Sigyn, Gudinna Trogen (sigyn) wrote in history_dot_com, @ 2012-04-19 20:25:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ~loki, ~sigyn |
Artistic Endeavors [a long, long time ago] (tag: Loki)
Sigyn let out a low grunt, then lifted her hand to brush back the hair that was damply clinging to her forehead. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of her neck, then slid south to tickle its way down her spine. The linen of her underdress was itchy and sticky because of the moisture radiating off her body, and she stopped for a moment to lose another layer. She unfastened the brooches on the straps of her woolen hangerock and quickly pulled the overdress over her head. She had no fears about mussing her head covering, as she'd shed that very early on in her efforts. The overdress was dumped onto the cloak, along with the headkercheif, in a pile that was off to the side.
If anybody came along at that point, Sigyn would be woefully underdressed, wearing nothing more than her ankle-length shift, but she was growing far too warm in the early afternoon sun to wear the rest of her normal clothing. She refastened a belt at her waist, mostly to keep the fabric out of her way as she bent forward, and she rolled up the sleeves another two turns. What she was doing was very physical, and she was happy she'd taken the time to not only braid her hair extra tight, but to wind it about her head to keep it from swinging freely.
As she'd stopped for a moment, Sigyn took the opportunity to check on her quark. It would have been better if she hadn't had to move it, because once the curdling started in the milk, disturbing it could break up the curds that were forming. But quark was better for what she was doing than plain milk, and she obviously could not do this anywhere near Asgard. She'd never hear the end of it, because this was so beyond unladylike there would be no coming back from it.
Perhaps, she reflected, this was why all the other maidens and handmaidens stuck to the sorts of crafts that Frigg deemed women's work. Carding and combing and dying and spinning and sewing wool. Which seemed an awful lot like sheep-tending after the fact to Sigyn. Not to mention, she had no skill at all with anything that resembled string. Whether it was yarn or thread, there were always knots that she was at a loss to explain where they came from. She much preferred her artistic hobby, even though it took some effort to accomplish.
Speaking of which, she'd better get back to preparing. The quark was currently draining in the cheesecloth and she would rinse it off in a moment before adding it to the rest of her ingredients. The various she'd found earlier in the week had already been made ready as well. Sigyn knew that if she told anyone what they would produce, they'd be surprised, but experimenting had proven to her what a lovely blue the steel grey ilmenite could be, how limonite produced a golden yellow, and the raspberry beryl gave her a soft pink. All she had left to do was to smash the limestone and grind it down to a powder as fine as she had with the minerals. Once she had the lime, she could mix it first with water, then the quark and pigment would go in, and finally, she would have paint.
It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. She picked up the hammer again, setting the next piece of limestone on the large granite stone she'd found. Sigyn had used it enough that there was a bowl-shaped indentation, like a giant mortar. Which was fairly accurate as she would soon used the end of the hammer as a pestle for the roughest grind. But first, it had to be broken up.
She swung the hammer down with a harsh grunt, then raised her arms to do it again. Yeah. This was so not ladylike. Sigyn grinned and set to work.