Rabbit Pye

"The mon that the hare i-met
Ne shal him neuere be the bet
Bote if he lei doun on londe
That he bereth in his honde—
Be hit staf, be hit bouwe—
And blesce him with his helbowe.
And mid wel goed devosioun
He shal saien on oreisoun
In the worshipe of the hare;
Thenne mai he wel fare."

"Normally history is about Kings and Queens but there is bits and pieces to show us that Travellers did not just come about in the last couple of centuries. They have existed for a long time, even in the more famous stories particularly the Tain Bo Cooley. If you read that you will come across these people that are landless people who are not accepted by either Maeve’s army or Cu Culainn. Yet they would fight for any side. These people would be always the best hunters, their tents would be up first, and people were always frightened of them and didn’t want them with them. There’s lots of stories in Irish Mythology that mention the existence of people that had a diverse identity and culture from mainstream society."

Crusty ambled along the pathway just behind his friend Taisty, his hands in his pockets and a slight scowl on his face. At this time of the year they would have set up their camp with the rest of the travelers closer to the city of Durham than further in the country, but there had been some trouble over the last year and not needing to be harassed again the travelers set up near the town of Con in a small village called Muggleswick.

"What de ye think this lord's like?" He asked Tasty, his eyes scanning round a little warily. New places often meant new labor or more troubles, especially when the locals didn't want you there. Being further in the country wasn't so bad, they were able to forage more and do a bit of the night-time hunting, catching salmon or hare, even small birds as long as you didn't get caught.

Tasty shrugged his shoulders as he negotiated the slightly slippery moist path. The grass from that morning's dew was still jeweled in droplets of water after all the morning had progressed closer to noon. "Let's hope he's not a tight-fisted old git like the last one. Send'n us to clean his privy every day, and fe what?! A penny a week!" He was somewhat reluctant to enter the village in search of the local lord, especially regarding their last employer. It seemed everywhere they went now they were given the worst jobs anyone would wish for, and the payment, if they got paid was becoming a miserable pittance.
As they walked the verge of the common came into view, its hedge boundary concealing most of the village buildings, you could however see the stone and thatch roofs and gentle columns of smoke drifting in the air. The aroma of food cooking and the scent of life in general, including pigs, cows, sheep, and people.

((To The Village of Muggleswick.))

Crusty followed his friend, he usually did as he wasn't particularly good at finding work for himself. He became quiet and even shy sometimes when talking to those who thought they were his betters. When approaching the village or townspeople he also became self-conscious due to the strange color of his earlobes and often wore a hood when he was on his own.

He was fine in the camp, other gypsies and travelers thought nothing of his unusual ears, some had even commented he must have had an elf as an ancestor which always made him smile. It gave him that portion of self worth when he was with his own people and that made him feel more confident.


((To Muggleswick.))