[Ansteorra] Founding of the SCA and "the Dream"

[Tim McDaniel]

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012, Hywel Penbras <hywelpenbras at yahoo.com> wrote:
> From what I remember of my SCA history, the society was first
> founded to protest the modern world in 1966. It was created as a
> bastion to leave the modern worries behind, momentarily, while we
> played a game of adult dress-up with like minded friends.

That happens not to be the case.  For more details, please see the
History of the Kingdom of the West under
http://history.westkingdom.org/index.htm , specifically
     Pre-History -- The Origins
     Anno Societatis I -> The First Tournament

In briefs, it was a costume party to blow off steam just before final
exams and to have a party before Diana (the hostess) graduated.  It
was, like most parties, done with no thought of a second.  There *was*
a protest march, but it happened after the tourney finished, it was
Berkeley in 1966, and I infer that it was something of a joke
(You think they were serious about "protesting the Twentieth
Century"?).  Of more moment is that their first invention was "SCA
time", and the first "post-revel".  Oh, and they had so much fun that
they decided to do it again on Midsummer's Day.

> Once we start bringing mundane worries, fears and anxieties with us
> into our dream, then it no longer becomes the dream.

As it was put by the inimitable (because two of him would be WAY too
many) Robin of Gilwell, "The problem with 'the Dream' isn't 'Dream'.
It's 'the'."  Witnesseth this discussion.

Danyll Lincoln
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com