Study Guide for School Days at the New Jersey Renaissance Faire New Jersey Renaissance Faire 2016 NJRenFaire.com Facebook.com/NewJerseyRenFaire @NJRenFaire Facebook.com/NJRFedutainment 2 New Jersey Renaissance Faire WELCOME TO CROSSFORD “There be magic in these woods” The small village of Crossford is a typical English village of the 16th century. It has its farmers, its miller, its baker, oh, and its magical forest. Perhaps that is not typical, but it is ordinary for the citizens of Crossford, as it has been for decades. This forest is very old indeed. It has an energy all its own. It is the home to many fairies who hold court within its very boundaries. During times of magical power, which fall upon the solstices and equinoxes, the forest finds a person in need of direction, someone caught at a crossroads...and it brings him or her here to Crossford. This gateway transcends not only space but time itself. Where is Crossford? Crossford is a village in Northumberland, England. If it existed in 2016, it would stand approximately 20 miles southwest of Alnwick Castle, home of the Duke of Northumberland. However, as with all magical places, it has faded away with time. Northumberland Northumberland is a county in Northeast England. It shares a border with Scotland along its northern edge. Due to its geographical location, it has been the scene of many battles between England and Scotland. As evidence of its violent history, Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England. This includes the castles of Alnwick, Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh, Newcastle and Warkworth. This violence extends back to the Roman occupation, and the famous landmark, Hadrian’s Wall, is one of Northumberland’s key features. ª ª ª School Days Study Guide | May 2016 3 What goes on in Crossford English knights and friends of Crossford’s own on our festival day? Sir Barry Brash. What impact could these knights have upon our travelling Vikings? Also While our village is firmly set in the year 1563, we have some missionaries from the south as always the magic of Crossford has brought of Spain, who have been trying to convert the us guests from another time. Today’s Moorish peasants who stayed behind after the magical story brings us our earliest visitors, yet. fall of the Alhambra. They have been forced You may know the stories of King Arthur as to return to England after some less than he was a famous, if not quite real, amalgam of glorious escapades found them in deep trouble Medieval English kings. Well, if you came from in the area. the North Germanic or Nordic Lands, you would be equally familiar with the tales of the As if that wasn’t enough, the Queen of England, Nibelungenlied. Legendary Kings of Burgundy, Elizabeth Tudor, has also decided to stop by and North Germanic Areas and the diverse Nor- find out just what is happening in this dic Lands including Iceland all appear within its mystical town. Northumberland may be a pages. These semi-legendary heroes are pulled long way from London, but rumors have even from as early as the late 400s to late 700s de- reached her Royal ears about the goings on. pending on sources. Unable to believe the rumors, she has sent her spymaster in training, Francis Walsingham, On our festival day we have Brunhilda, a ahead to find out the veracity of these tales. shieldmaiden, who has been commanded to What might happen when the Queen of all wed by her father, King Budli the Valiant of England arrives and discovers that the Duke Iceland. Her presumptive suitor Gunthar, of Northumberland has been hiding the truth Prince of Burgundy, has come to bring her to about the magical Woods of Crossford? wed. Brunhilda has refused, stating will she marry no man who cannot best her. Her Will Brunhilda find her true love? Will father has commanded her to travel to Gunther be able to best her? Will King Budli Burgundy where Gunthar will have the chance survive the trials and tribulations of having a to prove his worth. However, on the way rebellious daughter? All these questions and there, they find themselves instead in the more wait to be answered here in 1563 at the quaint English village of Crossford. Midsummer’s Faire in Crossford. Also visiting Crossford this day is a madcap ª ª ª assortment of other visitors including Sir Sigurd of the North and Sir Lionel DeMarcus, 4 New Jersey Renaissance Faire OUR CHARACTERS When reading history books, we often feel distant from the people in them: George Washington is just a guy in a powdered wig who became our first President; Queen Elizabeth I was a redhead who wore huge dresses. They are so distant that it can be difficult to relate or understand that such historical figures were real people, with real feelings, real problems and real lives. At the New Jersey Renaissance Faire you can experience history first hand. Speak with these people and talk to them about anything. Meet with William Shakespeare and ask him what inspired his plays. Ask the Duke and Duchess what it is like to live in a castle. Talk to knights about how to swing a broad sword, and why they needed them. Don’t just read the history – experience it. You’ll be surprised just how human these legends are. And learn just how legendary you can someday become. Queen Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533 - March 24, 1603) Elizabeth Tudor was born on the 7th of September, 1533. She was the second daughter of King Henry the VIII, but last in line to his throne. She was not crowned Queen until 1558, after the death of her elder sister Mary and brother Edward. Elizabeth the First was the last member of the Tudor dynasty, but the most prolific in her accomplishments. Coming to power in a time of turmoil, Elizabeth was the first since her father to allow both Protestants and Catholics to practice their religions at the same time. Prior to this her sister Mary had forced many Protestants into hiding due to her staunch Catholic upbringing. Under Elizabeth’s rule, there was a resurgence in art and theater, as well as seafaring trade. In 1563, when our faire is taking place, Elizabeth has been on the throne for only 5 years. And yet, unlike her predecessors, this is a time of peace in England. There are no major wars with any (Continued on page 5) School Days Study Guide | May 2016 5 (Continued from page 4) neighboring countries. Using this peace and prosperity to her advantage, Elizabeth has decided to go on “progress”, which means to tour the countryside. It was quite common for the Queen to go on progress during the summer when London became too hot due to it’s close quarters. The peasants and nobles were thrilled to see their Queen in person, and Elizabeth herself enjoyed these sojourns to the country to view the magnificence of her own kingdom. Today Queen Elizabeth joins the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland at one of their summer retreats. They will host her and her entire entourage, some 300 people, at their own estate until the Queen determines she would like to leave. Brunhilda In Norse and Germanic mythology, Brunhilda appears in many old stories as a shieldmaiden (a woman who chose to fight), a valkyrie and an Icelandic Queen. Some women in Nordic countries like Norway, Sweden, and Denmark fought alongside men. Sometimes, shieldmaidens were shown as Valkyries: warrior women who brought dead warriors to Valhalla, a Viking heaven. Brunhilda is a skillful warrior as well as forceful diplomat. However, this would not save her, as all the tales end up with her being killed, usually in an inglorious manner. She appears in many different stories throughout time like the Volsunga Saga, Nibelungenlied, and many Eddic Poems. A 19th century opera, Der Ring des Nibelungen is still performed today. While her father demands that she must marry to continue on her family line, Brunhilda will only marry a man who is able to best her in combat or feats of strength. If she were to marry, she’d have to quit her duties as a shieldmaiden in order to eventually raise children. Brunhilda swore this vow concerning marriage: “But I swore a vow: ‘I would marry no one who could know fear. Brunhilda never ends up marrying the man she wants. Sigurd is her heart’s love, but he always wins her hand for another, Gunther, of Burgundy. In one story, the Volsunga saga, Sigurd rode (Continued on page 6) 6 New Jersey Renaissance Faire (Continued from page 5) through a circle of fire to reach her. After they met, Brunhilda taught Sigurd the secret of the runes, and Sigurd was impressed with her intellect, skill, and beauty. Despite Sigurd’s courage, he was magically convinced to forget Brunhilda and marry another. Later he helped Gunther pass Brunhilda’s tests in order to win her favor, using magical disguises so that he might appear to be Gunther. Brunhilda’s story changes details in every telling. This is to be expected as any ancient story was passed down through Oral tradition for hundreds of years before it was ever written down. Fun side note: the ring from the Nibelungenlied given to Sigurd by Brunhilda is generally considered to be Tolkien’s inspiration for the One Ring of his stories. Vikings Vikings - A term which originally meant rowers (pre-age of sail), became synonymous with raider or pirate. The term itself did not come into common usage as we know it until the 18th century.