Choosing a Profession

Your profession will indiciate how you project yourself when in character as your Persona. One of the great things about the Middle Ages in Anglo-Saxon England is that while most people were some form of peasant (which in historical language just means someone who worked the land, usually for someone else) craftsmanship and other trades were on the rise. Now, in the SCA, everyone is generally considered Gentry. You could totally be a minor noble who does not have a complex hand-worked profession. This allows you to indulge in hobbies unrelated to daily life or your traid. There really was opportunity to do other things. Some things to consider for choosing a profession:

  1. You may actually be expected to know what you are doing.
    • I would suggest sticking with Gentry unless you already know a trade or craft. For instance: If you have a persona that is a carpenter, someone may expect you to be able to put together something made of wood.
  2. A lot of your time will be dedicated to craft, and depending on your trade, you would probably have done militia muster.
    • Most tradesfolk, farmers, and others would have been expected to do some form of military service. While combat is absolutely optional in SCA, if you were a farmer, you probably know how to wield an axe or spear. Potentially both.
    • In order to get the most out of the hobby, your Persona will likely get better at their profession, or trade. This means that some of your hobby time will be spent, in garb, doing this profession or trade.

My Process

Especially living near a market town like Hamwic, there was all manner of trade happening. For instance, as a person who grew up on a Farm with a carpenter for a father I learned a lot about farm management and carpentry. Enough that I could put together my own living space, carve my own bowls, and make some simple furniture. However, I chose to use my privilege of living near Hamwic to take an apprenticeship with a Blacksmith. While my small hamlet did not need a full-time blacksmith, this has allowed me to help around the hamlet in all sorts of ways. I am able to help repair tools, work on homes, and make daily life a little bit easier for myself and my family. We have iron utensils, and I can make sure the farm tools are well kept. My profession is Blacksmith, but I was expected, in my small hamlet, to do so much more.

In the last year I have moved back to Saxony in the Barony of Knight’s crossing to the Canton of Bärenau. I have a meager claim of land, but am still establishing myself as a blacksmith in small village within the Canton borders. My wife, Oshild, is an Apothecarist and Herbalist. We have had 3 children.

In every other part of this process, I have done more explanation of my research. In this case, I have spent the better part of the last 15 years learning about historical methods of Carpentry, Blacksmithing, Fiber Arts, and cookery as a hobby. These are the skills a rural lifestyle would demand for self-sufficiency. Before moving to the Barony of Knight’s Crossing, I lived in the Kingdom of Artemisia on a farm with 15 Goats, between 8 and 12 Chickens, and 4 dogs. So, in some ways this was my easiest decision.