True SCA Story

[rmhowe <magnusm@ncsu.edu>]

Poster: rmhowe <magnusm@ncsu.edu>

Re: [Fwd: True SCA Story?]
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 19:25:12 -0500
From: "Mark.S Harris" <rsve60@email.sps.mot.com>
Organization: Motorola NCSG
          To: magnusm@ncsu.edu
          
References: 1

Greetings,

I believe this story or at least this version has been mutated a bit in
the passage of time. I have appended several messages, found in my 
SCA-Stories-msg file in my Florilegium below that was written almost 
ten years ago.

It is possible that similar incidents have happened multiple times over
the years, however there are enough details in common between this story
and that related in the message I've appended that I think it is just a
later variation.

Stefan li Rous
stefan@texas.net

====================================================
> From:    Dave Aronson                              
> To:      Justin du Coeur MKA Mark Waks
> 05-Dec-89 09:54pm
> Subject: Re: Vis and the Serjeant
> 
> Unto all the good gentles of the Kingdom (?) of Rialto, I send greetings!
>  
>  > Now, the gentleman in the tower above them was a worldly sort, who had 
>  > encountered emissaries from our Kingdoms before. Noting Vis' inimitable 
>  > style, he called down to the Serjeant, "Hey, ask him if he's in something 
>  > called the SCA."
>  >
>  > The Serjeant leaned over to Vis, and shortly yelled back, "He says that 
>  > he is. What's that mean?"
>  >
>  > The fellow in the tower said, "Means you can't beat him."
>  >
>  > Whereupon Vis tapped the Serjeant on the shoulder, and spoke to him a 
>  > moment more. The Serjeant called up to the tower, "He's says he's a 
>  > Knight. What's *that* mean?"
> >
>  > Sayeth the tower, "Means *they* can't beat him, either."
> 
> The way I heard it, the gentle was not named, but the conversation went:
>  
> Tower: "Ask him if he's in the SCA."
>  
> Sarge: "He says he is.  What's that mean?"
>  
> T: "It means he knows how to use the thing.  Ask him if he's a knight."
>  
> S: "He says he is.  What's that mean?"
>  
> T: "It means you can't beat him.  Ask him if he's a duke."
>  
> S: "He says he is.  What's that mean?"
>  
> T: "It means *THEY* can't beat him either!"
> 
>  * Origin: TIDMADT 703-370-7054: WOC 'n Woad with MEDIEVAL Echo! (1:109/120)
> 
> 
> From: whh@PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)
> Date: 8 Dec 89 17:23:50 GMT
> Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
> 
> I showed the story about Visivald in Basic Training to Duke Frederick
> of Holland last night.  He relates that Vis told him that the third
> time, the DI had three of his assistants help try to beat Vis--and Vis
> got all 4 of them . . . 
> 
> The final "exercise" of the pugil-stick training was a "bear pit"
> operation.  All the recruits were given pugil-sticks a put in
> a large pit.  Only one is supposed to come out.  After seeing what
> Vis had done to the DI, everybody left him alone.  When there
> was one other recruit left, Vis walked over to him and asked--
> 
> "Shall I hit you, or do you just want to fall down?"
> 
> The other recruit elected to fall down without being hit and Vis
> walked out . . . .
> 
> Flieg is also fond of what happened to Theoderick of Skane one
> day.  Theoderick pulled into a 7-11 lot and as he got out of his
> car three young tuoghs came toward him.  He'd been fighting for a
> few months at the time.  He reached into the back seat and pulled
> out a field-legal sword.  On of the toughs took one look and told
> his friends--  "Look out!  He's SCA!  He'll beat the shit out of us!"
> Needless to say--the gang left abruptly.
> 
>      --Hal
> 
>         Hal Ravn, Province of the Mists, West Kingdom
>         Wilson H. Heydt, Jr.,  Albany, CA 94706,  415/524-8321 (home)
> =======================================================================
> 
> Hal Heydt                    |Surely the end of the world is at hand: 
> Analyst, Pacific*Bell        |   Children no longer obey their parents 
> 415-823-5447                 |   and *everyone* wants to write a book.
> whh@pbhya.PacBell.COM        |     --from a Babylonian clay tablet
> 
> 
> From: Algernon.Hartesmond@lcs.mit.edu, O.Troub.@lcs.mit.edu
> Date: 12 Dec 89 18:24:24 GMT
> Organization: Society for Creative Anachronism
> 
> } Date: 8 Dec 89 17:23:50 GMT
> } From: Wilson Heydt <pacbell!pbhya!whh@AMES.ARC.NASA.GOV>
> } Subject: Re: Vis in Basic Training
> } 
> } I showed the story about Visivald in Basic Training to Duke Frederick of
> } Holland last night.  He relates that Vis told him that the third time,
> } the DI had three of his assistants help try to beat Vis--and Vis got all
> } 4 of them . . .
> 
> I told Vis that the "pugil-stick in basic training" story had been
> retold on the net.  He asked me which version.  "The one that ends
> `...Means they can't beat him either,' I reported.
> 
> Vis says that one is false variant #4 -- he wasn't a knight yet, after
> all.  We agreed, however, that it *is* a really good story, even better
> than the original.  He admitted that it was so good a tale that he
> himself tells it that way on occasion.
> 
> All the versions agree that after receiving such a thorough whupping,
> the pugil instructors had Vis give them lessons.  They were large,
> powerful fellows, in excellent condition, and fiercely determined never
> to let this happen again.
> 
> There's a story to follow this one that has never been heard: What ever
> happened to the next SCA smart-guy at that camp who thought he could
> show these instructors a thing or two about pole-weapons?

> From: pro-angmar!vis@alphalpha.com (Tom Courtney)
> Date: 19 Nov 90 05:21:47 GMT
> 
> Justin is confused because he thought the humorous story, attributed to
> Sir Balin, was about me. I have certainly heard this story told about me,
> and is partially based on fact, with a few anachronisms.
> 
> In 1975, while at advanced infantry training, I succeeded in defeating 3
> drill sergeants in pugil stick combat. This is not such an amazing feat as
> it sounds because: 1) pugil stick training was downplayed in the army at
> that time; 2) I was able to shrug off what I would have counted in the
> list; 3) I was 20 and at the peak of my physical abilities; drill sergeants
> are closer to 30; and work much harder at training soldiers than the
> soldiers being trained. The instructers were about to come back for round 2
> when the company commander, up in a safety range tower, asked over a
> megaphone if I was in the SCA. When told that I was, he told them to give
> up-- he needed them tomorrow. The bit about "He says he's a knight" started
> appearing in this story in about 1978 (even though I think I was still a
> master of arms at that time.) I was not a member of the chivalry while in
> basic.
> 
> However, I don't think the story really started with me, since I heard a
> very similar story when I first joined the SCA, about "some westerner". If
> Sir Balin said it happened to him, that too is very believable, since any
> red-blooded fighter in such a situation would jump at the chance of
> defeating his drill sergeant, particularly if he got to tag 3 or 4 of them.
> Of course, if the drill sergeant defeats the fighter, nobody hears that
> story.
> 
> Tom Courtney
> aka Vissevald Selkirksson
>

Magnus, The Khan's Own Intelligence Service, GDH  :)
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