ANST - Ansteorran Uniforms? No!

[Brent & Susan Rachel]

Gumbputt at aol.com wrote:

> Livery took many forms.  Jupons, surcoats, tabards, baldrics, and caps were
> but a few.  No one is asking you to wear a uniform when you wear livery.  But
> if you swear fealty to someone then you darn well better be willing to wear
> their livery... and fealty is part of the game we play.  While the King would
> be well within his rights to say, "If you will not wear my livery or the
> livery of one in fealty to me, then you will not fight in my army,"

Uhh.., I disagree..., strongly.

If each of us were of gentle birth (the basic supposition of the SCA, unless you
choose otherwise) then we would NOT wear the "livery" of the King (or duke or
count....).  We are each Lords (generic) in our own right.., each with our own
rights to armoury and the associated heraldic panoply befitting our individual
station.

We strive to reconcile demonstrating attachment to larger entities (households,
personal associations, local groups, Kingdoms) with personal heraldic rights....,
because the logic of the modern medieval battlefield SEEMS to dictate a need for
it.., and frankly to appease the modern need for clear and obvious organization
and easy compartmentalization. The rows of gold and black do appeal to the modern
sensibilities.  The taped helms does make it much easier to identify friend from
foe on the battlefield.

But at what cost all of this.

What Mistress Gunnora stated I have preached long and loudly.  I fight in MY
arms.  My associates fight in THEIR arms. They wear my badge somewhere on there
person (usually a red scarf) , as a symbol of their fealty to me. We all wear some
small badge of affiliation to the group whose banner we marshal under.

Remember, it was that same Crown that you would have "require" me to wear livery
that granted me rights to greater heraldic trappings in the first place.

Badges are not necessarily livery.., with all that livery connotes.


Baron Kazimir Petrovich Pomeshanov

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