Society for Creative Anachronism

SCA

The largest of the medieval ‘re-enactment’ societies, established in 1968 at the home of Diana Paxton. The Society has grown to more than 40,000 members worldwide, encompassing medieval society in Europe and the Middle East from roughly 600 A.D. to roughly 1600 AD.

The SCA has developed its own combat system, where wooden weapons simulate the whalebone and ash weapons used in medieval béhourds or vespers tourneys. In the SCA system, combatants are responsible for their calling their own ‘blows’, a technique that attempts to place the responsibility for their field conduct squarely on the combatant themselves instead of a panel of judges. Marshals watch over the combat to insure that the tone of the fight is chivalric and that the rules of safety are not violated, as well as tending to the administration of registering combatants and the like. This ‘medieval marshal art’ has become immensely popular in the United States, with active branches in Australia, Japan, Korea, Britain, Germany, Sweden, and Canada. At its finest, the Society strives to use the martial system to teach chivalric virtues, a place where the curious can come and experience something of the medieval experience. Knights in the SCA are made by the king in recognition of their prowess, courtesy, and noble demeanor; knights often take ‘squires’, less expert combatants who wish to learn the chivalric arts. At the pinnacle of the martial experience combatants can participate in and strive to become victorious in Crown tournament, earning a higher level of noble rank.

Alongside these martial pursuits, the SCA strives to encourage research and expertise in medieval arts, having developed a thriving market in which craftsmen can learn medieval trades and grow in their artistic expertise. The Order of the Laurel is awarded as a peerage award to recognize the pinnacle of artistic excellence.

Service is also very highly valued in the Society, where the Order of the Pelican and many lesser service awards are awarded to gentle who give ceaselessly of their time and energy for the good of the Society, often in administrative capacity.

The SCA is broken down into a number of kingdoms, each of which has a separate governing structure ruled by a king determined in Crown Tournament. Each kingdom has developed their own culture and ‘flavor’, populated by an enthusiastic body of participants. The SCA is not like the Renaissance Faires where the experience is performance-oriented. In the SCA the essence of the experience is participation; the SCA strives to teach something of courtesy and ethics by developing an interpersonal network that reinforces the desired values.

Visit the Society for Creative Anachronism's web site, located at http://www.sca.org.