Tales round the Campfire

Just back from the Outlore Festival, the third time we storytellers have performed at the Dumnonni Chronicles' largest live action role play / fantasy re-enactment event of the year, set in the idyllic Dark Age settlement of 'Culhaven', deep in Devon countryside, and held at Beltane.

On the way, we looked up warily at the dark grey skies, took against the chill in the cold north wind, and spoke of warm pubs as the rain spat. Arriving at the site however, the van rode over the mud at the entrance (which can be a complete mudbath) with ease. After greeting Dave and Jon and getting kitted out by Dave, we went up to the causeway - but being very muddy, we entered by the back gate instead. At first few people seemed to be about, except warriors preparing for battle, but we told a few tales and after lunch, the wind dropped, the sun came out, the mud dried up and we told Viking tales for delicious ginger cake, around a fine big cauldron full of apple pie! with a courteous clan from Holland and made a healer and her companions laugh a lot, by the central fire, and in return being plied with very warming spicy ginger wine, and a bowl of strawberries... Highlights of the day included visiting the falconer and - following last year's magical encounter with the huge raven on my arm! this time it was the eagle owl. While it stood on other's forearms, I stared at it and someone remarked it seemed to be staring at me too - it's huge blood-orange coloured eyes hypnotised me. And then it was time for it to stand on my arm. What a privilege to have such a large, rare and magnificent wild creature so close. The falconer urged me to stroke it, but I touched it with immense care and not for long, as I know that feathers are very breakable, being designed for flight and air, not contact. I was also grateful that it just alighted onto my arm without any tricky acrobatic turns. It was like a dream, and when it was taken back by the falconer, I was not at all surprised to see the central meeting place filled with acrid green smoke, thick as dried ice! Magic was in the air.

By dusk, we had told many more tales, including round the fire in the atmospheric gloom of the roundhouse, with its shields and horned stag heads, and as the lights were lit and the settlement transformed by many lanterns and candlelight into a faery realm, we made our way into the longhouse to greet and listen to the very fine Goliards. As ever Tracey's drumming thrilling and Lawrence's bagpipes beautiful. The sunset was another star of the festival, with a huge golden sun behind dark trees in the soft dales and hills, with purple cloud and rays of light, then a plume of fiery gold on mauve before it sank, deepening the landscape into May twilight... And finally it was time to go, smoky, muddy, tired, full of images, music, impressions, kind praise and good food and wine...off over the torchlit causeway, and into the night.

Big thanks to Dave and Jon as always for inviting us and organizing such an amazing event, the Goliards, and all who listened to our tales and shared with us the 'sacred laws of hospitality'. The outdoor show season has begun.

The Merry Merry Month of May

Wow. Sometimes - especially after filling in lengthy forms to uncertain ends, overworked festival organizers deciding that instead of this or that which you actually offered, they'd rather you built them a willow cave instead, and you nearly agreeing to it, until you work out the time involved for the money you're likely to make there and pulling out, sending off work to magazines that may reply sometime near Doomsday, etc., etc., - sometimes something happens that makes you remember why you became an artist (storyteller/writer/poet/whatever) in the first place. Such a thing was this Beltane weekend. We were off in the newly converted storytelling van (thanks Wayne of Van-tastic! fellow member of the Collective) to perform at the Outlore Festival - a private event and one of the most sought-after on the Live Action Role Play or LARP circuit. The site was amazing as always (it was our fourth time there, and our third Outlore) - a beautifully atmospheric Dark Age settlement set in an idyllic stretch of countryside near Okehampton. To add to the river, bluebells, and all the rest, in a clearing in the forest over a causeway on a hill is a small village of roundhouse, Viking longhouse and many other huts and structures and a wonderful attention to detail. There's always something going on and something to look at! And this time was no exception. It may not be straight re-enactment, for instance the 'baddies' are monsters not people, and the paying player-characters ultimately win, but it has a fine feel of authenticity nonetheless. Highlights were the invasion of the settlement by the (very tall!) wolf warrior, the coming into being of the bull god, and the entrance of Hel complete with a raven. There was a new fort built to house the enemy, and a skeleton hanging from a gibbet one could see for miles. Unlike some other places, it looked scarier the closer one got! and the constant sound of war drums added massively to the sense of impending storm. The weather (as at the other two Festivals) was perfect, and in the evening, few places are as lovely seen lit up. Our stories of fools, daydreamers and wisecracks made folk laugh out loud, while they waited for the siege, our riddles perplexed, and our epic battle poetry from Egil's Saga pleased the warriors. And we got more 'gold' and 'treasure' than ever before! as well as a fair share of mead. Music was by the excellent Goliards, in the evening and the lanterns and torches amongst all the film-like setting, with the spring leaves and the latticework of the branches on a clear darkening blue sky with a bright half moon above was simply magical. But the biggest thrill for me during Sunday was when the falconer let me hold the large raven on my wrist - it stood there majestically, and then tore a mouse to shreds that someone had bought it. It felt a strange privilege to have this large flying creature so close. The evening and sunset were about as heavenly as May offers, and in doing the last verse of the 7th century (possibly) poem 'Widsith' as Widsith, as the poet explains and justifies his position in Dark Age society, it made me feel connected - as ever - with the long line of 'Widsiths'...and all in all, I was reminded - yes, that's why I became a performer...! 

   Huge thanks to Dave and Jon of Tyburn Jig and the Dumnonni Chronicles for inviting us again, and to Dave for his immense feats of organization for the whole Outlore adventure, also to all the warriors, damsels and healers who liked our tales and gave us things, the Goliards of course, and especially to the falconer!