[Steppes] The Dream

[Susan McMahill]

Friends,
 
I have been reading this thread for a couple of days now and decided to do a little research. In snooping around the newcomer's information on the SCA website, I found that there is not a single mention of this 'dream' that people seem to be so enamored of. It's no wonder that newcomers don't understand it. After some consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it doesn't really exist, at least not in any set, tangible form. Dreams seldom do.
 
The Dream, the way it is for some people, is in many ways very uncomfortable for me. High personna play is painful for me. It may be great fun for some people, but for others of us, you might as well burn us at the stake or put us on the rack. It is THAT uncomfortable. Please don't say, 'try it, you'll like it'...no, I won't. If I wanted to do high personna, I'd go audition for the ren faires. On the other hand, if I choose not to play high personna, or any way that is particularly appealing to you and not me, do not say that I have spoiled your dream. I have not. It is only spoiled if you let it be. Is my dream any less valid than yours? No, it is not. I am living mine, not yours.
 
Since the beginning of the SCA, 42 years ago next week, much has been discovered. A great deal of what was accepted as gospel in history has been found to be either untrue, or inaccurate. More and more sources have been discovered and documented. Looking at old things and documents through different lenses has produced interpretations of some things that were unheard of in 1966. Sometimes it means that we have to adapt to different ideas about what life was like a thousand years ago. Just bring up the color pink as it pertains to garb and the fireworks will start among costumers, weavers, dyers. Yes pink did exist in period, quite contrary to what many people were taught in the past.
 
I was listening to people describing their first garb attempts at the BOD meeting this past weekend. One lady said that she had been told that she had to use solid color fabric, no purple, and natural fibers only when making her first garb, umpteen years ago. We now know that there were fabrics with different colors in the weaves, designs within the weaving not only made by color, but by patterns within the weave. Time and knowledge are fluid. Learning is part of the dream for almost all of us. 
 
There is one other thing that is common to the Dream that most of us have. Ironically, that thing is barely a reality historically. The whole idea of Chivalry is nearly fiction. While there were some guidelines, these were followed irratically, at best. Faith, Loyalty, Fidelity, Honor, Courtesy, Courage, Truthfullness, Protection of the weak, Respect for Women...there are multiple lists of qualities and characteristics. They overlap, but were they adhered to?...only in the legends. In truth, knights swore oaths of fealty and broke them for a variety of 'good' reasons. Protection of the Weak....well, that was inconvenient a lot of the time. Especially if the Weak belonged to your enemy. Often times, the weak were victims, not protected by either side. Same for Respect for Women....that worked out particularly well if the women were of noble birth or had money, otherwise...well, history is full of incidents of abuse of women by knights and gentlemen from ancient times to modern. Eleanor of Aquitaine was the victim of attempted kidnapping and would have been forced into marriage and consummation of that marriage by her would be captors, had they been successful. Doesn't sound terribly respectful to me. Chivalry sounds wonderful, however, and Honor, Courtesy, Grace, etc mean a lot to me....Yep, they are definitely part of my dream.
 
The dream is something that we find in ourselves while we play this game. It is different for everyone, though it may have some characteristics that are shared within the dream that is perceived by others. All of us have been drawn to the SCA in similar, yet different ways. Some through love of history, some by love of fantasy, others for the theatrical aspects. One SCAdian loves and lives to fight the lists, another to sing the songs and tell the tales new and old that make our hearts sing and fill. Within the game we play, we find kindred spirits and flock to them. We also meet those with interests and desires far different from our own. Hopefully, we share our similarities, and learn from (or in some cases ignore) the differences that we aren't so comfortable with.
 
Everything that is 'official' that I can see, describes the SCA as an educational organization that encourages learning about pre-17th century civilization though study, practice, and teaching of arts, sciences, culture and traditions of that time period.
 
My dream is the study of 12th century English history and culture. I also study and practice archery, as well as teach it. I dabble in inkle weaving, costuming, and cooking. I also find great joy in serving my barony and my Kingdom. I do all of these fairly quietly. My dream does not include speaking with a phony accent. For one thing, I would most likely be speaking Norman French and I don't know it. I would not be using a non-existant British accent or any other affected speech. I have considered using period swearing, but if I went around saying "God's Eyes!" or the like, I would probably offend my companions' modern sensiblities. Besides, I probably would avoid swearing in the 12th century, anyway....not terribly lady-like, after all. On the other hand, There are a lot of things that I do do that I wouldn't have been doing then, and lots of things that I would be doing that I don't. That's why we are an anachronistic society. We recreate bits and pieces, not re-enact.
 
We are the keepers of our own dreams. There is no one else we should depend on to keep our dream alive. My dream is my dream. Simply by the virtue of being a dream, it is only in MY head....MY heart...and I am the only one that can make and keep it real for me.
 
Living the Dream my own way,
 
Lyneya de Grey
 
Well-behaved women Seldom make history - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich