Common SCA Terms & Phrases at Pennsic:

**NOTE: (fs) indicates something is fingerspelled. 

• Court, signed as AWARD+CELEBRATION - refers to an official, formal gathering presided over by the Crown (or their representatives). It's a ceremonial space where official proclamations, awards, and other business are conducted.

  • You may hear SCAdians approach Their Majesties to "beg a boon," a medieval-sounding phrase to formal request a favour or honour for someone whom the speaker wishes to have recognized for their accomplishments. May be signed as BEG, REQUEST, HEED, or simply ASK. 

  • You may see a SCAdian receive a "buffet," or a "blow," meaning a SMACK or a HIT (though not a full-blown punch). This is typically a smack to the face by an open hand from Their Majesty (though this may change depending on Kingdom practices for an Elevation into an Order, as not all Orders welcome new members with a buffet, and some kingdoms practice a buffet for one Order while another may not - See Elevation and Peerage below). This is a ceremonial act that represents the candidate's trust in the Crown as well as their willingness to accept this as the final "blow" they receive that goes unanswered, meaning that from now on, this individual must always have a response to meet their Kingdom's and Society's needs within their specialty. 

• The Dream, signed as VISION - refers to a romanticized vision of the Middle Ages, often as a place where chivalry, honour, and grace are idealized and actively practiced. See Raiya Corsiglia's video SCA - THE DREAM here (no closed captions needed), featuring friends from the Kingdom of Caid.

• Elevation, signed as ADVANCE - refers to the formal ceremony where a Member is raised to a higher rank, particularly a Peerage, signifying recognition of their achievements and service to their Kingdom and The Society. Prior to the ceremony of Elevation at Court, an individual may sit Vigil (see Vigil below) if they have been asked to consider joining a Peerage Order.

• Known World, may be signed as (fs)SCA+WORLD or KNOW+WORLD - refers to the geographical expanse encompassing all the regions where the SCA has active groups or chapters, organized into kingdoms. The collective global outreach extends across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia and Africa, all researching and re-creating pre-17th century European arts, skills, and traditions. 

• "No Shit, There I Was" may be signed as TRUE-BUSINESS, ME INDEX [point to spot], HAPPEN WHAT? [surprise expression]  - the traditional beginning of an SCA anecdote, typically involving something epic, dangerous, funny, or all three, that happened to you at an SCA event. The following statement must be true. It has been said that one has not fully established themselves in the SCA until they are the subject of a "No shit, there I was..." story. 

• Peerage/Peer, signed as EQUAL - if you attend Court, you will see people joining the highest-ranking Orders called Peerages (the members being called Peers) to be recognized for exceptional mastery in a particular field and have shown commitment to the ideals of the SCA, including courtesy, chivalry, and service. It does not just recognize skill, but also character and dedication to the community. An Order, signed as CLUSTER, is a specific group of people in the SCA that recognizes performers within the fields of service, art & science, ranged weapons, rapier, armored combat, and a unique order for Kingdom-serving Consorts. A Peerage is the highest level Order within each of those fields, with the exception of the Order of the Rose. See Peerage Orders below:

  • Order of the Chivalry, signed as CLUSTER+CHIVALRY (SCA-created sign) - the highest honour one can receive for martial prowess in armored combat throughout the Known World. A KNIGHT, one of the members of this Order, has an SCA-created sign based on the accessories our Knights wear within the hobby, as opposed to an article of clothing historical knights may wear.

  • Order of the Mark, signed as CLUSTER+(fs)MARK+GOAL - the highest honour one can receive for targeted weapons forms throughout the Known World.

  • Order of the Pelican, signed as CLUSTER+PELICAN (SCA-created sign) - the highest honour one can receive for service throughout the Known World. Though the sign referring to the actual bird is signed as seen here, the sign for Pelican (Pelican being both the name of the Order as well as the title of a Member of this order) is based on the reserved image representing this group, being a Pelican in its Piety. This image symbolizes these SCAdians sacrificing themselves (figuratively) for the betterment of The Society through their volunteer services. 

  • Order of the Laurel, signed as CLUSTER+LAUREL (SCA-created sign) - the highest honour one can receive for works in art and science throughout the Known World.

  • Order of the Rose, signed as CLUSTER+ROSE - the award/group of former Royal Consorts, recognizing their service as the reigning consort to their Kingdom. This award is recognized throughout the Known World.

    • Consort, may be signed as SUPPORT+PERSON or INSPIRE+PERSON - refers to an individual chosen by a competing fighter in tournaments to support them both on the field between fights and battles as well as off of the field in roles acquired through performance from battle. A reigning consort with a King or Queen that had won Crown Tournament (the battle to become the next heirs to the throne) is referred to as King/Queen Consort. Ruling titles may change to match an individual's gender expression. 

  • Order of Defense, signed as CLUSTER+DEFEND - the highest honour one can receive for martial prowess in rapier combat throughout the Known World. A Member of this order is called a Master of Defense, signed as MOD (SCA-created sign).

• Pennsic, which has a name sign created by the Deaf SCAdian community many many years ago, is signed as PENNSIC with the same motion and location of "HOME" but with a P-handshape (SCA-created sign) - a portmanteau, or a word blending the sounds/combining the meanings of two others, combining "Pennsylvania" and the "Punic Wars" reflecting the event's origins in Pennsylvania and its thematic link to the Punic Wars, a series of conflicts between Rome and Carthage. Pennsic War is the largest annual event hosted by the SCA featuring a mock war between the Kingdom of the East and the Middle Kingdom and is is hosted by the Kingdom of Aethelmearc. While traditionally a conflict between these two kingdoms, Pennsic sometimes shifts to a Purple War (PURPLE+WAR) format, meaning the East and Middle Kingdoms (the Purple Team, PURPLE+TEAM) team up against the Known World, that team being called the Coalition (COALITION) or Green Team (GREEN+TEAM). 

  • Pennsic is an annual event held in late July/early August each year, lasting 17 days and ending on the second full weekend in August. The opening day of Pennsic can vary, starting as early as July 24th or as late as July 30th. Prior to 2007, Pennsic would fall entirely within the month of August. 

  • A phrase you may hear or see at Pennsic, "Hail the Traveler," signed as HONOR+TRAVELER, is a shibboleth, or custom, spoken to honour and acknowledge someone who has recently died, or "transitioned," from this life to the next. Pennsic has an annual Viking Memorial Ship set sail and burn to honour and grieve our fallen friends and family within the SCA that passed over the past year. 

  • Peace Week/War Week, signed as PEACE+WEEK/WEEK+PEACE or WAR+WEEK/WEEK+WAR - the two distinct halves of the annual Pennsic War event. Peace Week is focused on classes, social activities, and settling in. War week is the "main event," featuring battles, competitions, and tournaments that determine the victor of the war. Battles are fought in various styles including field battles, woodland battles, and castle sieges - all employing both armored and rapier combat. Additionally, archery competitions, champion battles, and special scenarios like bridge or mountain pass battles may contribute to earning war points (the team with more points wins the war). 

  • Pennsic has historically included participants from other organizations. The most prominent non-SCA group that attends Pennsic is the Tuchux (singular Tuchuk), also known as the "bunny-fur princesses," who are known for their distinctive "Conan the Barbarian"-style role-playing. Pennsic also hosts non-SCA kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Acre. 

  • Pennsic Independent, signed as PENNSIC+NEWSPAPER, or PENNSIC+INDEPENDENT - the newspaper published daily during Pennsic War, covering various events, people, and the atmosphere of the war by sharing stories and photos of the SCAdians that participate at the famous annual event. 

  • Pennsic Newcomer's Map - to help newcomers learn the colloquial names for different locations around Pennsic. For example:

    • The Highlands, AKA B-Blocks - the northwest area of the map closest to the main battlefield. Also home to the Knowne World Courtesans' Bacchanal, or BACHHANALIA,  the 1st century Roman Fete - Roman attire sans pants required. 

    • The BOG(fs) vs The SWAMP - the two low-lying and heavily shaded camping areas in the southest area of Pennsic. Though sometimes used interchangeably, the swamp is wetter with standing water while the Bog is slightly drier but requires tent platforms. This is the heart of Pennsic's legendary nightlife. It features dense camping, late-night drumming circles, and lively, rowdy PARTYING. 

• Populace, signed as PEOPLE or (fs)SCA+PEOPLE- the SCA population of a Kingdom/The Society.

• SCAdian, signed as PERSON or (fs)SCA+PERSON - a person that regularly partakes in the SCA (whether or not they are paying members). 

• The Society, signed as (fs)SCA+SOCIETY, or (fs)SCA+COMMUNITY - short for the Society for Creative Anachronism, The Society refers to the international organization dedicated to researching and recreating the arts, skills, and culture of pre-17th century Europe. Society may also refer to all Members that participate in The Society's hobbies.

• Vigil, may be signed as TIME+CONTEMPLATE or SIT+CONTEMPLATE- refers to the period of waiting and reflection where a candidate spends time in contemplation and receives counsel (and congratulations) from established Peers and friends. Usually, SCAdians will sit for one Vigil for their first Elevation into an Order, opting not to have another Vigil for any other Order they join afterward as they would already be a Peer at that time, though it is not a rule that SCAdians may only ever have one Vigil. 

  • Writ, signed as (fs)WRIT, LETTER, or QUESTION - a formal summons from the Crown (King, Queen, non-Royal Consort) to a person they wish to recognize with a high honor, like a peerage. They "beg the question" to the person being offered the award if they would like to join the Order. 

  • Beg a Boon (again), the formal ask for a favour from a member within an Order to the Crown to have a fellow SCAdian join their Order. 

• "Welcome Home," signed as WELCOME+HOME - the greeting often heard at Pennsic referring to the feeling of returning to the Pennsic War, an annual SCA event held at Cooper's Lake Campground in Pennsylvania. It signifies the strong sense of community and belonging that many participants experience upon arriving at the event, which is often referred to as "home" by its attendees, according to the Pennsic Independent. This sentiment is particularly strong for those who have been attending for many years. This sentiment is where the name sign for PENNSIC comes from.