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Page 12/TRENDSIMonday, May 7
a modem day publicity chairman), is
dedicated to "bringing the best of the middle
ages back to life in the 20th century."
The Society of Creative Anachronism was
started about 25 years ago by a dozen
people at the University of California,
headed by two famous writers - Ursula Le
Guin and Poul Anderson. They wanted to
stage a medieval tournament, and they did,
and eventually it became an annual event
that attracted more and more people.
Today there are groups all across the
United States, one in Germany, one in
Japan and one that bases itself on an aircraft
carrier. They all try to recreate as accurately
as possibly the good things about medieval
i life, like the armor, the chivalry, the art, the
heraldry, the costumes and the ways of
j courtly love.
According to Peter Gareis and the Lady
Mariona Dolores, known to most people as
the graduate student named Susan Wilson,
the SCA "leaves the bad teeth, gangrene,
nasty food and injuries behind."
The group based in Athens has about 40 -
45 members that have paid their dues to the
national office and are eligible to receive the
publications that the Society puts out, as well
as to receive awards based on merit and
accomplishment in the organization. Being a
medium-sized group, they can call
themselves a barony. Smaller groups are
called shires or cantons, and larger groups
are called principalities. The largest group
possible is a kingdom, and in each kingdom
are a number of shires, baronies and
principalities.
The Barony of Bryn Madoc, as the Athens
group fashions itself, is in the kingdom of
; Meridies, which encompasses most of the
southeastern United States, including most
of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee,
Mississippi, Arkansas and the Florida
panhandle. The Baron of Bryn Madoc is Sir
Galan Schol, who's "mundane" name is
Sandy McNamee, and the Baroness is
Mistress Domenica Famese, who is actually
McNamee's real wife, Christy Johnson-
McNamee.
Warriors of the Barony meet every
Sunday at Bishop Park, said Gareis, to hone
their skills and prepare for such things as
tournaments and duels, which take place
several times during the year and are held
by different groups around the country. The
fighters engage in actual combat, with armor
that they make themselves, except for the
lacrosse gloves many wear as gauntlets,
and, of course, their boots. The only
difference is that instead of using metal
swords and pole arms with which to fight, the
warriors of the SCA use weapons made of
rattan wood, all weighted and shaped like
the deadly metal weapon it's imitating.
Rattan is used because, unlike most wood, it
breaks cleanly with no splintering. It's also
wrapped in duct tape, to keep the pieces
from flying into bystanders, just in case one
of those weapons should happen to break in
the middle of a battle.
"If we used real weapons in battle," said
Gareis, "we'd hack each other to niblits." As
it is, the worst that can happen to a fighter in
| a battle is that he get bruised, or that his
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fingers gel a little sore from wielding
whatever weapon he or she has.
For those, though, that enjoy the martial
aspect of medieval life, but don't want to get
bruised, there are contests in archery and
throwing weapons, like the ax, spear and
knife.
Of course, the people of the middle ages
did much more than fight, and so do the
members of the SCA. Every Monday at 7:30
p.m. in the Tate Center, they gather to hold
their weekly meeting.
One other thing the SCA attempts to bring
back into the modem world is the art of
heraldry. Heraldry came about as a result of
knights needing to be able to identify whether
or not another knight he saw was a friend or
foe. So they invented colorful coats of arms
and wore them on shields, furs and banners.
At first they were simple, but eventually
| became gaudy. The SCA likes to keep the
| middle ground. Deitz's coat of arms consists
of three wyvems, which are similar to dragons,
: all on a field of red with three stripes of
counter-ermine across it. Counter-ermine is a
j type of fur with white dots on a black
] background. As Deitz puts it, the distinct coats
of arms, "gives one a chance to develop an
insignia that reflects your persona."
Those "personae" are essential in
becoming a part of the SCA. Every member
; chooses one, based on a particular time
period within the middle ages and a
particular area, usually somewhere in
Western Europe. Everything they do in the
group is centered on their personae, and
they must know everything their alter-egos
would know.
"A large part of SCA is research," said
Susan Wilson, "to find the time, place, and
costume you want for your persona."
So what reward do SCA members get if
they excel in their chosen field of medieval
pursuits?
As a fighter, they can eventually become
a knight, moving through the ranks of fighter
and squire first. Peter Gareis has been a
squire now for four years. As an artist or
musician, the highest honor is to be chosen
for inclusion in the Order of the Laurel, the
laurel leaf being a symbol of excellence
handed down from the Greeks. For years of
dedicated service to the SCA by running
events or being an officer, like the Baron,
Seneschal or Herald, one can be asked into
the Order of the Pelican. Legend has it the
oelican pierces its own breast to feed its
young. Consequently, the bird has come to
symbolize the ultimate in unselfish service.
It a'l seems a bit eccentric to some
people, especially in the south, and the SCA
has struggled with rumors that among its
rank;! are occultists and people who practice
witchcraft. There has been little controversy
in Athens, but elsewhere, problems have
arisen. True, the SCA might attract people
who are into witchcraft, because its very
nature lends itself to such activities, but as a
rule, the SCA specifically frowns upon it and
tries not bring any sort of religion into its
practice.
It has enough aspects of medieval life
already. In fact, the SCA does its best to
fulfill its purpose of "bringing the best of the