Time to Hand over the Order’s Sword

(I had to edit the title of this post because people were thinking that I was the new Pendragon…)

On June 10th 2010, at the OBOD Summer Gathering in Glastonbury Town Hall, I was initiated as the new Pendragon of the Order, stepping into the role passed to me by the previous Pendragon, the artist Will Worthington. The Pendragon before Will, during Ross Nichol’s time as Chosen Chief of the Order, had been Vera Chapman, who was a writer and founded the Tolkien Society. Very big shoes to fill. Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, as Chosen Chief and Scribe of the Order, had asked me, and I was honoured to take the role of Pendragon.

People ask me what the Pendragon is. I came up with a daft analogy comparing the Chosen Chief, Pendragon and Scribe to the band Motorhead. The Chief, being Lemmy, the leader of the band, was out front singing and holding the energy of the band. The Pendragon is ‘Fast’ Eddie Clark, the guitar player. Leaving the light to Lemmy, but occasionally stepping forward to play a screaming lead guitar solo, add some backing vocals, then step back again and leave things to Lemmy. The Scribe is ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor, the drummer. In the background, making sure everything is in time, sending out the Gwersi, running the office. Some people barely notice the drummer of a band, but the truth is, you can have a mediocre bass and guitar player and still have a good band, but if you have a bad drummer, everything falls apart. Stephanie is an excellent drummer. It’s a daft analogy, but it worked when describing mine, Philip and Stephanie’s relationship and the way we worked together.

But the Pendragon is also the one who stands to the side of the Chief. Always there for advice and to offer assistance. The ‘Triad’ of the Order make decisions every day, and as there are three people, there can never be a stalemate, and decisions can always be made, and thus the Order runs effectively and efficiently. I am proud that we (with Eimear Burke and Penny Billington as Touchstone editor too) saw the Order through the Pandemic. During that time, we didn’t miss one mailing; we didn’t miss one edition of Touchstone, or one episode of the DruidCast podcast. During that time, we saw how important it was that members could meet remotely and securely online, so we organised Zoom meetups and began to dream up the OBOD online platform that became The Druid Hearth. These are the things that are constantly happening and need to be kept moving. These are the everyday things the Pendragon, Chief and Scribe do.

When you see people say “The Order should do (fill in demand here)”, the ‘Order’ they are often referring to is the Order’s Triad. Three people, standing with over 30,000 members all over the world. Sometimes I am sure that people forget that we are just human beings with other things in our lives too. So the role of Pendragon, Chief and Scribe is a joy, an honour, and a burden too.

The Pendragon also has a ceremonial role. I was the keeper of the Order’s sword. The Sword is the Sword of Truth, and is there to uphold the honour of the Order, and to be shown as a source of peace, only ever unsheathed to be presented as an image of the sword of peace. I would draw the sword and say:

Behold this, our Order’s sword.

Drawn from the Lake of Still Meditation, and returned to it again.

Ever sharp, and ever with us, should our lake be stilled.

Then the Awen would be sung, as the sword is replaced within the scabbard.

But over the last couple of years, I realised that my tenure as Pendragon should come to an end. I went on retreat in my beloved Cornwall in April to process the loss of my parents, and whilst there, I decided that now was the right time. It is the Triad’s responsibility to choose its successors. No, it’s not a diplomatic vote, because I don’t think anyone in their right mind would put themselves up for election if they knew how being elected would change their lives. The pressure and demands are often quite overwhelming, and the people who have held those roles and dealt with that pressure are in a very good place to see the qualities in others needed to (hopefully) seamlessly take over those roles. The Triad must agree unanimously, and we had already discussed my potential successor. So on my way home, I called in and asked them if they would take the role, and thankfully, they agreed.

So at the Summer gathering this year, I passed over the role of Pendragon to Matt McCabe. He began the job right away, but I kept the energy and the sword until the Winter Gathering that has just passed, and there I finally handed over the sword, the honour, and the burden to Matt. From my heart to his heart, from my shoulders to his shoulders.

Before my concert at the Winter Gathering, Philip Carr-Gomm stepped on stage to thank me before all of those there for my work as Pendragon. It was an emotional moment. So many big changes and new beginnings have happened in my life over the last few years, and here was one more!

Some people asked me what I’m going to do now. The answer is more music, more adventures with Cerri in our new campervan (yes, more Green Grimoire YouTube vids are incoming in 2026!). I’ve stepped back from my role in the Order’s Triad, but I am still a member of the Order, still part of our Grove, still running our open rituals with Cerri. I would say that my Path now is clearer to me, and I am thoroughly looking forward to discovering where it leads next!

It has been my honour and privilege to have been the Pendragon of the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids for 15 years, and I wish Matt the very best wishes on his new Journey!

Blessed be.