Tuesday, July 26, 2011

My Most Unusual Character

More than thirty years ago (!) I was walking across the campus of the University of Wisconsin at Madison and heard a noise like a slow-motion car accident: Whack! Clank! Smack! I looked over and there was a group of perhaps a dozen or more people wearing antique costumes. The men wore armor, the women long skirts. The women were sitting in the shade of a big tree, talking in pleasant voices. Most of them were doing embroidery – if memory serves me correctly, one was spinning with a drop spindle. The men were fighting with thick sticks, not viciously but boisterously. They didn’t seem to be actors but ordinary people doing what to them was normal Saturday afternoon activity. Among my first thoughts was: Can I play?

That was my introduction to the Society for Creative Anachronism. In a few weeks I was one of them. I chose as my “personna” Margaret of Shaftesbury, fifteenth century nun. I was the only nun in our group. (I was unattached at that time and the teacher of my Women in Medieval History class had noted that the only woman in medieval times who was not under the control of some man was a nun.)

Nobody else wanted to be a serious nun at that time and I had a notion that a nun was not allowed out and around all by herself. About eighteen months later I was working at the College (later University) of St. Thomas in Minneapolis (having become seriously attached) and in their gift shop were toy Paddington Bears, hand made by one employee’s mother. I bought one for a niece and fell in love with it myself and so bought another. I stitched a tonsure on his little head, made him a black monk’s robe and dubbed him Father Hugh of Paddington. He quickly developed a personality (“a small, brown fellow with kind, anxious eyes, who mean well”) and was often taken from me and handed around at SCA events. One time he was spotted sitting on the queen’s lap during court.

I began weaving him into the stories I was starting to write about life in a medieval abbey (Deer Abby, of course). When I wrote Murder at the War, he was one of the characters. I even wrote some short stories published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine with him as an amateur sleuth.

I still have him, he’s sitting on our couch, still with that kind, anxious look on his little brown face. My most unusual character, or at least the character with the most unusual source.

If you like, comment on this blog entry and I will put your name in a random drawing for a small collection of his stories called Father Hugh Investigates. Good luck!

14 comments:

Liz V. said...

Clearly you were destined to write.

So glad Father Hugh has survived the vicissitude of life. I would love to read some of his adventures. Thanks for the chance.

Elaine said...

I know it's not the focus of your post but I actually know someone who works with a drop spindle. Which reminds me that a friend is opening a knitting store in Northfield in time for the Defeat of Jesse James days (September)and hopes to have a sheep visiting! Hope you are available to go to Northfield then!
Elaine

Katreader said...

I love the whole concept of Father Hugh and I'd love to follow his adventures. I have many plush animals myself and have a blog showing the travel adventures of 2 plush rats! It'd be great to see a pic of Father Hugh!

Dee W said...

Yes, I would love to read about Hugh of Paddington.

Linda O. Johnston said...

What an adorable way to create a character, Monica!

Linda O. Johnston said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Judy said...

I loved the tale of Father Hugh and would enjoy reading his adventures. I think these would make a wonderful e-book selection of short stories.

sosarahsew said...

What fun!! I never had your imagination and therefore as a child did not name any of my toys, much less create stories. Thanks for the chance to win Hugh's life experiences. Sarah

Betty Hechtman said...

I'm hoping to buy a drop spindle this eeekend at the Knit and Crochet show. At the Craft and Hobby show I saw a demonstration how you could use adrop spindle to spin newspaper.

Monica Ferris said...

A drop spindle used to spin newspaper??? Wow, that is some talented spinner! I am having trouble spinning roving! My fingers just refuse to get educated.

Carol S said...

It sounds like Father Hugh has been in some wild adventures.

Monica Ferris said...

I think his wildest happened at a Crown Tourney, when, as usual, he was taken from my hands and only glimpsed the rest of the day. When we went to our motel room late that evening, he was leaning up against a leg of the bed, his tonsure ruffled and one arm around an empty beer bottle. We never did find out how that was arranged.

Mary Barton said...

As a member of the SCA and having read some of the Deer Abby items longer ago than I care to mention, I would love to read Father Hugh's adventures. Mary

Mary Barton said...

Hi Monica
Get on the Interweave website and look for respect the spindle. Lots of help with spinning. Park and draft is easier to start with. I got started because I wanted to spin my Siberian Husky's shed fur. Mary