Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

 Ever want to really have a renaissance and medieval experience? You might want to check out RenCon 2010 (Renaissance Convention). It is called “The Gathering of Guilds” and I really love this stuff. I just might go. I have some other trips planned for early this year but I might squeeze in a trip to this rencon.

It is a weekend event and here is how they describe it:

The RenCon weekend will include two magical nights of music and masquerades,
as well as three days of fascinating and informative themed panels, presentations and demonstrations by our special guests, and shopping in the Guild Hall for fine apparel, jewelry, accessories, crafts and art. RenCon Guests will also have the opportunity to
learn new skills at our RenCon Guild workshops

The event runs from Friday April 9th through Sunday April 11th  and includes crafts and exhibits, a Medieval Masque Ball Ball on friday night and the Dark Carnevale on Saturday Night. Here is some information on the events that I have taken from their website:

The Medieval Masque: Tonight, we evoke a dramatic world lit only by fire, a realm of extreme polarities: darkness and light, life and death, honor and revenge, high thoughts
and bawdy humor. Come as lord or lady, knight or serf, wizard or commoner and raise a glass and dance to the music of the internationally acclaimed German medieval band, Estampie, in a very rare performance in the US.

The Dark Carnevale: Fog lifts from mythic canals, footsteps echo in ancient alleys, intoxicating music moves on the night air. Tonight, mystery and intrigue reign, elaborate masks obscure identities, monsters and magicians roam, fantastic costumes cloak forms and no one is whom they appear to be. Through the doorway rings the sensual music of
the German gothic band, Qntal, transporting you to ecstatic heights as you dance with
your mysterious partner into the midnight hour.

Where and more information

To learn more  you can visit their website at: Renconvention.com

Date: April 9th - 11th, 2010
Venue: Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley Inn
Location: Hunt Valley, MD

Maybe I will see you there

I received this picture of a pair of medieval statues (Grave monuments) from a web visitor (Brad) who is a fan of all kinds of medieval things.  He needs help identifying the figures in the picture. I am not sure who these figures are and I could make a few guesses but I want to be sure. Maybe you recognize these statues. The architecture and stained glass in the background, not to mention the dress of the figures gives us some great clues as to the country and time period.

Anyway, If you recognize these figures just send me an email! And thanks for your help!

You won’t be bringing down any castle walls with this trebuchet but it is a pretty strong floor model sized siege engine. It hurls a tennis ball.

The big thing I focused on with this trebuchet is “fast and easy”. I wanted to try to put together a powerful treb without all the hassle. And this fits the bill pretty good. It took me a few hours to design and make it. You should be able to build it in a couple of hours. I try to improvise all common parts and it uses just a few pieces of two by four and two barbells for a total counterweight of 20 pounds.

The project is located here and I will be posting to that page a youtube video explaining more and showing it firing off. The Tennis Ball Trebuchet

If you have been following my blog for some time, or if you visit my medieval website you might be familiar with the unusual case of the mysterious medieval chest. Someone sent me pictures of a beautiful wooden chest and wanted to see if I or my readers could lend some insight into what it was, when and where it came from. I got a lot of great responses to this and you can read all about it on my medieval castle website here: The Mysterious Medieval Chest

A lot of the speculation revolved around the front of the chest which had what appeared to be a carving of a castle.

I received an email from somebody (Stephen W.) about this carving on the front of the chest. He proposes that it looks more to be a group of bell tents in an encampment rather than a castle. And it makes sense. I think he has really pegged this just right. Here is a partial quote from the email he sent me:

I have an interest in military architecture, tents and chests and the “castle” idea does not fit with what I saw.

I see a group of bell tents with unusual rounded topped door ways, but with the conical shape depicted in some manuscripts and other depictions (i.e. Lorenzo Ghiberti’s, Gates of Paradise (East Doors), Baptistery in Florence (1425 - 1437 A.D.), second panel from the bottom left, a group of five bell tents.

Some tents have been depicted with dorma windows (i.e. Jean Froissart’s Chroniques de Froissart, The Jousts of St. Inglibert (British Library, MS Harl, 4379, f 23v). The structures show a number of features of bell tents; apex decoration, valance decoration anc clear demarcation between the roof and the side panels.

So this could encampment scene may date from the 15th century and not 13th century, which would correspond with the type of chest and over decoration of the chest. See this link http://www.larsdatter.com/chests.htm for clearer picture of chest design and development over time.The decoration and style of chest looks more like this: http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/O0002751.html

Here is a picture that he refers us to:

The similiarity is uncanny and I think that Stephen really pegged this! My thanks to him for this insight and for the research he did toward this mystery.

You can also read my previous blogpost about this Medieval Chest here: The Case of the Mysterious Medieval Chest

I just completed this new tutorial and it is complete with a video. It shows you how to make the leg guards (Greaves) just like in the movie 300. They come out really good and you just need a few items including some cereal box cardboard, flour and water. This is part of my on going series of tutorials on the 300 weapons and armor. So far I have the Spartan Greaves, Spartan Vambraces (arm guards) the Spartan Helmet and the Spartan Spear.

Coming soon I will be doing the Spartan Sword, The Spartan Shield and the Chest Plate.