Grex Rialto Conference

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Grex Rialto Item 41: One for the Fighters
Entered by arianna on Fri Mar 23 17:52:22 UTC 2001:

        Greetings, everyone!  I recieved this from the Oldenfeld email
list, and thought I might pass it along to you.

From romas@oldenfeld.org Fri Mar 23 12:30:32 2001
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2001 10:17:15 -0500
From: Romas Sparkis <romas@oldenfeld.org>
Reply-To: Oldenfeld@yahoogroups.com
To: "'Oldenfeld@onelist.com'" <Oldenfeld@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [Oldenfeld] An hour in armor

A friend of mine sent me this perspective on the SCA from an Ottawa
reporter. Enjoy! 

---
A Reporter came out to one of our Fighter Practices this past Sunday and did 
a small bit on it in one of our "artsie papers". Its actually quite a funny 
read. There are a couple of mistakes (like you get a Pelican for Service not 
Arts) but I think the Reporter got the point..

Two friends of mine are the individuals that are reconstructing a Saxon Mead 
Hall up on one of our Knights (Duke Sir Finnvarr) property (Bonfield, not 
North Bay, Ont - Flaming Sky) using post-hole spacings found in British 
excavations. As well the individual named herein (Althewyn) is actually, 
Aelfwyn Longwood (she is a fighter and also can do (or has tried) just about 
every other Art).

  Micaylah

  **********************************

My kingdom for a hobby
by Alex Mortimer
The Ottawa XPress

Things I learned during an hour in a suit of armour with the Society for 
Creative Anachronism...

Shields are heavy.

If I dropped the shield and ran he'd catch me.

A blow to the head is actually the safest blow to take.

I could own an authentic reproduction steel helm, made in Ottawa, for $150.

There are people building a Saxon house in North Bay using post-hole 
spacings found in British excavations.

I can't hit him in the knee because he wants to go to work tomorrow.

I can have my own coat of arms on my shield if I clear the design with the 
College of Heralds, who will make sure I have two distinct differences.

The Society for Creative Anachronism started as a costume party in San 
Francisco 35 years ago and got a little out of control.

It is hard to conduct a professional, confidence-inspiring radio interview 
while wearing a steel great-helm.

The world is divided into 15 Kingdoms; each Kingdom has a king chosen 
through tournament every six months. Once chosen, the king spends six months 
as a prince where he learns the job.

I need a hobby where I can sit more.

Ottawa has one of the world's premier goatskin parchment and velum makers.

I would not be allowed to take the name of an historical figure, (Norman the 
Conqueror) or a fantasy figure (Conan the Barbarian) but, using a 
little-known loophole, I could take the name Norman the Barbarian.

It is hard to get a guy to hold a microphone between two guys in armour 
beating the snot out of each other.

I used to have a barber called Norman the Barbarian.

Receiving a blow to the head - the safest blow to receive - is a drag.

If I want to make my own armour, I should start with wax-hardened shoe 
soles.

The man in the photo, Cennedi, was promoted to knight after many years in 
the Society and a polling of the other knights of the kingdom.

Cennedi is a good fighter. When he fights, everybody watches.

Cennedi has a Squire who kindly let me use his armour.

One will blurt "Uncle" repeatedly after a blow to the head. There's no way 
around it. I hadn't said "Uncle" in 25 years.

A lot of knights died from blunt trauma or from multiple small contusions 
under the armour.

I could take Cennedi if I had a gun.

Fighting is the most visible aspect of the Society, but they replicate all 
aspects of the period: the arts; the crafts; the engineering; the food; 
clothing; and, sciences.

When you master a medieval science, like glass-blowing, you are called a 
Pelican.

Some believe pelicans poke their chest with their beaks to feed their young 
with their own blood.

You can't see dick-all through a closed-faced helm.

Monks used to make a liquor out of goat's milk that everyone agrees was 
disgusting.

Rothgar believes the first two times in armour, everyone feels weird. The 
third time, it all comes together.

Althewyn says I had good combat instincts.

There are people who have translated the English language into Klingon.

There are people who re-enact only a given summer in a given year in the 
Middle Ages. They're crazy.

War of 1812 re-enactors sound like a humourless lot who believe the Society 
for Creative Anachronism is too commercial.

I don't want to share a tent with anyone who can speak Klingon.

I had no idea escapism was this much work.

  ------------------------------
===========================
Lucia Bellini
Baroness, Windmasters' Hill
Companion of the Pearl
Guildmistress, Windmasters' Hill Scriptorium
http://scribe.atlantia.sca.org/gallery/Lucia

3 responses total.

#1 of 3 by kami on Sun Mar 25 17:55:02 2001:

What a lark!
Someday I'd like to get up to Duke Sir Finvarr's place- they do Equestrian
events there.

#2 of 3 by birdy on Mon Mar 26 19:32:26 2001:

That made me laugh out loud.  I'm sending it to the Cynnabar email list.  =)

#3 of 3 by madelf on Sat Mar 31 15:50:02 2001:

I enjoyed that a great deal. I've even posted it on the wall at my office.
I think one fo my staff may come and check out a fight practice now. :)

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