The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of the pre-17th-century world. (This is a change from the SCA I knew which restricted itself to Europe in the Middle Ages and Renaissance). The “Known World” of the SCA is divided into 20 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Members, dressed in clothing of the country and period of theit persona, attend events which feature tournaments, royal courts, feasts, dancing, various classes & workshops, and more.
I was active in the SCA for many years but the society and I have grown apart. When I joined the SCA, back in 1968, the society's time period was from 650 to 1450, its focus has now moved, to a great extent, to a much later time period. Back then the society was much less formal, there was no such thing as requiring insurance for fighters, certifications to fight, and all of the other legal issues with which the current society and its members must cope.
I fought in tournaments, cooked feasts, brewed mead, made pavillions, shoes, headdresses and other jewelry.. I met an assortment of interesting people and had some very good times.
This page is not complete, I will be adding more stories every few weeks. If you find it interesting, please let me know.
Aonghais Dubh MacTarbh
Aonghais Dubh MacTarbh (Paul Serio) was one of the most interesting people I have ever met. In Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, Mark Anthony says "The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones;". This is also applies to Aonghais.
I first met Aonghais (SCA name Angus the Black at the time) at a Crown Tournament I had organized at Seneca Creek State Park (near Gathersburg Md.) in 1973. This was the first SCA event I had ever organized and the first kingdom event Angus had ever attended. To everyone's surprise, Angus won the Tournament! (This was not the only time that he won the crown, but that is another story.)
I also met Carol Washington (the woman who would become my first wife) at that event. When we were married at her family's farm in Middlebury Vt. in 1975, Aonghais was my best man.
Aonghais was a man of great fighting skill and even greater charisma. He often seemed larger than life and inspired a combination of great devotion and equally great hate among the people around him.
Shortly after completing his second reign as King of the East, Aonghais moved to Caid (Southern California). He started his own detective agency and got married to a woman he met in the SCA (Mary 'Mobi' Bader) a few years later.
Both Aonghais and I were very active in the SCA at that time. Aonghais has issues (subject of a Court of Chivalry) and was banished from Caid.
After that, Aonghais and I fell out of touch. That was the last I heard from or about him until, when doing some research online about people I knew in the SCA, I discovered that he had been arrested and convicted of being an accessory to murder for hire (also see). He died, in prison, of a heart attack on February 21, 2004.
Shield Training at Baycon
I first encountered the SCA at Baycon (World Science Fiction Convention in 1968). They had a tournament scheduled to be held on the hotel grounds near the end of the convention and were offering to shield train anyone who wanted to participate in the tournaments.
I knew how to fence (I was a TA for the fencing class at UCLA) so I jumped at the chance to learn to fight with sword and shield. Shield training, as it was taught back them, as brutal. The student was provided with a shield and a helm and no other armor. Than the instructor proceeded to beat on the student, making "helpful" suggestions whenever a blow failed to be blocked.
I was black and blue (and assorted other colors as the bruises healed) for a month after training. But I did learn how to use a shield and I did win, against another new fighter, my fight in the tournament.
The Mouth that Walks Like a Man
Harlan Ellison also attended Baycon. He may well be the he orneriest person I ever met and was so nasty to people that he was ofter referred to as The Mouth that Walks Like a Man.
Some of the people he was nasty to were SCA knights. Several of these knights challenged him to a dual (fight in the tournament). I do not believe that any of the knights thought he would accept there challenges, but he accepted all of them and got shield trained so he could fight.
He fought every challenge he had accepted and beaten badly each time. After each fight the remaining knights gave him the option to withdraw from the tournament. He refused to take the easy way out and earned the respect of the knights and everyone else that knew what happened.
Elron
Bjo Trimble had an offset printing press in her basement named Elron. It was named as a reference to L._Ron Hubbard) since was customary the shout clear before starting the press to avoid having someone's clothing or body parts caught in the machinery. I was one ot the volunteers to ran Elron.
Elron was used to print "The Crown Prints", the newsletter of the SCA kingdom of Ciad. Elron was also used to print mailings that Bjo used to organize letter writing campaigns that accomplished wonderful things. Elron was used to organize the letter writing campaigns that saved Star Trek. It was also used to organize the letter writing campaigns that got the first space shuttle named the Enterprise.
Encounter in a Subway
When I living in Maryland and was an active member of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) I heard the following story and, even though I can not verify that it is true, I suspect that it is based on some real event.
According to the story, a very tired SCA fighter was returning home late at night on the subway after fighting practice. He was totally exhausted and was wearing his chainmail armor under his cape because he was too tired to carry it. He wraps himself in his cape, sits down on the bench in subway car, and tries to get some rest.
Part way home a young man who looked like a gang member got into the same subway car as the tired fighter. After a couple of stops, the young man approached the SCA fighter and said to him "give me you money". The SCA fighter replied, "leave me alone, I'm tired".
The young man then pulls out a switchblade and said, "give me you money or I will cut you". The SCA fighter replied, "leave me alone, I'm tired". The young man then stabs the SCA fighter with the switchblade and twists the knife.
The knife gets caught by the chainmail and the blade breaks off when the young man twists the knife. The SCA fighter then backhands the young man in the face. It should be noted the the SCA fighter was wearing full chainmail which includes chainmail gauntlets.
The young man staggers back across the subway car and collapses by the door. When the train pulls into the next stop, the door opens but the young man remains quivering on the floor until the doors start to close. He then he gets up and bolts out the door.
As I said at the beginning, I cannot verify that this story is true, but I suspect that it is based on some real event. The reason is, another story I heard when I was in New York. It was a story about a gang member encountering a vigilante with super powers while trying to commit a mugging on the subway.