SCA Customs and Courtesies
1) This is a generalized view on Customs & Courtesies from an Atlantian’s
point of view
a) SCA Customs and Courtesies are medieval interactions with modern human
beings.
i) While some traditions are trying follow medieval examples, often
the way someone will react will be with a modern thought process.
b) Forms of address have been given in an easier to remember format
however, they are not the only way.
c) Different Kingdoms have different customs
i) Sumptuary laws
(1) Period practice-during the Elizabethan age there were laws
stating only people of certain rank could wear certain types
of cloth or certain types of regalia.
(2) Atlantia doesn’t have any other than those specified by Copora.
(a) Copora only specifies regalia for Peers, Royal Peers,
Baronage.
(b) Atlantian customs
(i) Atlantia follows many of the generic SCA wide
customs, unofficially. Meaning if you wear X, it's
going to be ASSUMED you're a __________.
(ii) Officially, we haven’t any sumptuary laws; there
won’t be any either.
(2) Who’s who and how do you recognize them
a) Lord/Ladies
i) How to recognize one
(1) Can wear a plain circlet of silver or gold metal worn around
the head.
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one/ about one
(a) Lord ___________
(b) Lady ___________
iii) THL vs Lord/Lady
(1) The Honorable Lord / Lady is someone who has a Grant of Arms.
(2) Still referred to as Lord / Lady
(3) Can wear a circlet with a stone in front of band
b) Baron/Baroness
i) How to recognize one
(1) Coronet with either six “pearls” around the top or six stones
set around the band.
(2) Some versions of Baronial coronets are very...unique.
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one
(a) Your Excellency
(2) When speaking about one
(a) Baron(ess)_________, Their/His/Her Excellency
c) Count / Countess
i) How to recognize one
(1) Coronet with embattled top edge (like a chess rook).
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one
(a) Your Excellency
(2) When speaking about one
(a) Count(ess)________, Thier/His/Her Excellency.
(b) Yes, there is often confusion between references to
Counts/Barons.
iii) Earl / Jarl / Yorl / Grafin / Etc.
(1) Different ways of saying Count(ess) for different cultures.
d) Duke/Duchess
i) How to recognize one
(1) Coronet with clusters of three strawberry leaves around the
band.
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one
(a) Your Grace
(2) When speaking about one
(a) Duke / Duchess _________, Their/His/Her Grace
iii) There are other ways to say Duke or Duchess depending on the
culture His/Her Grace's persona is from. Usually they'll let you
know how to say it.
e) Laurels
i) How to recognize one
(1) Usually a medallion of a laurel wreath worn about the neck.
(a) Very stylized toward the particular Laurel
(2) Sometimes a Roman style laurel wreath worn around the head.
(3) Sometimes a cape with a laurel wreath on the back.
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one/ about one
(a) Master
(b) Mistress / Dame
(c) Again, depending on the persona's culture/country they
may choose to use another way to say Master/Mistress.
f) Pelicans
i) How to recognize one
(1) Usually a medallion of a “pelican in her piety worn about the
neck.
(a) Looks like a bird pecking at her chest to draw drops of
blood to feed her young gathered around her.
(2) Sometimes a cloak with the Pelican badge on the back.
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one/ about one
(a) Master
(b) Mistress / Dame
(c) Other alternative as culturally correct.
g) Knights
i) How to recognize one
(1) White belt
(2) Unadorned gold chain
(3) Spurs
(a) Members of the equestrian guild wear spurs too, but
they're usually just prick spurs without rondelles
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one/ about one
(a) Sir
(b) Dame
h) Prince and Princess
i) How to recognize one
(1) Learn to recognize the appropriate crowns
(a) Flat silver bands, smaller shells, no stones
(2) Learn to recognize the faces
(a) Watch for almost everyone bowing to them as they go by.
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one
(a) Your Highness
(2) When speaking about one
(a) Prince/ Princess __________
(b) Thier Highnesses, His Highness, Her Highness
i) King and Queen
i) How to recognize one
(1) Crowns-too many to try to describe
(2) Everyone bowing to them as they go by, trailed by several
ladies-in-waiting and guards
(3) Learn to recognize the faces
(a) Cover of the Acorn sometimes has a picture of some
sort of the new King and Queen.
(b) Look for posts to the Merry Rose for pics from Crown
Tourney.
ii) What to call them
(1) When speaking to one
(a) Your Majesty
(2) When speaking about one
(a) King / Queen ____________
(b) Their Majesties, His Majesty, Her Majesty
j) Students
i) Highly individual methods of recognition, often up to what the Peer
wants to do.
ii) Squires
(1) Can wear red belts
(a) Some Knights have their squires wear spurs or silver
chains
(b) Often wear tabards that are similar, but not exactly the
same as their Knight's.
iii) Apprentices
(1) Can wear green belts
iv) Protégés
(1) Can wear gold belts
3) Proper greetings
a) "Reverence" generally means some way of showing respect to those higher
in rank than yourself. There are a lot of ways to do this depending on
cultures/customs, etc.
b) Always reverence to the person of highest rank first
i) When approaching someone of higher rank than you, you reverence
first, they may or may not acknowledge you.
(1) Often not out of rudeness, just they are very busy or very
distracted.
c) People you bow/ curtsey to if you’re Lord John Q Public:
i) King/ Queen
ii) Prince/Princess
iii) Baron/Baroness who’s lands you’re in
iv) Dukes/ Duchesses
d) Bowing
i) Done by males, male personas, females when not wearing skirts or
dresses.
e) Curtsying
i) Done by females
ii) Hard to do when not wearing a skirt or dress so bowing will be
fine.
f) Pecking order
i) King/Queen
ii) Landed Baronage in their barony
iii) Prince/Princess
iv) Dukes/Duchesses
v) Counts/Countesses
vi) Other Landed Baronage
vii) Peers/Court Baronage
viii) THL
ix) Lord/Ladies
g) Stand when King/Queen or Baronage holding the land you’re currently in
walk into a room or if they walk close to you.
4) Avoiding mundanities
a) It helps make the general atmosphere of the event feel more medieval.
i) Soda cans
ii) Stereos that are out in the open or especially playing mundane
music
iii) Smoking when requested not to
iv) Mundane clothing when you really should have garb on.
(1) Different feelings on this subject, some say as soon as you
arrive. In general right after you troll is best.
(2) Bring scut garb for set-up/ Friday night. Who cares how nice
your garb is.
5) Social no-no’s
a) Cursing loudly in public
b) Anything usually not acceptable in public
i) Farting
ii) Belching
iii) Picking bodily orifices
iv) Blowing your nose without a tissue
v) Chewing tobacco
vi) Use your imagination
c) Even though there aren’t actual sumptuary laws, if you wear a piece of
regalia above your station you’ll get anything from a polite “You
shouldn’t do that” to someone chewing your hiney out.
d) Not showing proper respect for those above you.
6) Respect for Ladies
a) Give a lady your seat if none are available
b) Opening doors
c) Offer to carry items for her, wait for her to accept the offer.
d) Kissing of hands
i) NO TONGUE!!!
ii) Don’t slobber on the poor woman
e) Serving ladies first at feast
f) Escorting ladies
i) You are acting as bodyguard, while very rare there have been
occasions where a lady was taken advantage of, especially if she
was very inebriated at the time. Your job is to get her from point
A to point B in one piece, safely.
g) For the ladies
i) A male showing you courtesy isn’t saying you’re weak or ineffective
or that they want sex.
ii) Show some grace and let them help you
iii) If you absolutely don’t want help just use a firm, but polite “no
thank you”
7) Getting friendly or Not
a) Don’t touch unless person lets you know you can
i) Many people in the SCA are very “huggy”
ii) Don’t assume because the past 20 people don’t mind contact that
the 21st won’t either.
b) Gossip either giving or receiving
i) Old ties are not always obvious-unless you’ve been around a while
you may not know if the person you’re talking to is a friend of the
gossip victim or not.
ii) Old mistakes last forever in the SCA. All it takes it one person
to remember you spread rumors about someone to bite you in the
backside in the future.
8) Court etiquette
a) If you’re watching a court-Baronial or Kingdom
i) Rise when Presence walks down aisle
(1) Bow/ Curtsey as they walk by you
(2) Sit when the court herald tells you to
ii) Keep conversations to a low whisper
iii) Try not to be obvious about distractions
(1) We all realize sometimes you go to court just to go and if
you don’t recognize anyone getting awards it can get boring.
(2) It’s all right to entertain yourself if you do it very
subtlety.
(a) Such as not if you’re in the first 4-5 rows.
iv) Vivats
(1) We use it to sort of mean congratulations
(2) Shouted in sets of three
(a) After someone gets an award
(b) At the end of court
(c) The proper plural of "vivat" is "vivant" not "vivats"
b) If you’re called into court
i) Herald calls your name
(1) Disarm yourself if you haven’t been given an AOA yet.
ii) Walk down aisle
(1) Stop where rows of seats end
iii) Bow or curtsey
(1) Reverence to the highest ranking first, then the next
highest, and on down the line to everyone seated up front.
iv) Approach Persons
v) Kneel on cushions provided
(1) If herald didn’t specify which to kneel in front of look at
both Majesties and subtly signal your questioning who to kneel
in front of.
(2) The cushions are there for people to kneel on, regardless of
how pretty they are, that's their function in court.
(3) When you can’t
(a) Medical conditions causing pain or dizziness
(i) Bad knees / hips/ back
(ii) Pregnancy
(iii) Recent surgery
(b) Request permission to stand
(i) Speak in a low voice directly to Their Majesties/
Excellencies; make it very brief. They don’t need to
know how long you’ve had a problem or why.
(ii) This is a hobby, worsening your medical condition
not needed or impressive.
vi) Talk with Persons
(1) Thank them for award
vii) Stand up when dismissed
viii) Walk backward
(1) Stop where rows of seats start
ix) Bow/ curtsey
x) Turn and walk back to seat