ANSTHRLD - Scroll Text Recommendation

Ulf Gunnarsson ulfie at mmcable.com
Tue Aug 29 00:07:49 PDT 2000


Greetings to the heralds.

My lady and I are of a mind to change the text of the scroll for our
baronial service award.  Currently, we have the most bare-boned text
possible.  We have gathered some different ideas from heralds, bards, and
members of this order, and have rolled them together to form a new text.
This meets with the approval of all the currently active members of the
order in our barony.

A preliminary review by one of the members of the college outside our
barony, whom we respect, brought an opinion we do not share.  The individual
felt that our text was too fanciful and flowery, too bardic instead of
heraldic, and would much rather we follow period examples.

This is the old debate on legal vs. prose in scroll texts.  The most common
examples of period texts are charters, usually grants of land and title to
individuals.  These follow a strict format, usually with a lot of legalese
to insure that the recipient pays his taxes and provides men in times of
war.  These are usually not even illuminated, being more a legal document
than anything else.  These fall short of the expectations of a modern
audience, who think of scrolls as fancifully illuminated bits with mighty
words written on them.  They do not want to come to an SCA event, only to
hear someone recite something as exciting as an assembly manual to them.

I  feel there is a middle ground, and that we have been looking too
exclusively at period legal charters.  Given that we are not actually
granting lands and extracting taxes with any of these awards, maybe we
should look more afield for examples.  Letters and orders, declaration of
knighthood and grants, indulgences... there is a wealth of texts out there
where Someone In Authority made a written statement that, by its writing,
improved the life of another and conferred special recognition.

Below is the original and the proposed texts. We wanted to put on paper some
of the feelings and emotions behind the award, something that captures
the... well, for want of a better word, magic... of the moment in such a way
that anyone reading it knows exactly how special this award is to the
recipient and to the barony.  I know that each group feels their awards are
special, and we are not alone in this; but the members of our order have
petitioned each new set of hats to keep the order open.  It is, for many,
their highest award, no matter its precedence.

So if any of you have a moment of time before this weekend is over, could
you maybe send us any research along these lines that you may have done
already, or debate it here for the (constructive) edification of all.  We
would like to get a text approved by Star by next Monday, to allow our
scribes plenty of time to get any scrolls done before our next event.

Thank you very much,
Ulf and Maleah, Baron and Baroness of Namron

-------------------
Original Text:
Be it known by these presents that ____ in acknowledgment of their service
to the Barony of Namron is hereby named a Companion in the Order of the
Heart of the Sable Storm.  So done and given this ___ day of ___ Anno
Societatis ____ Anno Domini ____.
_______ _______
Baron Baroness
-------------------
Proposed Text:
Through devoted service is true honor shown.  We, _______ and _______, Baron
and Baroness of Namron, in harking to a name carried on the wind and shouted
by the thunder, do hereby strengthen the foundation of this, the Barony of
Namron.  Let heralds cry that _______ is made a Companion of the Order of
the Heart of the Sable Storm of Namron, to take {his/her} place among this
august Company, and to enjoy all rights, privileges, and duties justly
earned by {his/her} service.  So done and given this _______ day of _______
Anno Societatis _______ Anno Domini _______,
_______ _______
Baron Baroness
_______ _______
Rex Regina


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