Middle ages come to life in Glenns Ferry

Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The Society for Creative Anachronism held a kingdom-level event in Glenns Ferry last weekend.

The Kingdom of Artemisia, Barony of Arnhold, held a Crown List Tournament at the Elmore County Fairgrounds over the October 8-9 weekend.

Heraldry, chivalry, and prowess, was much in evidence when members of SCA gathered to find out who would be the kingdom's next monarchs.

The SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) is a non-profit, international educational organization dedicated to preserving the study and recreation of customs, crafts and ideals of pre-seventeenth century Europe. Members make every effort to recreate life not as it was, but as it should have been during medieval times, and exemplify the lost ideals of chivalry, courtesy and honor.

There are SCA groups in nearly every city and town across the United States. Although the organization is based in the United States, its membership crosses international boundaries with members in Europe and Australia.

The US is divided into kingdoms. The cities and towns contained within the kingdom are known as baronies, shires and cantons. Each kingdom is ruled by a king and queen, who are the absolute rulers of those living within their realm.

The king and queen win their right to rule by besting all entrants in a tournament called a Crown List.

On Saturday, men and women engaged in hand-to-hand combat to determine who would be the next king and queen.

Garbed in armor made of metal or leather, combatants met in cordoned off areas on the grass just south of the exhibit building.

Two opponents, brandishing rattan swords, met to do battle, using their wooden shields as a guard against their attacker. SCA members do not stage or choreograph their battles but engage in "live" combat. However, the weapons have been modified to avert serious injury.

The champion of the match is decided when one opponent acknowledges that a blow from his/her foe was of sufficient force to have caused death. By a process of elimination, the final "man or woman standing," is recognized as the new king and queen, although their reign will not begin for several months and until after a coronation ceremony.

Participants dress in period clothing, camp in period tents and marques, and attempt to keep the reenactment as authentic as possible.

While wandering through the village, visitors, who are encouraged to wear period clothing, (if you don't have any period clothing you can borrow some from their organizations "clothing closet") will see women doing such things as spinning yarn and embroidery, and men engaged in activities distinctive of that period in history, such as making utilitarian and decorative items from pewter.

Feasts mark the evening hours of the festivities, followed by singing, dancing and reciting of poetry.

Tonya Good, daughter of Jerry and Delores Good, and former resident of Hammett, has been an SCA member for the past seven years. While attending a Star Trek convention, she met some people already active in the organization. She went to her first SCA event in Grandjean and was "hooked."

For many years, Tonya has been trying to convince her parents to attend an SCA event, held in various areas around the kingdom and throughout the year. But it wasn't until SCA came to Glenns Ferry that her perseverance finally paid off. While impressed by the efforts of SCA members to recreate the medieval era, and the many events that took place during the weekend, including equestrian events meant to determine the Kingdom's Equestrian Champion, the mom and dad Good aren't likely to turn in their everyday cloths for a tunic and long dress.

On Sunday, SCA members held the equestrian events. Six members took part in a variety of activities, including jousting.

The light-weight jousting poles are hollow at the "business-end" and fitted with a Styrofoam cylinder. The object of the competition is to have the contestants gallop towards each other and attempt to break the Styrofoam cylinder on their opponent's shield.

Other equestrian activities include charging the quintain, a device consisting of a vertical post surmounted by a pivoting horizontal bar with a board at one and a sandbag at the other. The objective is for a rider to gallop towards the quintain and hit the board with a jousting stick with enough force so that the arm makes three complete rotations.

Another competition involved using a lance to pierce a haybale while galloping your horse towards the target. And the last event involved using a sword to lop off the heads of an opposing army. The heads are mounted on vertical posts.

Tonya did very well in her efforts during the equestrian competition. But it was Sir Landolf Witkowski who won the day's event.

Each member chooses a name, which is used while at SCA events. Names must be approved by the "College of Heraldry," a sort of clearing house of authenticity for the organization. The names must be true to the period and the region each member is depicting.

While making every attempt to remain true to the period, SCA does recognize that modern times often call for modern modifications. Female members, therefore, are allowed to participate in activities that would have been exclusive to men during the 17th century.

Willa Rose, of Boise, whose SCA name is Yaasamiina, has been a member of SCA for 11 years. She began participating in the organization's events as a means to find something different to do with her horses, she said. Dressed in clothing reminiscent of old Persia, she participated in all equestrian events during the Glenns Ferry weekend.

To learn more about SCA and its activities log onto www.sca.org, or householloway.com.

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