Story telling

Story telling has a rich history in all cultures. Bards, skalds and troubadours were known through the middle ages and the telling of a good tale at inns, community gatherings, and even at court was appreciated.

Story Telling in the SCA

This tradition has been handed down to the SCA. Stories are told as entertainment at SCA courts and feasts, at Arts & Sciences competitions, and at bardic circles.

Aside from standard medieval stories, the SCA has an oral history of its own that has developed over the years. Stories are told of the exploits of SCA kings and knights and local characters, drunken revelries, embarassing moments, and disastrous events that, 10 years later, people can finally "look back and laugh" on. Most songs developed about SCA life are considered filk, although some are written in period style and without OOP references and are not truly filk. It is perhaps one of the truly anachronistic features of the SCA because while the content of the stories stems from our modern experiences, the development, spread and sometimes legendary status that these stories and their characters take on must be similiar to how stories and legends spread in the Middle Ages.

The common way to begin an SCA-themed story is "No shit, there I was."

Story Sources

• The Decameron
• Canterbury Tales
• The Heptameron
• Mabinogion
• Fabliaux

External Links

• Atlantian A&S Links: Storytelling