Sacrifice And The SCA

Momentum began to build after Pennsic, we were now regularly holding events and the need for policy discussion evaporated. Meetings were now spent just planning the next event, and each event improved over the last. One thing that diminished though was an interest in fighting. Fighter practices rely on participation, and for many mundane reasons, people were unable to attend. This was unfortunate because when people decided to show, we had a ball. We were even video taping ourselves practicing and learning a lot from watching ourselves fight. Organizing fighter practices that no one would show up to was becoming tiresome. Instead, I got in touch with the local SCA ( the barony of Andubhaigeain) and those of us still interested started hitting a couple of their fighter practices. In one fighter practice, I was hit in both ankles and my thumb (those of you who know the rules of fighting know what I’m talking about here). I could barely walk and couldn’t even deliver a solid blow with my two handed weapon anymore. It was round about this time I decided to hang up the armor and announced my retirement from fighting. Sil announced his retirement soon after, which was just as well cause I had to drive him most of the time anyway. As fate would have it, Máinlia and Cymrot’s schedules freed up soon after and were now looking for a fighter practice to attend. They started going to the SCA practices and became aquatinted with some of the folk.

At one Bealtaine, the local SCA decided to be our guests. It was the biggest event we had seen thus far. We had about 80 people show and 40 stayed for dinner. Máinlia echoed the feats of Cu Chulainn that day by single handedly fighting all the SCA fighters who showed up, while the majority of us ran around like freshly decapitated chickens. Dinner was great and our SCA guests seemed pleased and even the more xenophobic of our members were beginning to mingle with the SCA folk. Then came the ceremony, the absolute best that the clann had ever seen and the measure by which all ceremonies since are gauged.

We had constructed the biggest wicker-man to date, its size was dangerously impressive. But it wasn’t the fire hazard that was so monumental. It was the sacrifice. A friend of Máinlia’s was chosen as a human sacrifice. In the best theatrics possible, Rutger grabs this guy half his size who "resists" violently and pleads for his life as he is dragged before the druids of the clann. He is held down on the ground and partly obscured from the on looking crowd by the darkness and a kneeling druid (who has his back to the crowd) holding him down… but you could still see him struggling. Then, one of the kneeling druids facing the crowd raises a dagger high above his head, pausing long enough to let it glint and gleam in the dancing light of the bonfire. The blade then comes plunging down with a whoosh and the "sacrifice" lets out a soul splitting howl, twitches violently, and then … silence. The sacrifice’s "entrails" were then brought forth to the crowd - conveyed in an old towel (these entrails were really Italian sausages … some fake rib bones were thrown in too, just for effect). The druids knelt before the towel and then "read" the entrails. Other druids who were in attendance were invited up to give them a good "read" as well. When the prophecies were finished, the entrails were placed in the wicker-man along with other baubles and gifts for the gods. To the shouts and cheers of the clann, the wicker-man was set ablaze.

The SCA were mortified. Though in truth some were quite amused, they were all taken completely by surprise. Here, in so many ways and through the obscurity of time, was the clash of Celtic "barbarism" with "civilized" society illustrated for us first hand. One thing I do feel a bit bad about, there were one or two small children there who were a bit frightened by our escapade, but we made sure those kids got to see our "victim" alive and well afterward and assured them it was all "make believe". (In an off hand way, I sort of envy those kids, its almost like they were transported back in time and experienced a Druidic ceremony first hand.) And, needless to say, if we are going to mingle more with the SCA, its going to take some understanding.