Master Bran Trefonnen

Heraldic device of Master Bran Trefonnen: a raven on a blue field
Heraldic device of Master Bran Trefonnen: a raven on a blue field

Founder of House Corvus and its longest-serving member, Master Bran Trefonnen has spent decades in service to the Society for Creative Anachronism — as a herald, an autocrat, a teacher, and the keeper of the raven banner.

Persona Background

Bran's persona is that of an eleventh-century nobleman, born in 1068 on the Isle of Callanish off the coast of Scotland, who in his story emigrated to Caernarfon in Wales. The blend of Scots and Welsh heritage shapes everything from his name to the cut of his garments and the design of his arms. Building a persona this way — a specific century, two specific places, a plausible life — turns a hobby into a long study of a real time and culture.

Interests in the Society

Bran's interests range widely across the medieval arts and sciences:

  • Heraldry — the design and registration of arms, and service as a herald in court.
  • Calligraphy & illumination — lettering and painting the scrolls by which the kingdom records its awards.
  • Cooking — recreating period feasts from medieval sources.
  • Drawing and costuming — the visual and material crafts of his era.
  • Autocratting — organising and running events for the branch.
  • Teaching — passing all of the above to the next generation of newcomers.

A Life of Service

Bran joined the Society in 1984, in the College of Caer Daibhidh within the Barony of the Sacred Stone, and founded the household that would become House Corvus that same year, originally under another name. He renamed it House Corvus in 1996. In the years since, he has held office in the branch, organised countless events, and served the crown of Atlantia in court.

Awards & Honours

Among many honours over a long career, Bran received his Award of Arms from the Kingdom of Atlantia early in his time in the Society — the honour that confers the right to bear a registered coat of arms — and went on to earn service and arts awards at the baronial and kingdom level, culminating in elevation to the rank of Master. Each honour is recorded on a hand-lettered scroll, several of which were created by fellow members of the household.

His Arms

Like every member of the Society who holds an Award of Arms, Bran bears a registered device (a personal coat of arms) and a badge (a simpler mark used to identify his belongings and household). The raven features in the household's heraldry, in keeping with the name House Corvus. To understand how such arms are designed and what their colours and charges mean, the SCA College of Arms publishes the rules that govern their registration.

Return to the Member Roster to meet the rest of the household.