North Woods
A Barony of the Middle Kingdom
AKA The "Lost Barony"
motto: "Beware the Wolf"
What is the SCA?
"The Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA, is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts, skills, and traditions of pre-17th-century Europe." This is the first line of the newcomers page on the SCA website http://www.sca.org/officers/chatelain/sca-intro.html. Here they give you more complete information than I can provide, including links to the 19 kingdoms and resources for the newcomer. There also is a pdf file with terms commonly used at events - http://www.sca.org/officers/chatelain/pdf/jargon.pdf. These are great resources, however, here is my short list of terms to get you through that first event:
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SCAdian (SKAY-dee-an)
- as a noun: a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism.
- Also: SCAer. Used as an adjective to mean �of the SCA.�
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Gentle
- any person, not gender-specific.
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Populace
- the inhabitants of a kingdom or local group; the people present at an event.
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King/Queen
- Rulers of a Kingdom.
- also called the Crown.
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Crown Prince/Princess
- Heirs to the throne.
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Baron/Baroness
- landed representatives of the Crown who are ceremonial heads of a barony.
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Chivalry
- Knights who swear fealty to the Crown and Masters-of-Arms who do not.
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Knights/Masters-of-Arms
- someone recognized by the Crown for mastery of armored combat/heavy fighting.
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Laurel
- someone recognized by the Crown for mastery of an art or science.
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Pelican
- someone recognized by the Crown for great service to their Kingdom and the SCA.
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Warder
- someone recognized by the King and Queen for mastery of rapier combat/light fighting.
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Squire
- a student in a formal relationship with a Knight or Master of Arms for training in armored combat.
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Barony/Shire
- types of SCA local chapters. Baronies are generally larger in size, and have a Baron and/or Baroness as their ceremonial heads. Sub-groups within a Barony�s territory are known as Cantons, or in some areas, Ridings or Strongholds.
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Period
- used to mean something that is authentic or could fit in the timeframe of the SCA ( approx 600 - 1600 AD).
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Persona
- your SCA person you are representing as opposed to your mundane or real identity.
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Waiver
- a release of liability form. Non-members must sign waivers at events and martial practices.
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Person with a crown on their head
- someone who may be a King/Queen, Prince/Princess, Baron/Baroness or have been one in the past. They are to be treated as royalty - just in case.