Persona

Choosing a Name and Persona, or, Who am I and what am I called in polite company?

Choosing a persona and a name go together, as a 5th century Byzantine really should not be called Richard of the Dell. Usually the choice goes together, as you might be attracted to types of names, cultures and styles of dress. The trick is to put them together into a persona.

What Is a Persona?
A persona is your character's back story, an historically realistic life before coming the The Knowne World. The more detailed your story is, the more you painlessly learn about your character's home culture, customs, outlook and history -- and the more interesting you are! Many people also make up stories about how they came to The Knowne World. (Shipwreck is a popular concept, and tends to explain married couples where the man is a Roman and the woman is Tudor.) Many other people presume to always have lived in The Knowne World, and that's fine too. You will inevitably build your own history in The Knowne World anyway, both through story ("this is how I came to the Shire...") and real events (being awarded your Arms).

The SCA spans a generous time period: pre-17th century Europe, which lets in Celts, Elizabethans, Byzantines, Venetians, Irish, Spaniards, Vikings, etc., etc.: a huge groups of times, cultures and people to choose from. (You can expand the definition of "Europe" to include trade partner, which lets in Asian cultures. Also, some people play with the beginning and end of the time period -- choosing Roman personas (pre-400 A.D.) or Cavaliers (up to 1650 A.D.). This is O.K. with most reasonable folks, though everyone draws the line at Cro-Magnon man or periwigs. And fantasy characters are right out! I love Legolas too, but he doesn't belong in the SCA.

Picking a Name
You may pick your persona based on a name you like, or pick your name based on the persona you want. For example, your Tudor gentleman could be Richard Highgate, or your Florentine lady could be Ginevra da Donnici. Pick something you like -- you'll be living with it for some time -- but remember that you can't pick a fantasy name, a well known name from books or the movies, or anything crude, racist or obscene. (NOT that any one from OUR Shire would be caught dead doing that!!!)

To help you pick, approve and register a name, the SCA has an army (actually a College) of heralds to help member choose their names and register their heraldic devices.

To further help you develop your persona, here is a wonderful list of persona questions developed by Baron Modar Neznanich of the Kingdom of Calontir.