Re-enactment forum?
- Thread starter _scorpio_
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Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
have a look here
http://www.jelldragon.com/knives.htm
although quite expensive you can get much more affordable things at the markets.
and look here for an idea of other kit
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/gallery2010/
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/authenticity/basickit/index.htm
http://www.jelldragon.com/knives.htm
although quite expensive you can get much more affordable things at the markets.
and look here for an idea of other kit
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/gallery2010/
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/authenticity/basickit/index.htm
thanks, i couldnt find that bit on the viking website when i looked, thats really helpful.
no way am i paying those prices for an eating knife though, i think i will habe to get myself a bit of antler and make one myself.
no way am i paying those prices for an eating knife though, i think i will habe to get myself a bit of antler and make one myself.
im not going to wear bright colours, if i can im having brown or green, if not i might settle for black or perhaps a brighter green. but all the leather will be brown anyway.
dont worry about it toddy, it will be ages before i even get materials anyway, just a few words of advice so i can begin to get a plan in my head.
did they have brass and copper in the viking age? i heard low ranking warriors didnt have any kind of proper armour like chainmail and would just attach bits of metal to leather on their clothes. i have some sheets of brass and copper which are thin and light and coild be riveted onto a bit of leather for a little bit of shoulder, arm and chest protection...thanks for all the help!
Brass, copper, iron and even mild steel were known before the Viking era as all had been used by the Romans and spread over most of the known world. I'm not sure what refining and smithing capabilities the Vikings had however. It is likely they also used items they plundered as well so it might not be too important.
...and food, other than the obvious foragables in the UK, im interested in how they would have cooked bread, and what is the closest thing which is available today to the flower and cooking methods they used?
but they had bacon, the only thing i can cook anywhere, so if in doubt i will just eat bacon
thanks for all the help!
Ovens existed but were too expensive for common people which is why commoners got their baked goods from a baker if one was available (and if they could afford it) or likely made bannock of one type or another. At least that's my understanding of the period.
wellllll....................... not really. the staple would have been mostly vegetable based with meat as and when it could be got.
bread would be unleavened, mostly flat bread. your diet would also depend largely on your location.
anyone got a recipe for viking bread?
and how did they farm? i thought they spent most of their time on boats...
and how did they farm? i thought they spent most of their time on boats...
Yeah I know. I was only referring to where bread and baked goods would have come from; not neccessarily inferring that it was a major part of the diet.
My understanding is that there was no single nation as such who were vikings. Many regional Scandinavian kingdoms or tribes were farmers part of the year and when crops were in they went raiding. From what I gather "viking" was a term for the actual raiding (sort of a job description not a people)
i thought "viking" was a general term for the Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish people. once they did their raids did they return to their countries or build on stolen land?
i will be doing a lot more research Chris
i will be doing a lot more research Chris
Okay. Viking means men of the Viks, the fjords. Basically they were farmers and traders who got a taste for raiding.
Raiding not only got them goods to trade, but it got them slaves. Slaves they traded throughout the Viking world, through the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, down through into the near east.
Why did they suddenly do this ?
Economics.
They had finally effectively accessed the iron ores of the Norwegian mountains and exploited them to great effect. That iron meant that they could have iron shod ploughs. Those ploughs opened up more land, even poor land, and allowed them to grow more crops. Those extra crops fed more children to healthy adulthood. Those children were married in their teens and started producing their own children.....and within two generations they had a population explosion.
Those children wanted farms and goods of their own. The extra womenfolks meant more wool could be spun (five spinners needed to keep one handloom weaver in production) that meant more good cloth, cloth that became sails as well as clothing.
The longships were the method of the Viking expansion, not the reason for it.
Food wise you have to think seasonality. Their diets were very varied and healthy.
Grains, greenery, roots and fruits. Meat, milk, fish, fowl and eggs. Most animals were slaughtered in late Autumn, since it wasn't possible to feed them all through the Winter. Cows, goats and sheep go 'dry' then anyway and farmyard fowl stop laying eggs. Butter and cheese are good to extend the calcium and calorie rich foods though.
Fish is always available, and it preserves well; dried, salted, pickled or smoked, and they knew all those methods.
Grain means not only ale and beer but porage and bread. If you can brew beer you have barm. Barm is a frothy yeast. That frothy yeast means that bread need not be a wee hard brick It would be wholegrain though, well unless some poor female slaved away making sure you only got the white It takes a lot of grinding to make flour so it's not wasted. An iron plate, a griddle/girdle/greddle bakes good bannocks without the need for an oven. The Vikings are generally considered to be aceramic, they used soapstone instead of pottery, but those pots if properly positioned in a hearth and covered bake good bread too. (Look up plant pot loaves for modern examples.)
They didn't have sugar, but they did have honey, and fruits; lots and lots of fruits. Everything from apples and pears to plums and cherries. They also exploited rosehips, cloudberries, lingonberries, etc., etc.,
Seasoning's a little different, but herbs are ubiquitous, and there are loads of native plants that give good strong flavours. Horseradish, cress, mustard and the like.
There was also the range of wildfowl, wild boar, deer, seal, and whale meats available as well as the shellfish.
Generally what we would consider a hard life, but it wasn't unhealthy.
cheers,
Toddy
Raiding not only got them goods to trade, but it got them slaves. Slaves they traded throughout the Viking world, through the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, down through into the near east.
Why did they suddenly do this ?
Economics.
They had finally effectively accessed the iron ores of the Norwegian mountains and exploited them to great effect. That iron meant that they could have iron shod ploughs. Those ploughs opened up more land, even poor land, and allowed them to grow more crops. Those extra crops fed more children to healthy adulthood. Those children were married in their teens and started producing their own children.....and within two generations they had a population explosion.
Those children wanted farms and goods of their own. The extra womenfolks meant more wool could be spun (five spinners needed to keep one handloom weaver in production) that meant more good cloth, cloth that became sails as well as clothing.
The longships were the method of the Viking expansion, not the reason for it.
Food wise you have to think seasonality. Their diets were very varied and healthy.
Grains, greenery, roots and fruits. Meat, milk, fish, fowl and eggs. Most animals were slaughtered in late Autumn, since it wasn't possible to feed them all through the Winter. Cows, goats and sheep go 'dry' then anyway and farmyard fowl stop laying eggs. Butter and cheese are good to extend the calcium and calorie rich foods though.
Fish is always available, and it preserves well; dried, salted, pickled or smoked, and they knew all those methods.
Grain means not only ale and beer but porage and bread. If you can brew beer you have barm. Barm is a frothy yeast. That frothy yeast means that bread need not be a wee hard brick
It would be wholegrain though, well unless some poor female slaved away making sure you only got the white It takes a lot of grinding to make flour so it's not wasted. An iron plate, a griddle/girdle/greddle bakes good bannocks without the need for an oven. The Vikings are generally considered to be aceramic, they used soapstone instead of pottery, but those pots if properly positioned in a hearth and covered bake good bread too. (Look up plant pot loaves for modern examples.)They didn't have sugar, but they did have honey, and fruits; lots and lots of fruits. Everything from apples and pears to plums and cherries. They also exploited rosehips, cloudberries, lingonberries, etc., etc.,
Seasoning's a little different, but herbs are ubiquitous, and there are loads of native plants that give good strong flavours. Horseradish, cress, mustard and the like.
There was also the range of wildfowl, wild boar, deer, seal, and whale meats available as well as the shellfish.
Generally what we would consider a hard life, but it wasn't unhealthy.
cheers,
Toddy
not difficult, they just want to meet their members before giving out details.
its Regia Anglorum
its Regia Anglorum
I wouldn't worry about it then. They're a family society; their children are part of things so they have every reason to be a little cautious of newbies. They're welcoming though, and generally very active.
They'll start you at the bottom rung, social standing that it. So very basic kit will be fine. Usually newbies start training with the battle captain (that's one of the Glasgow Vik terms, I don't know what Regia call theirs) but you'll be expected to at least think about 'who' you are, what character you are portraying; the carpenter's apprentice or a flesher (butcher) or a comb maker, for example.
Research is always a good thing, but mind if someone else in the group is already in a role, it might not be so good for the set up to have another person doing exactly the same thing.
See how it goes, and let us know ?
cheers,
Toddy
They'll start you at the bottom rung, social standing that it. So very basic kit will be fine. Usually newbies start training with the battle captain (that's one of the Glasgow Vik terms, I don't know what Regia call theirs) but you'll be expected to at least think about 'who' you are, what character you are portraying; the carpenter's apprentice or a flesher (butcher) or a comb maker, for example.
Research is always a good thing, but mind if someone else in the group is already in a role, it might not be so good for the set up to have another person doing exactly the same thing.
See how it goes, and let us know ?
cheers,
Toddy
i want to fight regularly, but they have just set up a forge so i might have a use there and i can be a baker.
once i get better at woodcarving i could make myself useful there.
i know someone there who is a regular and built them a longboat (he was a teacher at my secondary school lol!) so he should be able to help me out a bit. im also not far from their Canterbury base.
i am quite happy to be a peasant (i have the relevantly named svord ), but dont want to be for too long... "peasant at arms" sounds good
once i get better at woodcarving i could make myself useful there.
i know someone there who is a regular and built them a longboat (he was a teacher at my secondary school lol!) so he should be able to help me out a bit. im also not far from their Canterbury base.
i am quite happy to be a peasant (i have the relevantly named svord
), but dont want to be for too long... "peasant at arms" sounds good
I bump into members of the group up here every so often. They're good people
Most reenactors are in it for the fun and enjoyment they get from not only the social aspect, but from learning about the lives of the people of their chosen period. A big bit of what fascinates many of them is making their own kit, learning 'trades', being capable of making without machinery or modern technology. A lot of it ties in well with bushcraft. It's possible to spend mega bucks on kit, but by the same token, a little research and practical application of handcrafts makes for correct and comfortable outfitting.
It might be an idea to have a look online for reenactment events near you and go along and see what's happening; see if something appeals to you more than the rest. Talk with the folks involved.
The other good places to visit (keep a tight leash on your wallet though ) are the re-enactors markets, kit heaven
cheers,
Toddy
Most reenactors are in it for the fun and enjoyment they get from not only the social aspect, but from learning about the lives of the people of their chosen period. A big bit of what fascinates many of them is making their own kit, learning 'trades', being capable of making without machinery or modern technology. A lot of it ties in well with bushcraft. It's possible to spend mega bucks on kit, but by the same token, a little research and practical application of handcrafts makes for correct and comfortable outfitting.
It might be an idea to have a look online for reenactment events near you and go along and see what's happening; see if something appeals to you more than the rest. Talk with the folks involved.
The other good places to visit (keep a tight leash on your wallet though
) are the re-enactors markets, kit heaven cheers,
Toddy
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