When did you join? AS 8- in October
How did you hear about the SCA? Heard about an event at the BU Science Fiction Society and went to a Dance Practice the next week. Actually, I’d read about it 3-4 years earlier and written the SCA at Berkley that the article was about, but they told me that the nearest SCA was in NYC (they were wrong, actually, Carolingia had been founded, but they didn’t know that yet.) I decided that as much fun as it looked, no way was I going to drive all the way to NYC for an event, so I forgot about it until I heard Barak Raz talking about the tourney he’d been to the last weekend. Ironically, a couple weeks later I was driving down to NY to go to an event. The King’s Birthday Party. November AS 8. I had my AoA the next April.
What appeals to you about the SCA? Honour- no one make fun of you for thinking it’s important.
What groups have you been in? Started Stormgard at Valentines AS 8, that night Maria (the co-founder) got it adopted as a Sett of Clan Creachin. Started House Goldstone- my personal house, for artists, that didn’t go anywhere. Was the co-founder of the first EK Exotic Dancers Guild (as 10ish?) Of course, we started Branswatch- the first SCA group in NH.
How many events have you been to? For a while I counted the events I’d cooked for or run, but stopped after 60. I think I averaged about 40 a year until the mid 80s, then we started scaling back. Really scaled back after we got goats- milking twice a day makes it hard to go to weekend events. Rough guess? 500-600
What’s your persona name? Arastorm (I learned recently one shouldn’t use descriptors like “the Golden” when referring to one’s self. And I suppose these days I’m more silvered than golden anyway)
Where and when is your persona from? When I joined the SCA I chose 573 and Northumbria. We then moved to Wessex in 79 (after the battle of Deorham, Ælfwine and Tostig fought under Ceawlin and were rewarded with land- Ceawlin died in 92, he was followed by Ceol until 98, and Ceowulf will last until 611. Ceawlin was Bretwalda back in the 80s, then, Aethlybert of Kent came to power in the late 80s, but Redwald of Anglia is “now”. I’m not sure that we’d know about the mission of Augustine to Kent.), we always moved along the calendar as years passed. Now it’s 608, but of course, I don’t know that because they didn’t start using Anno Domine until the late 7th century.
What ranks and awards do you have? I use the title Hlafdige (pronounced Lady and means that). In the SCA I’m technically a countess, although I tried to refuse it, they didn’t let me. I was allowed to refuse the Rose, which I really didn’t mind. The point I was trying to make was that when a peerage has a requirement - in this case- courtesy, you can’t give it automatically- which is what they do with Royal Peerages. I discovered that in the rules in AS 9, and have been fighting to get it fixed ever since. I occasionally accept the title Baroness- Tamara FitzGlouster made me a Court Baroness (which means you’re a “legend” in the SCA- it generally also means that the orders don’t want you, even though you’ve done a lot.) I do have a Maunche and a Silver Crescent. The Maunche was for camping with style, the Crescent was given at Gyrth Oldcastle’s coronation which is when I presented the first illustrated armorial in the SCA (of the East). That project took only 6 weeks from inspiration to conclusion and I’m proud of that. I got a Day Star from Carolingia (service) and a special “something stone” (Key stone, foundation stone?) from Megan when Stonemarche started. Basically it was a consolation prize because after founding the barony, Aelfwine and I were told we could be named founding Baron and Baroness if we agreed to immediately step down, and we were so insulted we refused. I think it morphed into a basic Millstone.
Which ones would you like to get? I’ve always wanted a QOC- because I’ve always wanted honesty to be considered a virtue- highly unlikely to happen. I’ve also always wanted one of the awards for doing your persona well, but being a merchant has taken me out of the running for that. After Ælfwine was knighted, I expected to get a Laurel- what I saw as an equivalent, but didn’t. After about 25 years I got sick of people assuming I had one, and started teaching so that I would get one. One of these days… I think the biggest problem is that knowing all about early Anglo-Saxons isn’t a Laurel skill. Or maybe it’s my courtesy level. Most likely I’m just not active enough any more.
What SCA applicable skills do you have? Anglo-Saxon history and culture, Agriculture, Archery, Ballads, Bee Keeping, Brewing, Butchering, Calligraphy, Candlemaking, Celtic, Cooking, Costuming, Divination, Dyeing, Embroidery, Fairs and trade, Frankish culture, Fur-working, Furniture, Glassware, Heraldry, Herbalism, Illumination, Jewelry making, Leatherworking, Limning, Medicine, Magick, Monasticism, Norse, Painting, especially Portraits, Pottery, Romano-British culture, Runes, Sculpture, Soapmaking, Slave-trade, Spinning, Subtleties and Entrements, Tanning, Theater, various Christians heresies, Weaving, Witchcraft (history of)
Are you willing to help teach them to others? “will teach for food” - try and stop me!
What skills do you want to gain? I want to learn to spin better, and to play the lyre well enough to accompany it. I’m working on learning Old English. I’m not pleased with my level of Cardweaving or Nalbinding, and I haven’t gotten to Sprang yet.
Are you interested in joining any guilds? I’m in the EK Soothsayers Guild, the EK Herbalists,
Would you like to have any of the offices? Been there, done that. Herald to Seneschal to Marshal at one point - these days I don’t like driving at night when one has to meet for organizational things. Actually, there’s so much paperwork, I don’t even want to cook for events anymore.
