| May. 3rd, 2006 @ 09:55 am an Old article from my newspaper days |
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Current Location: NJ
Current Mood:  pensive
Current Music: "Bodies" Dead Pool
@hl Stories from an Adventurers Journal - A Knight’s Tale
@bl Hank Salvacion
@dl Somewhere in these current Middle Ages (or West Milford, NJ)
The Azure blue of the Viking’s steely gaze contrasted with the gunmetal gray of his helm. 3 foot of sword held in threat before him, beckoning me to meet him in a violent exchange. I fear not, for I am Sir Tanaka Raiko, a Knight of the Realm, the defender of these lands sworn by my oath to protect them with my sword and if need be my life. My visor falls with a metallic clunk; the weight of my great sword feels reassuring. Oddly enough, as I walk toward the deadly Northman, I think of my Lady’s smile and the laugh of my daughter for in truth they inspire me more than any King could. Smiling at the thought of them, I go to dance with a devil…
So you’re thinking you’ve just stumbled upon a script for a bad “sword and sandals” movie or the editor fell asleep at his word processor. Well, you didn’t. Knights, ladies in waiting, Vikings et al populate a small segment of our modern times right here in West Milford, NJ. A local chapter of The Society for Creative Anachronisms (SCA) meets weekly on Sunday afternoons for merriment and martial mayhem. The SCA is a historical reenactment group dedicated to the study and the practice of activities and artifacts from the Medieval and Renaissance periods (circa 800-1600). Not only do they fight in armor (called Heavy Weapons Combat), they practice Period Archery (no compound bows or arrows of modern materials) and Renaissance period Fencing (in the round, not on the strip like Modern Sport Fencing). These martial arts are competitive so they need to practice on a regular basis to hone their skills. The SCA isn’t only about the clash of steel and the thunk of bows. Each of these reenactors has to procure or make their armor, costumes and equipment. So they have to practice the arts and sciences of the time to do such things. Our aforementioned Sir Tanaka as a “modern” knight is better educated than most of his medieval contemporaries. Though skilled in his predecessors trade, weapons of war and their usage, equestrian, and tactics, he is trained in skills a real medieval knight would have never have delved in weaponsmithing, armorsmithing, costuming, literature, calligraphy and illumination, brewing and cordial making to name a few of his many acquired talents.
As a college student, I studied Medieval and Military History. Combining these studies with a strong interest in martial arts made me a natural for the SCA. Although the sting of combat and the camaraderie of brothers in arms piques my attention it is the tangible sense of History that really fuels my passion for the game. As students we have all had to study history, but to foster deep and real passion for the subject you need to see things through the eyes of those who lived it. As a knight in the SCA, I was given my accolade in an elaborate ceremony, surrounded by the Peers of the Realm. On the eve of my knighting my thoughts drifted to Agincourt where hundreds of French Knights received their honor only to be killed the following day. I thought of them covered in their glory and their piety, feeling closer to them as I suffered though my own vigil wondering what daybreak would bring. As a commander of a large host of knights, squires and other warriors, I led them successfully against an army of thousands. Like Shakespeare’s “Henry V” I would visit my men at their campsites to hear their concerns and allay their fears. You can’t get this from reading books or listening to lectures. History becomes alive for those who seek to “live” it. The sense of understanding that comes with experiencing parallels is spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally intoxicating.
Living History is not without its perils. Although the weapons are blunt and made of Rattan they can and do injure frequently. The Litany of my combat related injuries reads like that of a professional athlete. Whether it was an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) replacement surgery or rehab for rotor cuff injuries to both shoulders, the injuries that I have incurred could have happened to anyone who played a full contact sport for as long as I have fought in the SCA (over 10 years). Philosophically, I never really die out there, carried out on a stretcher more than once, but not “quite” dead yet. If it is any comfort to the faint at heart we have a better injury rate than high school football and no one has actually been killed by SCA combat related injuries over its 30 plus year history.
So you may ask, why would thousands of grown men and women make like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? Well, it’s fun. The rush you get from facing a thousand or so armed individuals intent on your demise is near indescribable. The shadowy reality of potential injury is an allure unto itself. It’s also incredibly cool. Wearing, and fighting in armor is (in the words of one of my twenty something year old squires) “WAY COOL”. (He also does a variety of other extreme sports, so he comes by the “adrenaline addict gene” naturally). The SCA is a culture unto itself. It’s got a huge following over Forty Thousand members throughout the USA, Europe, Australia and Asia. Events happen practically every weekend and meetings virtually every day of the week for one thing or another. On a very personal level, I get to express myself in a profound way that is near impossible in our modern “mundane” lives. As a knight, chivalric behavior is a norm, giving and accepting honor on the field of combat is applauded and revered. Those who cheat are shunned. There is a depth of satisfaction that comes with teaching others that I get out of the SCA. I have several squires and students who learn not only the Arts of War, but the Art of Experience. We strive to live up to difficult codes of behavior just for the sake of trying (he says as strains of “Impossible Dream” start playing in the background), for it is the journey not the destination in the game (and Life) that matters.
The day’s heat and humidity is compounded by the weight of my armor and exertions. The fight was intense, hard and brief. The slain foeman lays mere feet from me; I take one knee due to fatigue. Pawing at the sweat with a gauntleted hand, it pools on the favor my lady had embroidered for me oh so many years ago. A small intimate smile is triggered by the memory. Suddenly a cracking twig and the reflection of something dark and large in gleam of my armor snaps me to attention. Another Northman comes on guard, advancing with menace. Wearily I bring my sword up, and whispering to myself, “my sword for my king, my heart for my lady, and my honor for myself”…
If you’re interested in the Society for Creative Anachronisms in Northern NJ please visit the site on the web;
http://rustedwoodlands.eastkingdom.org/index.html
Or in the Kingdom of the East (NJ, NY, PA, DE, CT, MA, VT, NH, ME and the Atlantic Provinces of Canada)
http://www.eastkingdom.org/ |
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