Most of the battles are held in the
late spring, summer, and early fall.
All the tournament participants make
their own armour, which weighs
approximately 40-80 pounds. The
equipment is all carefully checked
prior to a battle. At all of the events
there is a person trained in first aid,
known as the ‘‘chirgeon’’. They have
never had any injuries within the

iety, except during an event twen-
years ago, where a_ participant
broke his finger.

All the members enjoy the battles,
which are usually between two
groups. The attacks are not restricted
at all; everyone runs out and bashes
on each other.

One Lord was saying ‘‘the battles
are live theatre at its best.’’ This par-
ticular Lord had just recently been at
a battle where a man was. struck
‘“‘dead’’, who then fell to his knees
crying out a death scene from an
Italian opera, an extremely moving
scene.

Most of the battles are local;
however, an international battle is
being held this April in Houston,
Texas, to celebrate the  society’s
twentieth anniversary. 7000 to 9000
people are expected.

Besides fighting, there are also
many quests. The quests are set up
similarly to a scavenger hunt, where a
group of people ve from one
station, receiving a clue to move onto
the next station. The questers are in
search of hidden princesses, magic
swords, and so on.

 

 

During winter, most of the events
are banquets or revels, such as the
one we were at. The evening’s agenda
for the Lover’s Revel was quite inter-
esting. There was a hand kissing
competition, an aphrodisiac sampling
contest, a contest for the best ode

written and recited for a Lady, and a
favor collecting contest. To collect
favors meant that each Lord would try
to woo a Lady into giving him her
black ribbon; the Lord with the most
black ribbons at the end of the night
= considered the most chivalrous
Lord.

There is a hierarchy within the
society. First of all, everyone is con-
sidered nobility to start with. How-
ever, one can be demoted to a peasant
or a serf if that person is illmannered.
They occasionally have peasant re-
volts where everyone is either a
peasant or a serving wench in a
tavern.

To climb the hierarchy, awards are
given for excellence in arts, sciences,
and good service to the Kingdom. The
title of ‘‘Laurel’’ is an award given for
consistantly good work in arts and
sciences. To become a Knight one
must be a good fighter, chivalrous,
courtly, and skilled in the arts of
music and dancing.

 

Kevin MacDonald Photo

 

How does one go about joining The
Society for Creative Anachronism?
Get involved in one of the local
groups. The membership fee is $2.00
per year; this entitles you to a local
newsletter and insurance for when the
group goes to battle in the U.S. To
join the Society for Creative Anach-
ronism, there is a $25.00 annual fee,
which has several benefits including
an international newsletter.

The Surrey group has their battle
training practices at Douglas College
on Wednesday evenings. There will
be a ‘‘’New Comer’s Revel’’ on March
15 and 16 at the U.B.C. Sub, where
there will be a Ball and many work-
shops you can attend. For any infor-
mation regarding the Society for
Creative Anachronism, phone Kath-
erine Downward at 524-8869 or Glen
Sumner at 438-4703.

by SUSAN MOORE

 

February 14, 1986 Page 9

IN THE PRESENT ¥

 

 

  

Kevin MacDonald Photo