Have you ever wondered how it would be like to live in ages gone by? To dress in leather and sport a sword at your hip? To be called “Your Lordship” and rule your own kingdom? If you’re a gamer and spend most of your free time indoor on your PlayStation, you probably have had such experiences while immersed in games like Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, or Assassin’s Creed.
Enter The Society of Creative Anachronism Thailand!
But there’s a growing group of Thai people who can actually do all that, right here in Bangkok. Meet, the Honorable Lord Grimr Korni, Seneschal of the Canton of Golden Playne, also known in the “real world” as Nakorn Srisomwongs, a 32-year-old IT manager. He is the leader of the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) – Thailand chapter, who looks over the Canton of Golden Playne, a “territory” which belongs to the Palatine Barony of the Far West in the Kingdom of the West.
According to their website, The Society of Creative Anachronism is “an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills pre-17th-century Europe.” It was founded in 1966 by Poul Anderson, an American science fiction author, with the intention of creating a living history group. The Kingdom of the West currently includes parts of the western US coast as well as Japan, Korea, and the Pacific Rim, including Thailand.
SCA came to Thailand in 2009, when three members from the United States who worked and lived in Thailand, formed a group and started meeting regularly. The three founders, Master Ii Saburou Katsumori, Mistress Abe Akirakeiko, and Lord Saito Takauji showed the local Thais how history can be brought to life. When they left Thailand in 2011, Nakorn Srisomwongs took over the leadership of the group and has been working hard at solidifying and expanding their operations ever since.
“I have been fascinated by the high fantasy genre since childhood. When I joined the Society of Creative Anachronism Thailand, I learnt that the fantasy worlds I loved were all inspired by real history,” explained Nakorn. “This got me hooked and changed my perspective in life ever since.”
Thus, for him and his comrades, history was no longer a boring textbook. Talking about history suddenly became exciting. “Period movies and games became funny when you’ve done it for real. You don’t get better just by clicking your mouse. You have to fight for real, get hurt, learn and improve from it, make real clothes, sing songs, brew drinks, shoot arrows, ride horses and everything else medieval, …for real,” he proudly declared.
The main objective of Society of Creative Anachronism Thailand is to make medieval history fun, to encourage people to do outdoor activities, and be connected to the Known World of the SCA around the world. Thailand now has 20 permanent members who participate in activities every weekend, 30 members that show up only for big events, and 1,200+ members who just hang our and chit chat online in their Facebook Group.
At a regular meeting, members share their knowledge of the subject and what they have accomplished since their last meeting. They also engage in fighting in heavy armour, medieval sword fencing in light armour, shooting arrows, blacksmithing, cloth making, and cooking. “We hold our own local event every year and every time we have guests from overseas; we welcome these guests to the gathering or meet them during weekdays for dinner. We also travel to other countries, such as Japan, Korea, and Australia, to participate in events and make new friends in the SCA. Everywhere we go we are met by people who share the same dream,” said the Lord Grimr Korni.
According to SCA regulations, members can choose personas that are Europeans or have been in contact with the Europeans before the 17th century. In Thailand, the members take personas that are Roman, Greek, Norse (Viking), Japanese, Mongol, English, French, German, Italian, and Siamese.
There’s an element of real adventure in their fights, but it’s also very safe. The members of The Society of Creative Anachronism Thailand have been practicing for more than six years and have had no serious injuries. “We fight with full force but you cannot hit the wrist, the hand, and below the knee. Also, you cannot tackle. Only weapons can touch the opponent and shields can only touch the other shield or weapon. You cannot shield slam. We have strict safety rules for armours that cover head, neck, kidney, elbow, wrist and hand, groin, knees and feet. You do get big bruises if you wear minimum armour but people do it in exchange for speed,” explained His Lordship.
There are no fees to participate. Everyone is welcome to join and show their love for things medieval. You only pay for membership if you want to expand the status of the group, from one level of the branch to another, become officers, or participate in title tournaments. To fight, you need to be at least 16 years of age. SCA does have combat for kids, but at the moment not in Thailand.
“Thailand is the first branch that has 99% local members. Everywhere else in Southeast Asia, the SCA is where the US army bases are,” proudly explained Nakorn. That doesn’t mean you won’t be welcomed if you’re not Thai.
The Society of Creative Anachronism Thailand meets every Saturday from 1pm to 9pm at what they call their “Medieval Village” in Soi Kantana in Bangyai (6 km away from CentralPlaza WestGate in Bangkok). Find out more information by liking their Facebook Page, joining their Facebook Group, watching their great medieval fights on YouTube, and visiting their Thai website.
