anghois-Zifran War. Noble gifts from near and far added to Our comfort and pleasure. The "Random Wanderers" from the Principality of the Mists presented me with a box full of dried peas. I leave the reader to guess the function of these peas. Her Majesty, Queen Rhiannon, graced Our coronetting with Her presence, and conferred peerages upon six of Her subjects. Cheers also rang out for Sir Seamus Peacemaker, the victor of the Lists for the Champion of An Tir. The efforts and generosity of the Barony of Adiantum are deeply appreciated by Us. (The Barony's Sewing Guild created Our coronation robes.) Last, but not least, We are most grateful for the hospitality of the Barony of Lionsgate. The ladies of Lionsgate hosted a Tea complete with scones, jam tarts, assorted fruit, and the peerless singing of Viscountess Gwendolyn. It was a LOVELY tourney! Even the weather was warm and dry!

Photos (including the pie incident):

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During her reign, she issued this Challenge in The Crier (October 1979):

The Principality of An Tir has challenged the Principality of the Mists to display their skills in archery.

Gentles, your Princess calls upon Her archers to bring great glory to the Principality. I will be offering a pair of etched, lead crystal goblets to the archer from An Tir with the highest score.

There will also be prizes for the 5 highest scoring archers of the winning Principality. The goblets will be awarded at An Tir 12th Night. The 5 prizes will be awarded at Kingdom 12th Night. Shoot the Inter-Kingdom Round (write me, or see the Page for details) and send me your 3 highest scores. The highest scores of the top 5 archers of An Tir will be averaged and compared to those of the Mists. ALL entries will also be entered in the Inter-Kingdom Archery Competition. Inter-Kingdom Round may be shot at archery practices. Send your scores to me BY NOV 1, 1979.

Tamsin I, Princess of An Tir