A post about being a new member of The Unknown Vikings.

Joining the Gang.

My name is El from Liverpool. Walking round Chester you are constantly aware of the fact that you are in an historic city, from walking the walls of the city centre to the buildings on almost every street. However, its usually Roman history you’re made aware of. There are centurions giving tours and museums dedicated to historical roman artefacts. So after walking past the Amphitheatre to St John’s Church here instead I found a group of Vikings living and fighting on the grounds of the historic building.

OK, so I knew they were there. My ex-partner is friends with one of the group and honestly the thought of dressing up and recreating Viking history sounded so thoroughly exciting that I asked my ex-partner to take me to meet them all. As soon as I arrived, I was nervous, I wanted to make a good impression so that when I asked about joining they would be happy to invite me. I needn’t have worried. As soon as we arrived Halvdan, the jarl of Unknown Vikings, had already greeted us and was explaining who they were and to look and touch whatever I wanted. Ranghild was knarl binding and showed me her work and explained what it was used for and Sassaný was showing me the knives and keys tied to her apron dress while Thorgrim was showing me his new sword. I am aware of the few innuendos I wrote in the previous paragraph but please bear with me. What I’m trying to say is how I was immediately and comfortably invited into their world.

I have always had an interest in history, but my period of interest was Tudor to English civil war and when I was a kid until I was 15 I had done re-enactment of those times periods. I knew next to nothing about Vikings, my knowledge extended as far as the TV show, which I have since come to learn is painfully inaccurate. I learned more in an hour sitting and chatting with the Unknown Vikings then I did after 5 seasons of the TV show of the same name. So over 15 years had passed since I last had done anything like this, I’d grown up, got me some piercings and tattoos, my hair was crazy colours. That didn’t matter so much. All I needed to do was cover my hair and my ink and take out a few piercings. I wasn’t judged on my appearance or on my lack of Viking knowledge. If anything it was more exciting because I got to learn some new history from people who every so often lived it.

I started as a thrall as everyone had before me. I sewed a simple tunic of unbleached linen, bought some Viking shoes from a re-enactment website and I was pretty much set. I could have borrowed the kit as that was also offered to me. I did have a sewing kit because I knew that was once skill I had that I could use immediately and was used to sew back on my Jarl's sleeve.

And then sitting beside the fire, I watched and learnt, I bought and read recommended books (though I could have borrowed those too if I wished). I found an interest that no one else was doing and decided to research that (I’m absolutely the new Viking milkmaid at 38 years old) and I bought my freedom by showing the rest of the group, my new friends, that I was invested, interested and wanting to learn more. Since then I have made an apron dress, I made a tunic for one of the group, I bought a milk churn. Slowly I’m building up my kit, knowledge and experience, no rush, no desperate need. I can borrow whatever I don’t have, I can ask about whatever I don’t know.

So here we are. I’m now the Viking milkmaid and my milkshake brings all the jarls to the yard. I'm the queer representative being the bisexual Viking so please ask me about Vikings being totally gay!

The point of this writing was to show you, dear reader, that it isn’t hard to be one of us, one of the Unknown Vikings. Its hard knowing when to stop. Don’t be scared or nervous, just ask us.

Thanks for reading,

Eldfríðr