Making It Official: I’m Finally Registering My SCA Persona Name

Hey everyone!

At Lonely Tower’s RUSH event I previously wrote about, I finally took the plunge and submitted the name I’ve been using in the SCA since the summer of 2008. This name has seen a lot of action—I’ve written papers with it, it’s all over Google, and I even have an email address dedicated to it. So, it was definitely time to make it official.

I met with M. Dorcas Whitecap one of SCA’s stalwart heralds who take charge of registering our SCA names and devices. Dorcas was more than happy to help with the details I needed to get the job done. I used a female gender for my persona, which isn’t always a given in the SCA. Some folks choose a different gender for their persona, while others have multiple personas with different genders and other unique traits.

My goal was to have my name fit someone living in 15th-century Bruges, in the Duchy of Burgundy, or France. Burgundy ceased to be independent in Jehanne’s life after Charles the Bold died at the Battle of Nancy. Charles’s daughter, Mary, inherited much of his domain and claimed the Duchy of Burgundy. Her heirs called themselves dukes of Burgundy, refusing to accept the loss of the duchy. Imagine living through such an exciting transition!

After some digging, M. Dorcas confirmed that both parts of my name were used within a hundred years of each other and in close proximity—she was thrilled!

Next, she checked within the SCA to see if anyone else claimed my coveted name. It was a bit amusing to see my own class handouts pop up during the search. The good news was that no one was using it.

The final step was paying the $8 fee. Thankfully, I could use PayPal, which made the process super easy—and, yes, I could charge it!

Registering my name in the SCA is a big deal for me. It substantiates not only who I am but confirms that my persona is authentic to the time and place I’ve chosen. My persona, Jehanne Bening, is a fully developed character. She worked in Simon Bening’s 15th-century manuscript workshop in Bruges, the Duchy of Burgundy.

Thanks for reading. If you have or want an alternative persona my readers and I would love to know about it. Please, please share it with us below.

Cheers!