Johan's Town Crier: SCA Glossary of Terms

This glossary contains some SCA and medieval vocabulary that is used by people in the SCA.
It contains the glossary from the "Good Grief, what do they mean by that?" publication plus some terms that I've added.

SCA
Society for Creative Anachronism
The Dream
The goal of our members to recreate the various aspects of the medieval ages, and have a lot of fun in the process.
Kingdom of Ansteorra
The SCA group encompassing all the SCA groups in Texas and Oklahoma.
Barony of Steppes
The SCA group in Dallas, TX
Barony of Elfsea
The SCA group in Ft.Worth, TX
Canton of Glaslyn
The SCA group in Lewisville/Denton, TX (our group) (we are under the auspices of the Barony of Steppes)
autocrat
The person in charge of an event. The "crat" suffix gets added to all sorts of words to identify the person running the activity. For example, the "feastocrat" would be in charge of the meal, under the authority of the autocrat.
bardic circle
An informal gathering for singing and storytelling. Anyone who attends is welcome to perform appropriate material, but you can just sit and listen if you prefer. (lots of fun) :-)
court
Gathering for announcements and awards.
crash space
Informal lodgings with members of the group holding the event. Many Society members regard anyone in the organization as a distant cousin, and make floor space available for out-of-town visitors.
dry/damp/wet site
Alcoholic beverage policies. Dry sites allow no alcohol. Damp sites permit wine, beer, and mead, but no hard liquor. Wet sites do not restrict alcohol. "Discretely" damp or wet means that the site is normally dry, but the owners have agreed to permit us to use alcohol as long as the labelled containers are kept out of sight and are removed at the end of the event.
event
Any Social gathering. You're welcome to go to anything listed in the newsletter, and you'll find things to do besides watch at most of them. Some activities (mainly martial arts) take special training, and you'll need to be "authorized" before you can take part in those.
exchequer
The treasurer of the local SCA group
farspeaker
Telephone.
feast
An elaborate meal, usually in the evening.
feast gear
A place setting for a feast: at least a plate, bowl, goblet, spoon and knife; may also include a napkin, fork, tablecloth, candles, etc. Assume you'll need to bring basic feast gear for any feast unless the announcement says you don't.
garb
Clothing based on the Middle Ages or Renaissance. Required at all events except some local meetings, but your first attempt doesn't have to be fancy!
gentle
Any person.
guild
An "informal" group of people that excel in a particular area of interest and regularly teach classes and hold workshops in this field to others. Examples include: Brewers Guild, Illuminators Guild, Cooks Guild, Clothiers Guild, etc...
halflings
Children. (Also referred to as "smalls")
herald
The person in charge of making announcements, and doing research for heraldic coat-of-arms.
house/household
Groups of individuals that band together and form strong ties to each other...almost like extended family. (If your a newcomer, don't worry about this yet)
knight marshal
The person in charge of making armour, teaching others how to make armour, and teaching others how to do actual combat in armour.
minister of arts & sciences
The person in charge of organizing the various hands-on workshops and doing research into various arts & crafts relevant to the medieval era. (I am currently performing these duties for our local group)
minister of the future
The person in charge of organizing children's activities at events.
meeting,business
Meeting where we plan upcoming activities and discuss various stuff about the SCA.
meeting,populace
Meeting where the officers give out info about upcoming activities, followed by a potluck dinner and socializing.
mundane
Modern, not-in-the-SCA. The Society discourages the use of the word, as we're aware it can be irritating. However, forgive those who use it, they don't mean to be insulting.
on-board
Attending an event and eating the feast provided by the sponsors. The "on-board" price includes the site fee. (Assume you need to bring other meals, unless the notice promices them.)
off-board
Attending an event and bringing your own dinner. The "off-board" price includes the site fee, a seat at a table, and sometimes bread and butter and some kind of beverage.
period
The Middle Ages and Renaissance, which comprise the era used by the Society as a base for its activities; or (as an adjective) of, from or reflecting that era.
porta-castles
Chemical toilets (And there are lots of other euphamisms!)
post-revel
A party after the main event, usually in someone's home, for socializing and unwinding. Guests often wear modern dress.
proof of SCA membership
A photocopy of your membership card or of a recent kingdom newsletter label with your name and address.
regnum
List of Society branches and officers.
revel
A medieval party (lots of fun)
SCA name
The name someone uses in the Society. Includes at least one given name, and at least one other name or qualifier, but no titles; all titles used in hte Society must be granted by SCA royalty.
seneschal
The leader/president of the local SCA group.
site fee
The cost of admission to an event, usually stated in the coin of the modern country where the event is being held. Some kingdoms have their own words for money, for example, the East uses the "Tyger", but they normally translate to one dollar per whatever.
smalls
Children. (Also referred to as "halflings")
troll booth
The place to check in or buy at-the-door admission to the event. Staffed by "trolls"
workshop
A hands-on meeting where we teach various things about medieval topics and then make them. (usually about a specific topic: brewing, garb, woodworking, calligraphy, etc...)

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Last Updated: 19 Aug.1998 by Lord Johan Bjornsson

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