Order of the Pelican
The Order of the Pelican is bestowed on those people who have “attained the standard of service to the Society or any of its branches equal to that of his or her prospective peers, which is above and beyond that normally expected of members of the Society.” (Corpora, Article VIII.A.4.c)
The Order of the Pelican is one of the four SCA Peerages, along with the Order of the Chivalry, the Order of the Laurel, and the Order of Defense. It is a Society wide Award that is recognized in every Kingdom in the Knowne World and conveys to the member a Patent of Arms, no matter which Crown of which Kingdom bestowed the Award.
Symbols and Titles
The symbol of the order is a pelican in its piety (vulning itself). Members of the order of the Pelican may wear a chapeau (Cap of Maintenance).
Masters of the Order of the Pelican are addressed as “Master” or “Mistress”.
Responsibilities
In addition to the Peerage Qualities expected of all peers, members of the Order of the Pelican are “to:
- set an example of courtesy and chivalrous conduct
- respect the Crown of the kingdom; support and uphold the Laws of the kingdom and Corpora
- support and uphold the Crown of his or her kingdom, if in fealty
- enrich the kingdom by sharing his or her knowledge and skills
- advise the Crown on the advancement of candidates for the Pelican” (Corpora, Article VIII.A.4.c)
Elevation to the Order
Each Crown may chose to elevate Subjects of Their Kingdom to the Order, but the Crown must ensure the Subject meets the criteria as described in Corpora for Peerage Awards, and The Crown has consulted with the current members of the Order in Their Kingdom.
Members of the Order of the Pelican may choose to swear fealty to the Crown, but are not required to do so.
Although many nobles were elevated by the Midrealm before Ealdormere was itself a kingdom, Mistress Ælflaeda FitzAlain was the premier of the Order of the Pelican elevated in Ealdormere.
See Also
