Thangbrandr

Introduction My first journey as a Medievalist was from 1978-1988 with Markland and the MSR. During that time I was founder and Thane of the Northern Fyrd, our local Markland company in Rockland County NY. In 2010 I added my pike to the shield wall of the mighty Barony of Dragon’s Laire. Since then I have done my best to add to the experience of the Barony I call home with my interests in: cooking, metal smithing, armor making, great weapons fabrication for heavy fighting and heavy fighting. A horde of fine silver My current pursuits are in the area of and Iron Age metal work. My focus in smithing Celtic and Viking Age fine silver: finger rings, bracelets, armlets and neck torcs. I have taught classes and given presentations on the making of: maille, loop in loop chains, Forging silver Norse jewelry, wax hardening lamellar plates for heavy fighting armor, heavy armor and helmet fabrication. Persona Thangbrandr Sløngvand baugi grew up in Adeigja at the mouth of the Volkhov River in 815AD. As a child, when not helping in my father smithy, I would get together with my friends and would pinch goods off the boats at portage points on their way down the trade routes from Lake Ladoga to Novgorod and beyond. As we got older my comrades and I would be paid to help with the portages down the river. Unloading the boats (these boats were short and wide, not the long ships that took to the open seas!), moving them to where the river was deep and wide enough to carry the ladened boats became more dangerous both from terrain and marauders. I have been conducting experimental archeology in the area of textured ingots found in several Viking hoards. When we were strong enough to row, the boats left only this time with us on board. The trading markets of Novgorod were huge. Everything imaginable was there for trade: spices, lapis, silver and people….. One has to be careful in such big cities. To be a trader on a boat you must learn how to row, trim a sail, maintain a boat, keep track of inventory, count with numbers, write, make deals and defend yourself. Hiring on with boats running goods between Novgorod, Ladoga, Uppsala and Hedeby made good money but nothing like the promise of traveling to Mickelberg. The time had come. I was still young yet smart enough to navigate the trade rivers, a strong oarsman, and cunning enough to strike profitable deals with the Greeks. I had enough silver to hire a crew and man my own boats full of amber, glass, pelts and bronze. So it’s off to Constantinople for bloody adventures and she will suckle us until we can suckle no more. Perhaps then I’ll fight my way onto the Varingian guard, they will make room for my great ax and me! So one day I can return home with tales of adventure and enough Arab silver Dirhams to fill my family’s longhouse for many years to come. Ha!

A few projects, Arts and Sciences Forged bracelet in fine silver Bronze age styled finger rings in fine silver Arm ring and bracelet in fine silver Affiliations Apprentice to Magister Arion the Wanderer Squire to Sir Cedric Wlfraven Awards, Order of Precedence Snapdragon (Dragon's Laire) By: Cedric Wlfraven, Brighid Ross Sep 18, 2010 (AS XLV) Baron & Baroness's Favor (Dragon's Laire) By: Cedric Wlfraven, Brighid Ross Nov 13, 2010 (AS XLV) Award of Arms (An Tir) By: Skeggi Hrafensfuri, Taisiia Volchkova Jun 4, 2011 (AS XLVI) Bumblebee (Dragon's Laire) By: Arontius of Bygelswade, Laurellen de Brandevin Feb 9, 2013 (AS XLVII) Dragon Lily (Dragon's Laire) By: Arontius of Bygelswade, Laurellen de Brandevin Jun 1, 2013 (AS XLVIII) Jambe de Lion (An Tir) By: Ieuan Gower, Gwyneth Gower Dec 7, 2013 (AS XLVIII) Wyvern (Dragon's Laire) By: Conchobar MacEoin, Eilidh Keldeleth Jun 6, 2015 (AS L) Dragon's Pearls (Dragon's Laire) By: Conchobar MacEoin, Eilidh Keldeleth Jun 4, 2016 (AS LI) A&S Champion (Dragon's Laire) By: Conchobar MacEoin, Eilidh Keldeleth Feb 11, 2017 (AS LI) Scholar of An Tir (An Tir) By: Styrkarr Jarlsskald, Dagrun Stjarna Mar 11, 2017 (AS LI) Scholar of Dragon's Laire (Dragon's Laire) By: Conchobar MacEoin, Eilidh Keldeleth Feb 3, 2018 (AS LII) Dragon's Flame (Dragon's Laire) By: Conchobar MacEoin, Eilidh Keldeleth Feb 3, 2018 (AS LII) Scholar of An Tir (An Tir) By: Savaric de Porte des Lions, Dalla in Fagra Mar 3, 2018 (AS LII) Teaching & Learning Martial Arts Service to the Kingdom