SCA Life

Be wary of the terrifying creatures who are known as . . . garb nazis. (Also known as costume nazis.)

In every organization there are those who will find some way to prove themselves superior to their fellow person, and garb nazis are of their number. The average garb nazi wears picture perfect garb of whatever period they have chosen, and they tend to condemn anyone whose garb is less than picture perfect.

Unfortunately, these folks don’t always take other people’s monetary issues into consideration, nor do they consider that people in period may have varied their garments from those chosen by artists to memorialize.

Do not allow these less than friendly folks to depress you too much if they attack your garb. The point of the SCA is a bit of fun, not slavish imitation of people seen in Jan van Eyck or Hieronymus Bosch paintings. If you run afoul of a garb nazi, your best bet is to smile, nod and get away as quickly as possible. And don’t take them too seriously.

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Here are some bits of advice from my own personal experience and that of my friends.

1 – Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to people. Don’t interrupt intense conversations, just as you wouldn’t in any other situation. Just wait for that comfortable moment and say, “Hi. My name is (???). I’m new to the SCA.” Most people will be nice and welcoming. Just remember to smile and be polite.

2 – I recommend attending at least three monthly meetings with your local group before plunging into difficult activities or offering yourself up for an administrative position.

3 – Star volunteering immediately! This may seem to contradict #2, but it really doesn’t. Just be sure you volunteer for short term activities that you have the skills to accomplish. A good example of this is offering to be a water bearer at an SCA event that includes combat. Fighters get hot very quickly in those personal ovens they wear, and they are always grateful for a drink. What’s more, volunteering for such an activity is an easy way to get talking with your fellow volunteers.

4 – In general, do not ask about anyone’s “real” life during an SCA event (defined as any gathering where everyone is in garb). That can break the suspension of disbelief that makes adult make-believe possible. On the other hand, feel free to ask people about their non-SCA lives at meetings, fighter practice and other such gatherings. I myself have made long term friendships with both men and women I’ve fallen to conversation with at SCA meetings.

5 – Ask for help if you need it. If you don’t understand what’s going on, get lost in a large campsite or just want to know the name of the current king or who’s fighting at the moment, just ask. I’ve had other friendships start in this incidental way.

6 – Finally, be polite and respectful, even to those who don’t want to include you in their discussions/activities/gatherings. They will look the worse for it, and you will get a reputation for a noble bearing and chivalrous demeanor.

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There are many rules and guidelines that a newbie needs to know regarding what jewelry is appropriate to wear at a Society for Creative Anachronism event or local meeting. There are certain pieces of jewelry that indicate a specific status within the society and others that indicate that the wearer has won various awards. So here are the most important bits you needs to know.

1 – Crowns and Coronets
Only a king or queen can wear a crown, and only a prince or princess can wear a coronet. To become a kind or queen you must win a crown tourney or be the consort to someone who wins such a tourney. To become a prince or princess, you must win a coronet tourney or be the consort of someone who wins one. The appearance of the crowns and coronets vary from kingdom to kingdom and principality to principality.

2 – Circlets
The rules regarding circlets vary by kingdom. In some kingdoms, only those who have won an Award of Arms can wear circlets. In other kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of the West, anyone can wear a circlet so long as it is a simple metal circle with no resemblance to a crown or coronet. I myself almost always wear a circlet when attending events in the West.

Since all coronets are circlets, but all circlets are NOT coronets there are certain things to look for when making certain that what you are wearing IS a circlet but not a coronet. Coronets have at least one or more raised points on them, but a basic circlet does not. Coronets may also be jeweled. Circlets are not. A good rule of thumb is this, if everyone bows to you when you wear your circlet, then what you’re wearing isn’t appropriate.

3 – Symbols
Certain symbols are reserved for special use by the Society for Creative Anachronism.
For example, fleur di lis and laurel leaves are only for use by royalty. The pelican is the symbol of a specific award and therefore can only be worn by those have won that award. A complete list of all the society awards would be much, much too long, so just be sure and check with your local herald. They can tell you what’s acceptable in your area.

4 – Finally, as always I recommend that you keep all aspects of your persona harmonizing with each other. So be certain that the jewelry you wear isn’t out of period with your clothing, country of origin, background story. My own persona is a traveling Saxon merchant so I have a little more room to experiment in what I wear clothing and jewelry wise.

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Okay, I’ve talked with you about joining the SCA, getting your garb together and picking your name. Now it’s time to talk about your home away from home and the one place you can retreat to when events start to wear you down. Your tent! You would not believe how strongly the choice of tent can impact your enjoyment of an event.

Now there are some important things to consider when choosing your tent.
1) Do not start out with a period pavilion. They are difficult to put up and can be very expensive if you don’t make your own. If you do make your own, the weather proofing d support frame may be less than reliable.

2) Your tent needs to be big enough to accommodate your whole household unless the others have tents of their own.

3) It’s better if you have a tent that you can actually stand up in. This makes it easier to put on your garb, especially if any of your garb is tight or requires a great deal of lacing.

4) Make absolutely certain that you can erect the tent alone! This is not as easy as it sounds, even with the dome tents with the spring loaded poles. Even if you are certain that you will always have someone with you, it’s still better to have a tent you can assemble yourself. After all, stuff happens.

5) Be certain that your tent is water proof. Even clear sky-ed events sometimes see rain.

6) Be absolutely sure to bring plenty of strong stakes and a hammer. I was at an event that got so windy during the night that many tents blew down and some actually rolled away. My dome tent, however, remained securely fastened to the ground though it did shake a bit. Metal stakes are better as the plastic ones sometimes break when forced into hard ground.

7) Tents with netting over the windows are preferable as bugs are abundant at events.

Tents with a floor that is securely attached to the walls will keep out groundwater and rain.

9) Tents that break down into very small bundles are better, as well. This leaves more room in your vehicle for such essentials as ice chests and clothing. And lots and lots of bedding.

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No long written explanation of anything for the newbies today. Instead, newbies should be sure to check out the website SCADemo.com for online videos of everything from SCA fighting to music and cooking! It’s a wonderful site and definitely the place to fritter away some of that unwanted free time.

Tomorrow check back for Wednesday Wordplay and a very unusual contest where you can pit the vagaries of your psyche against yours truly. See you then!

Medieval Popes’ Names

What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet…

Ummm, yeah, sure it would. I’m positive that women would just be dying to get roses for St. Valentine’s Day if they were called turteblahtfatzenshorg. I’m not even sure if that word is plural or not! Let us face facts. Names do matter. They impact how people see us and even how we perceive ourselves.

So picking your SCA name is not a matter to be treated lightly. Here are some standard rules, tips and warnings to be considered when choosing your nom de SCA.

TITLES: You can’t be Princess anything. Princess, Duke, Baron, Earl, Countess: all of these and many other titles have real meaning in the SCA. They indicate a form of status that the bearer has earned. An upcoming installment of News for Newbies will delve into the mysteries of titles, who has them, when to use them and how to get one. But for now, just accept that you cannot call yourself Princess unless you’ve earned the right. Cope with it.

ETHNICITY: Your name should match your persona. In other words, if your persona is going be French, then calling yourself Kimiko or Vladimir probably isn’t going to work. So research the ethnicity/country of your choice and choose a name to complement that persona. For a French example, I know of a woman in the SCA who calls herself Louise de la Chatte Bleue. Her persona is French and her coat-of-arms includes a picture of a blue cat, so the name is perfect for her. You’ll learn more about the coat-of-arms in another upcoming installment of News for Newbies. For now, if you’re a beginner, you don’t have one.

LOVE: Pick a name you love or, at the very least, like. You are going to be known by that name for a long, long, long time. While it’s true that there are some members of the SCA who change their names on a regular basis, the average SCAdian goes through one or two name changes maximum. And some of these people have been in the SCA for more than three decades. Why are names changed so seldom? Take Eideann as a case in point.

When she joined the SCA, Eideann hadn’t yet selected a name for herself. So she simply went by the name of a character from a book she was writing. Then, when she had found a name to her liking she informed everyone that she was now Cyneswith the Scrivener. One problem, everyone had known her as Eideann for years and they kept calling her that. As a result, Cyneswith dies a cold and lonely death and Eideann is stuck with the name she bore for so long.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Most people will respect your desire to change your name and will make an honest effort to try and call you by your new moniker. But it’s hard! If you’ve ever known a Willie who decided he was Bill at the age of 30, you’ll know exactly what I mean. So take care. Your name may stick around whether you want it to or not.

NICKNAMES: Be especially wary of getting yourself stuck with a bad nickname. Descriptive nicknames are very common in the SCA, and most people enjoy having one. Besides, they’re historically appropriate. The last name originally began as a descriptive used to tell people apart when they had the same first name. Look at last names like Carpenter, Cook, Ford and Paulson. They are all descriptive names that once had literal meaning. In the SCA, this tradition continues. I myself am known as Zeva the Weaver. I am called that because… I weave. It’s kind of a duh.

However, many nicknames reflect personality. Can you picture the personality of Michael the Just, the appearance of Helen of the Flaming Hair or the sheer vocal volume of Obadiah the Obstreperous? I thought you could. Sometimes people choose their own nicknames and sometimes they are quite literally saddled with one. I mean, would you want to be known as Frederick the Forgetful or Stephen the Stingy? No, you wouldn’t. So be careful of what you let people call you. Better yet, don’t do anything to earn yourself a painful name.

AUTHENTICITY: Make sure that the name you pick was actually in use during the middle ages. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to register it with the SCA when you win that glorious Award of Arms. I myself have had problems authenticating Zeva as a name. So when you speak with a herald about registering your name, be sure you bring your documentation with you. Oh, and baby name books don’t cut it. One good way to avoid this problem is to choose your name from the literature of the time period. Some names, like Abdullah and Elizabeth are just obviously okay. But if you find a rare name you wish to use, be sure you are ready to defend it!

Well, that’s all on names for today. So start your research and find something you love! Oh, and here are a few links to get you started.

Medieval Names Archive

Medieval Names

Names

Medieval and Ancient Names

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When making your first set of garb, the most important thing is to make something comfortable, easy to move in and cheap! Why cheap? Simple. When attending that first Society for Creative Anachronism event there’s about a 99.99% that you won’t really know what era, country and general ethnic group you want your persona to be from. In addition, you’d be surprised by what things about your garb can inconvenience, irritate or just generally bug you over the course of a simple one or two day event.

So start simple, and that generally means making a basic t-tunic. The t-tunic was worn throughout Europe by various castes for hundreds of years. It’s easy to make, and pretty darn cheap if you make your first one with broadcloth or something similar. When I made my first t-tunic, I bought a couple yards of broadcloth at a cheap fabric outlet, went home, cut it out, sewed it up and wore it the next day. I had never really sewn before, and I was stunned by how easy the t-tunic really was to make. If you don’t have a sewing machine, borrow one. Oh, and best of all, a t-tunic will work as a beginning garment for either a man or a woman.

And don’t let, “I don’t know how to sew,” stop you!

Here are some sites with crucial information to help you as you begin constructing your garb.

1) How to Make a Quick-and-Dirty T-tunic
This is probably the best one to use when you start out. Iit explains how to make a simple t-tunic without having to measure things or be an expert tailor.

2) Forward into the Past
This offical SCA publication also explains how to make a basic t-tunic; however, it’s instructions are for someone with at least some sewing skills. Be sure to check it out, though. Even if you’ve never sewn before, the illustrations and instructions may still be of use to you.

3) T-tunic - The Period Way
For those feeling more adventurous yet, this site explains how to make a truly period t-tunic. This method doesn’t waste fabric but it will take much longer to make and will require steady eyes and sure hands.

4) The Costumer’s Manifesto
This site is for those with advanced sewing skills and a sure knowledge of exactly what kind of garb they want.

5) SCA-Garb
This Yahoo! Group discusses all things garb related. I checked, and the group has been highly active over the last week, so no fear of going without assistance if you post a question here. Just join up and reap the benefits of networking.

6) By the Sword, Inc.
Finally, for those who are truly desperate and have money to burn, you can buy a suitable tunic at a site like this. The image above sample of the site’s wares.

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Joining the Society for Creative Anachronism is easy. All you need is an internet connection and a credit or atm check card.

Step 1 – Get online and go to www.sca.org.

Step 2 – Click on the black link that says On-line Membership. (It’s underneath the blue Membership heading on the right side of the page)

Step 3 – Once the new page has loaded, click on the black, italicized link that says “join the SCA” (Again the link is on the right side of the page.)

Step 4 – Fill in the your personal information. At the bottom of this page, there is a box that asks you to fill in your SCA name. Unless you are a returning member, or unless you already have an authentic name picked out, skip this step. It really doesn’t make a difference as the corporation contacts you only under your legal name. (An explanation of SCA names and how to choose one will be given in next week’s News for Newbies.

Step 5 – Choose the type of membership that is right for you.

You have a few choices to make here, so I will detail the benefits of each option.

$20.00/year Associate Membership: Being an associate member of the SCA entitles you to attend events and hold office in the SCA, however you receive none of the society publications, including the very crucial event listings. This is a good membership for someone who has a roommate who’s already in the SCA and who already receives the society publications. College roommates are the perfect example of where this membership works best.

$35.00/year Sustaining Membership: A sustaining membership gives you all the privileges of a an associate membership and also entitles you to a copy of your kingdom’s newsletter. As an example, I am located in the Kingdom of the West, so I get a copy of The Page by 3rd class mail every month. Basically, the kingdom newsletter is your event planner. It includes descriptions, dates and locations (often with directions from major highways) for all of the SCA events in your area. It is vital that you have this. The kingdom newsletters also provide information on how to contact your local society group. My local group is the Barony of Fettburg. It meets once a month in Manteca, California. Knowing where your local group meets is important because it allows you to network, make friends, become involved before your first event and just have fun. If you are located outside the United States, there may be additional costs to receive your newsletters.

$25.00/year Family Membership: This is can only be purchased in conjunction with a sustaining membership. For a measly $10 bucks per person ($25 maximum), you get to add one adult and as many minors as live in your household to your own sustaining membership. Basically, two parents and a bunch of kids get individual membership cards and one kingdom newsletter to share for $45 to $60, depending on how many kids you have. Even if you are married and don’t have kids yet, this is still the best way to go. However, once your kids are grown they have to buy their own sustaining or associate memberships. Family membership must be purchased AT THE SAME TIME as sustaining membership.

*Postage Upgrade – You can get a first class postage upgrade for your kingdom newsletter for an extra $10.00, but I don’t recommend it. In my experience, the first class doesn’t save you any time on newsletters such as these.

Step 6 – Decide which, if any quarterly publications you want to get from the SCA. Here are my recommendations.

Board Proceedings – $15.00/year: Get this only if you are hoping or planning to hold high office in the SCA, as there is usually nothing in it of concern to the average society member.

Compleat Anachronist – $15..00/year 1st class, $10/year 3rd class: I highly suggest that anyone new to the SCA get this publication. Each edition features a new topic that has been heavily researched. Examples include blackwork, leather armor and names. While it’s true that most society members enjoy doing at least some of their own research, this publication will save you a lot of heartache because it is written by SCA members and for SCA members. Basically, Compleat Anachronist puts exactly what you need at your fingertips.

Tournaments Illuminated – $15/year: This magazine is sort of like the SCA’s equivalent of Time or People. It’s basically fun, and you never know quite what will be in it. If you can afford the extra, it’s worth getting, but it’s not crucial. Oh, and it has sometimes been in color and sometimes not.

Step 7 – Pick your renewal period. You don’t get any kind of discount for paying multiple years at once, so it’s really just up to you. You can pick to pay for one, two or three years at a time.

Step 8 – Double check all of your personal information and then pay.

Step 9 – Wait for that first publication and bug your mail carrier until you get it. Oh, and welcome to the wacky world of the SCA!

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