SCA-stories1-msg - 4/27/94
SCA stories related before 5/1/94.
NOTE: See also the files: SCA-stories2-msg, SCA-stories3-msg, SCA-hist1-msg, child-stories-msg, SCA-authors-msg, SCA-notables-msg, you-know-msg, vanity-plates-msg, royal-deaths-msg.
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NOTICE -
This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.
Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: 21464RM%MSU.BITNET at MITVMA.MIT.EDU ("R. Miller")
Date: 25 Nov 89 02:29:16 GMT
Organization: Society for Creative Anachronism
We've never had such problems with our local law enforcement, though
I've heard tell of folks in costume at events on campus running afoul
of local weapons ordinances. There was once, though, at a tournament
long ago two FBI agents doing a security clearance check on one poor
soul - they were trying to be inconspicuous at the end of the hall in
(no, I'm not kidding) trenchcoats and sunglasses. Someone tried to
get them to put tunics on, but I don't think it worked. Amazingly
enough, the security clearance apparently went through...
Roxanne of Bloekmedwe : R. Miller
Barony of the NorthWoods, Midrealm : Okemos, MI
From: sean at ms.uky.edu (Sean Casey)
Date: 25 Nov 89 18:28:54 GMT
Organization: The Leaning Tower of Patterson Office at The Univ. of KY
lmacquar at kean.mun.ca writes:
|Tumbling off a bank in fifty pounds of plate is still not a pleasant
|thought, however. I have heard of fighters who leaped out of trees
|giving themselves SEVERE knee strains on landing.
When at my first SCA event, I watched a guy in plate lose his balance,
sidestep about 6 feet, do a small pirouette, then fall off a vertical
creek bank about 5 1/2 feet straight down onto a rocky creek bed. He
landed on his back about 20 feet from me.
There was such a *crash* that when everyone yelled "HOLD!" the fighting
had already stopped. People gathered around quickly. Someone pulled his
visor open and asked him if he was OK. He said "Yes, I'm fine, but I
can't get up." So three or four people assisted in levering him to an
upright position, he walked around the bank, and the battle resumed.
I suppose others have been less fortunate when taking a tumble in
armour, but this really amazed me. I guess they don't call it armour for
nothing.
Sean
--
*** Sean Casey sean at ms.uky.edu, sean at ukma.bitnet, ukma!sean
*** Copyright 1989 by Sean Casey. Only non-profit redistribution permitted.
*** "If you'll go to Joe B's, I'll buy. How's that sound?" "Sounds free!"
From: Alfgar the Sententious
To: Stefen
04-Dec-89 02:26pm
Subject: Re: farbiling
>> the truth from the BS - but what the Hel, i like a good
>> story as well as the next and biker confrontation ones
>> seem to be our version of the ethnic joke.
S> Only one or two involved bikers. Some were the mundane mugger
S> who in attacking a SCAdian got more than he bargained for. One
Not a "story"-- This happened to Koppel funem Laksfalk directly after his
knighting.
* Origin: Opera=Deorum: Home of Baphonet-by-the-Sea
From: Dave Aronson
To: Justin du Coeur MKA Mark Waks
05-Dec-89 09:54pm
Subject: Re: Vis and the Serjeant
Unto all the good gentles of the Kingdom (?) of Rialto, I send greetings!
> Now, the gentleman in the tower above them was a worldly sort, who had
> encountered emissaries from our Kingdoms before. Noting Vis' inimitable
> style, he called down to the Serjeant, "Hey, ask him if he's in something
> called the SCA."
>
> The Serjeant leaned over to Vis, and shortly yelled back, "He says that
> he is. What's that mean?"
>
> The fellow in the tower said, "Means you can't beat him."
>
> Whereupon Vis tapped the Serjeant on the shoulder, and spoke to him a
> moment more. The Serjeant called up to the tower, "He's says he's a
> Knight. What's *that* mean?"
>
> Sayeth the tower, "Means *they* can't beat him, either."
The way I heard it, the gentle was not named, but the conversation went:
Tower: "Ask him if he's in the SCA."
Sarge: "He says he is. What's that mean?"
T: "It means he knows how to use the thing. Ask him if he's a knight."
S: "He says he is. What's that mean?"
T: "It means you can't beat him. Ask him if he's a duke."
S: "He says he is. What's that mean?"
T: "It means *THEY* can't beat him either!"
* Origin: TIDMADT 703-370-7054: WOC 'n Woad with MEDIEVAL Echo! (1:109/120)
From: whh at PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)
Date: 8 Dec 89 17:23:50 GMT
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
I showed the story about Visivald in Basic Training to Duke Frederick
of Holland last night. He relates that Vis told him that the third
time, the DI had three of his assistants help try to beat Vis--and Vis
got all 4 of them . . .
The final "exercise" of the pugil-stick training was a "bear pit"
operation. All the recruits were given pugil-sticks a put in
a large pit. Only one is supposed to come out. After seeing what
Vis had done to the DI, everybody left him alone. When there
was one other recruit left, Vis walked over to him and asked--
"Shall I hit you, or do you just want to fall down?"
The other recruit elected to fall down without being hit and Vis
walked out . . . .
Flieg is also fond of what happened to Theoderick of Skane one
day. Theoderick pulled into a 7-11 lot and as he got out of his
car three young tuoghs came toward him. He'd been fighting for a
few months at the time. He reached into the back seat and pulled
out a field-legal sword. On of the toughs took one look and told
his friends-- "Look out! He's SCA! He'll beat the shit out of us!"
Needless to say--the gang left abruptly.
--Hal
Hal Ravn, Province of the Mists, West Kingdom
Wilson H. Heydt, Jr., Albany, CA 94706, 415/524-8321 (home)
=======================================================================
Hal Heydt |Surely the end of the world is at hand:
Analyst, Pacific*Bell | Children no longer obey their parents
415-823-5447 | and *everyone* wants to write a book.
whh at pbhya.PacBell.COM | --from a Babylonian clay tablet
From: Algernon.Hartesmond at lcs.mit.edu, O.Troub. at lcs.mit.edu
Date: 12 Dec 89 18:24:24 GMT
Organization: Society for Creative Anachronism
} Date: 8 Dec 89 17:23:50 GMT
} From: Wilson Heydt <pacbell!pbhya!whh at AMES.ARC.NASA.GOV>
} Subject: Re: Vis in Basic Training
}
} I showed the story about Visivald in Basic Training to Duke Frederick of
} Holland last night. He relates that Vis told him that the third time,
} the DI had three of his assistants help try to beat Vis--and Vis got all
} 4 of them . . .
I told Vis that the "pugil-stick in basic training" story had been
retold on the net. He asked me which version. "The one that ends
`...Means they can't beat him either,' I reported.
Vis says that one is false variant #4 -- he wasn't a knight yet, after
all. We agreed, however, that it *is* a really good story, even better
than the original. He admitted that it was so good a tale that he
himself tells it that way on occasion.
All the versions agree that after receiving such a thorough whupping,
the pugil instructors had Vis give them lessons. They were large,
powerful fellows, in excellent condition, and fiercely determined never
to let this happen again.
There's a story to follow this one that has never been heard: What ever
happened to the next SCA smart-guy at that camp who thought he could
show these instructors a thing or two about pole-weapons?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: whh at PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)
Date: 5 Dec 89 00:39:19 GMT
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
While we're trotting out old stories . . . Here's one I
was told by Master Harold of Breakstone (mka Clint Bigglestone)
some years ago . . .
Clint was learning the Japanese art of the sword from a venerable
old Master. Indeed, clint's sensei was the one that taught Toshiro
Mifune how to use one properly. The sensei spoke very little
English and Clint spoke essentially no Japanese. With translation,
they had a discussion one evening about the relative virtues of the
Western and Eastern ways of the sword. Clint--having fought in the
Society--offered to demonstrate. The only thing available to use for
a shield was a garbage-can lid. At one point the sensei made a very
nice, low, cut. clint blocked the move by pinning the sensei's wrist
to the floor with the rim of his sheild. The sensei left the room,
making some remark in his native language. Puzzled, Clint asked
the translator--the sensei's daughter, as I recall--what the old
man had said. Supressing giggles, she replied: "Master say,
'Western Warrior very sneaky.'"
--Hal
Hal Ravn, Province of the Mists, West Kingdom
Wilson H. Heydt, Jr., Albany, CA 94706, 415/524-8321 (home)
=======================================================================
Hal Heydt |Surely the end of the world is at hand:
Analyst, Pacific*Bell | Children no longer obey their parents
415-823-5447 | and *everyone* wants to write a book.
whh at pbhya.PacBell.COM | --from a Babylonian clay tablet
From: whh at PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)
Date: 5 Dec 89 00:48:44 GMT
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
While I'm on the subject, he's another from long years ago. I was
at the "climactic" event--the first Crown list I ever fought in,
but I wasn't involved in the conversations . . .
Years and years ago--in the dawn mists of the Society (my Lady Wife
could probably supply the dates, but all I can say is "pre-'70s),
several Society members lived in a "slan shack" in the Haight-Ashbury
district in San Francisco. Among them were Clint Bigglestone (Master
Harold of breakstone), Ken deMaif (sp?), and Steve Perrin (Comte Stephen
de Lorraine). They were fond of practicing Society combat in a nearby
empty lot--to the interest, amusement and such of of their neighbors.
Among the neighbors were active members of the motorcycle club Hell's
Angels (of whom you have probably heard).
June Crown of 1970 was held in San Anselmo. The site was right on
some local streets, so it was no surprise when the local Police
dropped by to see what was going on. After the usual explanations
and cries of "if only I weren't on duty . . ." they departed. While
there however, they mentioned an unusual reason for not being able to
stay and watch. It seemed the Hell's Angels were due to blow through
town that day and the Police were planning to meet them at the edge of
town and "encourage" them to pick on somebody else. We later got news
that word of the Society's precense in town had gotten to the Angels,
and they went *around* San Anselmo instead of trying to go through . . .
Now *that's* a reputation.
--Hal
Hal Ravn, Province of the Mists, West Kingdom
Wilson H. Heydt, Jr., Albany, CA 94706, 415/524-8321 (home)
From: samlb at pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Sam Bassett RCD)
Date: 8 Dec 89 21:52:59 GMT
Organization: Old, used, Steward (Thanks, Flieg!)
I heard a variation of that one from Clint:
It seems that they were all out in the back yard of the Hashbury
house, happily bashing at each other, when a group of angels roared up on
their hogs on the other side of the fence. Hearing the sounds of an
evident rumble, they peeked over the fence.
After somebody explained what was going on, one of the Angels was
heard to say: "Jeez -- those guys must be tough -- I'd never let anyone
do that to me."
Sam'l Bassett, Sterling Software at NASA Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field CA 94035 Work: (415) 694-4792; Home: (415) 969-2644
samlb at well.sf.ca.us samlb at ames.arc.nasa.gov
<Disclaimer> := 'Sterling doesn't _have_ opinions -- much less NASA!'
From: think!ames!decwrl!decvax!tinhat!meg at EDDIE.MIT.EDU (Megan ni Laine)
Date: 30 Mar 90 07:40:23 GMT
Organization: Society for Creative Anachronism
Let me tell you a short story. This is a true story.
The day after I was elected Baroness Stonemarche, I had to drive
upstate to Dartmouth hospital for an operation. It was in February,
and it had snowed the night before. There were Department of
Transportation trucks plowing the snow from the highway in front of me.
I thought to myself, what a deserted stretch of highway, and here are
four trucks clearing it. I am the only car on the road...are they
doing it just for me? This rather pretentious thought made me
remember the fact that I was now Baroness of this place, this entire
mundane state was now the Barony of Stonemarche, I was its titular
head. Suddenly I was swept away on the fantasy that I am the Baroness
Stonemarche, this is MY highway, these White Mountains around me are
MY mountains, those trucks are MY Baronial trucks clearing the road
before me. I was filled with a proprietary feeling toward the land
around me...the mountains of stone, the trees, the rivers and
lakes...it was all mine. Sounds silly, huh? Yet, in the subsequent
years, I have honored real people and rewarded them for their real
achievements, I have patched up real arguements and made real peace
between angry households, I have comforted my people when their hearts
were broken and their lives were falling apart, I have encouraged them
when they succeded amd commisserated with them when they failed. I have
found them jobs, helped them find housing, fed them, given them rides,
loamed money when needed...being Baroness is a real thing here. We are
a close-knit community of medievalists, and even when we are not
playing the Game, we are still friends. Every night, from 8 to about
1am, I am on the phone with the various folk of my barony. Its like
being a college professor, social worker and lawyer all rolled into one.
I've witnessed their weddings,and even assisted at the birth of their
children!
No offense meant to the Crown, but I didn't win this position by
strength of arms. My people elected me, very nearly unanimously. It
is by their will that I am here, it is to serve them that I remain.
The motto of Household Runnymede (open only to the Baronage of the EAst)is:
Kings come and go, but we are always here.
Sorry for rambling on so...but its a real and personal thing. I do
take the fantasy seriously. Maybe that's why they elected me in the
first place...
M ay the words I use
E ver be plain,
G od forbid I confuse
A ught I wish to explain.
N ow I remain, your servant, Megan.
--
Megan ni Laine, OL, Baroness Stonemarche
The Barony of Stonemarche
East Kingdom
Linda Anfuso meg at tinhat.UUCP
Forest Road meg%tinhat%hern at grove.crsfld.com
Wilton, NH 03086, U. S. A. ...uunet!bytepb!hern!tinhat!meg
From: icarus at UCSCB.UCSC.EDU (60451000)
Date: 16 Apr 90 16:38:18 GMT
Organization: Society for Creative Anachronism
A book called _The Gryphon King_ by (I believe) Tom Weitz
also has explicit references to the SCA- in fact, part of the
story is set at an event.
-Lady Margrethe von Holbeck
From: mittle at blinn.watson.ibm.com (Josh Mittleman)
Date: 16 Apr 90 17:56:34 GMT
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research, NY
Dur asks:
(list of SCA authors deleted)
>How many "real, named" personnas of SCAdians have these authors used, and who
>are they?
Well, "Baron Dur" appears in "Murder in the War." (Gee, what a
coincidence :) Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover books have several
secondary characters who are based on SCA people...I know that Cinhil
MacAran is one such. I'm not sure about her primary characters.
Arval.
Subject: Re: Personnas in works by SCA authors....
>>Well, "Baron Dur" appears in "Murder in the War."
>
> So does Solomon ben Jacob...
>
> Tzvi
Include Bertram of Berrington as well...
Dur
From: klw at hpindwa.HP.COM (Karen Williams)
Date: 20 Apr 90 17:33:45 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Cupertino CA
/ hpindwa:rec.org.sca / amanda at mermaid.intercon.com (Amanda Walker) /