This is the recognized website for the Shire of Loch Cairn, of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., and is maintained by Edain ingen Raghailligh ben MacDonald (Keri Peardon). This site may contain electronic versions of the group's governing documents. Any discrepancies between the electronic version of any information on this site and the printed version that is available from the originating office will be decided in favor of the printed version. Copyright © 2009 Shire of Loch Cairn. The original contributors retain the copyright of certain portions of this site. For information on using photographs, articles, or artwork from this website, please contact the web minister at webminister@lochcairn.org. She will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors.If you or an identifying element (such as heraldry) appears in one of our pictures and you do not wish to be shown, please contact the web minister at webminister@lochcairn.org; we will obscure you or the identifying elements, or remove the picture entirely, depending on the situation. |
Newcomer's Information and Resources |
Frequently Asked Questions What is the SCA? The SCA stands for the Society of Creative Anachronism (an anachronism is something out of its proper place in time). It is a non-profit historic reenactment group, dedicated to reenacting the middle ages and Renaissance. Some people might also refer to us as a living history organization. The SCA is divided into large geographic regions, known as kingdoms. There are currently 19 kingdoms across the globe, with some 30,000 paid members (it is estimated that an additional 30,000 non-members participate on a fairly regularly basis). The Shire of Loch Cairn belongs to the Kingdom of Meridies, which encompasses East and Middle Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, the panhandle of Florida, and the area around Bowling Green, Kentucky. Within each Kingdom there are local groups known as Shires or Baronies. The Shire of Loch Cairn draws its members from Manchester, McMinnville, Sewanee, Tullahoma, and Winchester, Tennessee, although we do have members from other cities who choose to participate in our group. Who participates in the SCA? The SCA is open to all ages, and is in a variety of countries around the world. We have single people, married people, people with children, college students, retired people, veterans and active-duty members of the armed forces--you name it. There's something for everyone! What do you do at a reenactment? Most events feature fighting on foot with wooden swords, or fencing. Some also feature archery and weapons-throwing. A few involve horseback riding activities and dog racing (coursing). Many events, especially in the winter months, offer classes.
Some classes are lectures, while others are hands-on. You can learn to spin, paint, do calligraphy, cook with medieval foods, keep bees, brew beer and mead, blacksmith, build furniture and boxes, make clothes and shoes, embroider, make lace--the options are nearly endless.
And in Meridies, we like to eat; all but the very largest events feature either a lunch or supper feast.
When do you reenact? There is usually at least one event every weekend in a kingdom. Shires meet from one to four times a month to conduct business, have classes, practice the arts or dance, or have a fighter practice. Where do you reenact? Weekend events usually take place at group-lodge facilities at private or public campgrounds, but one-day events are sometimes held at churches, schools, and private venues like a VFW or Knights of Columbus hall. Why do you re-enact? Most people like to do medieval reenacting because they are in love with the idea of chivalry and courtly manners: men hold the doors open for ladies; ladies give men favors to wear to fight. People feel it's a safe, wholesome activity for the entire family. People trust one another and feel like they belong to a community. People enjoy spending time with others who value craftsmanship and hard work, not salaries and expensive cars. All of these things are things that most of us feel are sorely lacking in our modern lives. |
How are you different from the Ren Faire? The SCA is a registered non-profit organization. We are reenactors, not actors; we do not reenact to entertain other people for profit. Monies collected at reenactment events go to the group that hosted the event to help support their operations. Everyone you see working at an event or serving as a officer of a group is a volunteer. We're more like the Boy Scouts in organization, and the fact that we get together to camp and craft and have fellowship; and, like the Boy Scouts, we do community outreach through free educational demonstrations at schools and other public venues. How do I join? You don't have to be a member of the SCA in order to participate. For active participants, buying a membership saves money (you get a discount off the cost of admission at events) and allows you to serve as an officer within the organization, but most newcomers prefer to check out some events and local meetings before committing. You will never be pressured into purchasing a membership. If you are interested in meeting the members of the Shire of Loch Cairn and learning more about the SCA and how to participate, please see our Calendar for meeting times and locations. You may also contact the Chatelaine on the Officers page; the Chatelaine is in charge of helping newcomers feel welcome and can answer any questions you might have. |
Glossary of Common Terms Anachronism - Something which is chronologically out of place (e.g. medieval clothes being worn in the 21st century; sneakers being worn in a historical movie).
Apprentice - An artisan under the direct training and tutelage of a Laurel. Visible by a green belt.
Authorization - People participating in martial activities (heavy combat, rapier, equestrian games, equestrian combat, siege engines, combat archery, live/thrown weapons) must take an oral and skills test to demonstrate they know the rules and are not a danger to themselves or others before full participation. People who are interested in becoming an authorized combatant should attend fighter practices at the local group level to learn the rules.
Autocrat - The person in charge of running and organizing an event (may also be called an "event steward").
Feastcrat - The person in charge of cooking the food at an event.
Heavy Combat - Full-contact combat involving the use of wooden (rattan) swords and pole weapons/spears.
Hold - A "hold" is a break during a fight. It can be called by any fighter, the marshal on the field, or by a spectator; it is typically used to stop the fighting when there appears to be a dangerous situation, or when someone is injured. It is sometimes used off the field to likewise avert an accident. When you hear someone shout "HOLD!" stop what you are doing and look around to see what the problem is.
Inspection - Prior to every tournament or war, each fighter will have to be inspected by a knight marshal. Each fighter must show his or her authorization card and have armor and weapons inspected to make sure they meet the minimum safety standards.
Garb - Medieval clothing/costume.
Kingdom - A large geographic region within the SCA. There are currently 19 kingdoms in the world.
Knight - One of the peers. Knights are considered the elite of heavy fighters. Visible by a white belt, unadorned gold chain, and gold spurs. Addressed as "Sir."
Knight Marshal - On the field, the knight marshal serves as a referee. The KM does not call blows for the fighters, but he or she does make sure that there are no flagrant rules violations (like hitting below the knee) and the KM also looks out for the safety of the fighters and any nearby spectators.
In a shire, the KM is in charge of organizing fighter practices, maintaining the loaner armor, and helping newcomers learn to fight, as well as being in charge of the safety of the fighters at practices.
Laurel - One of the peers. Laurels are considered the best artisans in the SCA. Visible by a medallion featuring laurel leaves, or by a circlet of laurel leaves. Addressed as "Master" or "Mistress/Dame."
Light Combat - Alternate term for rapier combat (see also Rapier). | List - Literally the list of people who will be fighting, but it is sometimes used as a synonym for "tournament."
Listmaster/mistress - The listmaster or -mistress is the person in charge of organizing the fighters into bouts, keeping up with who won, and any other administrative functions related to a tournament.
Melee - A fighting competition between more than two opponents. Two or more people may be organized into a team to fight another team.
Mundane - Anything modern. People who are not SCA participants are "mundanes."
Peer - The award of peerage is the highest earned award in the SCA. There are four types of peer: Knights, Laurels, Pelicans and Royal Peers.
Pelican - One of the peers. Pelicans are the most dedicated of volunteers and serve in the higher leadership positions (event autocrats or feastcrats; kingdom-level officers). Visible by a medallion featuring a pelican in her piety. Addressed as "Master" or "Mistress/Dame."
Principality - A large sub-section of a kingdom. When a section of a kingdom gets a large enough population of members, it can choose to become a principality. A principality will have a prince and princess to rule it, under the guidance of the King and Queen of the Kingdom. When the principality grows enough and shows its ability to self-govern, it can break away and become a kingdom in its own right.
Protogeé - A leader-in-training under the guidance of a Pelican. Visible by a yellow belt.
Rapier - A thin metal sword. In SCA combat, the rapier is never sharp and must have a blunted/capped tip. "Rapier" is also used to denote fighting with a rapier. Rapier combat is also sometimes called "light combat" or "fencing." Blows/fighting style is similar to modern fencing.
Royal Peer - Anyone who has sat on the throne of a Kingdom or Principality. People who have been on the throne of a Kingdom once are also known as Count/Earl or Countess and are addressed as "Your Excellency." People who have been on the throne of a Kingdom twice or more are a Duke or Duchess and are addressed as "Your Grace." People who have been on the throne of a Principality are a Viscount or Viscountess and are addressed as "Your Excellency."
SCA - This is the commonly-used acronym for the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Scadians - People in the SCA.
Squire - A fighter under the direct training and tutelage of a knight. Visible by a red belt; may also wear an unadorned silver chain and/or silver spurs.
Tournament - A fighting competition between single opponents. May be fought in a variety of ways.
Troll - Registration at an event; everyone who attends much sign-in.
War - A very large event, typically involving 500 or more people. Fighters will arrange in groups and fight as an army. Some may last only a weekend, while Pennsic, the largest SCA event in the world, lasts two weeks. |
Links for Newcomers What is the SCA? - From the official SCA website. Contains more in-depth answers to these questions and more. SCA Demo.com - A website on some of the hobbies-within-the-hobby that SCA people do (archery, costuming, etc.). Includes pictures of various activities, including some of the more exotic (like falconry) that you don't see at most events. Frequently Asked Questions - SCA, Inc. (Pdf website) Not so much answers to FAQs as everything you ever wanted to know about the SCA, including all rules, regulations and legal notices. Stefan's Florilegium - Not the prettiest website, but Stefan's Florilegium is legendary among SCA folks for the depth and breadth of information available on it. It's like the SCA encyclopedia. You should start with the articles in the Newcomer's section and branch out if you see some other topic of interest. As most of the information has been gathered from online discussions, it is still in that format, but it's trimmed up and categorized so that it's not really hard to read and follow. Loch Cairn Yahoo! Group - An online forum just for our shire. Sign-up to hear the latest announcements and chat with other members. |