Decorations:
Decorate with vintage items reminiscent of a medieval village, such as old tools and kitchen items. Perhaps someone could bring a loom or spinning wheel, blacksmithing tools, hand mill for grinding flour, etc. See what hobbies people have in traditional crafts, then ask if they would participate in your event: candlemaker, chainmail craftsman, woodcarver, etc.
Music:
Traditional European folk tunes
Activities:
Themed booth ideas: Have several areas (tables or booths) where guests can participate in these or other activities.
Angela’s Herb Shop Booth: Decorate with hanging herbs, plants, and grasses, and curiosities such as shells, eggs, bones, rocks, feathers, jars of spices and herbs, etc. Place a stuffed cat (Solembum) on a shelf. Guests make satchels of tea mixes (mint, chamomile, rosehips, etc.). Have a woman dressed as Angela serve warm tea.
Horst’s Booth: Decorate with a collection of smithing, horseshoeing, woodworking tools, or simply household tools such as hammers and pliers (perhaps someone familiar with one of these crafts could play the role of Horst). Provide paper and invite guests to draw a poster of Horst’s Tools. Or invite guests to hammer nails, screw in screws, crack nuts with a hand-held nutcracker, or assemble a simple craft project.
Gertrude’s Booth: Invite a knitter to sit in a rocking chair and knit, as Gertrude did when Eragon was recovering from his wounds in Carvahall. Guests could try their hand at knitting. A local spinner could also join the party, showing guests the art of spinning wool and showing them the basics on assorted spindles.
Eragon’s Booth: Eragon had to practice to improve his coordination and reflex times. Invite guests to try these games to do the same:
a. Throw beanbags through hoops, into baskets, or into bags.
b. Throw rings or horseshoes onto short posts.
c. Run relay races with a pebble or egg balanced on a wooden spoon.
Crafts:
Katrina’s Embroidered Hand Towels: Since she was a little girl, Katrina looked forward to her wedding day. One of the items she made for her wedding chest, in preparation for having her own home, was a cross-stitch decorated hand towel. Write your name on a fabric napkin, handkerchief, or other item with pencil or chalk. Handstitch your name over the letters. (Younger children can use large embroidery thread or yarn.)
Brom’s Map: When Brom and Eragon visited Jeod in Teirm, Joed gave them a map of Alagaësia. Make your own map of Alagaësia and mark Eragon’s travels or places that you would like to visit. Or draw a map of your imaginary land.
Rider’s Wristband: Braiding was an essential Rider’s skill that was used to strengthen strips of leather or fabric. Braid leather or fabric strips to make a Rider’s Wristband.
Angela’s Ward: To fend off bad luck, Angela made and sold bits of herbs sealed in paper. Set out a selection of dry herbs, labeled with their qualities. Choose the herb that suits you best and make a “ward” to hang by a window or bed, or to wear as a necklace. Sprinkling a pinch of dried herb between two small squares of waxed paper. Place the waxed paper sandwich on a paper towel and place another paper towel over it. Press a warm iron over the project until the layers of waxed paper melt into one. Cut an oval shape around the herb amulet, punch a hole in the top of the paper, and tie yarn though the hole to hang. Suggested herb qualities:
Parsley protects against enemies.
Thyme brings good health.
Violas strengthen friendship.
Rose petals enhance love.
Murtagh’s Traveling Bag: Cut, stitch, and decorate a satchel made from an old pair of jeans.
Eragon’s Travel Cup: Eragon learned how to fold this handy cup when he was staying with the elves. Google “How to fold a paper cup” for instructions and make your own cup.
Food:
The humans of Eragon’s era ate simple homemade food. Use your favorite recipes to make the following:
Elaine’s Apple Pie: Elaine, wife of Horst the blacksmith, is a great cook. In the fall and winter, her husband and sons, Baldor and Albriech, look forward to eating her delicious apple pie, along with a mug of spiced apple cider. Serve apple pie with a dollop of whipped cream.
Angela’s Tea: On warm summer evenings, Angela enjoys sipping chilled mint tea, adding a squeeze of lemon . . . if she were in an area where lemons were available. Share a cup of chilled or warm mint tea, depending on the season.
Katrina’s Homemade Bread: Katrina’s father, Sloan, may have been a weasel, but he doted on Katrina’s cooking, which reminded him of his beloved wife, Ismira. Make a loaf of homemade bread and eat it slathered with butter.
Spring Vegetable Platter: In spring, when the snows finally melted and the ground warmed, the villagers of Carvahall planted lettuce, radishes, green peas, spinach, and green onions in their cottage gardens. As the first of these matured, they savored their fresh flavors, happy to supplement their diet with fresh vegetables. Arrange on a platter a collection of fresh veggies, along with strips of hard cheeses, like those the villagers may have kept over the winter.
Eragon’s Trail Mix: Whenever Eragon went hunting in the Spine or walked to town, he liked to carry extra food. Sometimes that was bread or strips of dried meat. But when he visited the elves, they gave him a mixture of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit to sustain him on his travels. He was particularly fond of this food, as it tasted good and gave him lots of energy. Make small cups of trail mix in memory of what Eragon carried.
