HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Organization: Youngstown State University
Date: Friday, 10 Apr 1992 10:54:33 EDT
From: <00030929@ysub.ysu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Thinkwell : Hitchhikers Guide : Mixing SCA and real life

Greetings to all from Vajk

  Lhiannan y Llysieuydd asks about Thinkwell.   Please post information to the
Net, as I am interested also.
  Some months back I asked whether this publication had to do with medieval
philosophy, or with the philosophy OF the SCA, but got no reply. Could someone
please tell us more about this thing, of which I have seen but three references
here on the Net.


  Beatriz de las Trenzas wrote of the Hitchhikers Guide to Pennsic.  Never
heard of it, but it sounds interesting.  Could we have more info on this, too.


  As to mixing SCA and "real" life:  I have often "kissed" a lady's hand,
though it is usually, but not always, simply a low bow over the hand.  I read
somewhere (I cannot even remember where) that that was how the "kiss" started
out. Later the actual kiss was added. Anyone know more about the origins and
evolution of this gentle art?
  Not a single lady yet has complained, and a few give a kind of surprised
smile.  Usually I do this only when a woman's hand is extended with the back of
the hand more or less horizontal.  If it is definitely vertical, then a hand-
shake is more likely, though sometimes, if the hand is loose enough, it just
seems to kind of flop over to the horizontal  : ).
  Usually I sort of half apologize, explaining that I am more used to this than
to a handshake (which I am, since 99% or so of my friends are either in the SCA
or at least on the fringes). Sometimes this aroused their curiosity, other
times just a mention that they don't mind such things at all, an only rarely
does it elicit no reaction.


  Another way I include the SCA in "real" life is kind of funny, and always
brings a grin or giggle to the receiver.  When crossing a street on foot, if a
car is ready to turn in front of me,  I "make a leg" and bow, as if at the end
of a dance, then bring the arm which has been brought in front of me up in a
motion which can only be interpreted as an "after you" type of gesture. You'd
be surprised at how such a thing relieves the uncertainty of who should go

  Of course, I also do some of the more usual things like a gentle bow from the
head and shoulders when greeting people I know, even "mundanes".

Vajk
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: habura@vccsouth06.its.rpi.edu (Andrea Marie Habura)
Subject: Re: SCA in SF and a new topic
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 15:49:29 GMT

My "favorite" mangling of the SCA`s name was done by one of our local libraries:
The Society for the Perpetration of the Creative Anachronism.

Alison MacDermot
From: jtn@nutter.cs.vt.edu (Terry Nutter)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Wm the Conqueror - Member?
Date: 14 Apr 92 03:02:00 GMT
Followup-To: jtn@vtopus.cs.vt.edu
Organization: SCA

Lord Charles writes:

>I have here seen a number of notices beneath the title, "William the
>Conqueror, Member."  I knew not that William was a member of our Society.
>Or was the reference to some other fellowship that he was a member of?

I have puzzled on that title myself (and I was one of the contributors),
albeit with my somewhat degenerate cast of mind I thought of obscure
journal articles on the late William's member.  Not that I'd touch it with
a ten-foot Anglo-Saxon. :-)

Hossein
From: Dave.Aronson@f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Aronson)
Sender: Uucp@blkcat.UUCP
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: withholding knowledge
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 21:54:18 -0500

Someone wrote:

 > Nothing exists in a vacuum.

hzhao@eagle.wesleyan.edu replies:

 h> Bad science here, :-)

No, whoever it was was right, by definition!  B-)
From: mephron@tronsbox.xei.COM (Mephron)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: The Welsh and our vowels.
Date: 15 Apr 92 17:10:25 GMT
Organization: The Internet

AS far as those who make such commentary on the Cymric language, and the
vowels withing, a comment:

We have seven of them.  None of this five-and-sometimes-Y rubbish of the
bloody Norman tongue.

A.  E.  I.  O.  U.  W.  Y.

SEVEN of them.

Count 'em and weep.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Unto Fra Tadgh, Greetings!

Very nice dancing.  Now, perhaps Trenchmore?  <grin>

(Don't look at me - I'm an MS-DOS weenie, not a UNIX weenie.  I can't fix
translators._

Gwalchmai Dinas Emrys
  Who uses FIVE of the seven Cyrmi vowels in his name, so he has room for
    the others if he needs them

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoffrey M. Depew      mephron@tronsbox.xei.com   Gwalchmai Dinas Emrys
"Stop that, or we'll make you the shire pursuivant." - common Woodlands
threat.
From: mittle@watson.ibm.com (Josh Mittleman)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Definitions, please
Date: 13 Apr 92 15:27:01 GMT
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM

Greetings from Arval!  Stephen Greyhawkes wrote:

>   Could some of you help this poor Trimarian and explain what is meant by
> onboard and offboard in regards to your feasts?  

At feasts in the East, Middle, and Atlantia (if not elsewhere), there is
often seating available in the feasthall for people who want to attend the
feast, but provide their own food for dietary, financial, or other reasons.
They are "offboard."  The people eating the food provided by the event are
"onboard".  People who attend the event but go out to restaurants to eat
are "outboard" or "overboard".

> And, by the way, speaking of feasts, someone recently mentioned the
> "remove" was not a period term.  What was, and why is a "remove" called a
> "remove", anyway.

A course was called a course, just like today.  I'm not sure of the origin
of "remove" in the SCA sense; perhaps it was invented by the Victorians.
Maybe Kwellend-Njal will check the OED for us...

===========================================================================
Arval Benicoeur                                       mittle@watson.ibm.com
From: lcatlett@milton.u.washington.edu (Lynn Catlett)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Camp Ovens
Date: 9 Apr 92 22:52:28 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle


Alexander of Kiev inquires about cooking in bronze/brass/copper
pots in campfire coals...  

   ... "ding," square, bronze, long-legged ritual vessels have 
been dated from at least the Shang Dynasty (1500 BC+/-), as have 
the (? is this the right term?) "shui" (3 legged pitchers with 
long handleds).  These vessels were used to cook/warm food and 
wine (respectively) at altars.  I don't know of any direct evidence
(haven't looked, really), but even rich people didn't throw away 
food.  --it might be consumed by the officiants, by their
poor relations in the second-best hall, or by beggars at the gate, 
but I'm sure it was eaten.  

I'm not sure about eating out of brass, but my reflex thought is:
ikkkk!  Wouldn't it all taste green?  especially if the food contained
acid?  

dunno 

About pasta...  Is it a fourth-grade-geography hangover, or did Marco
Polo really bring back and popularize the idea of noodles from China?

Lin Yin Ho
...who also owns many/long 
   *negative* streams of consciousness
   about the Chinese
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: aryk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (a.j.s. nusbacher)
Subject: Re: Magick
Organization:  University of Toronto 
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 15:09:06 GMT

At the risk of starting a religious discussion which would best belong on an-
other newsgroup, I recommend to the net a book by an old prof. of mine on the
subject of witchcraft in the Middle Ages.

A Razor for the Goat
Elliot Rose
University of Toronto Press

The book was just reissued in paperback three years ago, and it is a very
exhaustive review of the question:  were "witches" evidence of survival
of paganism in Europe during the Middle Ages?

Professor Rose is very thorough, very well-educated on the subject, and very
well-read in the neopagan literature on the subject.

He concludes that there is no evidence to support historical witchcraft as
survival of paganism.

_____________________________________________________________________________
        Aryk Nusbacher                .. ..       Hart House, 1916
                                      ||_||  Women Admitted since 1972
          Hart House                  | I |     || ||          || ||  ..    ..
Informal Education in the University  |   |   . ||_||__________||_||  || ___||
                                      | O |___|_|__________________|__| /  \ |
    aryk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca         |   |       o oo  oo  oo   o      |__| |
                                      |_A_|_______A_oo  oo  oo   A__^^^______|
_____________________________________________________`------------____________


Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: IO00970@MAINE.BITNET (Alex)
Subject: Skip this... unsubscribe request
Organization: The Internet
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 18:40:51 GMT

 I will be going away over the summer, no computer, please drop me
 from this mailing list.

                        Alex Ramsay
From: aryk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (a.j.s. nusbacher)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: SCA Urban Legend Song
Date: 14 Apr 92 20:59:21 GMT
Article-I.D.: gpu.1992Apr14.205921.15941
Organization: University of Toronto

On the subject of songs, does anyone know the words to either of the two follow-
ing songs:

Oertha Ho! (the amusing national anthem of Alaska)
The parody of The Ash Grove that has all the welsh names (not any of the other
	parodies of The Ash Grove.

Please send by email if you have them.
Please include copyright information if you have it.
_____________________________________________________________________________
        Aryk Nusbacher                .. ..       Hart House, 1916
                                      ||_||  Women Admitted since 1972
          Hart House                  | I |     || ||          || ||  ..    ..
Informal Education in the University  |   |   . ||_||__________||_||  || ___||
                                      | O |___|_|__________________|__| /  \ |
    aryk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca         |   |       o oo  oo  oo   o      |__| |
                                      |_A_|_______A_oo  oo  oo   A__^^^______|
_____________________________________________________`------------____________
From: Tim@f4229.n124.z1.fidonet.org (Tim)
Sender: FredGate@ocitor.fidonet
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: A New-To-The Rialto Inquiry to Rialtans
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 00:58:59

 AA> What's the origin of the nickname for this Group, "The Rialto"?

The Rialto is the "main drag" in the city of Venice, where people would wander about, seeing and being seen, trading gossip, etc. No doubt it seemed appropriate...

        Tadhg

 * Origin: Herald's Point * Steppes/Ansteorra * 214-699-0057 (1:124/4229)
From: jtn@nutter.cs.vt.edu (Terry Nutter)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Why Call Light Blows?
Date: 14 Apr 92 03:39:43 GMT
Followup-To: jtn@vtopus.cs.vt.edu
Organization: SCA

Unto the good gentles of the Rialto does Lord Hossein Ali Qomi send
greetings and prayers for the blessings of Allah.

Mi'lord Charly the Bastard (I mean no offense, but that _is_ what he
called himself) recently posted:

>You're not the only one who has this problem; rhinoleum armor abounds
>here in Ansteorra.  I've watched inch-deep dents appear in 12 guage
>helms to the refrain 'LIGHT' more times than I can count.  This is
>strange, as Ansteorrans wear less armor than most, due to the
>predominance of liquid air and broiler temps during the summer.  I'm
>beginning to think that I'll have to actually go out and break a few
>bones through the stopsign aluminum plate that some fighters carry on
>their legs to get a called shot.  It's a pity, as I thought these
>people were my friends.  Rest assured, I can do this, but I'd rather
>not. (I'm a smith by trade, I knocked the bowling ball almost seven
>feet.  I computed the impact force from that particular blow, it came
>up 2800 ft/lb seconds, or over five horsepower.)  Perhaps there should
>be some maximum armor specifications instituted, so the blows will
>hurt more, bringing forth a lighter killing call.  Unfortunatly, the
>trend is for more metal plate of thicker guage.  What can I say guy,
>if they won't call a reasonable blow, break some bones.  Maybe they'll
>get the hint after they spend a tourney season in a body cast.  Sure
>takes the fun out of it though...

I do not mean to question your word, my lord, but I fought for several
years in Ansteorra and saw _very_ little of the phenomenon which you
are describing.  Indeed, I have fought in tourneys in all of the Laurel
Kingdoms and would characterize Ansteorrans as, on average, throwing
blows and taking blows somewhat heavier than Meridies and Trimaris --
which I have found to be the lightest (there being individual exceptions,
of course) -- and rather much lighter than the East, Atlantia, or Caid
(which I think to be, by and large, the heaviest calibrated kingdoms).
Certainly there are a few Ansteorran fighters (I will not name them here)
who have blow-calling problems, some of whom have had serious attitude
adjustments administered by the Crown and the Kingdom Earl Marshal.
If such a problem exists, please call it to the attention of King Patrick
or the Kingdom Earl Marshal, who, I believe, is still Sir Hildebrand von
Tiel.  I vaguely recall from your posting that you fight in the northern end
of Ansteorra; Sir Hildebrand lives in Oklahoma, as do Syr Jonathan MacNaughton,
Duke Michael, Count Finn, Sir Syf, and Sir Frederick von Sternwald.  I'm certain
that any of them would be _very_ interested in solving such a problem.

I would be interested in comments from other Ansteorran fighters about
this situation.

In Service to the Society and Homage to the Throne of the Sable Star,

Hossein Ali Qomi
From: Robert.Fitzmorgan@f213.n170.z1.fidonet.org (Robert Fitzmorgan)
Sender: Uucp@blkcat.UUCP
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Isaac Asimov
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1992 20:07:25 -0500

>From: <00123646@ysub.ysu.edu>

>Anyone have details on last night's death of Isaac Asimov?  What
>was his SCA name, if any?

Isaac Asimov died of Kidney failure, (I think).  He was hoppitalized eariler 
this year for heart proublems and was discharged from the hospital last month. 
He was 72.  Isaac Asimov was not a member of the SCA, at least not at the  time
he wrote his autobiography.
                                       Robert


Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: jerbil@ultra.com (Joseph Beckenbach {Adapter Software Release Engr})
Subject: Re: Disenchantment
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 19:06:20 GMT

Unto the gentlefolk here gathered
doth Joseph d'Aquitaine send courteous greetings!

In her missive, Dorothea of Caer-Myrddin <cozzlab@garnet.berkeley.edu> writes:
>Except that, as I understand, "Mundania" is a place-name in the endlessly
>self-referential novels of Piers Anthony....

	Ah, but "Mundania" has no magic.  I don't feel it would be that
great a culture shock.

	Another possibility:  "outside [the ken of] the Laurel Kingdoms".

		Joseph
		Southern Shores / Mists / West
-- 
----
Joseph Beckenbach	jerbil@ultra.com	408-922-0100 x246
#include <disclaimer>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: aryk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (a.j.s. nusbacher)
Subject: Re: More membership???
Organization: University of Toronto / UTCS Public Access
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 14:20:42 GMT

It is not true that once the SCA has someone for a year it is forever.  There i
is considerable attrition in the first months (this is based on my experience over
many years in charge of novices), and from my own experience a lot of attrition
after six to ten years.  I quit the SCA after ten years, as did a lot of my friends.

Think back to your local group six to ten years ago, and try to remember where
everyone went.  Take a look at an old address list, or old herald's files, dis-
count the people who graduated and got jobs--what you have left will be a pretty
serious attrition rate.

Aryk Nusbacher
From: dgreen@thor (David Greenebaum)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Why Call Light Blows?
Date: 14 Apr 1992 06:30:23 GMT
Organization: /etc/organization
NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.berkeley.edu

Greetings from Bjalfi, who's up way too late!

>> 	In the last war I was at, I didn't see most of the shots that
>> 	hit my shield, let alone what kind of weapon was used...How do
>> 	you propose that damage could ba called in this manner when we
>> 	don't see what we're being hit with?

Okay, disclaimer time: I don't fight heavy, so if I'm talking through my
hat, please forgive me.  But in the sagas and much other literature, it's
pretty common that combattants' shields get trashed in a fight, no matter
what the weapons form.  Maybe if SCA fighters agreed that after a shield
took a certain number (8? 12? 40?) of solid hits from any weapon, it would
"break" and be unusable?  That's one more thing for the fighter to keep
track of, of course, and it might clutter up needed attention, or lead to
a brand new form of rhino-hiding: "Honest, I just lost count."

---------------------  Bjalfi Thordharson/College of St. Katherine/Province of
 |\  | |\  |\  |// |       the Mists/Principality of the Mists/West Kingdom
 | > | |\\ | \ |/  |   David Greenebaum/University of California/Berkeley, CA
 |<  | | \ |   |   |   dgreen@athena.berkeley.edu, dgreen@garnet.berkeley.edu
 | > | |   |   |   |
 |/  | |   |   |   |   "I make mistakes, but I am on the side of good -- by
---------------------  accident and happenchance." -- the Golux
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: rhodes@usafa.af.MIL (Capt Michael Rhodes)
Subject: Help in Gaelic
Organization: The Internet
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 19:51:42 GMT

>Speaking of Gaelic, does anyone have any suggestions for someone
>interested in learning the language on their own?

In addition to what Lady Bro/nach suggested the following is also available:

	Teach Yourself Irish, Myles Dillon and Doncha O Croinin.  Good for a
		beginer.
	New Irish Grammar, the Christian Borothers, Fallons press, Dublin.  A go			d all around reference grammar.
	Foclo/ir Po/ca, English Irish/Irish English Dictionary, Dublin.  A cheap
		paperback that is especially good because it gives phonetic
		pronunciation of each word.
	
	Tapes: Irish, Language/30, Educational Services Teaching Cassettes.  
		Only two tapes, but much cheaper ($15) than Buntu/s Cainte
		($75 or more).

	In addition I have written two computer programs that help in learning
	Gaelic.  One basically follows the lessons in the Teach Yourself Irish
	book mentioned above and tests you with Gaelic to English or English
	to Gaelic sentences.  The other program displays several different 
	Gaelic texts with a separate window that contains the complete v
	vocabulary of the text you are reading.  The programs run on an IBM
	compatible.  Anyone interested in them please contact me directly at
	my Email address rhodes@usafa.usafa.af.mil.  They can be FTPed over
	internet or we can work out some way of getting them to you.

	One other important dictionary if you're planning on reading older
	Gaelic texts (published before the 1948 spelling reform is

		Irish English Dictionary, Patrick Dineen, Dublin.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to contact me either on the
Rialto or directly.

				In Service to the Society
				Taliesin the Wandering Bard
				Barony of Dragonsspine
				Kingdom of the Outlands
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: jeffs@math.bu.EDU (Jeff Suzuki)
Subject: period witches
Organization: The Internet
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 13:31:58 GMT


Johann Kepler's mother was supposedly a witch; anyway, he is reputed
to have used some of her "spells" in his science fiction novel
"Somnium" (I think) where he describes a trip to the moon.

'course, it got used against her when the local villagers decided her
land was valuable....

Fujimoto

BTW, since Salem came up again, just remember: not one accused witch
was burned at Salem.  Hanged and crushed, yes, but not burned.
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: christer@sue.komunity.se (Christer Romson)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Transylvanian runic script?
Date: 15 Apr 92 11:49:39 GMT
Organization: The Internet
X-Unparsable-Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 13: 44 MET DST

Vajk:
> Does anyone know what the word "rune" technically indicates.  I have never
> seen a "good" definition.  Is it a generic word which describes a broad class
> of items, or should it technically be referred only to those of Northern
> Europe?

The early scandinavians referred to their letters as "runes". (Well, they
didn't refer to them in English, of course. They said somehing i'd write as
"runar", but they didn't wrte it like that, since they used runes).

Those "runes" were used by the Germanic tibes of northern Europe from (at
least) the third century A.D. and were replaced with the latin alphabet
except among the scandinavians who (around 900) developed a new set of
runes (but very clearly related to the earlier rune) that remained in use
during the early middle ages (which i define as 1050 - 1523 in this case).
The 11:th and 12:th centuries saw some devlopement of the runes. 

I suspect that all the Germanic tribes referred to their common alphabet as
"runes" or a related word. I don't know that the word was used by any other
culture. I don't really see why you couldn't use the word for any writing
system that is simmilar to that of the Germanic runes, but i guess some
might consider such a usage as wrong.
 ----------------------------  
  |\  | |   /|   | |\  \ | /   
  | \ | |  * |  /| | >  \|/    SCA: Lindorm Eriksson, Nordmark, Drachenw., East
  |   | |\   | / | |/    |     Mundane: Christer Romson, Stockholm, Sweden.
  |   | | \  |  /| |\    |     Email: christer@Sue.KOMunity.Se
  |   | |    | / | | \   |   
  |   | |    |   | |  \  |   
 ----------------------------
From: bill@psych.toronto.edu (Bill Pusztai)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Magick
Date: 16 Apr 92 13:43:15 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Psychology, University of Toronto


 
Wicca is not the only form of Magick, of course. There is a long
and _documented_ history of Jewish Magickal practise (Kabbala)
stretching back through the middle ages to the oldest parts of
the Torah.
 
Refer to the _Bahir_, the _Sephir Yetzira_, the _Zohar_, _Oedipus
Aegypticus_ (although it is late - 1652), and of course the
Torah. Gershom Scholem has also authored a number of historical
works on the matter, and is well regarded both by historians and
Kabbalists.
 
 _____________________________oOo_______________________________
                               +
 bill@psych.toronto.edu  Bill Pusztai  B5 f+ t++ w++ g+ k- s+ p