[MR] Proposal for reducing the backlog of scrolls withhelpfromBarons/esses and Heralds

[padrgroups at charter.net]

>From Corpora, page 9, A Brief Introduction to the Society for Creative Anachronism (clipped for relevance) (Emphasis mine):

"We sponsor events such as tournaments and feasts where members dress in clothing styles worn in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and participate in activities based on the civil and martial skills of the period. These activities
recreate aspects of the life and culture of the _landed nobility in Europe_ prior to 1600 CE. The dress, pastimes, and above all the chivalric ideals of the period serve to _unify our events and activities_."

and

"For Society members, most of the world, and all of the centuries prior to the 17th, can serve as a source for personal research. However, the further you go from the core of Medieval and Renaissance Europe, the less the environment we offer will resemble what someone of your time and country would find natural or
homelike. For example, you can be an Asian or African guest at a European court, but you cannot expect others to share your special interests - like any long-term visitor in a foreign land, _you are the one who will have to adapt to the customs you find around you_."

Now for my comments.

Historical accuracy in our field of play has increased significantly since the inception of the SCA, and about a million times over in the last 10 years.  I am personally interested in being as period as possible, and think it is a good thing to encourage.

However, the SCA is not, and has never been, a historical reenactment organization.  At best, we are a historical recreation group.  Anachronism is a significant part of what we do, and the culture of the SCA should not be confused with the culture of our own chosen areas of study.  If you expect to participate in the culture of the SCA, including receiving awards, you have to follow its rules.  If you don't like those rules, you should take the time to find out what they really are and why they were written that way.  If you still don't like them, you can write to the applicable office to discuss the issue and make suggestions.  And if the rules don't change, and you still don't like them, you can either choose to live with them, or go find a different game.

I do not believe that the SCA needs to be accommodating to all.  In fact, being accommodating to all in the context of event planning is what, in my opinion, has led to sub-par events that try too hard to be everything to everyone (though I admit that is it's own can of worms).  If registering a name and arms is not important to you, then receiving a scroll with that name and those arms should not be something you make a fuss about.  There are plenty of people for whom it is important, and the sribes are working diligently on creating scrolls (in their own time, at their own cost) for those people.  If you want to get your name and arms right, then you should also want your scroll to be right, and will just have to wait.

If you don't have a registered name or arms, and yet still want to have a scroll, you can commission one.  

Padraigin


---- David Chessler <chessler at usa.net> wrote: 
> But there are some persona for which arms are surely inappropriate at 
> any time or place. Peasants, merchants, craftsmen, Jews, Gypsies, and 
> other minorities come to mind.
> 
> Now, John the Red Nose might be an interesting character, but he 
> surely didn't use the cutty wren as a badge--though his group, 
> including Milder, Malder, Fessel, and Fose surely did.
> 
> But a grant of individual arms for him is clearly a-historic. 
> However, as I read the rules of SCA Heraldry (and I am not a herald 
> nor do I play one on TV), John the Red Nose can't simply  use the 
> arms of his city as his badge. Nor can the five peasant rebels share 
> a badge of the cutty wren.
> 
> But bearing a coat of arms is part of the game we are playing, even 
> if we are being a-historic with respect to pur personum (persona). I 
> guess that's why it's CREATIVE Anachronism.
> 
> And some active just may not be that interested in a specific 
> activity. Some don't sew. Some don't cook. Some don't have a period 
> handwriting. And some don't care about arms. The trick is to be 
> accommodating to all.
> 
> At 10:49 PM 6/19/2007, Vels inn Viggladi wrote:
> 
> > >Point Being: a culture-styled depiction doesn't to a single thing to
> > >address
> > >the fact that the entire milieu is incorrect for a lot of peoples for a
> > >majority of the period.
> >
> >(yes, I'm replying to myself)
> >
> >First, I'd like to apologize for going off tangentially with my last post.
> >
> >Overall: It's a Swiftian concept, but overhauling the CoA so as to allow a
> >wider variety of heraldic display beyond what is correct for 14th century
> >French and English landholders would help in getting more registrations of
> >heraldry, and thus, less of a backlog.
> >I'm not suggesting expand to _every_ form of personal display used over the
> >thousand or so years, because then we'd get into people arguing over who has
> >the rights to wear a red tunic with olive and blue herringbone trews, with a
> >light blue garter on their left arm... Just gets ludicrous.
> >
> >However, expanding to include other similar styles of deriving heraldic
> >imagery other than 14th+ century Angevin-landowning-descended rules would
> >provide an increase in registerable personal heraldry. Adding a little line
> >on the device registration for "Which cultural heraldic style is this
> >governed" is minor paperwork. Getting a body of heralds studied in several
> >different styles of medieval heraldry is another matter.
> >
> >Alternatively, if someone is of the determination that they have no
> >interest, by their study or any other reason, to have personally registered
> >heraldry, hand them a promissory and a medallion or other dubis if it's
> >appropriate and take them off the list of those needing "formal" scrolls. If
> >they want one later and have registered heraldry, they can commission one.
> >
> >Not to say anyone in particular would like these ideas, but they are ideas
> >that may work.
> >
> >
> >
> >Vels
> >
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