Awards

One of the privileges we gained when the Shire of Dragon's Laire became the Barony of Dragon's Laire was the right to create and bestow Baronial awards. This right has been exercised in the creation of a number of awards and orders to seriously recognize outstanding efforts of members of the populace in both service and the arts & sciences as well as several lighter veined awards to reward (or punish?) accomplishments of unusual merit.

The Most Noble and August Order of the
Golden Hyphen

Admission into the Noble Order of the Golden Hyphen is one of the truly great honors which can be bestowed on a person from the fair Barony of Dragon's Laire. It is granted to individuals who have demonstrated superior organizational abilities.
The Order was created at June Faire in June, A. S. XXX, minutes after Dragon's Laire was elevated to baronial status. It was the first truly baronial order. The first two members of this elite order were presented with the golden hyphen medallions symbolizing the order and special raiment.

Members of the Noble Order of the Golden Hyphen
(in chronological order)

Honorable Lord Eric de Dragonslaire, aka 1 of 6
Sensei Murakami Tsuruko, O. L. - Baroness of Dragon's Laire, aka 2 of 6
Honorable Lady Catelin Spenser, aka 3 of 6
Honorable Lord Giovanni de' la Rosa, aka 4 of 6
Honorable Lady Eileen ingine dubh-Luchag, aka 5 of 6
Honorable Lord Arontius of Bygelswade, aka 6 of 6

In February, A.S. XXXVI the Order established a sub-order of Hyphens in Training for individuals who have displayed a suitable attitude, but haven't met all of the requirements for membership in the greater Order. The newest HIT men (as of Last Chance, October A.S. XXXVII) of the order are:

His Excellency Ralg, Baron of Dragon's Laire, apprentice to HL Arontius
Lord Raven Blackheart

The Order, sometimes referred to fondly as "the Collective", is always on the lookout for potential candidates. We have our lists and are constantly double checking them for errors. In all of our endeavors we are guided by the maxim emblazoned on the T- shirts given to 1 of 6 and 2 of 6:
"Is There a - in Anal Retentive?"

Is this a "collective" of Hyphens? Last Chance AS XXXVII

A Horror of Hyphens!. Photo by Gwen the Potter

Just when all the i's are dotted and all the t's crossed, the Hyphens get in the picture. The Collective assimilates Arontius. Preventing his escape - er- showing their support -yeah, that's it - are fellow hyphens Giovanni, Catelin, Tsuruko, Eric and Eileen.

Snapdragon- The Snapdragon is awarded to individuals of merit who have provided notable service to the Barony

Bumblebee- The Bumblebee is awarded to individuals with notable achievements in the arts and sciences.

Dragon Claw- {Formerly the Silver Claw} is awarded to young people in the Barony for contributions of merit.

Members of the populace may recommend individuals to receive any of these awards. In fact, the Baron and Baroness invite and encourage recommendations. Handing out well-deserved recognition is one of the chief pleasures of their office.

Wyvern- The Order of the Wyvern actually predates the creation of the Barony. It was elevated to a Baronial award upon recognition of Dragon's Laire as a Barony. Awarded to individuals for service to the Barony above and beyond the call of duty. Current members of the order recommend selected individuals for admission to the order to the Coronets. The insignia of the order consists of a wyvern charm, most often worn on a necklace. (pictured is one example of order insignia - several other variations are also in use.) For more on the Council of Wyverns, including an annotated roster of members see Wyverns

The Order of the Dragon's Pearls- (Formerly the Order of the Albion Light) was formed to recognize outstanding achievement in the arts & sciences in the Barony. Members of the Order are proficient in several disciplines and committed to sharing their skills and knowledge. Current members of the order recommend selected individuals for admission to the order to the Coronets. (The name of this order has not yet passed the College of Heralds) For more on the Pearls including an annotated roster see Pearls

Order of the Dragon's Flame - The Dragon's Flame is awarded to Baronial Champions as they step down from office. This award was established by Baron Jacques and Baroness Siobhan.

A New Order was established at Yule Feast AS XXXVII. The O Kopros story is posted at Kopros.

The question has been asked, what do you need to do to get an award. The short answer is, do those jobs you enjoy doing. The long answer gets a little more involved.
    The SCA is like any organization that runs mostly on volunteers, in that volunteers are always needed. The major way the SCA has to recognize the volunteer is with "atta-boys", i.e. awards. The SCA probably has maybe more types of "atta-boys" then most organizations. Things like volunteering for gate duty, heralding, autocratting, working in the kitchen at feasts, etc., etc., the list of things you can do is almost endless.
    That being said, doing things in the hopes of getting an award, is service for the wrong reasons.
    Anyone can recommend anybody for any award. This includes local Baronial awards and Kingdom-level awards. If you want to recommend someone for an award and are unsure of which one to recommend a person for or how to recommend someone, please talk with either ourselves, the seneschale or any one of our officers.