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Text Box: Greetings Orrin! Who am I? I’ve been the SCA for 3 years now and I have gained many interests. What are the popular personas and how do I pick just one? - Desperate Dame in Wonderland. A: Greetings Desperate! Personas, or so I’ve seen in my few years in the Society, tend to follow a few basic trends: 1) What is currently popular in the Mundania? 2) What is local Shire/Barony’s preferred culture? 3) What makes me look good? When it comes to popularity in the Mundane, one need only look as far as what movies have been out lately. When Pirates of the Caribbean rolled out, everyone wanted to be piratical. When Braveheart came around, ye Scots became quite bonnie. With the current release of the Beowulf(s), I’m curious to see how many Vikings start coming around. Romans are starting to come into their own, even though they are technically out of period. Also remember, it also depends on what is currently in your area: if there’s a large Renaissance Faire nearby, expect to see later period garb, for that is often a good stepping stone into the Society. When it comes to local societal customs, the SCA has many differing territories, but as a general rule, there are some very common personas: Norse, Scots/Irish, French, German, and Italians are all very numerous. When investigating a new Shire or feeling out a new persona, see who’s portraying what cultures. Usually in the SCA, people devoted to a certain time period are also devoted to research about that period of history and they can offer some great resources. When it comes to finding resources, the best place to start by far is the Society homepage (sca.org). In their newcomer’s links, they have a large number of articles devoted to choosing a name/persona that is right for you. One point of importance is making sure you choose a historically accurate name. For, if later down the road, you choose to register it or prove that it’s real, it’s a whole lot better to have done the research in the beginning, instead of trying to prove that

Text Box: Wilbur the Squat is a perfectly acceptable 14th century Saracen name. Also, of great help in this task is your Shire Herald! Now, calm that panic of shock and awe, it’s an absolutely true fact. Heralds are not just there when you need a registration for Arms; they can also help you in the beginning. They’re the keepers of many, many texts and can often tell you if something is appropriate for the persona you’re looking at adopting. When it comes to hints, I recommend answering this quick little survey about your potential past self: 1) What’s my name? 2) Where did I live? 3) Who was king/queen/sultan/etc.? 4) What was my profession? 5) Where would I have traveled? 6) What would I have eaten? 7) What did I wear? 8) What cultures would I have contact with? 9) Could I read/write? 10) What would I know of the world? 11) What was my religion? 12) What major events occurred when I lived? 13) What social class would I be? And finally, your other great resource, is your Castellan(s). Aidan and I are here to help get things started. Not only are we the welcome wagon, but we’re also here to help give you home and place in the Society: and that starts with a persona you can live with. Remember, it’s how people will know you for years to come.

“One of the things that really confuses (and sometimes intimidates) those new to the SCA is the topic of what role to play. By that I mean what persona to develop and cultivate. For those involved, I think choosing a Persona is either a very simple decision or one that can be likened to pulling teeth.

For some, they have an idea of what interests them even as they are just starting out in the Society, whereas others take quite awhile to figure out just who they want to become! I figure it’s just like going to college: some people know exactly what degree they wish to study, others go in for the parties, and others spend five to ten years bouncing from one thing to another, before settling on whatever they land themselves into.”

~ Orrin the Scop

Dear Castellan

Q&A Column for SCAdians, New and Old

By Lord Aidan the Hostile and Orrin the Scop