Persona & Heraldry Resources

What is a persona? 

In the SCA, a persona is the fictional person you choose to “play” as, that lived some time prior to 1600 A.D. In many ways, you’re creating a character to embody, with a name, a history, an ethnicity and a place of origin, a career, personal heraldry (coat of arms), and unique interests.

The extent to which you choose to develop your persona, is entirely up to you. Some members of the SCA don’t even bother with developing one, while many of our other members assemble a rich tapestry of backgrounds that directly enhance their experience. Some members have multiple personas.

You don’t have to fit into anyone else’s “traditional” roles; you define who you identify as. The SCA is an open book, and we invite you to come as you are and be who you want. We’re an inclusive and diverse organization, with people from all walks of life, playing an even wider range of diverse characters. Remember, the SCA is “The Middle Ages, as they should have been” and that means things like gender roles and cultural stereotypes are flexible and viewed from the standards of modern society. We don’t limit the development of your persona, because each member of the SCA enriches the experience for everyone else. 

(From Barony of Wintermist Website https://www.sca-wintermist.org/what-is-a-persona)

What is Heraldry? 

Heraldry is in use everywhere in the SCA – from brightly colored pennons & banners flying in the breeze, to tabards and painted shields borne by fighters on the field. Your SCA heraldic device is essentially your personal “logo.” On a banner, it lets everyone know you're at the event.​

The heraldic device originated in war. During the chaos of battle, you had to decide within seconds whether someone approaching was friend or enemy. The device evolved to allow this; painted on a shield, it told who was behind that shield. It was so helpful for identification during war that it soon spread into peacetime use as well.