Meistres Manyra Thorinsdottir

How did I get started?

I started my first year, in 1995, at the University of Victoria. The prior year was spent off school, reading anything I could get about King Arthur. As a result, instead of taking psychology classes like I did in college, I signed up for all these cool medieval history classes. It was there I meet these great people who dragged me to the Medieval Club booth on display during Clubs Days. The Medieval Club was a branch of people from The Society for Creative Anachronism. They called themselves St Giles and Victoria was the Shire of Seagirt (now a Barony). It was a part of the Kingdom of An Tir. I had heard about the group before from one of my landlords who was a member but I never did find out how to join. Here was a second chance I did not pass up.

Shortly after,  I can remember sitting in the middle of the quad on campus with Kathi and Magnus deciding on names, planning all the things we would do in this exciting new group we were now a part of. Well, that first year and a half is a blur of feasts, classes, car breakdowns on the way to Clinton and good times. Some of our plans came into being but a ton of other stuff happened we never expected.

A year and a half later, I left Victoria and moved back to Calgary. My boyfriend Tim, had already been living there for a few months and my parents were there. It just seemed like a good time to leave - and it was.

Calgary is called Montengarde found in the Principality of Avacal, which again is a part of An Tir. Tim had many friends all over the principality as he was originally from this part of Canada. I met a ton of people very fast

Unfortunately, work for both Tim and I dictated that we move to Ontario, Tim to Parry Sound and myself to Toronto. Ontario is known as the Kingdom of Ealdormere. After a few false starts with various groups, I found a good home with the Canton of Skeldergate.

We were away for about 2 years before we moved back to Avacal, this time to Medicine Hat, AB, where we started The Shire of Rhuddglyn. The branch was given full official status on November 26, 2005.

At the same event I was elevated to the Order of the Pelican. There is a great story to go along with that, which highlights the pros and cons of surprise peerage ceremonies.