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- Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
- Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!agate!linus!philabs!acheron!scifi!watson!yktnews!admin!siena!mittle
- From: mittle@watson.ibm.com (Josh Mittleman)
- Subject: Re: Heraldic questions...
- Sender: news@watson.ibm.com (NNTP News Poster)
- Message-ID: <1992Dec25.161250.37248@watson.ibm.com>
- Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 16:12:50 GMT
- Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
- References: <725248234.F00001@ocitor.fidonet>
- Nntp-Posting-Host: siena.watson.ibm.com
- Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
- Lines: 47
-
- Greetings from Arval! Esmeralda had written:
-
- > Different areas had different flavors to their heraldic display. If a
- > person has a Hungarian persona, and likes the heraldry of their chosen
- > country/period then what is the basis for the CoA to state that it was
- > just a fashion and not a general practice?
-
- Tadhg replied:
-
- > Because this *isn't* Hungary, this is Ansteorra, or the East, or
- > wherever; in essence, because this isn't Hungary, it's the SCA, and the
- > SCA (like Hungary and every other mundane jurisdiction) has developed its
- > own more-or-less consistent style that doesn't include everything that
- > everyone else is doing... Our period deals with "Western Europe", and
- > what is a general practice in Hungary may be (and is, in this particular
- > instance) an exception when "Western Europe" is the context.
-
- Thank you, Tadhg. Your position is now crystal clear, and I agree that
- this is how Laurel and much of the College of Arms views its role in the
- SCA: "Our period deals with Western Europe". That is precisely the
- problem: The corporation says that our period is "western culture", which
- clearly includes more than just western Europe. The College of Arms is
- restricting the scope of the Society and in doing so is overstepping its
- mandate. Corpora states that Laurel's job is to develop rules that
- "support the historical recreations of the Society". Not "the historical
- recreations of the College of Arms" and not "the subset of the historical
- recreations of the Society that appeal to Laurel", but the historical
- recreation of the ENTIRE Society.
-
- You are quite correct that each medieval heraldic jurisdiction developed a
- consistent style. The SCA is not a medieval heraldic jurisdiction. We are
- not creating, we are re-creating. Our goal as an organization is to study
- and reproduce what they did, not to create something new.
-
- You are interested in developing a consistent style, and as an individual
- artisan you are welcome to pursue that goal, but that is not the purpose of
- the Society nor is it the purpose of the College of Arms. Corpora does not
- direct Laurel to develop a consistent style. You prefer to deal with the
- armory of western Europe, and as an individual artisan you are welcome to
- choose your matter as you wish, but that is not the scope of the Society.
- Corpora does not empower Laurel to re-define the scope of the Society.
- Individually we may study, re-create, and teach whatever we wish; if we
- accept the responsibility of being officers of the corporation then we are
- bound to support all of the Society.
-
- ===========================================================================
- Arval Benicoeur mittle@watson.ibm.com
-