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 - This image is currently the cover photo for the "Artisans of the Society for Creative Anachronism" page on Facebook. My current pursuits are in the area of and Bronze Age to Viking 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 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 (1980) I met at my first visit to the Metropolitan Museum of art, Dr. Helmut Nickel head of the arms and armor department. Had the pleasure of discussing with him ergonomics, manufacturing and economics of medieval arms and armor. (2014) Became apprentice to Arion the Wanderer. (2016) Began a correspondence with a Professor of Archaeology in the area of Viking Silver, British Academy Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, University College London. To discuss all aspects of Viking hack silver (2017) Began a correspondence with The Curator at the Swedish History Museum about specific Viking silver and gold pieces in the museum collection. (2017) Began correspondence with Curator of British & European Iron Age Collections to discuss visiting parts of the collection at the British Museum with a focus on Celtic neck torcs and specific pieces of viking hack silver. Arm ring and bracelet in fine silver (September of 2017) Visited the York Museum to compare my arm ring work to extant piece (September of 2017) Visited the British Museum to meet with the curator of British & European Iron Age Collections to discuss metalsmithing techniques of Viking and Bronze Age torcs. (September of 2017) Visited with the Professor of Archaeology in the area of Viking Silver, British Academy Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, University College London. To further our discussion on Viking hack silver and share work I have done thanks to collaborative help. (February 2018) Correspondence with the Professor of Archaeology in the area of Viking Silver, British Academy Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Concerning ingot mold research I have conducted to better understand cloth patterns in Viking silver ingots from the West Coast Cumbria Hoard. (February 2018) A request from the ECARC (experimental archaeology group) to submit my work on textured Viking silver ingots to publish in their journal. I am still working on this. 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. I also hold workshops for armor making and metalsmithing for people in the barony. I also have a small group of students to whom I teach metalsmithing. Martial Arts Heavy Fighting Legio Draconus I of Dragon's Laire. My kit is my best approximation at a Varangian guard in armor. I fight almost exclusively with heavy weapons. Service to the Kingdom