Yeah, that's an SCA video. In the SCA all cultures between the year 700 and 1700 CE are allowed. You get them all on the battle field, except for the rapier dudes and dudettes, who do their own tourneys. Most people up here tend to stick to a Viking or Celt persona, or early medieval, but because we actually fight (as in the fights are not rehearsed or choreographed, but actual fighting with blunted weapons of various kinds), there are rules for what kind of armour you must wear for safety. That means that you may not look very Viking by the time you put on a gorgette and boots, a grill for your face and all that stuff that's completely not Norse. Once the fight is over, you can go back to your Viking garb again.
The group that I play with the most does live steel (non SCA). Then you don't get those issues, but then again, we're all 100% Viking (well, except for a thrall or two).
How did you make out with the dig issue? The research project that my "co-conspiritor" and I are working on will be presented at a seminar in Russia in May, but next week I'm volunteering at a big North America wide archaeo conference in Vancouver. Dunno which is more exciting...
Dragonkeeper: I've spent shit loads of time sewing up new garb again. Silk underdress, mink fur lined woolen cloak and silver fox fur lined wool caftan for myself, made a new card weave belt and then I re-dyed my apron dress and applied new trim to it. Purchased a threefoil brooch, too, to fasten the caftan. For my husband I made a silk lined linen tunic, new leg bindings, a woolen hat and I am still working on a wool Birka coat for him, and I am still working on the embroidery around the neck of his tunic. I bought him a new ring pin, since he seems to have lost his big wrought iron one. My youngest kid got a new cloak that I've blanket stitched along the edges, but otherwise have not done much with (she grows too fast to make much effort...), and the older on, who is "turning teenager", is getting a new red wool cloak, also trimmed, and I've bought her her first set of "grown up" turtle brooches, and I've strung her her first treasure necklace. I'm currently working on a new apron dress for her, too. Oh, and I ended up with a bunch of really thick felt (Mongol style hand made) that I've now started making into a really large wallhanging for the A-frame tent. It helps keep it warm in there when we camp out early in the season. I invited my sister-in law to the pub invasion, and she's now so gung ho, sewing garb and crap, that I'll alos have to help her with her stuff. The lady at the East Indian fabric store knows me by name now...she gives me really good prices on the fabrics as a result (natural linnen @ $8/m as a difference to $20-30/m for example, and a lot of "I'll throw in and extra 1/2 yard of silk" and such). Can't go wrong with that! Anyhow, we'll be very stylish Vikings this year, but my hands are permanently sore, and I have fur up my nose and in my eyes on a permanent basis!
only a thousand year difference ^^
