Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 20:59:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: dicconf <dicconf at radix.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: rehash of mundanes VS fans
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005, Mike B. wrote:

> At 06:48 PM 4/20/05 -0400, Ted White wrote:
> >From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
>
> >> Markland and the SCA were two different things, though there was overlap.
>
> >Did Markland have anything to do with the Maryland Medieval Militia?
>
> Yes, because it wasn't the the "Maryland Medieval Militia", it was the
> "Markland Medieval Mercenary Militia", sometimes known as "the quad-M".
> "Mark" because no self-respecting patriarchy would name a place after a
> woman.  Kind of sarcastic in a way. ;-)

"Mark" because that was the Middle Ages term for a border area.  Cf. the
use of "Mark" in the same sense in Tolkien's works.  The English
equivalent was "March", hence the "Marcher Lords", the t/h/u/g/s hard
cases who had feudal demesnes on the Welsh or Scottish borders.

The Vikings were a heck of a lot more cognizant of Women's Rights than any
of the people around the Mediterranean.  Their descendants are still in
the upper brackets in these matters.

> Most Marklanders were also SF fans BTW... ;-)

So are most SCAdians, for that matter.  I remember the first big SCA
event I went to was running late and I asked Elliot Shorter (book dealer
-- you may know him if you've been to Lunacon) whether this meant that
there was trouble.  He smiled indulgently and asked if I hadn't noticed
how many of Them were also Us.

-- Dick Eney