Renaissance Merfolk

[jvry8c]

the time commitment is rather big and that sounds normal Madison. I volunteered for 4 years at the St. Louis Renaissance faire (2 years cast and 2 years med staff). It was fun and had its moments but ate up alot of time. I ended up joining the "leech wranglers" which were the onsite medics/nurses to help people who got sick or kids getting lost. I ended up quitting since the former leaders created so much drama that it very nearly killed the faire and caused a ton of cast members to leave. I also ended up moving to the Caribbean for a time before finally moving back. Kinda want to go to the new casting director and leadership to see if they would have a few merfolk.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

My debut as a mermaid was actually at the Muskogee Renaissance Festival in Oklahoma. I was only there for one season, but I do have fond memories. I also just worked for the first time with Una's Traveling Mermaid Lagoon at this year's Faerieworlds. We got rained out for a good portion of the event, but it was still a great time.

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

This is actually a thread I wanted to find/start basically. I wondered what the process of being a fairy/creature at Ren Faires was really. I had just planned on asking Enora or Aysun whenever I got to meet them.

I go to Scarborough almost every year and I am planning on going to Texas Ren Faire my first time this year as a faun. I always dress up but not too fancy yet, I really wanna get more garb. The faun is my biggest one yet what with the stilts and all.

[Ashe]

I always dress up but not too fancy yet, I really wanna get more garb. The faun is my biggest one yet what with the stilts and all.

I would love to see this! I just got into being a faun, it's such a fun makeup
I hope that one day I'll be able to actually finish my dang harpy wings and wear that. Maybe once I start playing around at ren faires again, I'll look into being a mermaid. That's a dream haha ~

[Mermaid Enora]

This is actually a thread I wanted to find/start basically. I wondered what the process of being a fairy/creature at Ren Faires was really. I had just planned on asking Enora or Aysun whenever I got to meet them.

I go to Scarborough almost every year and I am planning on going to Texas Ren Faire my first time this year as a faun. I always dress up but not too fancy yet, I really wanna get more garb. The faun is my biggest one yet what with the stilts and all.

My fairy group will be at the TRF on 1001 dreams weekend, we go every year for obvious reasons.
I'd love to meet up with you! Aysun will be there too in a pirate booth. I'm planning on taking my mermaid dress and tail for one day and the fairy wings for the other.

edit: My sister wears stilts and I know would love to see your stilt costume!!

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

I don't have it 100% done yet but the stilts themselves are done. I'll take some photos of them and post them up tomorrow!

What I reaaaally want is a pair of Fancy Fairy wings! I may make my own sometime but hers are so lovely. I have a lot of mythical creatures I'd like to do costumes for really.

We should see each other at the meet this month.

[Sherielle]

My fairy group will be at the TRF on 1001 dreams weekend, we go every year for obvious reasons.
I'd love to meet up with you! Aysun will be there too in a pirate booth. I'm planning on taking my mermaid dress and tail for one day and the fairy wings for the other.

edit: My sister wears stilts and I know would love to see your stilt costume!!

Stop by the feast hall and say hi (if a show isn't going on, lol)

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

Lets see if this works. Why is it sideways??? Help?

[Ashe]

Ahhh that's awesome! Gosh I love costumes like this. Someone on here had made hooved digileg shoes, but these stilts are awesome. Have you worn them yet?

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

Yeah, it has gone through a lot of changes in testing. An engineer friend built them off some internet postings and videos. With the shoes on them they are fairly comfy, just clunky and you have to maintain balance. We have some staves built to steady ourselves.

I had hooves made but they cracked and broke so I have to make new ones.

[nightdiver]

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival (http://renaissancefest.com/) has a Mermaid Cove. I have not been to see it as it was added after I stopped working there as a musician.

The audition and training process mentioned above is very similar to what I experience as well.

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

I use to work with one of the Minnesota mers.
Their cove is neat, but very different.

They are (were?) Set back a bit from the public and they speak "mermish" and they rotate which one is in the photo tank.

(Not an expert. I just know what I have seen and was told by the girl who worked in their cove and our lagoon.)

In the Scarborough lagoon we are right on the path through the lagoon and we all interact with patrons. 2 shallow tanks and a giant clam shell. We also speak accented English with a dash of "mermish".

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[MerMaisy]

I emailed the Northern California ren faire, but they were like no mermaids since they're not like historically accurate or whatever.

[Ashe]

Not historically accurate? Don't most ren faires set themselves on the foundation of fantasy and magic? I'm studying the renaissance at the moment and aside from fairies and such, there's many things that faires commonly do that aren't 'historically accurate'.
Silly considering that European myths of mermaids began to arise around that time, with all of the sea trade and travel.

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

Not all renfaires are fantasy faires.
Some lean more towards some degree of accuracy.

I tell kids I am real, but I have told a few groups of adults that we are actors portraying mermaids during a festival time.

Since a ren faire does not portray a normal renaissance village, they portray a village during a festival.
That is why the king is nice and interacts with the peasants and whatnot.

As far as the non-fantasy faires go, there still has to be some deviation from "historically accurate" to appeal to the general public.
If it were 100% accurate there would be sewage in the streets and no one would wear deodorant.
*shudders at the thought*

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[Madison MerFaerie]

As far as the non-fantasy faires go, there still has to be some deviation from "historically accurate" to appeal to the general public.
If it were 100% accurate there would be sewage in the streets and no one would wear deodorant.

*gags*

[Mermaid Enora]

Not all renfaires are fantasy faires.
Some lean more towards some degree of accuracy.

I tell kids I am real, but I have told a few groups of adults that we are actors portraying mermaids during a festival time.

Since a ren faire does not portray a normal renaissance village, they portray a village during a festival.
That is why the king is nice and interacts with the peasants and whatnot.

As far as the non-fantasy faires go, there still has to be some deviation from "historically accurate" to appeal to the general public.
If it were 100% accurate there would be sewage in the streets and no one would wear deodorant.
*shudders at the thought*

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Right! I completely prefer fantasy with a dash of historical accuracy.

[Mermaid Alea]

The local Ren Faire here is maybe a mile from my house. I didn't go to it this year but I think there was a mermaid there last year. It was kind of sad actually she was sitting in a tent at the very edge of the fairgrounds and the entrance was facing away from everything else. I don't think she was getting many visitors as she was so secluded. Maybe I should look into being a mermaid at the Ren Faire since I am so close by.

I wish our local Ren Faire was in a pretty wooded area or field area like some of the really nice ones. It is mostly all concrete and no trees. It also only lasts for 2-3 days. I would really love to visit a large Ren Faire someday.

I love watching videos of big Renaissance Faires and how so many people dress up and get into character. There isn't much of that here.

[StephanieVex]

I know this is pretty off topic but I saw Mermaid Lyrique at the Minnesota Ren Fest and I was just really excited she's so beautiful

[Ciriun]

Not all renfaires are fantasy faires.
Some lean more towards some degree of accuracy.

Since I've only been to Sterling Ren Fiare, which at least used to lean more towards accurate, I hadn't even known there were fantasy style ones. I guess they've changed their stance sometime in the past few years since they now have a fantasy themed weekend. I still recall when my sister worked there for a summer and was required to cover up her then green hair and was relegated to less visible positions. So the idea of mermaids at a Ren Faire had always confused me.

I don't go nearly as much as I used to, but I spent a good deal of my childhood roaming the place. My fondest memories are actually of being there before it opened since my family had friends who worked there. We kids were basically loose to play in the fields, hop around the human chess board, and scavenge blown glass scraps.