In Memoriam, Lord Argus Erikson
Lord Argus Erikson, aka Argus of the Seven Hills, passed on unexpectedly on February 1, 2017. His passing leaves a hole in the fabric of the Barony of Stonemarche. Usually one starts this sort of article with a summary of the person’s awards and offices. Doing that doesn’t do Argus justice.
He received his Award of Arms from Balfar and Luna in 2000. He served Stonemarche as Chatelaine for several years.
Eventually he handed off the formal office, and writing the reports to someone else, but he never really stopped being a Chatelaine. As I scanned the social media in the first day or two after we heard the news, the one thing I saw repeated over and over was the sentiment that he’d been one of the first people the writer met when they came to an event in Stonemarche as a nervous newcomer, and he welcomed them. He made them feel like they belonged there, and were genuinely wanted.
That, at its core, is what a Chatelaine does. You can read guides to SCA life, you can watch videos and look at web sites about the SCA and how to get started, but it’s the personal touch that really makes you want to stay. He made people welcome as naturally as breathing. His legacy to Stonemarche, and to the SCA as a whole, is all those people who came, felt welcome, and stayed to become part of the fabric of the group.
It wasn’t just when you were new either. His face lit up any time he saw a friend, whether he’d just seen you the week before, or it had been a year. I don’t think I ever ran into him at an event without getting a big smile of welcome and hug.
He did lots of other things in the SCA too – he fought heavy list, he fenced, and he loved to sing and tell stories. He wrote SCA filks, and loved a good party. He was a familiar sight at bardic circles with his gigantic beer stein, claiming “The wife said I could only have one drink, so it’s a big one.” It wasn’t true, but it made a good ice breaker. It got people to laugh, and he loved that.
He was Father Christmas at more than one Baronial Yule. I think he was “Uncle Argus” to half the children of the Barony. And he was always there to lend a hand when something needed doing at an event.
The funeral was held on Thurs. Feb. 9, but an informal memorial is planned for Palio in Stonemarche in June, for his SCA friends to share memories and bid him farewell.
The formal obituary is available on-line here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/telegram/obituary.aspx?n=brian-ford&pid=184026211&fhid=4796.
This In Memoriam was written by Mistress A’isha bint Jamil.