What Is The Society For Creative Anachronism?

When I heard that Simeon was going away to a weekend function organised by the Society for Creative Anachronism the title intrigued me. I checked in the dictionary to see whether my understanding of the word ‘anachronism’ was correct and decided that the best definition was probably “something out of its period".

I was very curious to find out how that was going to fit in with a society running weekend activities and how Simeon became a member.

"The society offers members the chance to learn more about the mediaeval period by joining in mediaeval style activities,"Simeon said.

That explained the anachronism part.

"Members bring to the group whatever creative skills they choose to add to the realism of the mediaeval functions events," he said.

That explained the creative part.

"We’re also creative in that we choose what parts we’re going to recreate. The society has its own traditions and customs which are sometimes different from mediaeval ones. For example, our hierarchy of titles isn’t exactly the same. Our Royalty are chosen in tournaments and reign for only six months each. As well as this certain aspects of mediaeval society (sexism, racism etc) are not considered desirable by modern people in any context.

"However, given this, and the additional handicap that the mediaeval period covers numerous cultures across a thousand years, we try to recreate the Middle Ages as best we can."

How was Simeon attracted to the Society? A contingent from the SCA took part in a parade held during the Christchurch Festival of Romance nearly ten years ago, and watching the people in their costumes, the flute players and the dancers Simeon thought, "That’s for me. I like what is slightly surreal. It tickles my sense of humour."

Structure of groups within the SCA A college is a group based in an educational institution. The college of Reannag Fhara is at the University of Canterbury and is part of the Baroney of Southron Gaard.

There is also the Shire of Ildhafn (Auckland)
and the Incipient (currently forming) Shire of Darchester (Wellington).

The New Zealand groups are part of a Pacific kingdom called Caid which includes southern California and Hawaii.

A King and Queen are chosen every six months in a crown tourney fought with sticks to decide the King or Queen, and consort. There is no sexual discrimination within the Society and women as well as men can have the role of knights. The Baron and Baroness are appointed by the King and Queen.

Costume must be worn to functions The first event Simeon went to was a feast – an exciting start – held by the College of Reannag Fhara. To attend the feast Simeon had to find a costume.

"I wore what costume I could get together in time. I had a white tunic with a belt, I wrapped my shoes and legs in leggings and spent a whole weekend making a cloak – the first time I had ever used a sewing machine to do anything serious," he said.

Mediaeval combats Simeon had been watching activities for a couple of months – tournaments or fighters’ practices. The fights are between foot soldiers fighting with swords, spears or axes fashioned out of rattan cane.

When I suggested that this was really a form of drama Simeon explained that there is an important difference. In the SCA the enactment is for the sake of participants, rather than for an audience. However, in a fighting context the participants are living out a tournament which means that they do play to the participating audience to express their chivalric virtues.

The soldiers must wear armour. It is possible to order armour from armourers in the North Island and overseas, but much of the armour is home made, hammered out and welded together.

Historical fencing is another form of combat requiring the appropriate safety gear.

The form of combat which Simeon prefers is archery, where the arrows have no sharp end, but a rubber stopper. Armour is worn for this too – including wire mesh to protect the archers’ faces and eyes. Simeon shoots with a recurve bow in which the ends curve up to the vertical whereas a long bow is D-shaped. The recurve bow is a Middle Eastern or Asiatic style used in countries like Eastern Russia, Turkey, Persia, Mongolia, and China.

Developing and studying a mediaeval persona The use of the recurve bow has created a problem for Simeon as in the SCA most members develop a mediaeval persona related to a time and place and study what that person’s life would be like. Simeon began as a Swede, but there was little information available
about Swedish culture between the Viking
and Napoleonic periods. He has now chosen a thirteenth century Austrian called Alexander von Thurn, as there is more research material available about central Europe. Austria was not a separate country as such at that period time, which was earlier than the modern nation states, and Germany was a collection of dukes and princes under an emperor who exercised a greater or lesser degree of authority. Unfortunately Austrians did not use a recurve bow.

"It bothers me, I want to get it right so I will probably get a new one sometime."

In Austria there were major and minor nobles, small farmers who were freemen, indentured farmers and serfs. Alexander von Thurn was a minor nobleman, probably a younger son. In that time and place he would have little choice of profession, so he was probably serving as a soldier.

"You can find out much more about England if you happen to be reading in English. I didn’t want to do England as so many people had already developed an English persona," said Simeon.

Canterbury Fair Canterbury Fair, the Barony’s big annual camping event, was held at Waitangi weekend in early February at a campsite in North Canterbury. Participants camped in mediaeval and modern tents but used modern facilities. This time camp fires were not possible as the site was near to a forest.

The food was cooked in the camp kitchen using mediaeval recipes. There
were two banquets, and vegetarian menus were provided as well as meat. There were appetising lamb dishes, onion and mushroom tarts, pies, stews, and dishes made with different types of vegetables.
This sounds similar to modern food, but there are differences. For instance Simeon
has found no record of lettuces being used, and cabbages looked different. Grains were probably the same as those eaten today, and bread was baked on the site to mediaeval recipes. The richest people had white bread, but the poorer people had brown or black bread. Beer, mead and wine are served at feasts, sometimes specially made for the occasion.

People were invited from all over New Zealand. The King came from California to the gathering and led one of the picked teams which took part in a tournament. There was also an archery contest.

The previous baron and baroness retired, and so a new baron and baroness were created by the king. There were a great many gifts presented all around, amid considerable ceremony.

The programme included feasting, singing both traditional songs and others especially composed in the mediaeval style, dancing to mediaeval instruments, a ball and even a wedding to which everyone was invited, between two members who met at Canterbury
Faire 2000. This was in the style of a late mediaeval Italian wedding.

Laws of the SCA The Society has a lot of rules and laws, many associated with safety or customs. The two main ones are:

• Members should make an attempt at costume.
• Members should always be courteous to one another.

There are of course other laws and rules, but most of the time one can get by just knowing these.

Members assume that everyone they meet is at least minor nobility in rank, and this determines the standard of courtesy.

"We refer to people as ‘My Lord’ or ‘My Lady’ and we offer them the mutual respect that you would offer someone of that rank," Simeon explained. "Some people through an award or the office they have held might become major nobility, and even be created knights or barons. Those whose persona is
royal are of course kings or queens, or princes or princesses of principalities. You do not automatically become a person like this, but neither do you start as a serf. That is one of the creative aspects of the SCA – that we tend to leave out the unpleasant aspects of the mediaeval period like malnutrition or serfdom."

Members cook the meals and do the dishes afterwards. When I asked if this was done by a roster system Simeon replied that the SCA is a volunteer society, which is an important virtue of the group. People offer such varied skills that there are as many approaches to the SCA as there are people in it. There are opportunities for people to use their creative abilities in fine dancing, needlework, illumination, and other crafts such as pottery.

Simeon has donated his computer skills and there is a website where people can share sources of information through a link page.

The term ‘mediaeval’ describes a cultural state as well as a time. Some cultures reached the state of mediaeval culture earlier than others.
New
Zealand had a Pre-European period rather than a mediaeval culture in these islands. We moved straight from the Pre-European period to the eighteenth/nineteenth century colonial period. This absence of a mediaeval period applies also to Australia and the United States. In these countries the SCA attracts members who are interested in the mediaeval period in other countries. The SCA also has branches in Europe and Japan, regions that did have medieval periods.

New Zealand branches of the SCA The Society was formed some thirty five years ago. There are branches in three New Zealand cities. The oldest branch is in Christchurch, there is a thriving branch in Auckland, and a new branch in Wellington. The Society welcomes members of all ages and whole families frequently attend the functions.

For more information look at Simeon’s website. http://www.sca.org.nz

and the society website http://www.sca.org