Elen ap Rhys, also known as Morgan ap Rhys and Elen Morningstar, is a member of Wealdlake, a canton of North Woods. Looking at her, you see the years have been kind to her as you can easily see the raven haired beauty with her willowy build and tresses flowing below her waist. Here are her stories to the best of my recollection.
The First Female Fighter
As the bards tell the story:
The day came for the first tournament of the “new” (see story on the “lost barony”) barony. It was May 2nd, AS V. Here the men came out and fought. They took a break to dance around the Maypole, then returned to the field of honor. They fought bravely and valiantly. All were defeated in turn, with but a few remaining. The fighters were minded of the stories the priests tell of Goliath – Thorvald seemed to be a fighter of Goliath’s caliber. The priests told of David, who defeated Goliath. There had to be a David in their midst!
They looked around and beheld a youthful fencer. One who had fought many battles and triumphed! This was their David! So, not heeding the warning of the story, they put their “David” in armor. Like the David of old, this fighter too had difficulty moving in the armor. However, the rules stated: one must be in armor to fight.
As the fighters have finished preparing their champion, Thorvald defeated Karis, leaving no one left to challenge his sempremacy. He stood with his cracked sword, triumphant and exhausted. Victorious! Before he can revel in his victory, he is informed that there is a mysterious champion that has come to challenge him.
Thorvald agreed to take this usurper on. He looked at this youth that deigned to challenge him. He beckoned this johnny-come-lately champion forward, and as the “champion” lifted their sword, with a mighty roar an a single blow, he smote this last foe – once again victorious!
Now, it was time to unmask this fool who dared to take on the mighty Thorvald. There was amazement from the crowd and Thorvald as the tresses from the beautiful Elen came flowing out from under the helm, followed by the rest of her smiling face.
Elen had become the first female fighter of North Woods to fight in a tournament!
As recorded in the histories: The day came for the first tournament of the “new” (see story on the “lost barony”) barony. It was May 2nd, AS V. Here the men came out and fought. They took a break to dance around the Maypole, then returned to the field of honor. They fought bravely and valiantly, with Thorvald finally defeating Karis. There he stood, victorious! With his cracked sword, triumphant and exhausted, he is informed that there is a mysterious champion that has come to challenge him. Thorvald agreed to take this usurper on and the battle began. Thorvald once again defeated his foe and then the time came for the unmasking of this johnny-come-lately champion. There was amazement from the crowd and Thorvald as the tresses from the beautiful Elen came flowing out from under the helm, followed by the rest of her smiling face.
Running the Tables
It was the time for one of the favorite pastimes of the SCA, feasting. Demure Elen was seated near the King when he requested a dish that was down the table. The servers for the feast did not hear the request, so Elen, seeing the table had a clear path down the middle, hiked up her skirt and climbed onto the table. She then retrieved the platter for his majesty, presented it to him, then returned to her seat, quest fulfilled.