I am honored and humbled . . .

Years ago, maybe 1996 or so, I remember being at Pennsic and hearing people talk about Duke Inman from Ansteorra.

I hard about him being a master armorer, a multiple king, and many other things, including the fact that he was a "Lion of Ansterorra."

I asked what that meant, and received variations on the official answer, which is, Order of the Lions of Ansteorra:  given, a maximum of once per reign, to that person whom the Crown consider to contribute most to the ideals and milieu of the Society, and who serves as an inspiration to others.

I found this amazingly cool. I am not even sure I had my Award of Arms when I first heard about this. How cool would it be to live an SCA life and have people say, "Yeah, that's how you do it. That's what it's all about."

I came to find out that other kingdoms have similar awards, and in fact we were discussing it sometime in the last six months.

Seven years ago, the East Kingdom instituted its own,

Tyger of the East: given to those who most embody and personify the ideals of the East Kingdom. No more than one person may be so recognized during a reign; a person may receive this honor only once. Established April 26, A.S. 37 by Darius II and Roxane II.

The people who have received that award since, the people who "most embody and personify the ideals of the East Kingdom," are some truly amazing folks. Many were peers before I came in to the society and many ofp them had been royalty or kingdom or sicety officers for a long time.

They are:

Master Harold von Auerbach 
Master Ernst Nuss von Kitzingen
Countess Marieke van de Dal
Mistress Katherine Barr
Mistress Brid nic Shearlais
Duke Randal of the Dark
Viscount Edward Zifran of Gendy
Mistress Caitlin Davies
Duke Lucan von Drachenklaue
Duchess  Katherine Stanhope
Mistress Alys Mackyntoich

These are among the people I watched and learned from.

Now we get to yesterday. Yes, I am backing into the story.

As one of their last acts of their reign, King Konrad II and Queen Brenwen II named me a Tyger of the East.

I am flummoxed, I am stunned. As the observant Lord Hugh pointed out, "Gobsmacked Liam is Gobsmacked,"

I am honored, and I am humbled. OK, so I have an ego. But this, no. No way. Eight of the Tygers were there, standing next to me. I don't remember hugging them or what they said. I was in a fog. The king was eloquent, but it was like, "Are you talking about me."

Mistress Khioniyah is making a gorgeous scroll, and Mistress Alys, from whom I have learned so much, wrote a text that is almost all "word-for-word" from Henry V, with the exception of my name. Lady Catriona gave me a stuffed tiger with a Pelican cape, a baronial coronet and a Pelican medallion.

Life's been rather a grind lately. This was just an excellent, excellent thing.

Thank you!

More about Coronation . . .

1. First of all, Mistress Pagan and her staff did an awesome jobs, and I will tell you what, that was an all-star kitchen crew.

2. Thanks to everyone who donated and bid on the auction items. We made more than $600 for the Pennsic Fund. I also want to thank the big crew that helped run the table. It's grrrrrrrrrreat to have people to depend upon.

3. When coronation was all done, Masters Stefan turns to me and says, "That's how it is supposed to be done!" Congrats, Master Ernst, Master Justin and everyone else.

4. My queen, she glows!

5. Congrats to Lady Constance on her well-deserved Silver Crescent.

6. I really love that site!

7. Now I am hungry for pierogies.

So the king sez to me, he sez . . .

What is the king saying?



Cateline's photo.

See my protege leaning out and The Countess grinning?

My Coronation pictures!

The rest are here.