[MR] New name for Troll (This is a Poll) (fwd)

[Craig Levin]

Donovan:

> My question is "Why?". The use of the term Troll is an SCA tradition used
> across all of the Kingdoms. It is a part of our Organizations 30 some-odd
> year history. Let us, in our concern for making our play more authentic,
> tread lightly upon the innocent traditions of our own history. Where is the
> harm in the reference of "Troll" a play on the word "toll". I agree that
> there are some very inappropriate uses of "sounds period-like" words. I
> think that there is no harm in allowing some into the Atmosphere of the
> Society for CREATIVE Anachronism.

It's up to each individual, I think. I figure that we will sound
a lot more mediaeval (or Renaissance, which is just as well for
my persona) if we use period terms for jobs that had period
analogues. If people think, incidentally, that "steward" doesn't
work too well for the office we currently call "troll", I'm
willing to look up possible alternatives in Young's _Tudor and
Jacobean Tournaments_.

I wouldn't read too much into our name. I gather from people
close to the attendees of the First Party that it was literally
made up on the spot to fill in a blank for a form to reserve part
of a park. I wouldn't read too little in, either, I guess. Every
time I read _Return of the King_, I get this shiver of
recognition when Denethor has Pippin swear the oath of service
which the SCA has adopted, even though I can find actual oaths of
service from different parts of the world if I care to look them
up.

Pedro