Sancha as a "Devil" Mummer at the Fort Tryon Park…
Sancha as a "Devil" Mummer at the Fort Tryon Park…
Table & Ostgardr Banner at the Fort Tryon Park Med…
Sancha as a "Devil" Mummer at the Fort Tryon Park…
Sancha as a "Devil" Mummer at the Fort Tryon Park…
Kazimir at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival,…
Puppy Fighting Aaron and Mael Eoin at the Fort Try…
Puppy & Kazimir Fighting at the Fort Tryon Park Me…
Puppy Fighting Aaron and Mael Eoin at the Fort Try…
Puppy Fighting at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Fes…
Fighters at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Fighters at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Fighters at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Fighters at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Fighters at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Fighters at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Llywellan Demonstrating Fencing at the NEST School…
Llywellan Demonstrating Fencing at the NEST School…
Llywellan Demonstrating Fencing at the NEST School…
Fencers at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Fencers at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Fencers at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Fencers at the NEST+M School Demo, June 2006
Heraldry Demonstration at the NEST+M School Demo,…
Heraldry Demonstration at the NEST+M School Demo,…
Mistress Brianna McBain's Banner at the Peekskill…
Mistress Brianna's Red & Black Tent and Falconry D…
Mistress Brianna McBain's Red and Black Tent at th…
Textile Demo at the Peekskill Celebration, Aug. 20…
Fencing at the Peekskill Celebration, Aug. 2006
Bear at the Peekskill Celebration, Aug. 2006
Bear at the Peekskill Celebration, Aug. 2006
Aaron at the Peekskill Celebration, Aug. 2006
John the Bear & Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Ce…
John the Bear & Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Ce…
John the Bear & Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Ce…
John the Bear & Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Ce…
John the Bear & Mael Eoin Fighting at the Peekskil…
John the Bear & Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Ce…
Aaron Fighting Nickolai at the Peekskill Celebrati…
John the Bear & Mael Eoin Fighting at the Peekskil…
John the Bear & Mael Eoin Fighting at the Peekskil…
John the Bear & Mael Eoin Fighting at the Peekskil…
John the Bear & Mael Eoin Fighting at the Peekskil…
Sancha & Ervald Fighting at the Peekskill Celebrat…
Ervald & Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Celebrati…
Ervald & Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Celebrati…
Sancha & Ervald Fighting at the Peekskill Celebrat…
Sancha Fighting Nickolai at the Peekskill Celebrat…
Sancha & Ervald Fighting at the Peekskill Celebrat…
Sancha Vanquished by Nickolai at the Peekskill Cel…
SCA Banner at the Queens County Farm Museum Fair,…
Shield at the Queens County Farm Museum Fair, Sept…
Ostgardr Banner at the Queens County Farm Museum F…
Lions End Canton Banner at the Queens County Farm…
Targai & Marian Fencing at the Queens County Farm…
Embroidery Demo at the Queens County Farm Museum F…
Costuming Demo at the Queens County Farm Museum Fa…
Medieval Instruments Demo at the Queens County Far…
Mael Eoin at the Queens County Farm Museum Fair, S…
Mael Eoin at the Queens County Farm Museum Fair, S…
Biya at the Queens County Farm Museum Fair, Sept.…
Biya at the Queens County Farm Museum Fair, Sept.…
Sancha as a "Devil" Mummer & Thomas at the Fort Tr…
Sancha as a "Devil" Mummer Squabbling with Judith…
Dancing Mummers at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Fe…
Llewellyn at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival…
Dancing Mummers at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Fe…
Dancing Mummers at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Fe…
Ervald at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival, O…
Alec & Marian Fencing at the Fort Tryon Park Medie…
Alec & Marian Fencing at the Fort Tryon Park Medie…
Alec & Alexandre Fencing at the Fort Tryon Park Me…
Judith Dressed as a Bird Mummer at the Fort Tryon…
Alec & Alexandre Fencing at the Fort Tryon Park Me…
Alec & Alexandre Fencing at the Fort Tryon Park Me…
Andrea's Cooking Demo at the Fort Tryon Park Medie…
Judith as a "Fox" Mummer at the Queens County Farm…
Judith as a "Fox" Mummer at the Queens County Farm…
Judith Performing a Mummers' Trick at the Queens C…
Judith Performing a Mummers' Trick at the Queens C…
Friedrich & Dionysia Shooting at the Queens County…
Llywellan Demonstrates Fencing at the Queens Count…
Llywellan Demonstrates Fencing at the Queens Count…
Llywellan Demonstrates Fencing at the Queens Count…
Ervald and Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Celebra…
Ervald and Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Celebra…
Marshall & Ervald at the Peekskill Celebration, Au…
Ervald and Aaron Fighting at the Peekskill Celebra…
Fighters at the Peekskill Celebration, Aug. 2005
Fighters at the Peekskill Celebration, Aug. 2005
Marian Fencing at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Fes…
Judith as a Fox Mummer at the Fort Tryon Park Medi…
Sancha as a Devil Mummer at the Fort Tryon Park Me…
Sancha as a Devil Mummer at the Fort Tryon Park Me…
Wench and "Captain" Jack Sparrow at the Fort Tryon…
Young Mummers at Queens Farm, Sept. 2004
Setting Up the Archery Target at Queens Farm, Sept…
Fighters at at the Queens County Farm Fair Demo, S…
Sir Diablu at the Queens County Farm Fair Demo, Se…
Fighters at Queens Farm, Sept. 2004
Marian and Targai Fencing at Queens Farm, Sept. 20…
Marian and Targai Fencing at Queens Farm, Sept. 20…
Judith as the "Devil Duck" Mummer at the Huntingto…
Sancha Dressed as a Bird Mummer at the Brooklyn Ch…
Judith Dressed as a Bird Mummer at the Brooklyn Ch…
Puppet Show at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, 200…
Mebdh as a Mummer at the Brooklyn Children's Museu…
Sancha Dressed as a Devil Mummer at the Brooklyn C…
Targai Fencing at the Medieval Festival at the Hun…
Spinning Items at the Loews Movie House Demo in Je…
Armor Display in NJ, 2003
Armor Display in NJ, 2003
Fighters at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival,…
Fighters at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival,…
Fighters at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival,…
John the Bear and Viceroy Alexandre vs Avran and E…
John the Bear and Viceroy Alexandre vs Avran and E…
Avran and Lord Ervald Fighting at the Queens Count…
Viceroy Alexandre and Lord Ervald Fighting at the…
Viceroy Alexandre and Lord Ervald Fighting at the…
Viceroy Alexandre and Lord Ervald Fighting at the…
Viceroy Alexandre and Lord Ervald Fighting at the…
Viceroy Alexandre and Lord Ervald Fighting at the…
Viceroy Alexandre & Lord John the Bear Fighting at…
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Sancha as a "Devil" Mummer & Thomas at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival, Oct. 2005
There are two major branches to the tradition of the Mummers' Play (also known as mumming, and by various other regional names): firstly, the folk tradition of troupes of mummers performing theatre, sometimes in the street but more usually as house-to-house visits and in public houses; secondly, the more formal Christian Mystery plays.
No firm conclusions have been come to regarding the etymology of the word "mummer". It is usually believed to have originated from the Middle English word mum which means "silent" (suggesting that the plays were originally silent pantomimes), though some people have suggested a connection with mommo, the Greek word for "mask", or mumme, the Danish word for "mask". Other possible relationships exist with the words "murmur" and "mutter".
Mummers' and guisers' plays were formerly performed throughout most of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as in other English-speaking parts of the world including Newfoundland and Saint Kitts and Nevis. In England, there are a few surviving traditional teams, but there have been many revivals, often associated nowadays with Morris dance and Sword dance groups. Mummers and guisers can be traced back at least to the middle ages, though when the term "mummer" appears in ancient manuscripts it is rarely clear what sort of performance was involved. A key element was visiting people in disguise at Christmas. At one time, in the royal courts, special allegorical plays were written for the mummers each year - for instance at the court of Edward III, as shown in a 14th Century manuscript, now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. However, apart from being in rhyme, these plays were nothing like the current traditional plays, whose documented history only goes back as far as the mid-18th century.
Although usually broadly comic performances, the plays seem to be based on underlying themes of duality and resurrection and generally involve a battle between two or more characters, perhaps representing good against evil. Usually they feature a doctor who has a magic potion which is able to resuscitate a slain character.
In mummers’ plays, the central incident is the killing and restoring to life of one of the characters. First, the characters are introduced in a series of short speeches in which each personage has his own introductory announcement; then comes the drama. The principal characters, presented in a wide variety of manner and style, are a Hero, his chief opponent and a quack Doctor; the defining feature of mumming plays is the Doctor, and the main purpose of the fight is to provide him with a patient to cure. The hero sometimes kills and sometimes is killed by his opponent; in either case, the doctor comes to restore the dead man to life.
The name of the hero is most commonly Saint George, King George, or Prince George. His principal opponents are the Turkish Knight (in southern England and Turkish Champion in Ireland), or a valiant soldier named Slasher (elsewhere). Other characters include: Old Father Christmas (who introduces some plays), Beelzebub, Little Devil Doubt (who demands money from the audience), Robin Hood (an alternative hero in the Cotswolds), Galoshin (a hero in Scotland), etc. Despite the frequent presence of Saint George, the Dragon rarely appears in these plays; the few instances can all be traced back to a Cornish script published by William Sandys in 1833.
Occasionally, the performers will wear face-obscuring hats or other kinds of headgear, which create the impression of being masked. More often, mummers' faces are blackened or painted red by way of disguise. Many mummers and guisers, however, have no facial disguise at all.
Local seasonal variants
Although the main season for mumming throughout Britain was around Christmas, some parts of England had plays performed around All Souls' Day (known as Souling or soul-caking) or Easter (Pace-egging). In north-eastern England the plays are traditionally associated with Sword dances or Rapper dances.
In some parts of Britai
No firm conclusions have been come to regarding the etymology of the word "mummer". It is usually believed to have originated from the Middle English word mum which means "silent" (suggesting that the plays were originally silent pantomimes), though some people have suggested a connection with mommo, the Greek word for "mask", or mumme, the Danish word for "mask". Other possible relationships exist with the words "murmur" and "mutter".
Mummers' and guisers' plays were formerly performed throughout most of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as in other English-speaking parts of the world including Newfoundland and Saint Kitts and Nevis. In England, there are a few surviving traditional teams, but there have been many revivals, often associated nowadays with Morris dance and Sword dance groups. Mummers and guisers can be traced back at least to the middle ages, though when the term "mummer" appears in ancient manuscripts it is rarely clear what sort of performance was involved. A key element was visiting people in disguise at Christmas. At one time, in the royal courts, special allegorical plays were written for the mummers each year - for instance at the court of Edward III, as shown in a 14th Century manuscript, now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. However, apart from being in rhyme, these plays were nothing like the current traditional plays, whose documented history only goes back as far as the mid-18th century.
Although usually broadly comic performances, the plays seem to be based on underlying themes of duality and resurrection and generally involve a battle between two or more characters, perhaps representing good against evil. Usually they feature a doctor who has a magic potion which is able to resuscitate a slain character.
In mummers’ plays, the central incident is the killing and restoring to life of one of the characters. First, the characters are introduced in a series of short speeches in which each personage has his own introductory announcement; then comes the drama. The principal characters, presented in a wide variety of manner and style, are a Hero, his chief opponent and a quack Doctor; the defining feature of mumming plays is the Doctor, and the main purpose of the fight is to provide him with a patient to cure. The hero sometimes kills and sometimes is killed by his opponent; in either case, the doctor comes to restore the dead man to life.
The name of the hero is most commonly Saint George, King George, or Prince George. His principal opponents are the Turkish Knight (in southern England and Turkish Champion in Ireland), or a valiant soldier named Slasher (elsewhere). Other characters include: Old Father Christmas (who introduces some plays), Beelzebub, Little Devil Doubt (who demands money from the audience), Robin Hood (an alternative hero in the Cotswolds), Galoshin (a hero in Scotland), etc. Despite the frequent presence of Saint George, the Dragon rarely appears in these plays; the few instances can all be traced back to a Cornish script published by William Sandys in 1833.
Occasionally, the performers will wear face-obscuring hats or other kinds of headgear, which create the impression of being masked. More often, mummers' faces are blackened or painted red by way of disguise. Many mummers and guisers, however, have no facial disguise at all.
Local seasonal variants
Although the main season for mumming throughout Britain was around Christmas, some parts of England had plays performed around All Souls' Day (known as Souling or soul-caking) or Easter (Pace-egging). In north-eastern England the plays are traditionally associated with Sword dances or Rapper dances.
In some parts of Britai
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