The History of Lochac’s Bardic Token

This story was submitted by Mistress Margie of Glen More, and edited by TH Lady Ceara Shionnach.

In Lochac, there exists a Bardic Token that consists of a bracelet, handed on from one Bard to the next. About this token, Lord Gilligan O’Tomelty from Stormhold wrote these words:

“On the grounds of Rowany Festival AS XLIX (April 2015), as the tents were coming down, and the good gentles of the Kingdom dispersed to their respective abodes, I was given a token by Countess Mistress Bethan Daniels of Brockwood. It was a bracelet, worked in gold, silver and copper with animal heads on the ends. She said that it was given in token of the inspirational performances I had given at that Festival, and charged me to hand it on within a year and a day to a gentle that inspired me in the bardic arts, as I had inspired her.

She said also that the token had a history, and that although she did not know precisely what that history was, Mistress Margie of Glen More, the first Lochac recipient, would be able to enlighten me. I am honoured and humbled to be added to the story that this token is weaving, and I look forward to both finding out more about it and finding a worthy gentle to add in my turn.”

Lochac's Bardic Bracelet token. Photo by The Honourable Lord Gilligan O’Tomelty, June 2016.
Lochac’s Bardic Bracelet token. Photo by The Honourable Lord Gilligan O’Tomelty, June 2016.

And so I, Margie of Glen More, found myself on a quest to uncover the journey of this token.

I do not know the history of this object while it was in The West Kingdom, prior to being brought to the Principality of Lochac in AS XXXVI (2001-2002). I am not sure that it had any other than that created by belonging to the Bard of the West at that time, Ivone Pons Leyr. Ivone wrote and performed a song for Lochac’s first Crown Tourney, which can be found in West Kingdom History.

She gifted it to me privately with the following words, “I am passing you this token because your performance has greatly inspired me this day. I task you to pass this on within a year and a day to someone whose performance inspires you in the way yours has mine.”

I sang a composition of my own – The Uther and Portia Song – to Uther and Portia, King and Queen of the West, on the Friday night of Rowany Festival at the Innilgard Feast. This was the eve of the First Lochac Crown Tournament for the soon to be established Kingdom of Lochac. There were many visitors to Lochac from, The West (one of Lochac’s parent Kingdoms), that year. (I gate crashed the feast after preparing and serving dinner to House Saarlands and the Arrowsreach campsite.)

  • Mistress Margie only held the bracelet for a day or maybe two before passing it on to Baroness Blodeuwedd y Gath for a song she wrote and performed a song celebrating the friendship between the Kingdoms of Caid and The West. The song was composed and performed at the request of Queen Portia of The West, in order to honour the Royal Caidan guests attending that particular Rowany Festival.
  • It was gifted to Viola (from Saint-Florian-de-la-rivière) the following Rowany Festival AS XXXVII (April 2003) – she was one of the actors in the play that year, and in Baroness Blodeuwedd’s words, “very good”.
  • Viola passed the token to Lady Lucia Littlefaire for her performance in “Othello” at Rowany Festival AS XXXVIII (April 2004).
  • Lady Lucia passed it to Lady Bianca Foscari for her performance in “Seven Deadly Sins” at Rowany Festival AS XXXIX (April 2005).
  • Lady Bianca passed the bracelet to Lady Der Draigen Rhudd for her performance in “Much Ado About Nothing” at an event held at Sherwood Arboretum in AS XL (2005-06).
  • Lady Der Draigen passed the token to Lord Malcom Patersone for his performance in “A Lesson Learnt in Love” at Knights of the North AS XLI (2006).
  • Lord Malcolm gifted the bracelet to Lord Andres de Leon for his performance in “Jealous Old Man“ at Great Northern War AS XLIV (June 2009).
  • The token was given into the safekeeping of Master Steffan Glaube.
  • The token was given to The Honourable Lady Ailis inghean Mheadhbha in AS XLVI (2011-12).
  • Countess Mistress Bethan Daniels of Brockwood recieved the bracelet from THL Ailis at Rowany Festival AS XLVII (April 2012).
  • Countess Mistress Bethan passed the token to Lord Gilligan O’Tomelty for his various performances at Rowany Festival AS XLIX (April 2015).
  • Lord Gilligan passed the token to Lord Finnbjorn Skeggison for his determination in “bringing the bardic”, as well as his collegian spirit, at William Marshall AS L (December 2015).
  • Lord Finnbjorn Skeggison passed the token to Lord John Longshanks at a Bardic Circle at Rowany Festival AS50 (March 2016).