The Great Dark Horde is an independent "household" (a social sub-group or quasi-fraternal organization) within the
Society for Creative Anachronism
The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century. A quip often used within the SCA describes ...
(SCA), a
historical reenactment
Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historic uniforms or costumes and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or ...
group founded with the aim of studying and recreating pre-17th century
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
an cultures and their histories.
["Gunnbjorn Gunnarsson" (Michael S. Rosecrans]
"Households in the SCA"
''Legio Draconis''. Retrieved December 3, 2008. Although one can also find members in other re-enactment groups, it may very well be the largest household in that organization.
It covers all the Kingdoms, though in some Kingdoms members do not always advertise themselves as Hordesmen.
The Dark Horde first appeared (or, as they put it, "walked out of the trees") at a Crown Tourney of the Middle Kingdom, on May 8, 1971 (A.S. V, in SCA notation). One of the more notable co-founders was
fantasy author
This is a list of fantasy authors, authors known for writing works of fantasy, fantasy literature, or related genres of magic realism, horror fiction, science fantasy. Many of the authors are known for work outside the fantasy genres.
A
...
Robert Asprin
Robert Lynn Asprin (June 28, 1946 – May 22, 2008) was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, known best for his humorous series '' MythAdventures'' and '' Phule's Company''.
Background
Robert Asprin was born in St. J ...
(who in the SCA was known as "Yang the Nauseating"). According to eyewitness accounts, some attendees wondered who let the bike gang in the event. According to Yang himself in a song he wrote describing the incident, he was hailed as the
Khakhan
Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...
of the Horde because while en route to that event he and his friends stopped at a bike shop that was having a sale on sheepskin biker's vests. The others all bought vests that had dyed fleece, while the only one he found that would fit him was natural. Because his was different from the rest, he had to be the "leader of the pack".
Although the Dark Horde is particularly interested in the historical aspects of pre-1650
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
culture, some members have personae of
Slavic, Middle Eastern,
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
,
Celtic,
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
, German, Japanese, and Chinese origins, among others. Thus, one cannot always identify Hordesmen by their garb. They may very well be dressed as a
Cavalier
The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ) ...
, a
Crusader, or wearing a royal
Crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
.
This diversity is an homage to the historical
Mongol Empire, which not only covered the greatest land-mass of any single country to date, but also that the Mongols were generally tolerant of the cultural and religious differences of those they absorbed. They did not impose their belief systems, customs, or mores on subjugated peoples, nor even much care how they lived or whom they worshiped, as long as they were prompt with required
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
payments and did not try to rebel.
Asia for Educators Program at Columbia University. "Asian Topics in World History: The Mongols in World History: The Mongols' Mark on Global History: A Tactic of Religious Tolerance"
/ref>
Members of the Great Dark Horde are held to ideals of self-discipline, honor
Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...
, and the pursuit of perfection
Perfection is a state, variously, of completeness, flawlessness, or supreme excellence.
The term is used to designate a range of diverse, if often kindred, concepts. These have historically been addressed in a number of discrete disciplines, ...
; equality
Equality may refer to:
Society
* Political equality, in which all members of a society are of equal standing
** Consociationalism, in which an ethnically, religiously, or linguistically divided state functions by cooperation of each group's elit ...
and respect for each person, regardless of race, sex, age, or allegiance; and camaraderie and friendship
Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague.
In some cultures, the concept o ...
.
Although the role of the Horde is to serve as an anti- aristocratical alternative within the SCA, Horde members have served as King and/or Queen (and as Prince and/or Princess) in many SCA Kingdoms and Principalities; have served as officers at all levels of the SCA; have served as Baron/Baroness of SCA Baronies; and have earned almost every known award and rank of peerage the SCA has to offer.
The emblem of the Great Dark Horde is a red and black yin-yang
Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...
symbol traversed by a yellow lightning-bolt. Those Horde members who wish to be known as such are identifiable by cords of braided, woven, or twisted red and black yarn which hang from the belt, commonly called "Horde Cords". Those who choose not to be openly known as such are sometimes jocularly referred to as "ninjas
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21– ...
".
References
{{reflist, colwidth=30em
Organizations established in 1971
Medieval reenactment
Society for Creative Anachronism
1971 establishments in the United States