Community / Jarl Sidney and his squad set off for big day at Scalloway Fire Festival
WHEN GUIZER jarl Sidney Nicolson and his squad step out into the snowy scene this morning (Friday), there will be no doubt they are leading the Scalloway Fire Festival.
Scalloway’s synonymous yellow and black colours are woven through the suit, from the jarl’s patterned breastplates to their kirtles underneath, with their shield also alternating the two.
It is a clear indication of Sidney’s pride in Scalloway, with the jarl having been in the thick of the fire festival for more than 20 years
Sidney and his more than 60-strong squad set off from the college this morning after offering a first look at their apparel, and giving a first rousing rendition of their squad song.
This year they have opted for Going Out for One by Irish country musician Gearoid McCarthy, an ode to that infamous lie that drinkers utter when they head for the pub.
Those gathered at UHI Shetland’s Scalloway campus will be the first to hear and see the squad before they head out for their day of duties in and around the village.
Then they will return to Scalloway at night for the torchlit procession, which will see the jarl’s galley Snert – named after the dog owned by cartoon Viking Hagar the Horrible – set ablaze to kickstart a spree that will last into the early hours.
Sidney and his squad are making nods to his work as a joiner with a shield surrounded by a saw blade this year.
They have also swapped the customary Viking axe for hammers, which provides a unique spin on the traditional fire festival costume.
And their chrome helmets have winged their way some 4,500 miles from India to be in Scalloway for the fire festival today.
“They were sending photos of them making the helmets in their bare feet,” Sidney told Shetland News earlier this week.
There are certainly no bare feet visible in the village today, with the snow giving way to some rain showers as the jarl squad trudge their way through schools and care homes.
The squad is made up of 63 squad members, with 20 bairns filling the ranks with youthful exuberance.
Sidney is today Malise Sperra of Hvedasteyn, he tells me with the aid of his daughter Frances, as they laugh about picking a name so difficult to pronounce or spell.
Malise Sperra was the Lord of Skaldale, who sailed between the Northern Isles in the days when they stood between two kingdoms and strengthened alliances while reminding chiefs of their ancient freedoms.
His saga states that, in Sidney representing him as guizer jarl, Malise Sperra represents all “who choose to be remembered as warriors rather than live forgotten as subjects”.
Sidney and his squad started designing and making the suit back in March, with his stint as jarl coming after he returned to the fire festival fray in 2001 and never missed one since.
“We’ve made the shields and we’ve done all the leatherwork, so that’s been going pretty much non-stop,” he said.
Artist Lauren Bulter has helped them to design the outfits they don today, and Sidney said she had “made a lovely job of it”.
Parts of the suit had been a “big learning curve”, he said, but he is delighted with what his squad are displaying to the public this morning.
Asked what he is most looking forward too, Sidney joked: “I’ll be glad to get it over with!”
Scalloway Fire Festival kicks off at UHI Shetland at 9am this morning, before continuing on through the day.
The evening procession lights up at 7pm on Lovers Lane and will culminate with the galley burning at Scalloway Boating Club.
Shetland News will be providing coverage of the event throughout the day, including photos and videos.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
