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Out of The Myths of Time
Tearing down the Walls

by Lord Darius "on a field argent, a smiley face raspberry proper." von Tannenburg

Period encampments have always been the look we strive for. There has, in my eight years, been a progression of sorts. From dome tents, to Panther and Tentmaster, to a back to basics bare minimum camp that any primitive tribesman would feel at home in. It's too bad really that most people won't get to see some of the really cool stuff being done.

Do good fences make good neighbors?

Or do they just keep the rabble at bay? When I went to GWW-I it was my first SCA camping event. Up to that point I had attended a few monthly canton meetings. But I certainly did not know what to expect to find at a war. Remember, I was a one ugly tunic having, leftover Marine Corps combat boot wearing, newcomer. I arrived at the site early Friday morning. The fog from the lake lay wrapped around the park like a blanket. The ducks were making for the water as the camp slowly came to life. A few oddly (I thought then) dressed people were walking about. As I got out of my car I inhaled the fresh Chino air. Real fresh, like about five minutes old -- the park is next to a dairy farm. I met up with my friend I was to camp with and we went in search of the Dreiburgen/Starkhafn encampment. By mutual consent they had make a large circle out of the "period" tents and had asked the mundane camps to camp behind and around the circle. As I expected, the majority of "period" tents belonged to the Baronies and other senior people. But, what I did not expect and was surprised to learn, the open area in the middle of the camp was not reserved for the sole use of the nobility and high ranking officers. It was in fact treated as a sort of village green or town square where everyone was welcome. As the weekend passed I was to see this repeated in the other camps as well.

One of the most delightful things for me, as I walked around at night, it was almost impossible to pause outside someone's camp and listen and watch the interesting things they were doing. Even though I must have been an obvious novice I was quickly invited in, though I had no song or music or drink to share. "Come, come friend. Join us by the fire and be welcome!" Every camp it seemed was participating in some unofficial contest. They all tried to be the most open, the most gracious and friendly camp. I miss that.

A new contest seems to have begun. At first people roped off their private space around their tent. Then they roped off the whole camp. Next came cloth, reed and even solid wooden fences, complete with guarded gates. In the race to present a fancy façade, and show everyone else how cool our group is, we may have lost something. Something far more precious than the prestige of a collapsible-portable medieval fortress.

And it came to pass, when the priests bearing the ark had gone round the city seven times, they blew their horns and the people shouted and the walls fell.

Walls can keep people in as well as out. How many times have you gone walking at a war lately? Were there a lot of people out? How many times did you return to camp saying "This place is dead. Everybody is sitting around their fires in small groups or asleep!"

Perhaps the explanation lies in the fact that people don't feel comfortable dealing with barricades. Guards armed with medieval weaponry just don't look inviting, even if they are smiling.

I can remember when adults laughed and played and chased each other around in the dark, as if they had magically become children again. Kids, even big kids need room to play.

People may worry that their stuff won't be as secure without the walls, ropes and gates. Those walls may also keep you from getting to know your neighbor. They may keep you from making a new friend. At the next event let's turn our camps out towards the "roads," not in towards the fire.

So, blow your horns and shout. Tear down those walls, let our inner child run free and let's get the party started!

Darius von Tannenberg has granted permission for all of his articles that were previously on the Dreiburgen web site to continue to appear on the site, 9 Oct 2006.

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