About Me

Greetings!

I'm Tracie Holladay, and I am the author of this blog.

I'm fairly new to the world of medieval re-enactment; the Empire of Adria is my first foray into this strange and fascinating world. I'm learning as I go.

I currently use the persona name "Catriona MacArthur." The name "Catriona" is, as I have come to understand it, the Scottish form of "Katherine" - which was my paternal great-grandmother's first name. I'm descended from the Scots on my father's side of the family; he was born to a family named Carter, and the Carters are descendants of the MacArthurs. Thus, Catriona MacArthur.

Yes, that sash I'm wearing in the above picture is the MacArthur tartan. The pin was sent to me by Clan Arthur when I joined in 2007. It features our clan motto ("Fide et Opera" or "Faith & Work") and our clan badge (the juniper).

My partner Joseph Wilke is also a member of Adria:

Yes, yes, he's a big guy and he looks like he eats babies. He's actually a very jolly, chipper fellow. He only looks badass.

Joe is not new to the medieval re-enactment experience and is helping me learn as I go along. Currently he is the court guard and herald for the canton of Sheffield. His persona name is "Skallabjorn Vilkjalmr." The name "Skallabjorn" means "bald bear" in old Norse, and "Vilkjalmr" is the Norse form of his real surname, Wilke. "Vilkjalmr" means "helm of will" or, if speaking German, "Wilhelm."

We live in beautiful central Florida with our lovely feline companion, HRH Gustav, Prince of Play and Earl of Exuberance:

I will add more to this page as time goes by, so keep watching this space for more.