The Middle Ages always fascinated Tyson Schymizek.
He remembers playing medieval knights with his friends as a child, using golf tubes as swords in combat. Later, he would join a sword-fighting group, learning how to fight in the ways of old.
Now, he is one of 60,000 people around the world who are proud to call themselves part of a worldwide medieval re-enactment group, playing in what they call "the current Middle Ages."
Schymizek – who goes by the name Ro'bear for his medieval persona – is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a medieval re-enactment group with chapters around the world. Instead of a golf tube, he uses a sword made of a thicker, bamboo-like substance called rattan, shoots combat arrows made of plastic tubing and makes mead and wine like individuals enjoyed back in the day.
"I've always been interested in the Middle Ages," said Ro'bear, whose large size and bearded face somewhat resemble the name he was given by friends. "I grew up in the country and if I had known about this then, I would have been trying to be in it."
Ro'bear was introduced to the SCA by a friend who invited him to an event, where others in the area were gathering to play together by engaging in sword and shield fighting (known within the SCA as heavy fighting), rapier, arts and sciences and other medieval enjoyments. Ro'bear said it instantly caught his attention and he wanted to do more.
"I primarily got into combat archery," he said, referring to shooting arrows made of plastic tubing and tape at enemy combatants during multi-fighter scenarios. "Then I got into making my own brew, but it was more so the sword fighting that got me into it."
California party
The SCA started in 1966, when an invitation to a party in Berkeley, Calif., was issued to a small group of friends with an interest in history, science fiction and fantasy. The invitation requested the participants present themselves to fight for the honour of the fairest ladies. Afterwards the group decided to do it again but on a larger scale.
The small group of friends moved into an organization of 19 kingdoms in North America, Europe, South Africa, Australia and Asia, with each kingdom divided up according to real world geographic boundaries. Participants aim to re-create the better aspects of life between 600 and 1600 A.D., with an emphasis on honour, chivalry and friendship among the participants. Members create personas, with their own unique names and histories of people that would have existed in Europe, the Middle East or Asia during the time period.
Kingdoms are run by a king and queen, which earn the right to rule through a heavy combat tournament where one of the two fights for the right to become the kingdom's rulers and the other serves as the combatant's inspiration on the field. Following them are a crown prince and princess, who are the most recent winners of the tournament and will take their place on the thrones at a later date.
Branches of the SCA are located in cities and towns within each kingdom. Depending on the membership size of the branch, it can be called a shire, barony, canton or a specialized term for places such as a university-led club or a branch located on a military base.
The Kingdom of An Tir includes Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C., as well as Washington State, Oregon and the northern tip of Idaho. Each kingdom looks after operations and administrative work for the area, including rules and reports from officers in each location. Within the Kingdom of An Tir are three principalities, with the one that covers Alberta and Saskatchewan known as Avacal.
Having fun
Covering Edmonton and the surrounding area is the Barony of Borealis, which started in 1978 as a small group of friends who gathered for feasts and fighting. Today the group is home to about 300 participants, led by a baron and baroness who are chosen by the Crown to look after the area.
Among the many officers the barony needs to run efficiently is the chatelaine, who is in charge of looking after new members, publicity and arranging educational demonstrations of what their members are doing. Paul Beach, a philosophy professor at Concordia University College of Alberta, is the chatelaine for Borealis.
Beach, who goes by the name of Cynewulf Torynsskald and plays an 11th century Saxon, first joined the SCA two years ago when he attended a locally run event called Winter War. He said he was impressed by what he saw and even participated in a bardic competition where he wrote a poem about kingdoms and won first place.
"The stuff they could do just blew me away," he said. "You will find people in the SCA who do stuff that you can do too."
Cynewulf recently stepped down as arts and sciences champion for Avacal, which he won by showing his ability to be versatile in such crafts as leatherworking, medieval language arts and medieval philosophy. In addition to his arts and sciences interests, he also participates in heavy fighting.
For Cynewulf, participating in the SCA is about having fun. He sees it as his job to make sure new members feel welcome, and are able to get into having fun as soon as possible. Whether it's pointing them to rapier and heavy fight practices, dance meetings, arts and sciences nights or any of a host of activities going on in the barony, Cynewulf said cultivating a person's interests is key to helping them feel welcome.
Although the game is set in a world of make-believe, Cynewulf said it's the more real parts of the SCA, such as the friendships a person develops, that keep him involved.
"We're playing make believe, but the friends are real. The sense of chivalry is real. The honourable way people act is real," he said. "It's part of the fun. It's part of the re-enactment."
Caught up
One of the challenges that Cynewulf said many members of the SCA face is how involved they can get in the SCA, sometimes to the point where it can be overwhelming. With so many different ways people can get drawn in, he said it could become easy for a person to get completely caught up in it.
"It can take up every night, but you have to temper it," he said. "It helps when you can get friends in the SCA, then they can tell you 'Hey, I'll take care of this tonight, you go home.'"
For Ro'bear, who describes his persona as a "scary German," there is a clear sense of what takes priority in his life. He often looks after his real life as a husband and father, and his job as a delivery person for the province, before he considers going to an event or practice.
"I plan myself out," he said. "Real life doesn't let me get off to do as much as I like, but that's OK."
Ro'bear's passion for the Middle Ages shows no signs of abating any time soon. He's working on new armour, and hopes to make it to 11 events this year, but knows he may not make it to all of them.
And he still likes using a sword when he can.
For more information about the SCA or the Barony of Borealis, you can visit http://borealis.avacal.net or e-mail Paul Beach the chatelaine, at [email protected].
