Scotland in the Eyes of the Author: Online

May 21, 2020

Scotland in the Eyes of the Author: Online

Scotland in the Eyes of the Author

Experience Medieval Scotland

For the first time, Scotland in the Eyes of the Author was presented to an online group. In the past, I've given this presentation maybe eight or nine times to groups of up to two hundred. It includes a slide presentation, display and demonstration of medieval weapons and medieval musical instruments, and (the site willing), Liadan (LEE-uh-din), my Irish Wolfhound who is descended from the great medieval hunting dogs, makes the rounds meeting and greeting, as guests see up close and personal something of these magnificent animals.

It was a different experience doing it online without the person to person contact of a large group, but we were very happy with how it went and now know we can bring this presentation to anyone!

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Suburban mother of nine by day.... demonstrating the flail

The exact weapons I demonstrate change sometimes. Today, among others, I had my claymore and a flail. (I also had my sgian dubh along with the meaning of the word and a brief introduction to the Gaelic language.) Flail, mace, morningstar....so many variations on a theme!

playing the lute, what is a lute, medieval instruments, medieval music, medieval musical instruments, what instruments did they play in medieval times

Partying like it's 1199...or technically 1314

The instrument of the troubadours! I am learning more pieces on each instrument. Today I played Greensleeves on lute, Molly Fair on the wire strung lap harp, This Shearin's No For You on harp, and a bit of Sumer is Icumen on the sackbut.

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A sackbut, you say? Why, yes, yes, I DO have a sackbut!

Sackbut! A funny word at best. It was the name of the medieval trombone. I am lucky enough to be in possession of a recreation so that I can show the difference between the modern orchestral trombone and its medieval predecessor and demonstrate the difference in sound.

Taking a Break from Hunting Wolves

Liadan ('Gray Lady') joined me to give the audience an idea of what the medieval hunting hounds may have been. At 107 pounds, she's always been on the small side for an Irish Wolfhound, but still bigger by far than the average dog. In medieval times, this breed hunted wolves. Some sites say they were used in battle to jump and pull men off horses and I did meet a woman who told me her mother's two Irish Wolfhounds attacked a horse when they thought it had hurt her mother.

When Liadan stands on her hind legs, her paws rest on my shoulder and she looks down on me. At presentations in person, she is quite amiable to walking around groups of a hundred or more, meeting and greeting.

Thanks to Cheryl at the district and the help of a friend, today's presentation went very smoothly and how can a day not be good when it includes talking about Robert the Bruce and James Douglas? That's a rhetorical question of course!

If you'd like to bring this presentation to your organization, contact me at editors AT gabrielshornpress DOT com.