The Crown Province of Østgarðr is the greater New York City chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a not-for-profit educational and social organization dedicated to re-creating aspects of medieval and Renaissance culture.
What is the SCA?
The SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) is a worldwide organization dedicated to re-creating various aspects of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It has no political or religious affiliation; in legalese, it is a not-for-profit educational organization. It holds thousands of events and other gatherings per year, almost all of which are run and organized by unpaid volunteers. There is generally no “audience;” everyone is here to participate and contribute to one another’s experience.
Typical SCA members are students, artists, computer programmers, professors, military personnel, … people from all walks of life who take an amateur (or in some cases professional) interest in medieval Europe and other cultures with which it came in contact. We express this interest not just by reading about the period, but by making and wearing the clothes, making and eating the food, building swords and hitting our friends (who are wearing armor), building and living in the tents, performing the music and drama, etc. At the same time, we meet interesting and intelligent people who share our interests; we develop romances and lifelong friendships. For more information on the organization in general, see the SCA’s web site or the Wikipedia article on the SCA.
The Crown Province of Østgarðr is a chapter of the SCA covering the greater New York City area. It is part of the East Kingdom, a regional chapter covering the northeastern US and eastern Canada. In turn, Østgarðr has several sub-chapters, or cantons: Appleholm (Manhattan), Lions End (Nassau County), and Northpass (Westchester and Putnam Counties).
Visit our Getting Involved page to learn more, connect with us online, and find your first in-person event.