A question on War

[Keith Ewing]

>Diarmuit wrote: 
>
>This is sort of a simple question, and I suppose ties into to the
>whole Ideal Event/Fighting thing, but why do we keep getting involved
>in so many wars?  I can understand a big annual thing, or even 
>a couple of big annual things, but how many wars is Ansteorra
>currently involved in right now?


Ansteorra is presently a main combatant in only one war. The Gulf War. 
Ansteorrans travel all over the known world to attend wars in which 
other kingdoms are the main combatants, but the kingdom is only 
involved in Gulf Wars. I answered your last question first.

Now the first part of the first question, "why?". From a fighters 
standpoint it is the only way to test one aspect of our art. 
Tournaments are to test individual prowess. Wars are to test 
leadership, cooperation, and strategy. There is also nothing like the 
rush that you get when you can feel the ground rumble under the feet of 
a thousand fighters who are charging across the field.
It's also a chance to recreate period strategies and see if they'll 
work again. 

More on "Why?". From the standpoint of any Scadian, wars are an 
excellent opportunity to meet people from other parts of the known 
world and exchange ideas with them. SCA wars are by no means only 
fighting. I sat in on an organizational meeting after the last Gulf 
War. One of the largest complaints that the Laurels had was that they  
had to spend ALL day judging entries in the Arts and Sciences 
competition. Some of them wanted to go watch the fighting. Some of them 
wanted to go shopping.

Did I say "Shopping"? I meant "SHOPPING!!". Nowhere is there a greater 
concentration of merchants than at Pennsic. The only place that might 
rival it? Estrella. 

Two years ago, Bryn Gwlad had a serious interest in a period game 
called "hurley" (sp?).  Several people from Bryn Gwlad went to Pennsic 
that year and were able to hook up with members of a Barony (Settmore 
Swamp) in the East who also played the game. As far as I know, noone 
else in the known world is playing this game. They would have never 
connected if they had not all gone to the war.

Pennsic is 9 days long, approximately. During that time at any time 
during the day, and many times at night, a person can attend classes on 
any number of subjects. There are classes at Gulf Wars as well.

I could go on. I haven't mentioned dancing or reveling or enchanted 
ground or kingdom patriotism yet.

Now to answer the last part of your first question, "Why so MANY?"
I have never considered one annually to be "Many".  

Kein MacEwan, Warlord of Ansteorra. (Does it show?)


mka Keith Ewing