The spirit of the Vikings swept through Burton Village last weekend.
The spirit of the Vikings swept through Burton Village last weekend.
Viking Fest: A Celebration of Norse Culture and Heritage welcomed its inaugural two- day celebration May 4-5 at Century Village Museum.
“I believe that teaching history is important, especially to the younger generations,”
said Stefanie O’Connor, Geauga County Historical Society and Century Village Museum curator, archivist and grant writer. “It teaches how different cultures influence the values that we have now and teaches our children.”
Event highlights included a Viking encampment, Norse mythology and legends, storytelling demonstrations, Viking battles and demonstrations, live music and performances, craftsmanship and artisan vendors, a traditional Vikings feast and children’s activities.
“I would like attendees to be able to take away learning the history of a different culture,” O’Connor said. “Viking culture started around A.D. 800 into the 11th century. The Vikings had a profound impact on early medieval history. Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden).”
Best known as highly-skilled warriors, Norwegian Vikings crossed raging seas to conquer territories and were known for their courage.
Viking Fest visitors embarked on a journey through time as reenactors delved into the rich history and traditions of the legendary warriors known for their courage.
Adam Poplar said he and his daughter, Emily, had a great time.
“It’s so cool,” Emily, 3, said, as she made her way through one of the first attractions.
“I think next year, I’m going to have a costume,” Adam said. “Emily loved riding on the train and she even got to take a picture with the Vikings.”
O’Connor expressed excitement about bringing a new event to the area.
“Century Village is going in a good direction in teaching new cultures and history to the people in our community,” she said. “In order to be able to know our history today, we must look at the past to teach our future generations.”
Century Village Museum board member Jenny Hynst-Brede sparked the initial idea for the festival.
“My goal with our Viking festival was to make it not only fun, but educational in a non-boring way,” Brede said. “Everyone on site had something to offer to reach this goal from our Viking clan, Locheirelag, to the speakers and vendors. Although Vikings and pioneers are definitely not from the same time era, they do have many things in common. Personally, I find the crossover an interesting grouping.”
Viking battles and combat demonstrations showcased the legendary warriors’ martial prowess and tactics with audience members having an opportunity to immerse themselves in history.
A huge draw led visitors to the far end of the grounds for Fields of Valhalla near the Locheirelag encampment, which featured a Combatant’s Keep full medal combat demonstration and Viking battlefield fights.
Thomas Nader, of Wilmington, N.C. — founder of Combatant’s Keep and member of American Jousting League — gathered listeners near the grassy fields to explain the history behind the relationship of man and horse during this time in history.
“What the mounted games portion of the shows is about is showing the audiences what knights with horses can actually do, of how maneuverable and how dexterous a horse is and what the knights can do with weapons from horseback,” Nader said. “This area is gorgeous. It’s about helping and maintaining a historical site.”
Fellow jouster James Fortner, of Moss, Tenn., said jousting is something they would do to “keep their skills up off wartime making for better skills in the battlefield.”
Families gathered around, snapping pictures of the historic-clad warriors in time.
“I can say that the event was a definite success,” Brede said. “Everyone had a great time. The weather did play some tricks on us. Unfortunately, for the safety of all, we had to shut down some of the entertainment on Sunday. The rain did not stop the event in any way. In fact, it pushed people to stay in one place long enough to learn more. People were engaging with full interest with the Vikings and vendors. There are big plans for next year. Till next year, Skål.”
