Mearcstapa (of Caerthe)

Photo
Mearcstapa and her trusty lyre Ælfwynn!
Honorifics
Preferred Title: Æthel (or Noble)
Pronouns: he/she
Information
Resides: Caerthe
Status: Active
Awards: Order of Precedence
Heraldry
Unofficial, unregistered arms

Introduction

Mearcstapa (he/she) is a Beowulf-loving bard who can often be found talking historical literature and poetry, usually with a queer theory lens. He goes by an Old English kenning meaning, in cognates, "mark-stepper" or, more poetically, "boundary/border-crosser." He is a cadet to Don Tahir al-Razi and belongs to the households Riccio Volante and Bear's Gate.

Persona

Mearcstapa is a traveling scop (bard) originally hailing from the kingdom of East Anglia from early pre-Conquest England (450-700). He is bigender and varies his gender presentation from town to town. He primarily performs and composes in Old English but dabbles in Old Irish, Old Norse, and Latin thanks to the neighbors he meets on his travels. (Logistically, much of the specific historical poetry Mearcstapa performs was written a few hundred years later than he lived because of what has been preserved.) As someone who is often traveling alone, Mearcstapa has taken up a number of additional arts to support himself including sewing, weaving, archery, and swordplay.

Offices & Positions

-Blackthorn Bard (Caerthan Baronial champion): 2024 - present
-Baronial Scribe, Caerthe: Jan. 2025 - present
-Voices of the Populace Dignitary, Outlands: Jul. 2025 - present

Event Staff

-Bardic Coordinator, Twelfth Night, Jan. 2026

Projects & Publications

-Performing History: Old English in Living History Spaces (International Congress on Medieval Studies): 5/8/2025

In Case of Court

Court summons are appreciated but surprises are welcomed as well! Please note that Mearcstapa's pronouns are he/she. You are welcome to choose one or alternate between the two. Mearcstapa is pronounced "mayrk-stap-a" (the first syllable sounds like "mayor" with a "k" slapped on the end). His preferred title is "Noble" or the period-accurate "Æthel" (which he pronounces as "AH-thel") although both "Lord" and "Lady" are accurate as well.

Awards

-Award of Arms: 9/21/24
-Argent Hart: 8/16/25