Despite fighting being one of our more
visible activities, the Society is not just about combat! Our members are
also extensively involved in the research and reproduction of a wide range of
medieval arts and sciences. We hold regular classes and competitions for
members who focus on these activities, and even have local and global
recognition to honour accomplishments in specific fields.
SCA members interest themselves in almost
all of the craft skills that a medieval society needed in order to provide for
the needs of the population. The following list provides an idea of the
breadth of crafts explored in the context of the SCA:
Animal Husbandry: Principally
horses, falconry, and dogs - for those who have the land available. Some SCA
Members dwelling in rural communities have even tried keeping ducks, geese,
chickens, and goats - in their medieval "strains", if they can be found.
Archery: Target archery both with
traditional longbows and with arbalests [crossbows].
Bookbinding: Several medieval
fashions of book construction
Brewing and Distilling: Making
mead, beer, liquours, and wines.
Chandlery: Candle-making, and
other aspects of lighting by a “live flame”, plus wax-tablets for writing
upon.
Coining: The craft of the
medieval moneyers
Cooking: Redacting and using
medieval recipes, including camp-cooking over open fires
Courtesy, Etiquette, and
Protocol: A complex subject which - if properly practised, adds
enormously to the period atmosphere at events.
Costuming (Garb making): With
over a thousand years of history and a huge range of cultures to choose from,
- making medieval clothing in it’s many and varied forms is a major interest
for many SCA Members
Dance:
Period dance in a variety of forms
Dyeing
Embroidery: Period techniques to
embroidery, including “blackwork”, and embroidered surcoats, Banners
Standards, tablecloths, napkins, and bed-covers
Equitation: Riding medieval
style, for those interested and lucky enough to have horses regularly
available to them.
Fabric:
Study of period textiles, their construction and uses.
Gaming: History and rules of
period games, including such pastimes as Cards, Chess, Dicing, Backgammon,
Nine Men’s Morris, Juggling, Quoits, Tilting, Tumbling, etc.
Gardening:
Rediscovering many plants, legumes, and fruits now almost forgotten, for those
who have access to a large-enough garden.
Glassmaking: Both “stained-glass”
for windows, and items for domstic use.
Heraldry: Design and display of
period heraldry – includes creating painted wall-hangings, and display
shields, as well as marking your own equipment in "period fashion".
Herb Lore: Herbology for both the
kitchen and health; including redacting medieval make-up techniques and
materials.
Historical Studies:
Research and analysis from AD 600 to AD 1600, anywhere in the Known
World within those dates. Usually taken to refer to Europe and the
Meditteranean Basin.
Leatherworking: Methods,
materials, and products involving the use of leather. Spans a wide
variety of medieval aspects; including shoemaking, belt-making, pouches,
tooling the bindings for books, leather-coverings for chests and coffers; "cuir-bouilli"
armour; saddlery, girdle-books, etc.
Metalwork & Smithcrafting:
Methods, materials, and products including jewellery, armour, weapons, and
tools/instruments; spanning iron, silver, gold, pewter, etc.
Music & Theater: Spanning
singing, dance, instrumentalists, and actors.
Pottery: "Thumbpots",
"coiled" vessels, "thrown" and "cast" ware, based on archeological finds,
museum examples, and items shown in contempoorary portraiture and manuscript
illuminations. Could include making and using glazes from natural ingredients.
Scribal Arts: Calligraphy and
illumination based on a wide varity of styles, periods, and cultures.
Also spans production of period inks, papers, and parchments.
Spinnging & Weaving: Textile
production in most of it’s manually-operated forms.
Tannery:
Producing leather from hides.
Tent-making: Construction of
period tents from numerous medieval designs/styles.
Woodworking: Methods, materials,
and products in nearly all medieval aspects; including making furniture and
other domestic items, weapons, musical instruments, even heavy siege weapons
such as trebuchets. Also includes such skills as woodcarving and
wood-turning.
In general, almost any modern hobby can be
imported into the SCA through the research and reproduction of the same activity
in period forms. Regardless of your interests, chances are there are
already members studying that craft and who would be willing to share their
research and projects with you; and encourage your own efforts in that area.
You dont even need any historical or craft expertise to get started.
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is the recognized website for the Shire of West Dragonshire of the Society for
Creative Anachronism, Inc. and is maintained by Baron Colin Tyndall de ffrayser.
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