We are looking for teachers to give lectures or coordinate workshops at Cudgel War! If you are interested, please contact the event steward (see the event announcement).
The Canton of Humalasalo invites all artisans and scholars in Aarnimetsä and all the Known World to show their skills and knowledge in the Arts and Sciences competition at Cudgel War. You can participate in the competition with any kind of item or performance that relates to our period.
The competition will open on Friday 28th July at noon (12:00) and close on Saturday 29th July at 2 p.m. (14:00). You can participate by simply bringing your work to the jury before the closing time, but of course, you are strongly encouraged to bring it out already on Friday. The exact place where the competing items are shown is announced at Cudgel War.
The participating work can be anything within our period, but it must include written documentation. The documentation has to be written in either Finnish or English. If Finnish is the original language, at least the main part of the documentation has to be translated into English as well, as some of the judges may not read Finnish. If there is only a limited number of participants, all works will be judged within the one category "everything".
More information about the competition is available from Aarnimetsä Minister of Arts and Sciences (email moas@aarnimetsa.org ). Also some help in translation and proofreading may be available, if you contact her early enough.
--- Eva Grelsdottir, Minister of Arts and Sciences in Aarnimetsä
On Tuesday July 25 we have arranged a trip to the sort-of-nearby Raasepori castle. Departure is at 11:30 a.m. from the open attic of the dining hall building. During the trip mistress Tófa will also give a lecture called "World of Herbs" (see below).
The agreed-on classes and workshops will be listed here, as soon as we get confirmations from teachers. The (possible) descriptions of various lectures and workshops follow below.
All lectures and workshops are held in Finnish (unless noted otherwise). However, all teachers do also speak English, so questions can be asked in English as well.
| name | organiser | time | place |
| Leatherworking workshop | Chrisi and Adi, in English | Sun 23.7. 12:00 | workshop room, dining hall building |
| Finnish handicraft workshop | Mikael Carhu | Mon 24.7. 12:00 | side room, sauna building |
| Lecture and walking trip "World of Herbs" | mistress Tófa | Tue 25.7. | near Raasepori castle |
| Hose workshop | Helena von Eltz | Tue 25.7. 15:00 | workshop room, dining hall building |
| Braies workshop | Rakonczay Gergely | Wed 26.7. 13:00 | workshop room, dining hall building |
| Lecture "Viking and medieval food" | mistress Tófa | Thu 27.7. 12:00 | meeting room, main building |
| "Upon a Summer's Day", dancing in the afternoon | Adrian Möhkö, in English if needed | Thu 27.7. 15:00 | we meet on the terrace outside the dining hall |
| "Academia dell'Arte" | mistress Eufemia, in English | Thu 27.7. 19:00 | open attic, dining hall building |
| Lecture "The Esoteric Origins of Magic" | Ray Eden, in English | Fri 28.7. 12:00 | meeting room, main building |
| Hood lecture | Helena von Eltz | Fri 28.7. 16:00 | workshop room, dining hall building |
| Lecture and walking trip "World of Herbs" | mistress Tófa | Sat 29.7. 12:00 | we meet in the open attic |
| Lecture "Magic and Medieval Magician" | Ray Eden, in English | Sat 29.7. 15:00 | meeting room, main building |
| Scriptorium | Zölderdödy Alena | Sat-Fri 22.-28.7. | workshop room, dining hall building |
| Sewing and handicraft workshop | magistra Johanna | every day | workshop room, dining hall building |
This is going to be a hands-on thingy for all of you who want to start a new leather project, are bored to finish their old projects alone, need help or tools to finish it or just want to learn something about working with leather.
We can talk about basics, different stitches, incising/engraving, colouring with iron vitriol (iron sulphate) and help with patterns.
We will bring our tools, finished projects (turned shoes, scabbards, belts and pouches) and books about medieval shoes (Skoboken of Stefan Eriksson which includes patterns for shoes and Shoes and Pattens from the Museum of London Series).
If you contact us in advance (adi at turba-ferox.at), we can bring some sole leather (very hard, not easy to work, but not easy to wear down either, 25 euros per pair of shoes) and vegetable tanned leather (3 mm, 70 euros/m2) suitable for belts and scabbards.
Please bring also your own tools (needles!), projects, leather, fabric for pattern testing, books and so on.
Lord Mikael Carhu teaches and shows how to make rings out of birch bark and flutes or whistles out of willow branches. The workshop will be held in the side room of the sauna building.
We make a short walking trip, on Tuesday near the Raasepori castle, and on Saturday around the campsite area. During the walk, we get acquainted with natural plants and herbs we find along our path. We discuss the use of herbs in medieval times, as well as some herb-related beliefs found in modern and medieval folklore. Also welcome input are the experiences and stories of those of you who already have gained some experience in using herbs. Herbal expertise is provided by Mistress Tófa.
In this workshop you can discuss all things concerning medieval hoses (or "socks"), make patterns for them, and perhaps even sew a pair for yourself (half-length hose for women). The simple pattern can be modified to describe men's hose as well.
If you want to do anything else than just talk about hoses, you need to bring your own materials. A more complete description of the workshop and the required materials is on the Finnish A&S-page, but an English version will be available upon asking. The workshop is organized by Helena von Eltz (elina at elinasojonen.net), and she welcomes all questions concerning the workshop. If there is enough interest, the workshop will continue on Wednesday.
In the braies workshop you have a chance to get yourself acquainted with the making of the popular undergarments of 15th and 16th centuries, braies. The models are short "boxers" and knee-length "pipes" or "tights". The participants need to bring their own materials: white fabric (cotton is strongly recommended), sewing needle, and thread. The undergarment making is guided by the knowledge and teaching of lord Rakonczay.
This lecture tells you about the different foods of the Viking period. What they consisted of, how they were made and prepared, how they were preserved. Something will also be mentioned about cooking utensils and imported foodstuffs. The spices and important herbs of the time will be discussed as well. Mistress Tófa shares her cookery knowledge in the meeting room of the main building.
All dancers and people interested in the dances of the renaissance, welcome. This afternoon meeting has no specific program that would be fixed in advance - what we'll do depends on what you want to do. We can learn new dances, rehearse old favourites, talk about the history of dances and dancing, study different versions and different reconstructions of dances... If you have never before even tried these old courtly dances, this is as good a chance as any. Or if a dance-related question is bothering you, please do come and ask, so that the question may be answered.
The specific location for dancing depends a bit on Thursday's weather, but in any case, we first meet on the terrace just outside the dining hall. Afternoon's dance teacher and historian is lord Adrian Möhkö of Humalasalo. Teaching and discussion will be partly in English, if any non-Finnish-speaking people are attending.
All artisans, and all those interested in the arts and sciences, are invited to participate. This is an opportunity to share a project that you are planning, working on, or have finished. Perhaps you will meet others with similar interests. You can offer compliments and suggestions, introduce others to a special textbook you rely on, or otherwise help people to gain new insights. Maybe you will walk away with a new passion. Share your successes and tales of woe. Bring a cup to be filled. ;-) Mistress Eufemia will hold the meeting in the open attic of the dining hall building.
Please note! All members of the Panache are requested to attend, so that we might meet you.
What kind of a pattern does one need to make a hood? Did women wear hoods? What was the proper thickness of a liripipe in the 14th century? What kinds of hoods have been dug up in archeological digs? These questions, among many others, will be discussed in the hood lecture. The stories about hoods will be told by Helena von Eltz (elina at elinasojonen.net).
In Cudgel War there is once again a chance to make scrolls and learn calligraphy. Baroness Alena will teach the basics or some slightly more advanced stuff, as needed. You will need only time and patience, at the very minimum, but if you happen to already have some calligraphy and illumination equipment, you can (and should) of course bring them too. Scriptorium will be held at the following times: from Saturday to Tuesday (22.-25.7.) starting at 17:00, on Wednesday 26.7. starting at 12:00, on Thursday 27.7. at 17:00 again, and finally on Friday 28.7. at 15:00.
Also this year there will be a sewing and handicraft workshop at Cudgel War. At the workshop you will have access to a sewing machine, an iron, fabrics, patterns, tablet-weaving and braiding tools, embroidery accessories, etc. There will also be many crafts-related books for your reading pleasure, including something about heraldry and calligraphy.
If there is enough interest, some short teaching sessions will also be given. The possible topics include the basics and some more advanced stuff about at least tablet-weaving, embroidery, braiding and lucet-making.
The workshop, which is located in the dining hall building, will be open every day. The workshop is organised by Magistra Johanna aff Hucka, and all topic suggestions and questions about the workshop should be sent directly to her (johanna.aff.hucka @ iki.fi).