What was the ceremony like?

On Saturday February 2nd, as part of LGBT History Month, Croydon Area Gay Society celebrated

Same-sex relationships in Engilsh history

The evening was in three parts as described below.

Geoffrey Chaucer

We re-told four of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

the Friar's Tale
the Knight's Tale
the Pardoner's Tale
the Shipman's Tale.

We also recounted part of The House of Fame.

And finally we rounded off with a bit about two Chaucer's friends: Sir John Clanvowe and Sir William Neville.

These tell us about 'sworn brotherhood'

Chaucer expects his readers to understand exactly what sworn brotherhood is - he never needs to explain it to his readers. (Indeed the House of Fame is so allegorical, and he is using sworn brotherhood in such a contorted way, that the reader could never have worked out what he meant unless they already had a very clear idea.)
A relationship of people of the same sex
It was a formal covenant or contract established by oaths - much as betrothal and marriage were.
It's troth plight i.e. the partners were always to be truthful with each other, as in betrothal or marriage.
It's not marriage - its roots are in very different traditions, inheritance was quite different, you could have more than one sworn brother - at least in legend or historical times, etc.
It was like marriage in some ways: troth plight, it was a 'union' of the partners, the partner's coats of arms were impaled, both relationships use the symbol of the joined hands, etc.
It's a life-long commitment - but expressed more strongly as a commitment to death and, unlike marriage, the relationship seems to persist in some ways beyond death
The relationship of just two sworn brothers was contemporary (multiple partners appear to be remembered in myth and legend) and the relationship of just two people is characterised by affection and by very deep love.

For more details see the text of the presentation.

Traditional English Ballads

Unlike Chaucer's writings, ballards were the popular entertainment of the common people, at church ales, in taverns and fairs.

Ballads were stories sung about English heroes of past times:

Adam Bell and Clym of the Clough
Guy of Warwick and Tirry
Athelston
Bewick and Grahame
Amys and Amelion

And finally we rounded off with another song of the time:

Amice Cristi Johannes

The ballads similarly expect the reader to recognise and understand sworn brotherhood without needing it explained.
It's a same sex relationship.
Sworn brotherhood was a formal covenant or contract established by oaths - much as marriage was.
It's troth plight i.e. the partners were always to be truthful with each other, as in betrothal or marriage.
It's not marriage - its roots are in very different traditions, inheritance was quite different, you could have more than one sworn brother at at time - at least in legend or historical times, etc.
In some ways it may look like marriage to us: it's troth plight, it was a 'union' of the partners, the partner's coats of arms were impaled, both relationships use the symbol of the joined hands, etc.
It's a life-long commitment - but expressed more strongly as a commitment to death and, unlike marriage, the relationship seems to persist in some ways beyond death
The relationship of just two sworn brothers was contemporary and recorded in army payrolls of the 14th century. (Multiple partners appear to be remembered in myths and legends rather as Solomon's 300 wives were known, but the story seems to have had no effect on England at this time).
The relationship of just two people is characterised by affection and by very deep love.

But we saw instances where these relationships were shown as postive role models to christians In particular, where Christ and St John were seen - not as lovers as is suggested today but - as sworn brothers, because of their rights and duties. This supposed relationship is held up as an example to christians.

For more details see the text of the presentation.

The blessing ceremony to bless sworn brothers

We re-enacted the Greek Orthodox ceremony, used over 1500 years, to bless the relationship of sworn brothers.

For our part of the world we would have preferred the Ordo Ad Fratres Faciendum, from the Roman Catholic Church, but we have no rubrics for this, so we chose the version with something to look at.

For more details see the text of the presentation.

Several people made comments about the evening later and some of them are included on this site.

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