Avila’s Literary Magazine, the Scop, publishes poetry, short stories, short plays, criticism, and essays. The magazine is edited by students under the supervision of Avila’s Artist in Residence, Professor Stanley Banks.
The first use of this word occurs in Beowulf c. 496 A.D. where it refers to wandering minstrels who provide entertainment. In northern Europe in Germanic or Teutonic territories, a scop was a type of performer who flourished from the fifth to the eighth centuries.
As the principal preserver of a tribe’s history and chronology, the scop was prized and awarded a place of honor in society. The songs and stories were major features of feasts and other great occasions. After the Teutonic tribes were converted to Christianity, however, the scop was denounced by the church, classed with mimes and, like them, branded infamous. The term was used in the nineteenth century, but has become obsolete in present-day English. We revive the term as our title because it refers to a creator of literature and a teller of tales.
2005 Award Winners
Essay Award “Starving Artists” by Tom Sullivan
Poetry Award “Old Hippies” by Kathie Gridley
Fiction Award “Photograph” by Amy Morris
Some past work featured in the SCOP
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