Glossary: Glossary Terms
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- A&S
- Arts and Sciences, a broad term covering the many aspects of creating the things people needed in everyday life in the Middle Ages. Generally, "sciences" refer to practical trades and crafts, while "arts" refer to things created for aesthetic purposes. There is, of course, quite a lot of overlap between the areas, as something may be both functional and decorative.
- Alderfolk
- An informal term for the members of the Marche of Alderford
- Brendoken
- The Barony in northeastern Ohio containing Alderford, Gwyntarian, Thistle, and Three Towers as cantons.
- Chatelain(e)
- An officer whose job is to help newcomers become acquainted with the SCA, obtain their first costume (garb), find people with like interests, and get answers to questions.
- Chirurgeon
- A volunteer who provides first aid services at events. Chirurgeons are part of a guild, but function under modern-world Red Cross (or equivalent) first aid protocols.
- Chronicler
- An officer who produces the group's newsletter and (optionally) retains historical records and photo albums for the group. (The latter task may be delegated to a separate officer, the Historian.)
- Cleftlands
- The Barony of Cleftlands is located in and around Cleveland, Ohio.
- Current Middle Ages
- In the SCA, the term Current Middle Ages refers to our modern re-creation of the historical Middle Ages. We leave out things like disease, religious intolerance, poor sanitation, and other unpleasantries; in other words, the Current Middle Ages is the Middle Ages as we wish they had been.
- demo
- A demonstration held for the benefit of a school, library, civic group, or other community organization. Demos help the SCA fulfill its educational mission and recruit new members, and they are also a great deal of fun.
- event
- A gathering at which SCA folk hold classes, combat tournaments, arts and sciences competitions and exhibitions, feasts, and (if royalty or landed nobility are present) possibly Royal Court or Baronial Court.
- Exchequer
- The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the treasurer for the group, keeping the group's bank records.
- feast gear
- When attending an SCA event, one is typically expected to provide his or her own personal place setting (plate or trencher, drinking vessel, and utensils) and, optionally, tablecloth, candelabra, and other accessories. Collectively, these items -- often carried in a wicker picnic basket -- are called "feast gear." The Chatelain(e) can assist newcomers in locating feast gear to borrow or purchase inexpensively.
- garb
- The clothing worn to events and demos. We normally use the term "garb" rather than "costume", to distinguish clothing that is meant to be functional rather than stage-clothing that is only meant to look realistic. However, the term "costuming" is used to describe the art and science of creating garb, and the term "costume" is acceptable as well, just not commonly used.
- Gold Key
- A resource, often administered by the Chatelain(e), that provides loaner costumes (garb) newcomers to the SCA who don't yet have garb of their own.
- guild
- A guild is a formal or informal association of people with a common interest, usually in some aspect of the arts and sciences. In medieval times, professional and trade guilds regulated various occupations and trained new practitioners of those skills.
- Gwyntarian
- An SCA group located in the Akron/Kent area. Like Alderford, Gwyntarian is part of the Barony of Brendoken.
- Herald
- The Herald, or Pursuivant, is an officer who assists group members with researching and registering their SCA name and an heraldic device (coat of arms) and badge (personal mark).
- heraldic device
- The coat of arms for an individual or a group. Heraldic devices are registered by the College of Arms within the SCA.
- Historian
- An officer who retains and organizes historical records for the group, working in cooperation with the Chronicler.
- household
- A household is a formal or informal group of individuals who have decided to associate themselves under a common name. Households are a traditional part of SCA life, but are not officially sanctioned or regulated by the SCA.
- Marshal
- An officer who is trained (and warranted, by the Kingdom) to supervise martial activities and to train and authorize new participants. Marshals may be warranted in armoured ("heavy") combat, rapier (fencing) combat, youth combat, archery, or thrown weapons.
- MOAS
- Minister of Arts and Sciences (MOAS), an officer who encourages and assists people with projects to learn about and make everyday items from the Middle Ages.
- NMS
- Non-member surcharge, a fee levied on event attendees who are not paid SCA members. This fee is in addition to other site and feast fees, and is used by the organization to defray the cost of providing liability insurance and other corporate-level expenses.
- off-board
- Sometimes a feast will offer "off-board" seating, which means that tables are provided for those who wish to attend the feast but provide their own food, perhaps because of medical or religious dietary restrictions. Generally, off-board seating is free.
- on-board
- At a feast, "on-board" seating means that the full feast is provided, as contrasted with "off-board" in which a table seat is provided without food.
- Pennsic
- An annual SCA event held in early August each year, at Cooper's Lake Campground in western Pennsylvania. Pennsic lasts for two weeks and attracts approximately 12,000 people. More info at http://www.pennsicwar.org/.
- Quartermaster
- An officer who keeps track of the physical assets of the group.
- revel
- A revel is a private gathering or party. Although an invitation may be extended to group members, the activity itself is not sanctioned by nor sponsored by the SCA or the local group.
- Rivenvale
- Alderford's neighboring group to the east, Rivenvale is an independent shire (not part of a barony) located in the Youngstown and Warren areas of eastern Ohio.
- SCA
- Society for Creative Anachronism
- Seneschal
- The officer in overall charge of a branch of the SCA at local or higher levels. Functionally, a local Seneschal is equivalent to a chapter president.
- site fee
- The entry fee for an event, which covers the cost of site rental and event logistics
- Thistle
- An SCA group located in the Wooster and Medina area. Like Alderford, Thistle is part of the Barony of Brendoken.
- Three Towers
- An SCA group located in and around Mansfield, Ohio. Like Alderford, Three Towers is part of the Barony of Brendoken.
