Excerpts from "Good Gentles All" by Countess Alix
CHOOSING A PERSONA
One of the first things a new SCA member needs to do is select a persona. Your "persona" is your SCA identity. It is the person you would have liked to be had you really lived in the Middle Ages. The basics of choosing a persona are selecting a medieval name, a time period, and the country or place you are from. For some people, this is all the identity their persona will ever have. For others, this is just a beginning, and they work up elaborate persona histories, including genealogies. Most of us are somewhere in between these two extremes, but yours can be as simple or elaborate as you like.
There are some guidelines and restrictions to remember in selecting a persona. Your persona should be within the recognized SCA time period (about 600 A.D. to 1600 A.D.) and should be from a culture that at least had trade routes with Western Europe during your time period. You are not permitted to use the name of a well-known historical or literary figure (i.e. Eleanor of Aquitaine or Arthur Pendragon) and you may not give yourself any title that implies nobility or landedness. In the SCA such titles as 'knight,' 'lady' and 'duchess' are earned and their use is restricted to those who have been granted the privilege of using them. The title restriction doesn't mean your persona must be a peasant or slave. On the contrary, everyone in the SCA is assumed to be of the gentler classes unless they, themselves, specify otherwise. You also may not adopt a persona of non-mortal lineage (elves, etc.) and may not take a name which implies such lineage. Within these restrictions you may choose any country, time period, etc. that you like.
How do you go about developing a persona? Many people already are particularly interested in a certain culture or time period when they join the SCA. If, say, Renaissance Italy has always been your passion, you already have a good idea what your persona will be. All you need to do is consult your local pursuivant or your local library for some ideas for a Renaissance Italian name. Then you can start deciding exactly when and where you want to be. Other people might choose a place by their own ancestry; a person of German extraction might choose a German persona, for example. But if this doesn't appeal to you, there's no need to do this. If your appearance is Northern European but you've always had a hankering after the Mid-East, no one will gripe at you for not looking Middle Eastern. One of the best things about the SCA is that you can create the type of persona you want without restrictions based on your mundane existence.
If you aren't sure of any particular time period or culture, or just don't know enough about any specific happenings to make a choice, you will need to do a bit of research. (This is an educational organization, after all!) Get ahold of a good general history or two of the Middle Ages and see if anything you read grabs you. Flip through some costume or armor books and see if any particular period takes your fancy. Observe the populace at some events and see if a particular type of garb is appealing to you. Then talk to the person wearing it to find out what sort of persona wears that sort of garb. Talk to some of the other people in your group about their personas and how they got started. Some people develop a persona out of a particular interest they have. For example, a person interested in metalworking may develop a persona who pursues this craft for a living. Others have a particular name in mind and develop a persona to go with the name. Good historical novels are a source of ideas, too.
ON CHOOSING A NAME
According to SCA rules, you must choose a name that could plausibly have existed in the Middle Ages or Renaissance. You may not use your exact modern name, no matter how "period" it sounds, because you are supposed to develop a distinction between the SCA you and the modern you. You may, however, use part of your modern name, and many people who have period first names use them with a different last name. Another rule is that you should try not to use more than two different languages in your name, and definitely no more than three. If you use this many they must be related languages that could at least possibly be found in the same name. You also cannot combine two separate languages in one word. You will have to provide documentation for your name choice (your local pursuivant can help you with this) which shows that it could have existed in your time period. Your name must be sufficiently unique to avoid confusion with any other SCA person with a similar name (this is usually easy). You may make up a name, but if you do you must follow naming rules of some period culture or it is likely to be rejected. And the various elements of your name should be correctly constructed grammatically. Your local pursuivant can help you with all of these questions.
You must have at least two words to your name, a given name and a surname. The surname may be a place name (as in "of Middleton"), a patronymic (such as "Olafsdottir" or "Mac Neill"), or a nickname (such as "the Red"). Some people use more than one of these, in fact. Please keep in mind that name construction in the Middle Ages was very different than in modern-day America. Always consult with your local pursuivant, or other experienced members of your group, for assistance and advice.
Try to pick a name that is relatively easy to pronounce. Even if you have a gift for language, not everyone in the Society does, and a difficult name will be badly pronounced more often than not. Try out a few names to see what sounds right. An ideal name should be one that is appropriate no matter what rank you eventually attain in the Society and should not offend anyone's sensibilities. Remember that you will have to live with the image your name creates, so choose carefully.
Once you choose a name start using it! Introduce yourself to people by that name and ask your friends to call you by your SCA name at SCA functions. This is particularly important if you did not choose a name very quickly and people got used to thinking of you as "Joe of Backwater." Nobody else will use your name if you don't. This is your one chance to name yourself; enjoy it!
If you decide later that you don't like your chosen name and want to change it, you can. However, when you submit a name change you will have to pay another heraldic fee, and it is often difficult to get people to remember to use a new name, especially if you are well known. So choose carefully when you start. If you still decide later you want to change your name, go ahead; even royal peers have been known to change their names successfully, though it may take a while for people to recognize the new name.
CLOTHING
In our recreation of the times and persons of the Middle Ages, appropriate style of dress is essential. In fact, some attempt at pre-seventeenth century costume is required for attendance at Society events. Even if this is your first set of clothing you can achieve a Medieval look with quite simple styles. [Contact a group member for t-tunic advice; if that person can't help chances are he or she can point you to someone who can.] Variations are created by changing the sleeve shape and adjusting how tightly the garment fits at the waist. Zippers didn't exist in those times so use shank buttons or lacing to help things fight tightly.
TEXTILES: Cottons, wools, fabrics with a homespun look, brocades, uncut corduroy and drapery materials make good costumes. Don't use fiberglass or the latex-backed drapery fabrics. For most things woven fabrics are a better choice than knits. However, heavy, 60-inch wide double knit (avoid the thin clingy type) can make a quick cheap outfit that is far preferable to a modern-looking fancier dress.
COLORS: Most of the dyes used in the Middle Ages did not produce the lastingly bright colors that we get with modern dyes. Most people ended up with muted colors or earth tones: dusty rose, moss green, light blues, russet, browns, greys, dark greens and beiges. Only rich nobility could afford deep tones like crimson and purple. Until you've had time to do research it's best to avoid patterns and stick to solid colors. Bright color trim or edging was added whenever possible, especially at the neckline and sleeves.
THINGS TO AVOID: Beware of elaborate dresses that look modern (prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses), even the ones that look 'old fashioned.' (These are usually Victorian or turn-of-the-century...the 20th century!) It is much better to have something simple that has the right 'look' than to wear something with a frilly, 'modern' look. Avoid white belts and spurs, as these can be worn only by Knights and Masters at Arms. Crowns, coronets and tiaras are reserved for use by royalty and nobility.
GETTING HELP: Your local Minister of Arts [or Chatelaine] can help you get started or direct you to resource people. If you want something fancier than the suggestions here, check with your Minister of Arts or other local costumers. Some groups [including the one here in Columbia, MO] also have garb to loan you until you have a chance to get your own.