Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.07.2010, Qupperneq 40

Geysir Fact #4
Cheap Cars
www.geysir.is
Icelandic home cooking with a modern flair
Pósthússtræti 9 Reykjavík Tel : 578 2020
www.icelandicbar. is info@icelandicbar. is
Shark • lobster• Lamb • Whale • Puffin • fish • Wild game
ALL the icelandic beers Kitchen open till midnight!
Reykjavík Literally
A Guided Walking Tour
Join us for a fun introduction to
Icelandic literature, with a bit of
history mixed in. This 90 min.
walk is at an easy pace and suits
everyone. Starts at Reykjavik City
Library in Tryggvagata 15.
Free of charge.
Reykjavik City Library
www.borgarbokasafn.is
Tel. 411 6100
Every Thursday in July and August at 5 pm.
Suðurgata 41 · 101 Reykjavík · Tel. +354 530-2200 · www.natmus.is
The country’s largest
museum of cultural
history featuring a
permanent exhibition on
Iceland’s extraordinary
history from settlement
to present day.
Opening hours:
Summer
(May 1st – September 15th)
Daily 10–17
Winter
(September 16th – April 30th)
Daily except Mondays 11–17
National Museum of Iceland
28
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2010
Immerse yourself in the world
of glistening chainmail, brutal
sword-fights and bloodthirsty war
cries—all the necessary elements
to make for a perfect viking bash.
Throw in the odd Metallica t-shirt,
some traffic noise and an array of
questionable footwear and you've
got yourself a concoction for a vi-
king festival!
During mid-June of each year, the Vi-
king Village in Hafnarfjörður hosts
a lively festival to pay tribute to some
of Iceland's most awesome history.
They call it The Viking Festival, and
the event has sparked interest from
audiences across the world over, intro-
ducing them to a history Icelanders
are proud to celebrate. We paid them
a visit last month, to check out all the
Viking-style fun.
A viking to your liking
Upon entering the Viking Village, the
energy is almost palpable. It's feels
as though you’ve stumbled onto the
set of a period docudrama, as every
other figure is drenched in Viking
attire. Bushy beards and mangled
hair crawl down to the bellybutton of
almost every man present, women's
hemlines reach for the f loor as they
walk around with coy smiles while
children bearing wooden swords and
toy shields frantically run around as
if it's Christmas. The festival is then
sprinkled off with the occasional ap-
pearance of f luorescent pink candy-
f loss. No Icelandic festival is complete
without candyfloss, anachronisms be
damned!
The village is f looded with market
stalls, each providing a galore of hand-
crafted Viking merchandise. I was
welcomed to a feast of war helmets,
carefully melded medallions, pen-
dants, bracers, belt buckles and drink-
ing horns—along with a wealthy col-
lection of blunted weaponry and battle
gear. All this was enough to make the
average LARPer go weak at the knees
and while the prices can be steep,
youngsters used this as a chance to
hone their medieval-style haggling
skills.
Many of these merchants travel
from overseas, like Joachim Kreuzer,
German blacksmith and boat build-
er. Joachim is no newcomer to these
events. He tells me that he attends a
Viking or Middle Age themed festival
almost every weekend to show off his
handmade ornaments and battle gear.
As I continue through the festival,
the smell of burning charcoal slowly
becomes overpowering. Still, the tra-
ditional meat soup and delectable
lamb in f latbread makes it all worth
the eye-scorching pain. Venturing
past the food stalls will introduce
you to a range of old Viking profes-
sions; women educate passers-by on
ancestral knitting techniques whilst
red-faced blacksmiths forge sturdy
weapons. These guys show nothing
less than sheer commitment when re-
living and recreating ancient trades.
Let the bloodbath commence
When the clock strikes the hour the
warriors take to the field. And with
a few malicious interchanges be-
tween the opposing teams—a couple
of jokes about sex, women and mur-
der—the battle commences.
The adrenaline and tension are
high, and it's hard to hear anything
over the clashing swords and hooligan
yelling. But I'm surprised to see such
skilled hand-to-hand sword combat
with real steel weapons. It certainly
rouses the crowd up as kids cheer
and scream “fucking kill him!” All
in good spirit of course. Once the last
man is down, a priest-like figure hov-
ers onto the field and raises the dead.
Just like in the days of yore.
“These are some of the best fight-
ers in the world,” says Dean Hobbs on
site. Dean is the leader of an English
alliance within the umbrella organisa-
tion 'The Brotherhood of Jomsborg'.
He goes on to tell me that the Broth-
erhood is the world's leading Viking
re-enactment organisation, and that it
travels all around the world putting on
Viking shows and posing for films as
extras. “Italy, Canada, Texas... We've
been to some really unusual places
doing these Viking shows.”
Give us some native blood!
I was disappointed to find that very
few of the fighters were actually of Ice-
landic origin, but the ‘Jomsvikings’
(as they refer to themselves) consist of
some real badass fighters trained with
authentic Viking-age steel weapons.
They are anything but amateurs.
“It's become a lifestyle rather than
a job,” says Dean, “there's a lot of en-
ergy in the Icelandic festival... a lot of
deep rooted history. In England we
have to do our research, but a lot of
Icelanders already know the sagas. It's
as if it’s in their genes so they seem to
adapt to it naturally.”
Dean is excited, and he goes on:
“The festival is also very interactive.
It's teaches the kids personal skills
and how to interact, which is a step
up from video and computer games.
There is something here for every-
body, whether you’re interested in the
Viking Age or not.”
You should definitely try and
catch a glimpse of the festival when it
swings’ round next year. If you're not
into sweaty guys battling it out to the
death, then you can wander around
and soak in some Viking culture. Or,
if you really want to get into the spirit
of things, just get shitfaced on Viking
ale and chuck a few tables over whilst
enjoying some of the traditional live
music on offer.
vikings | Viking Stuff
You Bring The Booze,
I'll Bring The Chainmail
Spending the day with some badass Vikings
Words
Alexandra Young
Photography
Alexandra Young