I found this organization when I was a student at the Penn State University, at the main campus, in 1977. Since then I have lived in several Kingdoms, but Æthelmearc has always been my home. This Kingdom (similar to what in other organizations would be like a regional chapter) covers parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and West Virginia.
I have met many wonderful people through this organization, many who have stuck it out with me for all these years. Some are newer friends that I feel like I have known all my life. This is one of the greatest rewards for being involved in this organization... the friends that I have made and the sense of belonging I have found.
The other wonderful thing about the SCA is the diversity of topics I can learn about. I am a bit of an amateur scholar, with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. My range of interests includes: costuming (making the "garb" that we wear), Japanese culture, Norman culture, Tournaments, Equestrian activities, embroidery, painting, illumination, weaving, brewing, heraldic display, history (of course), European martial arts, archery, and a host of other topics.
For many years, while I was a member, my involvement was limited due to work demands and moving around quite a bit. Nonetheless, I was involved with several local groups in the early days of their formation. This includes the Shire of Nithgaard (State College, PA area), Abhainn Ciach Ghlais (north central counties of PA), and a group I started in the Kingdom of Meridies when I lived in the panhandle of Florida. (The latter group is no longer in existence. Sadly, it fell apart after I moved away.) For many years, I continued to do volunteer work, but I stayed in the shadows. This changed when I moved back east (after a short stint in Arizona) and the SCA officially recognized equestrian activities and established rules and guidelines for this new activity. Until this time, horses were occasionally seen at events - someone would bring one to ride around. But there was no regular, established activities within the Society. Through the efforts of some dedicated folks, procedures and rules were presented and argued to the Board of Directors (the BoD). This BoD decided to recognize equestrian as an official activity of the SCA and thus was the Equestrian program born. This was an exciting thing for me, as it presented an opportunity to combine two of my greatest passions...the SCA and horses.
With this new program in place, I became involved with equestrian activities in Æthelmearc and soon began training as an Equestrian Marshal. I was mentored by a wonderful woman (who has since passed) and her husband, who were the Kingdom Equestrian officers at the time. They were re-starting the program after an earlier attempt sputtered out. They both provided me with inspiration and an understanding of the inner workings of the SCA. Under their tutelage, I became an equestrian Marshal and starting running equestrian activities at SCA events and recruiting new participants to the program. After several years, I stepped up to the position of Kingdom Equestrian Officer, in charge of the Kingdom's program. This experience has taught me a great deal and allowed me to have contact with a greater variety of people in the SCA. It has been a wonderful experience, over-all.
In my pursuit of furthering the Equestrian program in the SCA, I have contacted numerous other people in the organization from all around the country. I sought them out for their expertise and knowledge. Since my own kingdom's program was still so new and growing, there was a great deal these other people could teach me and I brought that knowledge back to benefit our program. One of the most beneficial things I did was travel to Mississippi for an event called Gulf Wars. This event hosts a large number of equestrians and activities. Equestrians from many areas of the country attend this event and the people who started the program often are present. I was able to meet these folks, learn from them, and use that knowledge to develop areas of our own program. Nothing is better than learning something from the originators. This was also a wonderful experience to meet so many like-minded persons and I have continued to do so through some of my other endeavors. For instance, each year, at the largest event hosted in the SCA (the Pennsic War), I host a gathering of the Equestrians from the Society. This venue presents an opportunity for the exchange of information and networking between the Kingdoms' equestrians.
Besides Service, I am actively involved in the other two areas of the SCA---Arts and Martial. My martial experience includes the martial art practiced in the SCA as well as archery, thrown weapons and equestrian martial activities. When I first joined the SCA I was very interested in the SCA's version of a martial art - what is termed "Heavy Combat" or "Rattan Fighting." These terms differentiate this type of fighting from Fencing (or rapier) which is also practiced in the SCA. Rattan Fighting is a form of martial art that closely approximates combat in the Middle Ages. Participants wear protective armor (and a certain amount is required for safety reasons and dictated by rules and policies) and fight using a specially constructed sword or weapon. These weapons are constructed using Rattan which is a type of wood related to bamboo which is frequently used to make furniture. SCA Combat is more like a martial arts sparring match than something you will see at a Medieval or Renaissance Faire which involves carefully choreographed movements. In the SCA, combatants are trying to win the match, not put on a display for spectators. I trained for this activity, built my armor, but only was able to participate to a limited degree until I moved back east. At that point, a new activity had started which combined combat with archery --Combat Archery. This sport involves shooting specially constructed arrows at opponents. I have been taking the field as a Combat Archer for many years and it is a fun and exhilarating experience.
Besides Combat on the ground, I also fight from horseback and have been working on promoting this particular sport. Additionally, I shoot archery ..both from the ground (called in the SCA - Target Archery) and from horseback. I am working on promoting Driving Archery, which allows an archer to ride in a driven cart or chariot and fire arrows at targets. I also participate in Thrown Weapons, a martial arts that includes throwing axes, knives, and javelins at a target. All of these activities are fun and conducted in a very safe manner in the SCA.
Lastly, there are the Arts and I find that the SCA has a limitless pool of opportunities to learn, practice and hone a craft. I have been pursuing various arts since I joined the SCA. The first art I learned was costuming. In the days when I joined the organization, there were no vendors or merchants selling "garb." Participants made everything they wore....or dated a friend who made them. I learned to sew through my involvement in the SCA, including making and adapting patterns for my own use. I researched the type of clothes that were worn by people in the Middle Ages and fashioned clothing for myself to represent that type of person. This is what we refer to in the SCA as a Persona... a type of person that lived in the Middle Ages.
Having a Persona helps us develop a framework for our participation, our interests and our research. Generally, everyone chooses a Persona to represent while "playing" in the SCA. My first persona was an early Germanic woman from around the 5-8th Centuries. I only kept that for about a year, until I discovered that I wanted to represent a woman from the feudal time period of Japan. The SCA permits the representation of non-Europeans with the premise that you are visiting Europe as the SCA focuses on the history and culture of pre-17th century Europe and the British Isles.
When I became more involved with the Equestrian program, I decided to expand my persona. Since I am "visiting" Europe, I reasoned it was logical for me to adopt some of the customs of my new home. This allowed me to research, design and wear European style clothing as well. This also allowed me to make and use the "clothing" or coverings used on horses in Europe at the time. Thus my costuming research expanded to include European dress and accessories and customs of the Tournament.
Other areas of the Arts that I research include embroidery, painting, illumination, weaving, brewing, heraldic display, and general history. I primarily study European styles of embroidery, and favor a type of embroidery known as the Bayeux Stitch. This is a stitch that was used in a special embroidery known as the Bayeux Tapestry, which documents the conquest of England by the Normans. I painted as a child and have practiced some painting of the medieval style on several projects. I am just learning the art of Illumination. My interest in this art is a natural progression from my days of painting as a youth. It seems that I had always been too busy learning other crafts in the past to dedicate the time to learning to illuminate. This is an area that I look forward to sending more time on in the future.
Another new skill I have acquired is weaving. I have been interested in weaving for a long time, since I first learned that my maternal grandfather was a weaver. He used to weave rag rugs and his rugs were considered some of the best in the area. I always wanted to learn his craft and honor the memory of this man who I never had a chance to know, as he died when I was a year old. A dear friend in the SCA, Meadhbh, introduced me to the art of weaving by teaching me to weave on an Inkle Loom. I immediately fell in love this new art and have since acquired a Rigid Heddle Loom and a Rug Loom which I am learning to use.
Because of my interest in the Tournaments of the Middle Ages, and the equestrian equipment used in these Tournaments, I have researched and learned a great deal about heraldic display as practiced in the Middle Ages and the SCA. There are people in the Society who specifically study Heraldry and assist others in registering a unique set of arms (what most people know as a Coat of Arms). I am not one of them. Instead, I study how Heraldry was displayed and used in the medieval period and make things to display Heraldry.
Of course, through my study of the Middle Ages, I have delved into history of the period. My focus is on Norman England, 12th century Germany, and Kamakura Era Japan. Lastly, my newest area of research is Brewing. I am just beginning to learn how beverages were brewed in the period and hope to brew my first batch of Mead soon.
Studying these arts has led me to display and compete with some of my projects in Arts and Sciences (A&S) competitions. In the Kingdom of Æthelmearc, one of the largest A&S events is held at The Festival of the Passing of the Ice Dragon which is held in March in Buffalo, New York. I have competed in this event in the special Pentathlon several times. In addition to studying and practicing these arts, I have had the opportunity to share my passions with others through teaching. I have taught a variety of subjects at events including Equestrian Arts, Medieval Genealogy, and History.
I have provided all this information about my involvement in the SCA to establish a framework for some of my future posts. One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my SCA experiences and my research with others who share similar interest.
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