About Alisoun
In the SCA (the Society for Creative Anachronisms), my persona (the character I "play") was Alisoun Edith Agnes of Stonemarche. Alisoun is a middle aged widow who is a servant to her mistress Lady Laoghaire (pronounced "liri"), also of Stonemarche. She is Laoghaire's chatelaine, the woman who runs her house for her. Alisoun hold the keys to the medicine cupboard, the store rooms, and the creamery, all important places in a medieval holding. While Laoghaire isn't royalty by any means (she's the widow of a rather rich old sheep breeder), she's comfortable, with enough money and lands to keep her household running and her servants fed and clothed.
Alisoun's job, within our household, is to make certain that bread is baked, food is on the table in a timely fashion, and that the books balance at the end of the month. She stands in service when Laoghaire sits at table, at least at feasts and when people visit. When it's just us, we often eat together. The class distinctions are less, up in the wilds of middle Scotland, in the late fourteenth to early fifteenth century.
Alisoun still being developed, but I do know several things about her. She was born in the area surrounding Inverness at the end of the fourteenth century. Due to the violence that erupted in the area, she was sent off to relatives farther south, near Oban (a tiny village on the west coast where a castle stood, protecting a small port where ships were built), and from there was taken to Ireland and given in service as a playmate to a very young Laoghaire. As the companion of a rich merchant's daughter, she was able to learn to read and write, deportment, and other important skills. When Laoghaire was married off, her husband took her to his estates in the Edinburgh region of Scotland, and Alisoun was sent along to be her maid and companion. Upon his death, Laoghaire elevated her to the position of chatelaine, and she had the title to go with the job she'd been doing for years.
My Viking persona is Edgitha Hlammandi, and she hails from the very northern tip of the most northern of the Shetland Islands, from a little town called Scaholme. You're most likely to run into Edgitha at GNEW and Harper's Retreat (two SCA events that happen in Maine and NH respectively). She sometimes uses her middle name, which is Alisson. Yes, I know, it's a theme. I use my real name (Allyson) for each of my personas, but spelled differently depending on the place and time. It works!
The real Allyson is an interfaith minister, mother, and author. I enjoy cooking as much as my persona does, and I tend to use my family as guinea pigs for my various recipe testings. You can find me at a wide variety of events throughout the year, and they are listed on the Appearances page of my author website. Feel free to find me and come say hello!
Alisoun's job, within our household, is to make certain that bread is baked, food is on the table in a timely fashion, and that the books balance at the end of the month. She stands in service when Laoghaire sits at table, at least at feasts and when people visit. When it's just us, we often eat together. The class distinctions are less, up in the wilds of middle Scotland, in the late fourteenth to early fifteenth century.
Alisoun still being developed, but I do know several things about her. She was born in the area surrounding Inverness at the end of the fourteenth century. Due to the violence that erupted in the area, she was sent off to relatives farther south, near Oban (a tiny village on the west coast where a castle stood, protecting a small port where ships were built), and from there was taken to Ireland and given in service as a playmate to a very young Laoghaire. As the companion of a rich merchant's daughter, she was able to learn to read and write, deportment, and other important skills. When Laoghaire was married off, her husband took her to his estates in the Edinburgh region of Scotland, and Alisoun was sent along to be her maid and companion. Upon his death, Laoghaire elevated her to the position of chatelaine, and she had the title to go with the job she'd been doing for years.
My Viking persona is Edgitha Hlammandi, and she hails from the very northern tip of the most northern of the Shetland Islands, from a little town called Scaholme. You're most likely to run into Edgitha at GNEW and Harper's Retreat (two SCA events that happen in Maine and NH respectively). She sometimes uses her middle name, which is Alisson. Yes, I know, it's a theme. I use my real name (Allyson) for each of my personas, but spelled differently depending on the place and time. It works!
The real Allyson is an interfaith minister, mother, and author. I enjoy cooking as much as my persona does, and I tend to use my family as guinea pigs for my various recipe testings. You can find me at a wide variety of events throughout the year, and they are listed on the Appearances page of my author website. Feel free to find me and come say hello!