ARCH - (why no peerage for archer? was: Status)
baron at elfsea.ansteorra.org
baron at elfsea.ansteorra.org
Sun Jul 9 11:41:32 PDT 2000
Galen here...
Here we go again...
Quoting Earl Albrecht <ealbrecht at nitekmcallen.com>:
> There is no logical reason for archery not to have
> the same respect that all the other branches of the
> game have.
Just a quibble; activities don't garner respect, people
do. How well you excell at something, over how great
obstacles, with how much grace and style, and most
importantly, how much character, is what wins you
respect. I sure we all agree on this.
Which leaves the implied question, why is there no
peerage for archery? This is a new person's question,
one of many newbie questions from an obviously well-
meaning newbie. So I'll attempt to answer it honestly.
> If one can (essentially) earn a knighthood by
> knitting (no disrespect, just an example) why can't
> archers do the same thing?
The answer to this lies in the history of the SCA. Our
group didn't spring fully grown from the head of Zeus,
with its award structure fully mapped out in advance.
Quite the opposite.
At the first tourney, there were no awards. All the
fighters were knights, except for one fellow who came
as a squire in service to one of the knights in
attendance. At the end of the tourney, that squire was
knighted, and history records him as the SCA's first
knight. When the Society was incorporated at 12th
Night in A.S. II (2), the Order of Mastery of Arms was
added, and two men were added to that order, thus
spitting the Chivalry of the SCA into its two mutually
exclusive Orders, the Order of Knighthood and the Order
of Mastery of Arms. The Order of the Laurel was also
created at that time, for both excellence in the Arts &
Sciences and also for service. The Order of the
Pelican was created in A.S. IX. I'm not sure when the
Order of the Rose came in, which is given to ladies who
have ruled as queen. These Orders, plus Awards and
Grants of Arms and the various titles of nobility, are
the only Society-wide awards.
All the rest is up to the individual kingdoms. Here in
Ansteorra, we have blazed the trail in recognizing
rapier combat; the White Scarf of Ansteorra is the
oldest and most prestigious (and highest-ranking,
carrying a grant of arms) recognition for rapier skill
in the SCA. But in other respects, we have avoided
creating specific awards for specific endeavors; some
kingdoms have separate awards for bardcraft, costuming,
dancing, and a variety of other arts. In Ansteorra, we
have the Sable Thistle, for excellence in a specific
art, but which art is specified varies with the
recipient.
Other kingdoms have specific awards for archery. In
the East Kingdom, for instance, where their kingdom-
level orders carry only Awards of Arms (grants of arms
are rarely given there), there is an AoA-level award
for archery, called the Order of the Saggitarius.
By contrast, in Ansteorra, archers have received
recognition within the structure of other awards. The
Sable Thistle, the Sable Falcon, and even a couple of
Laurels (Master Leon Dunne, Master Iolo FitzOwen, and
Mistress Ascelyn Balstene come to mind) have been made
to recognize work in and around the archery field.
A few years ago, Mahadi & Valeria created the Award of
the King's Archer of Ansteorra, which has been awarded
to a number of worthies, including several of the most
vocal on this list. The King's Archer carries no
precedence, and is on a par with several other similar
awards, including the Sable Falcon, the Queen's Rapier,
and the Golden Bridle. All of these awards are highly
regarded by their recipients, and by others who take
part in the honored activities. It was a great honor
for me to receive my Sable Falcon from King Gunthar,
over 10 years after my knighting. I am sure that none
of the King's Archers feel differently about their
awards.
But though the Award of the King's Archer is far from
worthless, it carries no rank or precedence. There are
many who reasonably feel that it should be possible to
ascend to high rank through work in shooting a bow, as
it is possible to do so through excellence with a
rapier, a broadsword, in holding office and
autocratting events, or with a knitting needle (or
other implements of artistry).
I sympathize immensely with this point of view. Hell,
I designed a badge and regalia for an armigerous
archery award years ago. I don't ever expect to see a
seperate peerage for archery, but I would cheerfully
support something like a White Scarf for archery. I
have no doubt that it will eventually come to pass,
through the tireless and continuing efforts of the many
who teach, set up the ranges, record the scores, make
the garb and equipment, autocrat the events, and yes,
shoot such high scores.
We can bring this to pass not by complaining but by
continuing to try to improve our own performances, on
and off the range, to be teachers and examples of what
an outstanding archer in the SCA should be.
Ideas for new kinds of competition, creating an archery
guild, formalizing student/teacher relationships, and
exchanging ideas and information at events and on this
list all seem to me to be parts of what we need to be
doing.
> In troth,
>
> Erik the Black
I'm not in charge, and this is all just my opinion, but
I hope it helps.
(Can we put this post in a FAQ somewhere?)
- Galen of Bristol
Viscount, Baron of Elfsea, Knight of the SCA, Master of
the Pelican, etc., and host of a _very_ special archery
championship at Elfsea Defender in September, don't
miss it!
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