A Rambling Prehistory of the Outlands by Louis-Philippe Mitouard, and All Who Came Before

A Rambling Prehistory of the Outlands by Louis-Philippe Mitouard, and All Who Came Before

The Outlands has a rich and fine history, dating to the earliest years of the kingdom of Atenveldt, which itself is old, being the fourth kingdom of the SCA. I will give a brief 'prehistory' of the Outlands before the formation of the Principality.

The present kingdom of the Outlands consists of Eastern Slope Wyoming, Eastern slope Colorado, New Mexico, the Platte valley of Nebraska, and EI Paso, Texas.

Originally, the region that became the Outlands was literally all of Atenveldt that wasn't Phoenix, Arizona. Atenveldt, itself, seems to have been composed, essentially, of all that was not the West, the Midrealm and the East (see the quote [9] below).

Although Atenveldt spanned 'Mountain to coast', most was evidently terra incognita. In the same year that Caerthe was formed, Richard Ironsteed (the writer, Rick Cook) later to become the first King of Atenveldt, is quoted by Michael Cady (Duke Arthur of Lockehaven):

The Arizona Republic featured this event on the front page of the magazine section May 31, 1970, with a terrific article and several photographs. It was entitled "Camelot In the Desert." The following are quotes from this article; "The purpose of the society", Cook (Rick) explained, "is to recreate chivalry and medievalism as we feel it should have been." "Atenveldt recently learned that because of its success it will become a full-grown kingdom with subdivisions- baronies- in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas." “The Scottsdale tournament ended with a revel celebrating the new prince, Arthur of Lockehaven, who soundly defeated all challengers for the crown.[The Coronet, really. This was a coronet tournament of the Principality of Atenveldt -Louis]" [2]

The culture of the Outlands goes back to its very beginnings with the founding of the Kingdom of Atenveldt in 1971. The oldest barony in the Outlands - Caerthe - started the previous year, with Judith de Beaumont as its first (official) baroness.

Indeed, Caerthe existed even before Atenveldt became a kingdom! One history of the Kingdom of the West gives the Barony of Caerthe as belonging to it and being handed over, along with the group in New Orleans, to Atenveldt upon its ascension to Kingdom. [1]. The History of the Kingdom of the West states: "Duke Henrik presented Sir Richard with the Crown of Atenveldt, along with the title of the Principality of Atenveldt, the Barony of Caerthe, the Barony of New Mexico [Which, I suspect meant the Freehold of the Great River, discussed later- Louis], and all lands between the West and the East and below theMiddle" [9]. Atenveldt also had been given control of all of the Deep South, and all of the intermountain West. Problem was, there were no groups there.

As the story has come down to the present day, the Outlands, and perhaps more the Barony of Caerthe, arose feeling 'ignored' by Atenveldt. I think this countered by observing that Atenveld’s original 'vision' may not have extended beyond the state of Arizona (or, indeed, the city of Phoenix). Interesting that in a sense Atenveldt is now as it started, being a group in Arizona that originally received a great deal of other territory somewhat unbidden. If, indeed, it never really understood or accepted the 'Outlands', it could because it was really outside the original founders' concept of their group, with few other groups there to influence their view. Yet, this author does not find fault with the Aten founders for this. It simply points out how Atenveldt grew to be the ideal 'mother of kingdoms' (spawning the kingdoms of Ansteorra, Outlands, Artemisia and Meridies, which in turn formed Trimaris and Glean Abhann). It was, more than the West, Midrealm or East, an incubator. That is, when SCA groups did finally arise in those 'Outland' territories, they would hive off as soon as they became mature enough to stand on their own.

The Barony of Caerthe

The Summer 1971 Tournaments Illuminated (as lists the following groups in Atenveldt: 

Present and Possible branches of the SCA... Kingdom of Atenveldt:

• Principality of Atenveldt, Kirk of Windarrow, Tempe AZ 
• Barony of Caerthe, Judith de Beaumont, Denver, CO 
• Freehold of the Great River, Lady la Rana, Las Cruces, NM.
• Barony of Cluain, Ronaldthe German, Del City, OK 
• Barony of the Fens, Hewlin, New Orleans, LA.

The Barony of Caerthe was started in 1970 or thereabouts. As much in the 'dawn of history, the origins of the Barony of Caerthe contain a legend. The founding Baroness - Judith de Beaumont- was perhaps not the first, but rather the second Baroness of Caerthe:

Master Louis le Blanc (Donald Blanchard), one of the earliest members of Caerthe, wrote: "Caerthe was founded by a High School Medieval Club in the area of Denver, Colorado. (How the group learned of the S.C.A. was not related to me.) It was the policy of the Board of Directors at that time that a legal agent be appointed for every state in which a barony was founded, whose responsibility it was to register the Corporation with the local Secretary of State. (In those days, a barony was the smallest, and I believe the only sized branch which the B.O.D. chartered.) The High School Medieval Club's faculty advisor was unwilling to assume this responsibility, and there existed no other member with sufficient years to pursue such legal matters.

While Caerthe thus functioned in a state of legal limbo, a lady from the local Denver Area Science Fiction Association (DASFA), one Judith de Beaumont later Mistress Judith de Beaumont, O.P.) chanced to attend an SF convention out in the Land of the Mists, at which was staged an S.C.A. demo. Upon returning to her homeland, Judith wrote a missive to the Board of Directors asking if she could establish a branch here in Colorado. As she was the first adult from which the BOD had received correspondence, they immediately sent her a return missive, stating that a barony already existed, that its name was Caerthe, and that she was Seneschal (i.e. legal agent)."Now Judith de Beaumont is a very gracious lady, and has done much in the service of the Society (it was she who ultimately recruited me into the Barony), but tact and diplomacy, particularly when dealing with temperamental teenagers, was not a dominant feature of her personality. it is reported only that when she called the Baroness of Caerthe and told her (the Baroness) that she (Judith) was the new Seneschal, the Baroness threw the proverbial fit. Suffice it to tell that neither the (former) Baroness nor her followers has ever been seen since.

Thus was it left forJudith to recruit an entirely new membership for the Barony, which she found primarily within the membership of DASFA (the SF group). Now, it happens that there was one girl who was a member of DASFA who was also a member (albeit a peripheral one) of the High School Medieval Club; it was she from whom I first heard this tale. Regrettably, she was not present at the meeting in which the Barony's name was chosen, nor when its device was created, and thus has no knowledge of the meaning or derivation of the name Caerthe." (It is widely believed that the name derives in part from the Welsh word ‘caer." taken to mean a stone fortress - and that the Chief embattled of the Barony's device represents the battlements to be found on such an edifice, but this is and forever shall remain pure speculation.) [3]

The ancient Freehold of the Great River

The second barony, al-Barran, was started before April 1973. However, the second group in the Outlands was the Freehold of the Great River (Las Cruces, NM). It was a group of such great antiquity that the BoD 'census of 1976 listed it as grandfathered (G'- existing before 1972). [4] The Freehold of the Great River is now defunct, although the Shire of Nahrun Kabirun emerged very soon after the Freehold was disbanded and is arguably the same group under a different title, having some of the same citizens. Jarl Gunwaldt (Keith Dodd) wrote: "The Freehold of Great River was founded by Master Richard the Short (one of the original founders of the SCA) and it may be argued that it is/was even older that Caerthe, since the 'group' was established in AS I while Richard was teaching at MMSU ... . The Freehold was self-proclaimed to be such so as not to be part of any kingdom." [10]. The Great River was unique in the SCA world. Freehold, I believe, never was a recognized group type. By the time in the late 70s when the SCA was more structured, it was recognized as a synonym for Barony, with a Thane and Thaness being the ruling nobles (equivalent to Baron and Baroness).

The formation of the Barony of al-Barran:

In April 1973, the Board of Directors took note of the formation of al-Barran (spelled by them alBaron). Mistress Mirhaxa (Linda Peterson) wrote: "al-Baran doesn't mean anything, and comes from the star name Aldebaran. which actually means "the Follower"- L]. The very amusing gentleman who came up with the name claimed the star was The Black Scorpion, and therefore al-Baran would mean Scorpion, hence our device. We had looked at Albuquerque and felt that the Spanish influence was major, looked at Spain in the Middle ages and found it was Moorish. This was the origin of our leaning to Islamic and Middle Eastern aspects in the SCA. Climate considerations reinforced the leaning in regards to costume."

The Name Outlands:

Countess Aelflaed (Sandra Dodd) wrote: “In old Atenveldt days, the barony (then all of the Phoenix area) was called Atenveldt and the rest of the kingdom (a few groups in Arizona, plus Caerthe, Great River, Stargate, Steppes, and not much more at first, was "the Outlands" (meaning "not Phoenix". In those days, there were not Kingdom boundaries as there are now. There were states which were not in any kingdom.  Those assignments were made in the late 1970's, and the term "Outlands" was around since mid-70's. When the Outlands formed up as a region, the boundary was set at the Arizona border. This meant that the other groups in Arizona, including Tir Ysgithr, which were at one time referred to as "the Outlands" were no longer part of that. It's about that time the "the Principality of the Sun”slipped into existence, probably in part to cover that lack of terminology to cover non-barony-of-Atenveldt which wasn't in another principality (Meridies, Ansteorra or Outlands)." [5]

The name 'Outlands' itself was somewhat controversial. Mistress Karina, Laurel Queen of Arms, returned the name in 1977 citing (in rather a reach) a conflict with: "Lewis Carroll's Svivie and Bruno, wherein it is a fantasy land whose peculiar properties are contrasted with those of England."(11] The name was changed to Utanwayard, a rough translation of 'Outlands' - which never really caught on (and may not have even been registered - I can find no record of same). Later, in 1980, after a change of Laurel Sovereigns of Arms, Outlands was later accepted as the name of a principality, but it was stated at that time that it would not be allowed to stand as the name of a kingdom. Fortunately views had moderated further so that by 1986, when Outlands became a kingdom, the name was indeed accepted (without comment) by Master Baldwin, Laurel King.

Walker of the Way

The Walker of the Way is the oldest award in the Outlands, predating the Principality! Jarl Gunwaldt (Keith Dodd) wrote: "I learned of this award from the words of Bren Malokai and Ulrich von Matanuska at Grand Outlandish I. Bren was at the time Lord of the Outlands and at morning court said he wanted to recognize one who embodied all the ideals of the SCA. Later that day (after the tournament) Ulrich was given the title and his words were that this man showed him (Ulrich) how to do things right." [14] Jarl Gunwaldt later formalized this award when he served as the first Prince of the Outlands, granting it to Sir Bren Malokai. The tradition has been carried forward by every subsequent Outlands ruler to the present day.

Twenty years of the Outlands? Or morel

What persists from those earliest days? The name Outlands, which has existed for better than thirty years. [13] Caerthen Twelfth Night, which is recorded in a Western Chronicle from 1971 [15]. Grand Outlandish is slightly younger. It is only in its 33rd year, having started in 1974. The Walker of the Way, the most prized of Outlands awards, existed since that time as well.

Recalling this, we see that the Outlands is not turning 20. It is, in a greater sense, turning 36 years old, going on forty!

End Notes for A rambling prehistory of the Outlands:

[1] Bethancourt, Joe, ska loseph of Locksley,”Atenveld tHistory Part 1",23 Nov 91, viewed 1June, 2006, as quoted in <http://www.florilegium.org/files/STORIES/Aten-hist-msg.html>

[2] Cady, Michael, ska Arthur of Lockehaven. "Atenveldt . . . As I Remember It", viewed 1June 2006, http://www.geocities.com/mhcady/atenveldthistory03.htm>

[3] Blanchard, Donald, ska Louis le Blanc, "Re: Collecting Scadian Folklore", 1 March 1997, viewed 1 June 2006, as quoted in <http://www.florilegium.org/files/STORIES/Outl-hist-msg.html>

[4] Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc, 8 June 1976, reprinted <http://www.sca.org/BOD/minutes/1976/1976-06.pdf>

[5] Dodd, Sandra, ska Aelflaed of Duckford, online posting, "Re: Names of Kingdoms?" 7 September 196, viewed 1 June 2006, as quoted in <http://www.florilegium.org/files/STORIES/Outl-hist-msg.html>

[6] Woodford, Mike, ska Woodford of Lorien, Trends of Change in the SCA, 1981, Phoenix,Arizona, privately published.

(7] Peterson, Linda ska Mirhaxa av Morktorn, "Re: History of local Outlands Groups", August 29, 2005, Online Posting, Outlands Discussion Group, viewed 1June 2006, <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ outlands/message/28507>

[8] Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. 10 April, 1973, reprinted <http://www.sca.orq/BOD/minutes/1973/1973-04.odf>

[9] Keyes, William R,. ska Wilhelm von Schlüssel, The History of the Kingdom of The West, 1980, reprinted by Ken Mayer, ska Hirsch von Henford <http://www.westkingdom.org/history/Year5/ AtenFirstCrown.hm>

[10][ Dodd, Keith, ska Gunwaldt Gullbjorn, "Re: Proposed history article", 2 June 2006, Online Posting, Outlands History Discussion Group, viewed 2 June 2006, <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/outlands- history/message/319>

[11] Andersen, Karen, ska Karina of the FarWest, SCA Laurel Letter of Acceptance and Return, August, 1977, reprinted http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1977/08/lar0811.html>.

[12] Keyes, William R., ska Wilhelm von Schlüssel, SCA Laurel Letter of Acceptance and Return, July, 1979, reprinted <htto://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1979/07/lar.htm>

[13] Dodd, Keith, ska Gunwaldt Gullbjorn, "Outlandish Pre-History" 1 June, 2003, Online Posting, Outlands History Discussion Group, <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/outlands-history/message/68>

[14] Dodd, Keith, ska Gunwaldt Gullbjorn, "Re: Another interesting question......", May 15, 2001 Online Posting,Outland Peers Discussion Group, <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Outland-Peers/message/925> [15] Keyes, William R., ska Wilhelm von Schlüssel, The History of the Kingdom of The West, "The Fifth Year, Twelfth Night Revels, Barony of Caerthe -Atenveldt, January 9, 1971", 1980, reprinted by Ken Mayer, ska Hirsch von Henford <http://history.westkingdom.org/Year5/Aten TwelfthNight.htm>