Gunnarr's SCA Corner
This site is dedicated to Lord Halfdan
{Picture of Gunnarr}
Who is Gunnarr?
{Setting: Nordskogen Hall. Mundanely known as a virtual building in Minneapolis, MN.}
Its cold outside. Snowing again, as it always does this far North, but you can feel the dry heat of from the hearth. The promise of warm fingers and toes draws you nearer and you search for a place to sit down.
A young man smiles at you and offers you a seat and a mug of ale. He introduces himself as Gunnarr Thorson of the Clan MacDonnach, and asks of you the normal pleasentries such as, "Glorious weather we're having isn't it?" You break into idle chit-chat and finally the question of Gunnarr's origins surfaces.
He replies, "I am an 8th Century Norse Viking who lived in a settlement in the Celtic Islands (mundanely known as the UK and Ireland, etc.).
"My story is an interesting one indeed; so kind of you to ask, really. When I was quite young -- around 10 or 12 winters -- my father, Thor Aelsbrech, broke tradition and allowed me to accompany his crew on a trade voyage from the motherland, Norway, to the European Islands. You see, my mother passed away long before from a sickness when I was 5.
"Anyway, we were sailing to the Islands when a storm hit us in what is known today as the English Channel. We had no time to find safe harbor, and unfortunately, I remember nothing more than being swept off into the cold water.
"I woke up on a rocky shore near lush rolling hills. They weren't as high as the mountains back home, but they were large enough. I was discovered by a band of men wearing plain looking tunics and leaning upon staves or fingering the hilts of their daggers. I couldn't understand a word they were saying, but they didn't look happy.
"One of the group spoke broken Norweigan. He asked of my parents and my origin, and when it was determined that I had no where to turn, I was told to follow. They lead me up into the highlands of what is known today as Scottland.
"I grew to learn that I had been adopted by the Clan MacDonnach, there to meet my clan brother, Staeven Angus MacDonnach. I learned how to fight, build and shoot bows, and I learned how to drink." At the last comment, he raised his mug and smiled.
"Of course, I had always had a love for the sea, so when I was old enough, I went back down into the lowlands and found a ship destined for adventure. Eventually, I ended up here," he waved his hand in a sweeping motion. "But that is another story."
What is the SCA?
The acronym "SCA" stands for "The Society for Creative Anachronism," a historical reenactment group who strive to live the middle ages the way it should have been, or so the saying goes.
What is a persona?
Gunnarr is an example of a persona. He is my alter ego were I to live in the 8th Century. I'll even slip into a Scottish accent from time to time, especially if I'm around Staeven. The point is that being Gunnarr is not that difficult for me, because in effect, it is me.
Just a side note - This is what sets the SCA perception of a persona apart from a LARP perception. In the SCA, we play ourselves, just displaced in time and location, and we -- for the most part -- are kind, chivalrous, and honest. In a LARP, you can play someone else completely, including villans, heros, ruffians, etc. That type of role-playing is best kept with your gaming group, as conflict, imaginative or otherwise, is looked down upon for the most part in the SCA -- although, good schtick is always fun.
Useful Links
The following links are organized in a catagorical manner. Hopefully, they will help you in your search for more information about the SCA.
Official Sites: Households:Last Update: $Date: 2001/05/07 16:47:02 $