The Basics

[cunningwoman]

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About

A year ago, after the loss of her husband and her youngest child, Eleanor Millhouse began to work as a cunning woman in order to supplement her income from the bakery and to help make ends meet. Since then, strange things just keep crossing her path. Murders, the dead rising from their graves- it's enough to make anyone apprehensive and somehow Eleanor always seems to find herself in thick of it. Still, there's not a lot she can't handle with her wits, her connections in the community, a little bit of magic, and God's grace.

She really hasn't spent much time questioning the meaning of it all; she just doesn't see the use in it. Better to keep her head down, her nose to the grindstone, and take things as they come. She's doing right by her neighbors and taking care of her own at the same time- that's enough for her. The higher matters will sort themselves out.



Character is an historical/fantasy OC from late 15th century London. The fantastical elements of her story are primarily taken from contemporary medieval lore with a few creative anachronisms.

 

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Personality

When asked to describe Eleanor, most people will initially give some variation of the same three traits: kind, clever, and stubborn as a mule.

And they aren't wrong. Despite the occasional intrusion of the extraordinary into her life, Eleanor is a very practical, down-to-earth woman, likely to tackle any obstacles head on and not prone to excessive flights of fancy or daydreaming; she simply doesn't have time. This doesn't mean that she's dull-witted, however, and she's as likely to discover the answer to her problems through logic and astute observations as she is through her divinations. Sometimes, she'll admit, she even gives the divinations a little helping hand.

In part, she does what she does to help put food on the table. But there's more to it than that. She also genuinely wants to help her neighbors, and has strict standards as to what she will and won't do with her gift. Life has hardened her, but she still has a gentle heart and all her closest friends know it.

 

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History

Background

Eleanor's life, up to now, has not been particularly extraordinary. She was born in 1468 to Mary and Edward Browne, the third of four children. Her brother George and her sister Elizabeth (fondly known as Bess) preceded her, and she was followed shortly by another girl, little Alice. Edward was a baker by profession, and all his children learned the trade as they grew, but he also dabbled in a little practical magic, and that he taught only to the children he thought had the aptitude for it- namely Bess and Eleanor.

In her early twenties Eleanor was introduced to William Millhouse, another baker, promising, though less established than her family. The courtship may have started out as one of convenience, encouraged by both families for economic reasons, but the two quickly developed a mutual affection and, to the delight of all parties involved, Eleanor and William were wed in 1491. It was not long at all before Eleanor found herself with child and Anne, their first, was born in 1492. She was swiftly followed by Thomas in 1494, Margaret (Maggie) in 1496, and Edward in 1497.

But in 1498, an epidemic of plague swept through England, taking a terrible toll on the population- and on Eleanor's family in particular. Small and vulnerable, Edward was the first to fall victim to the disease. Perhaps most devastatingly to the well-being of the rest of the family, William, heartbroken over the loss of his youngest child and weary of fighting the illness himself, passed away.

Now a widow with three children to support, Eleanor had little time to mourn. She took over the bakery, stubbornly shoving her way through all obstacles placed in her way. But a business also comes with expenses, and with her husband's death, her privileges in the guild were severely reduced. She and her children weren't starving, but there was a definite downturn in their lifestyle. So to supplement her income, Eleanor began to practice as a cunning woman, working out of her home, much as her father had once done. Over the next year, she worked tirelessly to develop both businesses.

Then in 1499, Eleanor played a significant part in a particularly strange series of events, solidifying her reputation as a cunning woman and as an invaluable member of her community. It began, believe it or not, with a murder.

A Medieval Murder Mystery

The murder of her busy-body neighbor, Agnes Wright, no less. Now, Eleanor wasn't exactly asked to solve the crime, but there's something about hearing tales of someone you know convulsing violently on the ground that just really makes you want answers.

Long story short, the murderer turned out to be Walter Davies, a cunning man and Eleanor's competition. He had been carrying on an illicit affair with Agnes and, while at his home, she had stumbled upon evidence that he was dabbling in witchcraft and demon summoning. He managed to lull her into a false sense of security and convince her to remain silent. Then, he swapped out the usual dose of Queen Anne's Lace he supplied for her contraception with a fatal dose of Hemlock. Agnes never noticed.

There were a number of other clues pointing in that direction, but it was that choice of murder weapon that lead Eleanor to the right conclusion. Unlike others who had examined the victim's home, she was immediately able to see the difference between Queen Anne's Lace and Hemlock- and quickly worked out who else would have that knowledge.

Unfortunately, Walter caught on to the fact that Eleanor had caught on, and a violent confrontation ensued. During this struggle, Eleanor was injured seriously enough to be in and out of consciousness for a few days. Fortunately, Eleanor's children overheard the start of the fight and ran for help, explaining the whole situation and everything they had overheard. By the time Eleanor was fully recovered, Walter was dead and buried, having been killed attempting to escape capture. You'd think that would be the end of the story.

The Revenant

It wasn't.

Walter, it seems, was not satisfied with recent events and rose from his grave in the form of a revenant. And, of course, Eleanor was right at the top of his list of targets. Not being the sort to sit about and let a dead man torment her, Eleanor enlisted the help of the local priest, Father Nicholas, and the two of them sought out the unholy fiend (albeit less than enthusiastically, in Father Nicholas' case). A beheading with a borrowed sword and a thorough sprinkling with Holy Water finally put an end to Walter (again?). This time around he was buried in unhallowed ground, preventing any further unwanted visitations. And, for a while, things went back to normal. Eleanor's reputation as a cunning woman did receive a significant boost from these events, making her the "go-to" person in the area for problems of the supernatural variety.

Future Adventures
Not yet written or fully fleshed out, and wouldn't have happened at her 'canon point'. For rp purposes assume she has knowledge of the supernatural creatures involved, at the very least.

• Inspired by the Green children of Woolpit/faeries/Fairy Queen/discovers she's the descendant of a changeling
• Inspired by the Beast of Gévaudan/Eleanor vs werewolf
• Villain inspired by Long Lankin

 

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Statistics

NAME: Eleanor Millhouse
NICKNAMES: Ellie
DOB: 06-26-1468*
GENDER: F
SEX: F

HAIR: Brown
EYES: Brown
HEIGHT: ~5'7"
WEIGHT: Average
DISTINGUISHING MARKS: NA

MARITAL STATUS: Widowed, feme sole
SPOUSE: William Millhouse (d. 1498)
CHILDREN: Anne (7 y), Thomas (5 y), Margaret (Maggie) (3 y), and Edward (d. 1498, 1 y)

RELIGIOUS: Catholic, Folk belief
RESIDENCE: Westcheap (contemporary Cheapside), around Bread Street, London
EDUCATION: Literate in English
PARENTS: Edward and Mary Browne, both deceased.
SIBLINGS: George, Elizabeth (Bess), Alice

*Or, rather, its equivalent at the time. The Gregorian calendar was not yet in use and conversion between dates would be too complicated for me.

OOC Info

NAME: Beth
AGE: 31
PLURK: elfwannabe
TIME ZONE: CST
PB: Julia Ormond

 

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Historical Notes

FAQ:

Q: What is a cunning woman? Is Eleanor a witch? Is she worried about being accused of witchcraft?
A: To be incredibly simplistic, cunning folk are helpful and benign and witches are harmful and malicious. Or, in more detail- 'cunning folk' is one term for a European wide tradition of practitioners of folk magic. These people generally worked on behalf of their communities, whereas witches were thought to work against the community, causing all sorts of problems, from illness to failed crops. The distinction was important.

Some members of the church disapproved of folk magic, but because cunning folk were seen as beneficial and useful, they were protected by their peers and rarely fell victim to witch hunts. It's also worth mentioning that witch hunts didn't really pick up steam in England until the 16th century.

Q: Is it realistic for a medieval woman to be running her own business? What is a "femme sole?"
A: Yes! Although women's work was legally restricted, there were certain circumstances in which she could earn a respectable living working in her own name. Eleanor's situation is one of them. As a widow, in most places it would have been perfectly legal for her to continue running her husband's business. There are a number of historical examples of very successful female merchants who began in just this way. Of course, that's not to say things were easy for them. Guild membership for women seems to have been variable and remarriage to a non-guild member almost certainly would make it impossible.

But what I really want to talk about is a law that was decently common in late 15th century which would allow a woman to declare herself a "femme sole" (as opposed to "femme covert," a woman whose legal status was 'covered' by her husband) and sign documents, inherit property, etc. Most historical examples we have of women declaring themselves "femme sole" are widows, but not all. Essentially, this was a way for a woman to be financially independent, as much was possible in medieval society. It's likely this exemption was not at all easy to get, but it certainly did happen.

Q: Isn't it a little strange for her to be a practicing Catholic when she's using these magic charms, some of which have origins in pre-Christian traditions?
A: You might think so, but, historically, this seems to have been the case for the majority of cunning folk. Their dedication to the faith varied, of course, but by and large, this folk magic was practiced within the context of a Christian tradition. Many of the "spells" even incorporated traditional prayers.

Q: So, is Eleanor really magical? In an rp setting will my character sense magical power from her?
A: Yep! But on a very minor level. While Dragon Age mages, for example, can shoot lightening, fire, and ice, Eleanor can... find your lost goat. She also has some faerie ancestry, very, very, very far back, though she's totally unaware of this at the current time.

Q: Wait. Her family had a bakery and she married another baker? Did you mix that up?
A: Nope! Families typically worked together, so she would have learned all about working in a bakery growing up. Marrying another baker's daughter is a fabulous idea for a baker.

Q: I'm an expert in this subject/a historian/English/Catholic and this is a mistake/you left this out/you should mention this.
A. Please, please, please, drop me a line and let me know. I've tried to do my homework, but there's a vast amount of information out there and it's entirely possible that I've overlooked something.

Feel free to toss any other questions you might have in my direction too. I am a giant history nerd and love to talk about this stuff.

Links:

• Services and philosophy as a cunning woman
   

 

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