(by someone who didn't)
Written by Robert B. Hole, Jr.
What is a persona, you ask? Well, basically it is the character that you play within the SCA. It can be elaborately detailed, or quite simple, or pretty much non-existent. There are no rules about personas, except that you should have a name (and it need not be more than that), and that you must be human, rather than Fey (Elves, Dwarves, etc.).
A persona is not a necessary thing to have within the SCA, but can be a lot of fun to have around. A caution, though. Take your time. No one should pressure you about where you are from, or what you did in the Middle Ages. I was "Bob Dungeonrunner" for almost a year.
To build a persona, all you really need to start is a costume book. A strange place to start? Not very. You use the book to decide what kind of clothes you would feel most comfortable wearing. If you just have to wear the tights, then that limits you to the Renaissance, and sort of rules out the Vikings. If you want long flowing robes, that equally rules out certain places and times. And always remember, you can change your mind at any time in the future.
Pick something that you will be comfortable with. I, for instance, am perfectly at home in floor length tunics (though my non-SCA roommates think I am really weird), and I wouldn't wear tights at sword point. I also don't like to sew pants, so the long tunics suit me just fine. I can wear jeans underneath, and no one who shouldn't, will know. This limits me somewhat to the 11-1200's, usually in northern europe. But just to be contrary, my armor style is somewhat later. I've never really pinned either down. Being that unspecific allows me to wear pretty much what I want.
A good costume book will also allow you to find out what you need to know if you have an idea for a persona in mind. They will often tell you what the peasants, nobility and warriors were wearing, so you can adjust your persona or your costume to fit your likes.
If you have an interest in a particular period or people in history, then that is a good starting point as well. Again, in my case, I am interested in Britain (both England and Scotland) and the Vikings. This happened to suit my SCA brother, as he is interested in roughly the same, but his interests are primarily Viking. We came up with Scottish Northumbria (highly influenced by the English) as a good place to be from. We are the sons of a minor noble. He went off with the Norsemen for awhile and learned some of their customs and costumes, while I stayed "down on the farm" with the family. Information, of course, trickled back from his adventures, and I became aware of some of the Viking culture. Both of our interests have changed in the last few years, and so now he (the elder by three months, we haven't quite figured that out yet) is back on the farm, and I am off on a Grande Adventure. Ta Da! A persona.
That is much more complicated than a persona has to be, and you don't have to go that far. Neither one of us every really cares whether we dress the persona or not. All of that tale of two brothers was made up during a twenty minute phone call, several years after we had joined the SCA.
Now, in your pursuit, weigh the costumes you like against the time period and people you're interested in. Slosh them together a little, and perhaps do some reading on the era and area. If they are vastly different, either change one, or compromise, or throw out the idea of a persona and enjoy yourself with out one. Some people have two personas, such as a Tudor English Nobleman and a Arab Camel thief. That solves a lot of conflict. If your interests are different but close, or not diametrically opposed, you can try to find a bridge between them, such as trading or traveling. If they are the same, go right on ahead with it.
Once you have all that figured out, it is time to start thinking of a name. It needs to be two parted (first and last) and it cannot come directly from literature. If you like your own real name, and it fits, you can use that (my mundane name is also Robert, which happens to be a Scots/English name, sometimes used by the Norse, and so suits my persona well). A "Name your Baby" book might be helpful with the first name. They often have origins and history on the names they have listed. Last names are usually but certainly don't have to be, an "of" or "from" type word, in whatever language the name is in. There are also a lot of "(parent name)sons" and "(parent name)daughters" running around. Those are usually either Norse/Germanic or earlier eras of northern Europe. I am not too familiar with Arabic or Oriental naming practices, but I know the Arabs at least occasionally use a (parent name)son/daughter naming scheme. Pick a name that you are willing to live with for the rest of your life. It is okay to officially change your name, but your friends will always call you by that first one, guaranteed.
I won't discuss devices ("coats of arms") here, except to say that roughly the same type of considerations should be taken into account as when you pick a name. It also helps to have your persona worked out a bit ahead of time. My own Narwhal places me near the northern coast of Europe, or Britain, for instance.
Once you have settled on a name, and gotten it approved through the College of Heralds (usually along with a device of some sort), and you are comfortable in the clothes you wear, the time and place the clothes are from, and you have come up with a semi-reasonable explanation for the differences between your device, your name and your clothes, you have a persona. Now wasn't that easy?
That is really all you probably want to go through, and more than many people in the SCA do. You can of course get really elaborate with a complete family history, personal history, or whatever you want. The main object is to have fun. If you enjoy acting, then a persona may be part of your enjoyment of the SCA.
Support our site! Please visit Ecology Designs for gifts and books.
Original content copyright 1995-2007 Robert B. Hole, Jr. All Rights Reserved