Re: On Courtesy Classes

["Helena C. Bretherton" <mawrtyr@pantheon.yale.edu>]

Poster: "Helena C. Bretherton" <mawrtyr@pantheon.yale.edu>

My dear lord/lady (as I can't tell from your post), I must suggest that you take care how you paraphrase what you have heard from others, and not unintentionally insult someone.

E L Wimett wrote:

> <SNIP>

> Yang, as an eccentricity of his Mongol persona and lack of fealty to the Middle,

The household of the Great Dark Horde does not swear fealty to ANY kingdom, as our household persona is that of a nomadic household.  Our household oath recognizes and swears to uphold the dream of the SCA, and we swear fealty to our household, but we do not as a household identify ourselves territorially (ie., as part of a specific kingdom).

> used to elaborately disarm himself of (sometimes literally) dozens of weapons before entering court.  This not only made his point, but (Yang being Yang) served to focus attention on him rather than the Crown or anything else for an appreciable period of time.

> The disarming ritual --- except when done as part of a very rare and well-done piece of schtick --- is actually rude

Is "actually" your opinion, not a global breach of etiquette.  And "well-done schtick" is in the eye of the beholder, is it not?

> since it upstages the royalty and the business of court and makes (frequently) overlong courts even longer.
>
> Alisoun who feels strongly that true courtesy is from the heart and not merely a matter of manners or mannerisms

Might I point out that I have personally attended/participated in several courts where I have witnessed an expectation or prerequisite of approaching the King and Queen of disarming ourselves of all steel, particularly directed at the Horde since there are many people in the SCA who distrust us because we won't swear fealty to the Kingdom and aren't interested in understanding how we work.   It is certainly not within our household's group or individual personae to walk about at events unarmed, and I know of several of my brother who often wear many weapons, not just at court.

In service to the dream,
Raven Helmsplitter
Household of the Great Dark Horde
Erstwhile resident of Atlantia

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