WHO ARE YOU!

In retrospect, this should have been my first post, but I am more of a concrete person so I started with my armour.

So to fix this, please allow me to introduce myself...

Mundanely, I am a Pagan 30-year-old, a Daddy, and father of three. I was initially introduced to the SCA in 2007, and had the chance to dabble in it for a little bit, but realistically, I didn’t become heavily involved until I introduced my girlfriend into it last year, and it became a mutual passion. For me, finding the SCA was a homecoming. It was an incredible moment where I finally found a group of people that “fit” me. I was lucky enough to have been introduced to it by chance, and I haven’t looked back since.

I am primarily devoted to heavy combat within the SCA. I have always been into contact sports, and to me, fighting is the ultimate expression because it goes beyond being an analogue for war, and directly into being a fight. Everytime I step onto the field, it’s a little piece of Valhalla to me. The path I have taken so far has allowed me to compete in three tourneys: each experience taught me plenty. More important than any of the tourneys (at least to me) has been the practices. I try to get in armour at least once a week, and I have the habit of annoying my opponent with questions and requesting an analysis of my form between each match. I sincerely believe the best way to grow and improve is to understand what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong.

Off the field, my biggest interpretation of the Dream is working as a herald. I get the chance to sit with people that are trying to find themselves: not the person society has taught them they must be, but the person that they feel they should’ve been. And I get to help look for ways to achieve that! As a herald, you get to help them find and bring their personas to life. To me, the flying banners and painted shields are part of what makes the veil draw thin. They help transport you to the place beyond mundanity. If I am not on the field, you can almost always find me at Herald’s Point, looking for ways to help out.

Despite having two major interests within Society, I find that being well-rounded as a person is crucial for personal growth. Therefore, I’ve found amusement and learning in other skills as well. One of my most entertaining learning experiences focused on leatherworking: I thoroughly enjoyed making armour and belts, and it even became a bit of a profitable enterprise for a short length of time. I am now focusing on learning how to do more of the artistic things, such as tooling the leather. Next on my project list is a tooled leather scabbard for my seax, based on findings from York, and I’m currently trying my hand at writing poetry in alliterative verse, the style that would’ve been appropriate for my persona.

That is me in so many words. What I personally find much more interesting is my persona.

It is 944: the second siege of Constantinople by the Rus is happening, and the Rus control large swathes of the northlands. Rurik Ulfhamar, having fought ardently in the first siege, used his share of the spoils to purchase a ship, and with that his freedom.  During the first war, he found that he was Úlfhéðinn, a wolf skin-changer. On the field of battle, he fights with their fierceness; off the field, he gathers his friends and family around him. They form a pack, the crew of the ship, and a mercenary unit when other work is lean.

Ulfhamar is a small farmstead along the river between the Baltic Sea and Holmgård. It is here that the pack live and work during peaceful times, and spend their winter months waiting for the summer raids.

These are the basics of my persona and the blog, as it is my hope to further develop the first through the introspective discourse written in the latter.

This is a chronicle and a motivational tool to help me keep my path as far researching and bringing my persona to life. Event reports, research on aspects of Viking and Úlfhéðinn life & culture, armour that I am making, workouts & trainings, and any other thoughts that need working out. I have found that it’s harder to not to do something when in my mind I’ve formed a commitment to write about it.

We raise a horn to the Einherjar

Yesterday was the Feast of the Einherjar, the day when we raise our horns to the honoured dead. This is a very significant day to me in particular, and is one of the few days that the organized Asatruar groups hold that I keep. It is also Veteran’s Day, a day to celebrate warriors of all stripes: those who serve this country, and those that fight on Vigrid Plain.

The Einherjar are the warriors that have died in battle, chosen first by the Valkyries to go to Asgard, and then by Odin to go to Valhalla. Once there, they are said to spend their days fighting in practice for the Ragnarok, and their nights with all their wounds healed in merry making, and feasting in Odin’s great hall. A warrior’s afterlife.

What makes this combination of purposes so important to me? I fully believe that there is no greater honour and privilege than serving in defense of one’s nation, except perhaps serving in defense of one’s beliefs. My own recent ancestors served in the military, and they did so with pride, fighting in some cases for the freedom of our homeland that was lost so many years ago, and in some cases fighting for the new home that has gifted us so much. So I raise the horn to their glory and their spirits. All our ancestors were warriors, and fought to survive in a time that was more difficult and more fierce. They fought to give us the example of how to live our lives now, how warriors should comport themselves. They fought, and in many cases towards the end of the “Viking” age,  they gave their lives for their beliefs. So I raise a horn to their bravery in the face of martyrdom, and I pour a libation so they know they are not forgotten.

To honour my ancestors, I called my family around me, and we feasted together. Good, hearty food that filled our bellies, and drinks that warmed our bodies. As we ate, I raised my drink to the sky and gave a silent thanks to those who fight still, and a silent prayer to those who once fought that I might have the strength of their conviction. When the food had been cleared away and my libation poured, I called my children to me, and began a tale. I told them of Odin All-Father, of his helpers Huginn and Muninn, of his wolves Freki and Geri. I told them of the Einherjar and the honoured dead. Then we howled and greeted the moon.

Art by Pablo Fernandez http://thebastardson.deviantart.com/

The Road so far...

My development as a fighter thus far can be split roughly into four different sections.

The beginning: 2007, when I had no idea what I was doing or who I was going to be. We will call this The Loaner Kit. During this time, I was lucky enough to have his Grace, Duke Mittion, take the time to train me and loan me gear from his own armoury so I could fight. Loaner gear is (by definition) ugly, uncomfortable, or both. Still, I think I got off luckier than most. The only bad piece was the helm because I was so much smaller than it.

As far as I am concerned, every kit and every fight should teach you something so you can improve. The Loaner Kit is what I was wearing when I first saw Old Asgard fight. This is what made me lean towards a Norse-inspired persona. I also realized the importance of shoulder protection, and my dislike of basket hilts.

The Loaner Kit (2007)

Helm rustbucket- Large helm with egg crate padding. No matter what I did, I couldn't get all the rust off, and it had a huge gap that was unsafe against low thrusts.

Gorget-A dog collar gorget gift from Alda. Made from smurf blubber and leather.

Ancient leather breastplate- Simple leather breastplate with spaulders.

Gorgeous Stainless Steel Gothic Cross Cuisses and knees from Icefalcon. They were pretty shiny, blocked all hits, and heavy.

Splint vambraces and elbow cop.

Ratty old gambeson- plenty of waaagh

Basket Hilt Sword

Windrider Rectangle shield

The second step in my fighting career came 5 years later. I had left Trimaris and  completely lost the SCA. I had no way to get back into it while I was in Aethelmarc. It was a sad thing that I had just learned about fighting and couldn't find a way to get in armour. Finally, my exile from the field ended with my return to Trimaris. I cobbled together what I could, and borrowed the rest to start fighting again. This left me with a set that had me fighting my armour almost as much as my opponent. Sir Gõcauo was the one that gave me that advice, and I put it to work quickly to improve my kit.  Most of this kit has been put into the household loaner stuff so that others can get started.

My first real kit taught me that the heaviest leather you can buy doesn't necessarily make the best armour. The breastplate kept me from being able to effectively move my arms across my chest, which hampered me greatly. I also learned that I like my thighs, and they need something to protect them. My leatherworking started to improve and I could do more ambitious projects, but I still had a lot to learn, like how to bake wax-hardened pieces so they weren't covered in excess wax.

The Begining (2012)

Loaner Helm- Spun Top with camail sprayed silver.

Leather Gorget- gift from Augustine.

Silver Dragon breastplate- Fantasy inspired, heavy, stiff, couldn't cross arms. Dyed black with spaulders.

Floating knees and chain mail drape- The chain mail wasn't even steel, just aluminum. This made it light enough so as to be worthless

Bazubands- They were my first attempt at wax hardening. They protected well, but they were extremely difficult to get on and off.

Sweatshirt

Basket Hilt

Small Center Strapped Round

I became a fighter authorized and ready to go, but the time had come to stop borrowing and stand on my own feet. Thanks to my lovely lady Braenna, I was able to replace the hardest piece of my armour: the helm. As a gift, she bought me a spangen/barbute mix that looks amazing and deadly. It may be a little too good of a helm, as I miss shots that others tell me should have been good. The other windfall that helped me fall into my kit was a sale from a fighter getting out of the game. I got a huge lot for a small price and was able to replace my arms and legs with something that I liked much more. I was now a fully armoured fighter in my own right. I was still struggling with pieces, but at least I could go to an event and compete without bothering others for their gear.

It was now time to start putting lessons learned into making the kit a good one that I was comfortable with.

Authorized Fighter (Early 2013)

Half Barbute/Half Spangen. Awesome helm, exactly what I want. Dark colour, plenty of rivets to give it accents and a face plate.

Leather Gorget

Silver Dragon Breastplate, with chain mail underneath.

Leather cuisses and MS knees with wings. Finally some decent thigh protection

Leather vambraces, MS elbows with wings: good mobility, comfortable, but a little heavy

Black Gambeson.

Basket Hilt

Center Strapped Round

To that end, the first change I made came as a gift from a good friend, Vikarr, for getting him into the SCA. He gave me a Zoombang shirt, this allowed me to get rid of the clunky leather breastplate. It made me leaner and meaner, I could move and not feel so encumbered. This helped my endurance and my defense. Next change was fighting style: I moved to the axe and sword. This style is overlooked in SCA combat because of how slow the axe is. To me, the axe is a both a utility and defensive weapon. It is my primary block as well as entanglement. It gives the threat of another attack, which also keeps my opponent on their toes. To top it all off, to me it just feels like the fighting style an assault trooper would use. The final change that made my current kit was completely cosmetic. I replaced the knees with ones without wings. By hiding them beneath my Rus pants, my visible armour consists only of chain mail, helm, and vambraces. From what I've seen in my research, this is getting very close to what a Norse warrior of the late 10th early 11th century should look like, with the obvious changes for SCA safety.

Issues with the kit as it stands: The gauntlets were cheap, and so they don't move with my hands. This makes changing my grip on the axe difficult, something that would make the fighting style more effective. Visually, the fans on the elbow cops detract from the lightly armoured appearance. I would like to replace those with small fanless cops that would be less visible while wearing a tunic.

Current (End of 2013)

Barbute/ Spangen

Leather Gorget

Zoombang and Chainmail Shirt- butted galvanized chain

Leather Cuisses and Asgard knees- hiddden under grey Rus pants

Leather vambraces and MS Elbows

Leather Gauntlets

Red Tunic and grey fighting pants. Finally got period boots

Large Axe with head spike

Viking Sword with fixtures.

It's been a long time since I sat here and looked back on the changes my armour has gone through. It's astonishing to me how much it has changed in just a year. I have carefully made choices based on resources, and what I want the final product to look like, and it has started to get me where I want to be. The journey isn't done. I still have changes to make and things to learn, but I am happy with what has come so far.