Johannes the Black of the Athanor
A Memorial
Johannes the Black of the Athanor (1962-1995)
Icarus' Flight (Johannes'
Memorial Poem)
Johannes Photo Gallary
Johannes the Black of the Athanor had a Lombardic Persona. His interests within the Society were as legion as his talents. He was with us for all too short a time. However, in that time, his contributions to the Society were many, varied and pretty phenomenal.
Johannes was quiet and unassuming, just to meet him you'd never believe how great his accomplishments were - and he'd certainly never be the one to tell you about them. That was just his 'style'. Johannes began 'playing' about 1988 and all of his time within the SCA was spent in the Shire, and later Barony of the Osprey (mundanely Mobile, AL). Within 5 years Johannes was a Master of both the Laurel and the Pelican. He served the SCA as the first Society Deputy Marshal for Equestrian Affairs, establishing the office and seeing to it's acceptance as a viable, working, contributing part of the Society. The Society Equestrian Community owes a great deal to this wonderful man for his tireless efforts to promote the Equestrian Arts within our Society.
He was the author of the Meridian Book of the Horse, which was the first publication of its kind and the 'launching pad', as it were, for publications that have followed.
His contributions to the advancement of Heraldic Display within the Kingdom of Meridies were also legion. It was Johannes who codified and first put down the Meridian Sumptuary Laws. His research in this area, and his efforts to educate the populace have reaped tremendous benefits for the populace of Meridies.
Johannes' interests covered so very many areas that it is literally impossible to list them all. He is oft times referred to as the 'documentation god' of our Kingdom. He left as a legacy to us what we fondly refer to as "The Athanor Archives". At present we are in the process of working to catalog and make available the many articles that were in his files at the time of his death. It was always his wish that this information be made available to all who would use it.
Johannes touched the lives of so very many people. Some who he knew well, and some whom he never met (and who never had the chance to meet him). His legacy is there for everyone to see and it is truly a monument to the knowledgeable, giving, loving person he was. When Johannes embraced something, he did so with every fiber of his being. The void created in so many of our lives by his death will never be filled. He stood as a shining example to so many of what is best and brightest in the Society, and I will always love, remember and miss him. I was fortunate indeed to have him brighten my life for 8 years.
