Viking Visitor
by Shari Miller
October 29, 2006
Viking Chieftain Wolfstag Bloodbear of Ravenred Cairn, also known as Mr. Buster Hoy of Arma, Kansas, recently visited the fifth grade at Northeast Elementary School to provide students with a quick peek at the real history of our school mascot, the Viking.
Mr. Hoy and his entire family are active in the Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA, a group formed to study and recreate the Medieval period in European history, which lasted until approximately 1600 A.D. Mr. Hoy's group, which operates parallel to but not within SCA standards, is especially interested in the period during which the Vikings were most active, from about 800 A.D. until the middle of the twelfth century.
Members of the SCA and similar groups study the arts, crafts, literature, and traditions of the period by reading about and actively engaging in activities like dance, calligraphy, storytelling, martial arts, cooking, metalwork, stained glass, and costuming, just to name a few. To learn about how people dressed in the middle ages, for example, they study, design, create, and wear historically accurate costumes. To learn about fighting and war, they make armor, weapons, and shields, then actually wear them in mock battles -- although for the safety of all involved, the blades are made of rattan (used in wicker), not steel.
In his spare time, Mr. Hoy particularly enjoys participating in historical reenactments of battles similar to those fought by the Vikings, who traveled the oceans in swift wooden ships to raid and plunder unsuspecting villages and monasteries along the coasts of Europe.
For his presentation, Mr. Hoy brought with him a wide variety of Viking-style jewelry, clothing, and armor, including his fighting helm, several pieces of plate armor, and a chain mail coif and tunic. Mr. Hoy also brought along a vast knowledge of Viking history and society and provided vivid descriptions of everyday life. He even involved a small group of delighted students in a fascinating demonstration of Viking combat and defense techniques (without weapons, of course).
Students continue to learn more about the history of the Vikings as we can fit it into our busy schedule. Some students, however, are not content to wait and are engaging in independent study. Colton, for example has read several books and watched a three-hour PBS presentation on Viking history. He often writes questions for Mr. Hoy and sends them by way of messenger (also known as Mr. Hoy's son, Ulysses). If others want to learn more, a number of good websites are included at the end of this article. Perhaps you, like Mr. Hoy, Colton, and Ulysses, have a "craving for adventure," a lust "for times gone by," and a love of arms and armor, battles and warriors, and "tests of ferocity and challenges of might."
Viking Visitor
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