Rúnfríðr kennikona

Also known as Runa

My Device] Vert, an owl maintaining a drinking horn argent garnished between three mullets of four points Or.

Persona

Rúnfríðr was born in Sigtuna, the new seat of King Eric the Victorious, in the year 1019. Her ancestors lived in Birka before it was abandoned. Sigtuna had around a thousand residents and sat on Lake Maleren. King Anund Jacob ruled from that town for most of Rúnfríðr’s life, since she was three, but in 1050 he died and his half-brother Emund the Old became King. Runa spent nearly all her life in Sigtuna and the surrounding region. She didn’t care much who ruled, as it didn’t affect her life all that much. The kings mostly minted coins and paid attention to foreign relations and battles and such. Many foreigners lived in Sigtuna sharing their goods, knowledge, and skills. There was a solid fur trade with the Sami people to the North. The festivals and feasts were a joyous time in Sigtuna, when food overflowed and the townsfolk made merry.

   Rúnfríðr’s husband farmed and she took care of household. They had just enough money to build a larger home with more than one room. Their entire extended family shared this house, and the goats came in too when it was cold. A fire for heat and cooking was in the middle of the biggest room and there were benches along the walls. Their house had dirt floors, no windows, and the house was often filled with smoke from the fire. Rúnfríðr often made scouse, a stew made from beans, grains, and tree bark. Her family also ate a lot of meat and fish. Rúnfríðr liked when there were fresh apples and cabbage. She or one of the other women would bake bread to go with the scouse, though sometimes the bread upset their stomachs. 
   Rúnfríðr bathed on Saturdays in the nearby bathhouse, visiting with her friends from town. The bathhouse was a luxury because the folk all helped cart hot water in and it steamed up like a sauna. She washed her hands and face and combed her hair daily. She changed her clothes regularly, and she and the other women would wash the dirty clothes in the lake. Rúnfríðr enjoyed playing the board game hnefatafl. She learned many fiber arts techniques from her mother and grandmother and the other women in Sigtuna. Twice she even traveled the long distance with her husband down to Miklagardr (Byzantium) to source fibers to sell and trade back in Sigtuna. The journeys were the great adventures of her life, and she brought many stories back to share with her friends and family in Sigtuna. 

History

Awards

My OP Entry