HELP!

I know that this is meant to be Canty Faire part 2, soon, I promise. In the meantime, I got carried away in my peerly niceness now that I have a courtesy award (yes, the end days are nigh) and volunteered myself to write an introductory piece for the St Ursulans' mag. On sitting down to write it, the following came out. On the one hand, it made ME laugh, but on the other hand I am not sure if it's the least bit useful or else too full of in-jokes and not speaking to a crowd of 17 and 18 year olds.

After meeting many dear cyber-stalkers recently (hi chaps!) I need to pick your brains and ask for feedback. And don't think that I'm looking for "Oh so witty, Duchess dear .." don't need praise, need to know what I've missed and what's too obscure. OK, maybe a teeny compliment on my spelling ...

Many, many, many thanks, I wish the snot would leave my brain so I could think again ...


SCA FAQ for St Ursulans

1. What is the SCA?
The SCA is the Society for Creative Anachronism. It is a recreational group focussed on recreating aspects of life before 1600.

For the most part, members research and construct clothing, weaponry and other items from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, with Europe being the centre of our attentions. For most of the Middle Ages, the Middle East and North Africa were such important trade partners with Europe (and everyone invaded everyone else so frequently) that there is no border drawn between modern Europe and these territories. Some members also dabble in Roman reconstruction, whereas others prefer Eastern (Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian).

We have a broad range of activities ranging from fighting with practice swords, through costuming, brewing, cooking, dancing, singing and music to textile, equestrian and academic research. Our official events are conducted in period clothing (called garb) and are a cross between a giant dress-up party and a huge game of Pretend.

The SCA was started by a group of medieval history students in Berkeley in 1966 and now has over 30,000 paying members world-wide, with an estimated 60,000 more participants. While the College of St Ursula is for Sydney Uni students, SCA members come from all walks of life and across all age groups, with a lot of family participants.

2. Hang on, I thought you were a Sydney University club?
Well, we are. The College of St Ursula is a registered SU club that is affiliated to the Australian and International SCA. Our fees are much cheaper and our first responsibilities are to the university, but aside from that we interact pretty freely with the local SCA branches, especially the Barony of Rowany (Sydney region).

3. Sounds a bit hippy, doesn’t it?
Yeah, you’ve busted us. The founding crew were all a bunch of unreconstructed hippies who went on to do things like write best-selling fantasy novels and found IT companies. To this day there are an awful lot of caring Californianisms in the governing documents of the organisation.

But we’ve managed to survive over 40 years, so it’s hippy mixed with practicality. We try not to talk about modern politics, and there is a Society-wide injunction against official religious positions (you can believe whatever you like, we just don’t care). Best of all, tie-dye, patchouli and overt hugging by strangers are all frowned upon.

4. So what do you actually do?
Medieval stuff. We dress up in period garb for official events and spend our time there doing everything from singing and feasting on medieval food to hitting each other in the (armoured) head with sticks. It’s totally up to you.

At our (ungarbed) meetings, we sit around and plan cunning new things and projects and share research and tell tales of what we’ve been up to. Basically it’s a social-club meets craft-group meets martial art meets Lord of the Rings. And yeah, it will come as no surprise to learn that those Berkeley hippies were all Tolkien freaks, too. But you’re welcome to embrace whichever bits take your fancy and ignore the rest, just no elf ears or orc masks.

There are several camping events each year where people stay on site wearing garb the whole time. The biggest of these is Rowany Festival, which is held over the Easter holiday. Around 1000 people usually attend.

5. So would I be a serf?
No. The basic assumption is that everyone is of noble birth, and so the Society prides itself on treating everyone with courtesy. You’re free to dress up as a serf if you like, but you will be treated as a noble who is slumming it.

The nobility concept extends throughout the game. Local groups are usually headed up by Barons and Baronesses, and there are Kings and Queens for each Kingdom. In addition, there are many people who have contributed a great deal to the game over the years that we call peers, although it’s more common that members will hold a simple Award of Arms, known as armigers.

6. Royalty, peers, armigers – WTF?
Remember, Californian hippies. We didn’t make this shit up, we inherited it (long story, ask someone old over a glass of mead sometime). They wanted to have a system of titles and hierarchies that were appropriately medieval. Being American and it being the 60s, they skimped somewhat on their research and got a lot of things backwards in those early days. Despite the fact that most people in the SCA (including the original set) do things to a much higher standard these days, we keep the early kookiness since most of those guys are still alive and just a little bit scary when it comes to traditions.

On the whole, having the royalty and nobility structure adds to the fun of the game. Royalty can hand out awards to people who have added greatly to the Society, and the courts are often very good theatre. Plus it’s an easy way to identify people who have been around for a while and who know what they’re on about.

7. Does this all cost a lot?
Not necessarily. You can, of course, spend a small fortune, but there’s an emphasis on learning to make your own and being self-sufficient. Skills are freely taught and shared, with loaner gear available for newbies.

Hell, now we sound Amish ...

8. Does it take up a lot of time?
Like any hobby, you can spend as much or as little time on it as you feel you want to. We usually encourage students to keep their involvement reasonably low-key – uni costs too much to not pass everything first go – but the SCA provides an easy place to kick back and relax when it’s all getting a bit stressful.

9. What’s with the kooky names?
Er, yes. One of the things that we like to do is invent medieval personae who have real-sounding names, and then we use those names at events. Seriously, how many times do we have to mention the hippies? They were all a bunch of mad-keen role-players, too, but they were and are very sweet.

On the positive side, this is a really good way to launch into some serious medieval study as you look for a name and description that suits you and is authentic. Plus it makes it very easy to remember that you’re at an event and not accidentally launch into a discussion on the recent current affairs.

10. Are you sure you’re not just a bunch of rejects from Nerds FC?
Absolutely. In fact one of the recent presidents of the club is IN the current season. In all seriousness, we do have more than our fair share of trainspotters and geeks, but that’s because we provide a warm, interesting and supportive environment for everyone.

We also have actors, writers, lawyers, architects, accountants, illustrators and teachers abungo. Some of our members wonder what the hell they’re doing here (the writer has never ONCE played D&D, yet has a comprehensive library of medieval textiles), but we all find areas that capture our interest and expand our knowledge of the world and our own abilities.

11. Do I have to be a wench?
No. Women have access to all parts of SCA participation and all levels of power. So if you want to be an axe-wielding maniac who runs the treasury of the group, go wild. And if you want to wear a cleavage-enhancing frock, feel free, but be aware that you will drop crumbs down there until you get the hang of things.

The SCA has policies on equality across all groups, so really, you’re the only person who can limit your participation. That said, there are a lot more men than women who fight at the moment, but things are slowly changing there.

12. Will I meet girls/boys?
That we can promise you. Of all descriptions and persuasions if you head to one of the bigger events such as Rowany Festival. Whether you like any of them is another question entirely, but you will make friends. The biggest upside of this is that, as an international group, there is often a free sofa available when you travel overseas, just use the SCA connect-a-traveller network before you set off.

13. Is it all just a cover for ‘adult activities’?
Every now and then you will meet someone who tries to convince you the SCA is all about getting your kit off. Take a close look at these people and ask yourself: does it seem likely that they regularly get any?

While we’re perfectly happy for you to get your kit off with whomever you may choose, that’s your business. We’re a family-oriented club, there are kids about, and horses!

14. Do I really have to talk like a Shakespearean actor?
No. But we do ask that you not discuss modern (we call them mundane) topics at events. Most people spoke a fairly standard English in the Middle Ages, and it’s the same in the SCA. If you speak perfect Middle or Elizabethan English, feel free to show it off, but be prepared for some blank glances. Oh, and the people who speak with accents in the group? They’re actually foreign imports, we’ve got quite a few.

15. Are you all a little mad?
Yes, but if you can’t be mad at Uni, when can you be? As for the older members, it’s less mad than spending every Sunday at golf.

Canty Faire 1

I have the cold of doom, and I think that I would provide an interesting subject for a study on whether or not snot slows synapses (I vote yes.) So, to tide folks over until I can construct complex sentences again, some photos!

This was Harry the Hedgehog. The kids found him on the first night at Faire and took him around to show the Aussies what hedgehogs were like up close and personal. Usually they curl up into a ball and act all horrified when caught, not Harry. Clearly he has been living at the camp for long enough to learn that humans=food, so he was friendly, energetic and appealling. Pippin managed to spike himself several times trying to keep Harry on the cushion until they found a bin to carry him about in instead. No hedgehogs were harmed in the making of this photo, and Harry was returned to his place of capture with some salad.

There were a lot of students taken at the Faire, which always makes me recall Sir Brand loudly proclaiming that he likes to take his students in public. Here Sir Tycho is squiring John (sorry! got that wrong originally!) of Southron Gaard, a very promising 17 year old who is also a very sweet young man. Sundry members of Amberherthe (seriously, how do you spell that?) look on. NB Elizabetta's cute black frock on the far left. Also, behind Tycho, yet another Lochac Laurel falls prey to the Viking virus. I think that probably makes it endemic ...


This is Sir Tycho's other half, the indominatable Mistress Christian. She is saying "Evil Laurel" and would like those who have not met her to accept this as their take-home message.

If you're from around Rowany and you're thinking "looks a bit Celi-like to me", you're doing quite well, aside from the fact that M and G would crash-tackle any of their own who publicly appeared in anything that early. But she does have the best ever six-foot-something accessory to pull the whole look together.


This is Peregrine and Emayne. They are so appallingly cute that I had to keep taking photos of them. They are also known locally as the Bunny Butchers, for reasons that I will get to in the next post but are pretty much obvious.

I remember Peregrine at my first CF when he was a shy little metal weapons lad who had dipped his toe into the SCA waters just as something to do in his downtime. He's now Seneschal of Southron Gaard and I suspect him of future Kingliness so long as young Emayne thinks it would be fun. They rock. They were also recognised as students at the fair, apprentii to Master Llewellyn.

This is Angel's bee. She was sitting down on the hay near the Mong (Mangy Mongol's emporium of fine comestibles) when a bee crawled onto her shoulder. She tried to ease it off, but it wanted to stay, and since she's not allergic, she let it.

The bee came for a stroll around the camp and even popped into the A&S display (seen here, note Mine and her feathers in the background). After a while she popped back down to the Mong and sat about for while. The bee, happy with its journey, buzzed off back to where it came from.


This young man is Ethan, Svente and Merewynn's son. He was without doubt the fiercest kid at Faire, cheerfully slaying everyone he could. I am not sure if he is going to grow up to be a knight, a barrister or an opera singer (oh the lungs!), but whatever he wants to do, he will do it to the limits.

I'm not sure if you can see thanks to the bad shot (er, thank you Blayney for cleaning my lens and vastly improving later shots), but he has the coollest knitted arming cap on. He killed Alfar mightily, too.

"If I concentrate very hard, I might remember where I put my frock ..." Yes, Mine is in her undies, because Sybilla did the standard trick of asking her how an outfit went together, to which Mine's response is usually to show exactly how in detail. NB this will probably not work so well if you are a boy. In that case you should try the traditional wooing, dinner, chocolates and flowers. She's a vegetarian. Not that those comments are directed at anyone at all, oh no. (And if you ever sing Hello Yolly, I will recall my gelding skills.)


A knight! In a minidress! Yes they do things differently in the Crescent Isles. Nevertheless, you can tell that this is Sir Inigo by three obvious signs.

One: impeccable grooming. Note the regularity of pleats on that tunica.

Two: astonishing dapperness. Even in a red mini he conveys Paris Louvre more than Paris Hilton.

Three: bloody great big bruise on the back of his leg. He was cursed by the gods tournament to be beaten up hill and down dale for an afternoon, and spent much of Faire in interesting states of blueness.

He did seem awfully cheery about this outfit, I suspect it was the chance to not be at all subtle about showing off his well-formed thighs.

Inigo was not the only knight who posed for shots. Here is Sir Tycho being a good knight and making dinner for his camp. He also made all the fire irons you can see around him and many of the knives in the campsite. And that's why Alfar and Gudrun asked him to be a Laurel and he'll be joining the truly attractive order at MidWinter (yet more Norse laurels, I'm afraid, G.)

Note Lord Richard supervising on the left. Very important job, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Sir Vitale wants to be the bad knight. You can tell this from his cheery leer and his porn-star facial hair. Yes, ladies, those are his actual pants and he is posing outside what can only be described as a seraglio (did it have etchings printed on the roof canvas? Alas, I was too afraid to look.)

Sadly, he has too much of a nice side to qualify for evil and thus he remains merely dodgy.

But well dodgy. Those mustaches would not look out of place on Ron Jeremy, and let us not investigate the reasons given for cutting his crotch so low (I was told sock storage, which seems cruel but practical.)

I hear you asking: "Are his feet really that big?" Sorry, ladies, that's just foreshortening. Although I hear that's an excuse that men use a lot ...

This is a classic Grace photo. She loves having her photo taken as much as I do. She does love being carried around more than practically anyone, though, and again J was the most frequent means of Grace transportation.

Poor Grace was doing her utmost to be as good and helpful as possible for all of Faire and yet kept getting into trouble. Even when, on one occasion, she had been genuinely nowhere near the events that she was blamed for (she was somewhat at fault for at least two other incidents, so sucked that blame up girlfully.) It's the curse of being the younger sister, the other kids only listen to her big brothers but the adults all see her as being an authority figure with their kids. I think I've spotted one of the reasons she wanted to hang around with us more ...

M, L and N were all cheerfully nutty by the last day of fair. As you can tell, L is the serious one. The Crescent Islanders do good kid, and these three were all smart, charming and discerning. If their parents trust you, then you're OK, if you don't have the seal of approval, you're avoided. And if you're on the OK list, you're climbed over whenever the mood strikes. Young Dickon and I put L and N to bed on the last night and had to deal with loads of little girl shenanigans as they did their best to stay awake. Dickon bravely bore up to all, and, when we finally shut the door behind us (having been suckered into leaving the light on, my fault, not his), he exhaled a sigh of "Good grief! They are such high maintenance!" For his trials, Dickon was allowed to join us in the adult ice creams the next day, and I suspect he will stay in that category.

The day after Faire we went for a drive with Christia and Tycho, and I had the one and only experience of car sickness in my life. At the time I thought it was having milk for breakfast and then the smell of chemical cleaners in the car (I am a delicate petal nose-wise), but since then I have realised it was having my inner ears filling up with snot. Fingers crossed I infected no-onw, many apologies if I did. It was a very good day, up the hills and over the peninsula. The countryside ALL looked like this. Which made things very kooky as I kept forgetting which hemisphere we were in. Especially when Christia and I sat in a ditch surrounded by mullein, yarrow, red clover, dandelions and valerian with hay and ash and oak trees in front of us. I do love NZ a great deal, but it continues to play kooky games with my mind. More and saner bits later. Back to bed for now with more Disprin and a book. Oh my exciting life ...