Society for Creative Anachronism
| Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.) |
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| purpose | Exploring and reliving the arts and crafts prior to the 17th century |
| Chair: | John Fulton (President) |
| Establishment date: | 1966 |
| Number of members: | over 30,000 |
| Seat : | Miltipas, USA |
| Website: | www.sca.org [1] |
The Society for Creative Anachronism ( SCA ) (German Society for Creative Anachronism ) is an international organization of people interested in the Middle Ages .
The official German association of the SCA is the Society for Living History eV (GlG), founded in 2018.
Embedded in a fictional social order divided into 20 kingdoms around the world, the members are dedicated to researching and recreating the arts and skills of Europe before the 17th century . The focus is on experiencing, at least the courtly part, medieval life (so-called reenactment ). According to its own statements, the SCA has over 30,000 players. The largest SCA group in Germany is the "Knight's Crossing" barony with around 100 members.
| Society for Living History eV (GlG) |
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| purpose | Exploration and presentation of cultural techniques, [...] up to the 17th century. |
| Chair: | Volker Ehlers (1st chairman), Martin Noack (2nd chairman), Jeanette Ehlers (treasurer) |
| Establishment date: | 2018 |
| Seat : | Aukrug, Germany |
| Website: | www.lebendigegeschichte.org [2] |
Overview and history
SCA was founded in 1966 as a nonprofit corporation SCA, Inc. in the USA by a group of medieval enthusiasts. The founding members included the authors Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson . With the establishment of the Society for Living History eV and an affiliation agreement concluded with SCA, Inc., a legally independent SCA organization has existed in Germany since 2019.
The members of the SCA recreate medieval arts, crafts and everyday activities. Everything from sewing , to cooking , sword fighting and falconry is tested and implemented. The period covered spans over 1000 years of European history. This creates an anachronistic mixture of all possible cultures and periods of time. For example, Vikings can interact with people from Queen Elizabeth's time . The SCA sees its activity as applied or experimental archeology , i.e. researching history through the practical application of theoretically gained knowledge. Members design, sew and wear medieval clothing, build armor , practice swords (" maces ") and shields and take part in tournaments . Furthermore, the members produce and taste their own wine , mead and beer . The SCA tries to present historically correct history in detail. Therefore it does not deal with magic, monsters or anything like that. The design of this "present Middle Ages" varies from member to member, however, since the SCA attaches importance to the coexistence of the members than the historical presentation to the outside world, as is common, for example, in reenactments at castle revivals and public medieval markets .
Goal of the SCA
The SCA deals with the study of the period from the 7th to the 17th century and tries to revive the positive sides of the European Middle Ages, its crafts, arts, traditions, literature, values and achievements. Negative sides like plague , poverty , witch burning and the like are excluded. Secondary literature and primary sources such as statues , paintings , manuscripts and buildings are studied. An object is derived from this, e.g. B. to reconstruct a dress or a recipe. In this way and, depending on the skill, also in cooperation with museums, experiences are made about possible previous skills. The original reconstructions are intended to invalidate modern myths and ways of thinking about the Middle Ages and to supplement theoretical research. It is up to each member how much they want to do this research. Some of the SCA members attend the meetings and events mainly for the community and the ambience, while others deliver high-quality scientific work in research and experimental archeology .
Events
The SCA consists of many local groups, some of which meet weekly. At various events, members of the SCA wear medieval clothing, dance historical dances and eat medieval dishes. At larger events there are also tournaments, exhibitions, competitions, lectures on medieval arts, workshops and often an evening feast, royal court attendances as well as dances and music. As a rule, larger SCA events are not open to the public and require prior registration by the participants.
structure
Since its inception in 1966, the organization has grown to over 30,000 members in the USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Russia, Poland, Greece, Japan, South Africa, Turkey, Israel, Korea and Australia. Membership is only compulsory for certain activities, such as the exercise of an office.
The organization of the SCA is based on the idealized feudal society of the Middle Ages. The SCA currently consists of 20 “kingdoms”, each with a “royal couple”, a “crown prince couple” and a number of “royal ministerials” who each coordinate the work that occurs in their area of responsibility.
"Dragon Forest" is the kingdom for Europe . Dragon Forest currently includes the countries Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, United Kingdom, as well as smaller outposts in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Romania and Switzerland (primarily by the US military). In Drachenwald there are also two principalities ( Principalities ): "Nordmark" (Sweden) and "Insulae Draconis" (United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland).
A kingdom is divided into the various local groups, called Shire , canton , barony , province or principality depending on size and structure (the English terms are generally used here). There, too, ministerials and couples of barons and princes are at work as representatives of the crown. In Germany there are several Shire and cantons, as well as the Barony Knight's Crossing, which has been spread across Germany since spring 2018. The ministerials are voluntary helpers who take on their respective office for a term of office.
Areas of interest within the SCA
Principle and Persona
Due to the focus on court culture, all members of the SCA are generally considered to be the lower nobility. Therefore there are no farmers, traders, maidservants, mercenaries and similar people in the SCA game, but these are still represented and their lives are explored. Members often develop a so-called persona in order to fit the life story of a person who could have existed in the time in question into the historical processes, as well as the regional and local political conditions of the time, and thus have a hook for research about the respective epoch.
Medieval martial arts
The sword fight of the SCA is based on the foot fight of armed knights, as z. B. took place in the medieval piston tournament and follows its own set of rules. It is available as a duel or as a group fight. The fighter himself decides whether the blow he received would have wounded or killed him in an emergency. If he finds a blow too easy, the fight continues. In order to avoid injuries, the fight is carried out in real armor made of metal, leather, fabric and with rattan weapons. Rattan is a tropical grass from which z. B. Furniture is made. In terms of weight and striking behavior, it corresponds to medieval weapons. Elastic like bamboo, but it has no hollow core, so it splinters less easily and takes some of the force out of the blow. The surface is additionally protected by a layer of textile adhesive tape and the color is matched to the metal. The essential parts of the body such as head, neck, spine, elbows, knees, kidneys, hands and genitals must be protected by precisely defined armor. Most fighters, however, choose to voluntarily wear more armor to protect their torso, arms, and legs as well.
Before he is allowed to fight independently, a beginner is trained by experienced fighters. This training usually takes some time and is intended to ensure that the fighter does not actually injure himself or others in combat. Part of this training is also to distinguish light, non-injurious hits from heavy ones. If the victim comes to the conclusion that the blow wounded him through the armor, he will stop using this part of the body if the limbs are hit. If he is hit in the torso or head, the fight is over. At the end of this training, the fighter is examined by several marshals.
In armed combat, there are different combinations of weapons, e.g. B. sword and shield , two-handed sword , lance , battle ax , polearms and spear
Other forms of combat include archery , fencing with steel swords, and the use of thrown weapons and siege devices .
Arts and crafts
The members of the SCA deal with all kinds of ancient crafts and arts. In addition to research with the help of primary and secondary sources, the focus is often on actually trying out and producing. The experiences, knowledge and techniques are discussed or taught among the members at SCA events and local meetings in so-called "classes". In addition to the simple transfer of knowledge, mutual cooperation is also promoted here in order to design joint projects. For example, documents are illuminated which are then calligraphy by other members . A particularly complex project is the so-called "Calf-to-Codex", in which SCA members from over 20 different arts and crafts have jointly created a code .
Many members share their findings with the public in the form of blogs with instructions and samples.
Service at the SCA
Many members have a strong focus on commitment to the internal processes and structures of the SCA. They work at different levels in the offices or take care of the organization of events. In this "service" too, the focus is on promoting the community and transferring knowledge, for example how to approach projects.
Names and coats of arms in the SCA
Members and groups of the SCA have medieval names. These must be proven for the time shown on the basis of sources.
Coats of arms must correspond to the general, medieval practices of heraldry . The SCA has its own heraldry college with a database that helps members choose their names and coats of arms. Only the applicant within the SCA may then use the name and coat of arms. Furthermore, one must not violate applicable copyright law when creating names and coats of arms. For example, it is not allowed to use a real family coat of arms without the consent of the leader.
Awards, titles and ranks in the SCA
The SCA has a distinctive system of titles and honors, which are awarded by the crown to individual members for a wide variety of achievements and merits. They are not self-appointed, hereditary or purchasable, but personal. All awards follow a precisely defined ranking, at the top of which is the high nobility as the highest possible award.
The SCA knows two types of high nobility, so-called peers: the royal and the conferred high nobility. The royal nobility consists of the former princely and royal couples. Ex-princes become landgraves, ex-princesses become landgraves. Whoever has ruled a kingdom becomes a countess. After the second time you become a duke / duchess.
The other form of high nobility is members who receive awards for their efforts because of talent, hard work, and continuous effort. There are four different forms of this award, which have the same basic requirements:
- Honorable and polite behavior
- Familiarity with courtly behavior
- Proof of commitment to the association and its ideals.
The four orders are of equal rank.
The oldest is the "Order of Chivalry", which includes the knights. Fighters who have demonstrated outstanding fighting skills and exemplary bravery, chivalry and honesty are accepted into it. The next is the “Order of the Laurel” awarded to artists and artisans who distinguish themselves through research on medieval skills, their willingness to pass on this knowledge and their artistic skills. The laurel wreath was given to the winners of the Greek Olympiads, great poets, etc. and was considered a symbol of achievement and success. The third group is the “Order of the Pelican,” awarded for extraordinary efforts on behalf of the SCA. The pelican was a symbol of sacrifice in the Middle Ages. It was said that in times of need he would open his chest to nourish his young with his blood. In the fiftieth year of its existence, a fourth high nobility order was founded in the SCA, the "Order of Defense". The best steel fencers of the SCA are accepted into it.
The crown bestows the various titles and awards on the basis of suggestions from the membership.
See also
literature
- John Clute : The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. Orbit, London 1997, ISBN 1-85723-368-9 , sv Society for Creative Anachronism .
Web links
- Barony of Knight's Crossing (largest SCA group in Germany)
- List of groups in the Dragonwood Kingdom
- Dragon's Tale - the newsletter of the Dragon Forest Kingdom
Individual evidence
- ^ Society for Living History eV | SCA in Germany. Retrieved on March 24, 2019 (German).
- ^ Website of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ About us | Society for Living History. Accessed on March 24, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Kingdom of Dragonwood. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ The Barony Knight's Crossing - SCA in Germany | Society for Creative Anachronism. Retrieved on March 24, 2019 (German).
- ^ Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc .: Marshal's Handbook . October 2018 ( sca.org [PDF]).
- ↑ Calf to Codex. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Whilja 's Corner. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ House GreyDragon. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
- ^ Dragon Forest Order of Precedence. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .