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Mongolherder has made me nostalgic this week. I've been whining about missing Ice Castle, mostly because this one would have been a rare occasion in Black Diamond, an event where people are Older Than Me. (And, yes, M'herder, I know you're younger than me, but a lot of the names you've mentioned are comfortingly beyond 50!) One person I won't get to see is Eilwen Cyflym. She is the VERY FIRST PERSON I ever met in the SCA. She was the one who made that indelible first impression. See, I was a little Tolkien geek when I got to college. I knew how to sew, sang madrigals, had taught myself bad calligraphy, and could do some folk dances. I was mad for a lot of archaic stuff, and seeing an announcement for an SCA event in the campus paper set me off. I called the number in the announcement, and got a nice lady (who I later found out was the Queen of Atlantia at the time, Anya) who told me that folks were gathering at her house that very night to make preparations for the following day's feast. She said "The Shire needed more girls," and that she'd send "Eowyn" to pick me up from campus. WTF? Had I stumbled into a weird Tolkienesque LARP? This sounded weird. I met "Eowyn" as promised, and found that I'd mis-heard her name...but, boy, did she fit the bill. Eilwen was a bouncing woman with flying flaxen hair, big green eyes, strong cheekbones, and a barking laugh. She chauffered me in her aging station wagon, and told me hilarious stories of her teaching days out west with the Arapaho. The Native American bird charms festooning her front windshield just added atmosphere. I survived the ordeal of making hais (grinding dates in a blender, ick) at Ish's house, meeting the boys of the Shire (all shortish, but no Frodos), and cooking with Ish's cat Clovis as helper. I went to the event the next day--Ice Castle I--and met many who would be treasured friends, including the Blueduke, Hun-e-B, Diccon, and a certain redhead. I'm still here! Eilwen, to my sorrow, is not. I miss her dreadfully. I loved her down-to-earth outlook, her sense of humor, her intelligence, and her compassion. She probably doesn't realize how much she taught me about being a woman. I'm really, really sorry I won't get to see her. If you're at Ice Castle, hug her for me, and tell her I love her, would you? On de Headbone: Gaudete, Steeleye Span |
 
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Ice Castle Memories