The Raven's Year

What does a year in House Corvus actually look like? This compilation gathers the rhythm of a household's year in the Society — the events attended, the arts pursued, and the honours won — so a newcomer can picture the life before ever attending an event.

The Shape of the Year

A Society year turns on its events. There are local baronial gatherings most months; the great kingdom occasions — the two Crown Tournaments and the two Coronations — that draw the whole of Atlantia together; and the long summer wars, where kingdoms meet by the thousand to camp, fight, teach, and trade for a week at a time. House Corvus plans its year around these fixed points, travelling together and sharing camp.

On the Field

Through the year the household's fighters train and compete — in armoured combat and on the rapier field — while archers and thrown-weapons enthusiasts pursue their own tournaments. Win or lose, the joy is in the doing and in the company; a hard-fought tourney is one of the surest ways a newcomer falls in love with the Society.

In the Arts

Away from the lists, the household's year is full of quieter making. Scribes letter and paint scrolls for the kingdom's awards; needleworkers and tailors prepare new garments; cooks plan and execute feasts from medieval sources; brewers tend their projects; bards practise for the next fire. Arts-and-sciences competitions and classes — a cornerstone of the Society's educational mission — give members a reason to push their craft and to teach what they know.

Honours & Milestones

Each year brings its honours. A newcomer receives a first Award of Arms and becomes a Lord or Lady; a long-serving member is recognised for service or art; and, now and then, the household celebrates an elevation to one of the peerages. These moments, given in the kingdom's courts, are the punctuation of a Society life.

A Living Tradition

The Society for Creative Anachronism has gathered people in this way for more than half a century, in kingdoms around the world. You can read about its history and reach from the official SCA site. For House Corvus, the value is simpler: a year well spent in good company, learning the Middle Ages by living a little of them.

Read more in The Corvine Chronicles, or meet the people behind the year on the Member Roster.