Glossary

Anno Societatis (A.S.): A dating system sometimes used in the SCA. Year A.S. 1 began on May 1st, 1966 (See http://www.sca.org/links/calendar.html)

Arts & Sciences (A&S): Non-combat activities, especially craft skills (See Arts & Crafts)

Authorised: Officially certified as safe to participate in a particular kind of combat

Award of Arms (AoA): A general award given in the SCA to people who have become valued members of our community (See Awards and Titles)


Baron & Baroness (B&B): The ceremonial leaders of a barony (See The Baron & Baroness)

Barony: A large local group

Barony of Politarchopolis (Polit): A local group in the Canberra region. (Us!)

Board of Directors (BoD): The group that administrates the SCA as a non-profit corporation

Boffer weapon: A weapon made of foam, usually used by children imitating armoured combat (See Youth Participation)


Canton: A local sub-group of a Barony

Canton of Okewaite: A local group in the Southern Highlands (See Our Geography)

Canton of Torlyon: A local group based in Yass (See Our Geography)

Champion: The ceremonial representative of a group in a particular skill area, such as heavy fighting, archery, or arts & sciences

Chirurgeon: First-aid officer (See Our Officers, Safety)

Chronicler: The officer responsible for a group’s newsletter or other official communications (See Our Officers)

College: A university-based SCA group

College of St Aldhelm: The ANU SCA group (See Our Geography)

College of St Andronicus: The University of Canberra SCA group (See Our Geography)

Consort: A partner for ceremonial purposes (See Consorts)

Constable (Constab): The officer responsible for a group’s compliance with legal and insurance requirements (See Our Officers)

Count/Countess: Someone who has been king or queen before (See Awards and Titles)

Court: A formal assembly led by a ceremonial leader such as the Baron and Baroness (See Court)

Crown: With a capital C, ‘the Crown’ refers to the King and Queen (See The King & Queen)


Device: A coat of arms (See Names and Coats of Arms)

Duke/Duchess: Someone who has been king or queen twice (See Awards and Titles)


Feast: An event based around a large, elaborate dinner (See Feasts)

Feasting gear: A personal dining set (dishes, cup, and cutlery). This is not provided at SCA events, so everyone brings their own (See What to Expect at an Event)

Fields of Gold (FOG): An annual weekend-long event in the Barony of Politarchopolis


Garb: Medieval clothing worn to events (See What to wear to an event)

Gate (sometimes called ‘Troll’): The sign-in and payment desk at an event (See What to Expect at an Event)


Hamlet: A very small local group

Heavy fighter (heavy): An armoured combatant, as opposed to a rapier fighter (See Armoured Combat)

Herald: An announcer, and/or a names and coats of arms expert (See Our Officers, Names and…)

High Table: The table where the most important people sit at a feast (See Feasts)

HOLD!: An all-purpose danger warning, meaning ‘freeze!’ (See Safety)

Hospitaller (Hospit): An officer dedicated to welcoming and helping new members. May have a collection of loaner gear (See Our Officers)

Household: A committed social group, often based around shared interests or family ties

Huzzah: A cheer of approval


King & Queen: The ceremonial leaders of a kingdom (See The King & Queen)

Kingdom: The largest type of SCA group, containing many baronies, shires, etc

Kingdom of Lochac: The SCA group covering Australia, New Zealand, and the Antarctic territories (See Our Geography)

Knight (or Master at Arms): An officially recognised master fighter in the field of armoured combat (See Peerages, Armoured Combat)


Laurel: An officially recognised master craftsperson/researcher in an Arts & Sciences field (See Peerages, Arts & Crafts)

List Field: A marked-out combat area (See Tournaments)

Lists: The record-keepers at a combat event (See Tournaments)

Loaner gear: Equipment or clothing held by a group to lend to people who need it (See Our Officers)

Lord/Lady: Someone who has received an Award of Arms. ‘My lord’ and ‘my lady’ are also used as courtesy titles in the same way ‘sir/madam’ are used in the modern world (See Awards and Titles)


Marshal: A safety officer for combat activities. Marshals also organise training and tournaments (See Safety, Our Officers)

Master of Defence (MoD): An officially recognised master of rapier fighting (See Peerages, Renaissance Fencing)

Melee: Formal combat with multiple fighters on each side (Tournaments)

Member: May refer to anyone in our community; at other times, such as when booking for events, it means someone who has paid an annual membership fee to cover insurance costs

Mundane: Modern or non-SCA (e.g. ‘mundane clothes’). Not intended to be insulting. (See Our Period of Interest)


Off-board: Non-catered. Some events will have cheaper off-board tickets available (See What to Expect at an Event)

Oyez (pronounced ‘oh-yay’): An attention-getting call at the beginning of an announcement


Peer: Someone who has been officially recognised as a master in their field and an integral part of our community (See Peerages)

Pelican: An officially recognised master of the art of service – doing what needs to be done to make our community work (See Peerages, SCA Values)

Period: Pre-1600 AD, especially something that is provably pre-1600 AD in appearance, type, concept, or method (See Our Period of Interest)

Persona: A name and backstory suitable to a time and place within our period (See Our Period of Interest, Names and Coats of Arms)

Pointy hats: An irreverent term for kings, queens, barons, baronesses, and other people entitled to wear crowns or coronets – our VIPs (See Awards and Titles)

Populace: Used similarly to ‘the people’. May refer to the members of a group, the audience at a ceremony, the attendees at an event, etc


Rapier: A sword commonly used in fencing (See Renaissance Fencing)

Reeve: Directly equivalent to a treasurer (See Our Officers)

Regalia: Cloaks, crowns, sashes, medallions, belts, swords, or other items which mark out the holder of a particular office or title

Rowany Festival: One of the biggest Australian SCA events; a five-day camping event in the Southern Highlands (See Camping Events)


SCA Name: The medieval name someone uses at events (See Names and Coats of Arms)

SCAdian (pronounced ‘skay-dee-an’): An SCA member

Seneschal: President of a group, responsible for day-to-day functioning (See Our Officers)

Shire: A medium-sized local group, independent of any barony

Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA, the Society): The international living history organisation we belong to

Steward: An event organiser (See What to Expect at an Event)


T-tunic: A popular basic medieval garment for all genders: a loosely fitted tunic/dress with long sleeves and a flared skirt (See What to Wear)


War: An event dedicated to large-scale armoured combat, often incorporating combat archery and rough terrain (See Wars)

Webminister (also Webminster, Webwright): The officer responsible for maintaining and updating a group’s website (See Our Officers)