[Ansteorra] To the Lions

[C. L. Ward]

Rhodri ap Gwythyr kvað:

>I send this to you as a Lion, because I
>believe the Lions may be able to help.
>Please excuse the length and bear with me
>to the end.
>
>We are under attack.  No warriors threaten
>our lands.  There is no army on our border.
>Far, far worse.  Our reputation and the good name of this
kingdom are being maligned.  Our kingdom is
>being described as a group of greedy, lazy,
>whiners.  And this is being believed...

Greetings from Gunnvör!

I hope, as a Lion, that I truly do "contribute to the ideals and milieu of
the Society, and serve as an inspiration to others."  My view of the "Order
of the Lions of Ansteorra, Defenders of the Dream" is that those of us so
called to the Order present ourselves and our personae in such a way that
others around us can glimpse a bit of what medieval life might have been
like, to bring those with whom we interact a small piece of the reality of
the Dream.

As a Lion, I can only respond to your plea with the desire to arm my
huskarls and baendir and set forth to burn the malefactors in their halls,
deprive them of their meadbenches and the comforts of their hearths.  Tell
me where the war-party waits, and we will set about crossing this web of
lies with a crimson weft, warping the loom of wyrð with weights made of the
heads of hewn foemen, weaving the web of battle with drawn swords until a
blood-red cloud bears over the battlefield, the heavens streaked with the
blood of men...

.
.
.

On the other hand, outside my role as Lion, I am a supporter of the Arts, a
teacher, sometimes a warrior on the field, granted the rank of noble for my
service.  In these fields perhaps my talents would better server your cause,
and I will do what I may when I encounter problems such as you have
described.  But to say truly, it is not the Lions you need to support this
issue, but *all* the people of Ansteorra.

If all are aware of the problems, they can then be sure to insist upon
volunteer chits, to engage in useful and meaningful dialogue with our
Meridiean neighbors, setup and teach classes outside the formal class
structure if that is necessary, and *DOCUMENT EVERYTHING*.  Lies and slander
are best combatted with calm, patient, nitpicking documentation and
follow-through.

So, to all Ansteorrans who read these words and who will be at Gulf Wars,
pray be alert to the hazards and problems that Rhodri has enumerated.  When
ever volunteer hours are given, keep a written record - just jot it in a
notebook - to provide evidence if counts come up incorrect.  When problems
and obstructionism arise, get the person's name who is causing the problem,
and *write it down*, along with the date and time and a sentence or two
describing the issue.  *THEN* these can be gathered together and the true
problem revealed, with dates, times, and particulars.  It's no longer
slander or rumor, but documented fact, and the documentation will show the
pattern of truth.

Better than arrows and spears and high-hefted axes is documentation for
combatting niðings!

::GUNNVOR::