I had a wonderful time yesterday at Arts Gathering. Terrific event, lots of fun, wonderful people. However, one thing happened in court yesterday, that left me feeling a little surprised- not in a good way. In fact, it was one of those moments where I felt I should ask permission to speak to the populace at large, and step in front of Their Excellencies (and the other twenty nobility). While I am a bard, I was at this exact moment being a Stunt Guard and felt it would be irresponsible to leave my post. And delay an already long court for five more minutes. Finn and Faunus asked for anyone who would enter the process to be a Sergeant, Courtier, Gallant, or Yeoman to come up and be presented. One person did. The event stewards expected 70 people, 170 showed up, there was a *lot* of support for the new Barons of Dragons Mist. And yet, one person out of those people, arguably there to support their Barony, stepped forward. I know, electronic media, facebook, we have other channels to broadcast our intentions. But we were there. Right there, and only one person? Seriously? I actually laid awake last night, which I never do, wondering why so many talented people - people talented in hard-shell fighting, in arts and sciences, talented soft-shell fighting, and archery/thrown weapon talents - people who loved F2 and loved their Barony - would be reluctant to commit to this path. And I could only come up with one thing. Not knowing what it was. I can see that if someone asked me to come forward and be acknowledged as a fuffernugget ... I might be reluctant. So, let me explain. My Name is HL Conchobar Ua Muirchartaig. Uncle Connor to some, for some silly reason. My wife, HL Erennach ingen Chormeicc, and I were Sergeants to Her Grace Hlutwige about ten .. fifteen years ago. We actually both decided that we felt more drawn to the Courtier branch, since we both do Arts and Sciences, and started down that path too (then, the branches were more distinct). The sauces are different, the meat is the same. Sergeants, Yeomen, Gallants, and Courtiers are roughly the same thing, with slightly different focuses (feel free to modify that considering Ive not been one for *mumble* years). If you want to be more heavy-fighting-ish, Sergeant. A Yeoman throws things. Gallants fence. Courtiers, as their Most Happiest Excellencies claim, are blank slates (Arts and Sciences), but for the most part they are all on the same path. This path leads you through a more rounded SCA experience. For us, and I have to believe the process is still roughly similar, there was a lot of learning. We had to learn Geography, where the kingdoms were (ok, youd have to learn a couple more than we did) and what their devices are, where the nearby baronies were, and their devices. Maybe some local-celebrity devices. Can you pick Sir Octamasades shield out of the crown tourneyment board? You dont know whose throne cushions are blue with white gouttes? You would have if you were a Courtier. You learn how to dance. How to play games. You have to give a bardic performance. You have to do some A&S thing (yes, even ya Sergeants, ya big lugs). You have to show some slight skill with your chosen field. As sergeants, we had to have a basic rudimentary knowledge of tactics. And no, I dont mean the traditional An Tir charge and scream ... or is it scream and charge. Theres no timeline. None of this stuff is graded. Youre not competing. Nobody cares if you foul up the recitation of the St Crispins Speech from Shakespeare. We (past and current and future) Yeomen, are happy that youre learning something new - to celebrate your support of your Baron. This path is open to all. Ive seen Duchesses do it, Peers do it, Lordships and Ladyships do it. Ladies and Lords do it. Everyone. Again, its an awesome way to set a goal (Im gonna be a Courtier) and in doing so, learn about many facets of the SCA and yourself- pieces you may not have realized were there or that you that you secretely harbored an affinity for. I was really surprised only one of you stepped forward. If you want to learn more about yourself and about your Society at large, reach out to Finn Grim and Faunus DeArden to learn more about this path.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 16:30:23 +0000
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