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Master Timotheus Zacharia von Schloss Zwilling |
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Master Timotheus Zacharia von Schloss Zwilling |
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Persona is the putting together of a person who might have existed. This is done through the research that the member does on their own with a set of questions that help focus the research. Some people use their everyday lives as models for their persona. Yet others use what they do in the SCA as their basis. Still others, using research alone, create a viable, accurate persona that has no relation to their everyday or SCA selves or lives at all.
What you do is up to you. These worksheets are here to help you. Are you from a particular ethnic background that you want to use as a basis for your persona? Does your family tree come from some special locale or point of historical interest? Does a particular type of name, style of clothing, type of music, pique your curiosity?
Most people just put together a basic persona. This is fine. If there comes a time that you wish to do more than ask for the intermediate worksheets and see what you can put together. Most people take several years to finalize their basic persona but you can advance whenever you wish.
These worksheets have been created to help you construct your persona by asking questions to help you in your development and research. They start at the most basic points and work toward a full featured persona.
Work through as much as you want to, stop when you want.
Even if you don't want a full featured persona, they make for a great thinking piece.
So why do you need a basic persona? The easiest way to answer this is that when you chose a name and put together garb you will need to at least have a partial answer to the four basic questions. So what are they?
1. Who are you? What is your name? You will need to talk to a consulting Herald to help you put together a name. You will need to have a nation in mind because naming practices were very different in some countries.
2. Where are you? What Country or geographical region are you from? This will help you put together the type of garb you will wear.
3. When are you? What time period are you from? Anytime between 800-1600 AD. This may seem non-important but it can affect the style of garb greatly and can alter the naming practices.
4. What are you? What do you do for a living? This also can change your style of garb but it may help you focus on a style of arts if you are interested in that.
Additional questions may come to mind but, for your sake of mind, try to focus on just the four questions so that you get set up. We can start adding things as you ae interested or you may decide to go onto the Intermediate Persona work.
A note to the Ladies: You will need to decide if your persona is literate. In some cultures/time periods, female literacy was rare or considered evil. If you wish to be literate develop one that would be possible. There were always exceptions to rules but you need to research why a woman of your country and period would be literate.
Notes on names: Most names are made up of Given and Descriptive names. Middle names are not common. Try out names that may fit with titles you may earn. "King Guy (geee)" was a bit unfortunate when you consider how "punny" heralds can be. Does your names sound or look like something else? One poor fellow is known as "Cheerios Cure Your Weasels". What impression will your name give? How would someone react to "Stephan the Earwig?" Now it is possible you may want this for instance we have a "Michael Maggotslayer". Work and play with your name and choose something that will work for many circumstances. While "Otto the Idiotic" may work while he is portraying a court jester it would be back and not command respect if he becomes King.
Once you have selected a name and have used it a bit, get it registered so that someone else won’t take it. If you wait too long you might be the next "Hugh the Undecided". Remember that the first part of your name will probably be what you are called in short. "Thin Robert of Lawrence" is always called "Thin". Go to the Heralds for help and make use of their ideas.
Happy research!
Questions? Want to schedule a Persona Workshop Class? Contact Timotheus at ChiefTimotheus@gmail.com