[Ansteorra] Odd question reguarding persona development

[Susan]

 In general I'm facinated by how various people construct persona, one 
of the things I found the most facinating as a hospitaller-was the 
questions people would ask and the answers they found-I just helped 
aimed them in the direction of people who could help them to the answers 
they were seaking.  In that manner I've found this discussion facinating.

I do realize that I didn't quite make the key things I'm wrestling with 
clear, I think this responce gets best to what I'm trying to figure 
out.  It is when people's persona stories have them as intimates of 
various historic personas that I get confused.  When general connections 
are presumed, that makes sense to me, as it puts you into a time and a 
place-but you are making up the details.  Darmaid as a guildmaster makes 
a great deal of sense.  I can understand reenactors who portray a 
specific time as it was.

I think the part that confuses me is where people insinuate themselves 
into the private lives of historic figures, much as the mistresses of 
King Henry.  If one assumes to be a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth, 
how much of what you do is based on working around very specific known 
details and how much is more free form?  If you have a persona of this 
nature and are into playing persona, how do you handle the dealings in 
your SCA life that fall outside of the activities that this person would 
experience? 

I am so used to people following interests and either fitting them into 
their personas or ignoring the fact that a person from their time and 
location would have never been exposed to the art or activity that they 
are participating in.  Somehow the latter feels more comfortable to me, 
as there were only so many people in period who lived lives that spanned 
continents and interacted intimatly with a multitude of cultures.

On a personal basis, I chose the Isle of Mann to be from for many 
reasons, I love the mixture of culture that exisited there.  As I read 
more and more about the history of the isle, I find it more 
facinating-the combination of celtic and norse art on the grave stones 
are wonderful.  But in reality if I were from the island, I would have 
rarly ever have left the island.  If I were a member of the ruling 
family of the island when it was under English rule, I may never have 
visited the island in my life.  I've never been able to come across a 
way to blend this conflict to figure out a way to create a persona that 
felt comfortable to me.  Does this make sense? 

For those who haven't met me, I would imagine this post is enough to 
explain my name of Susan the Curious-as I do ask many things and ponder 
many questions far beyond what I probably should.  A Manx family name 
that did appeal was Quirk, as I am quirky.  I think the how and why 
people pick various personas (expecially those with multiple personas 
that are very different) is one of the most facinating aspects of the 
SCA.  I would love to hear more stories of how people have chosen to be 
who they are and what elements they include in that and why.

Susan the Curious

Stefan li Rous wrote:

>You cannot claim to be someone who actually lived in period. You  
>can't be Charlemagne or Joan of Arc or King Henry, but you can be one  
>of Charlemangne's gardeners or King Henry's mistress.
>  
>