(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) Viking culture is beloved by many, so much so that a whole festival was planned around celebrating the heroes of the past.
VikingFest has been in the works for over 5 years, and finally came into fruition this weekend, where people could gather and witness battles, drink some mead, and dress up in Viking couture.
Viking culture boasts rich storytelling, tales of heroics, and glory to those who died in battle.
For this year’s VikingFest over at the Castle Bridge Event Center, a story was told about a Jarl’s death, and the decision between the 4 clans to elect a new one.
Finan, the event organizer, explained this year’s story and what people could expect at the festival.
“You see, Jarl Ragnar is dead, and there is going to be a pyre for him. We’re going to light a big pyre, and we’re going to burn it, and it’s going to be magnificent. And then we will have the vote. Everyone who has been coming gets glory coins that they vote for the Jarl that they want.”
Along with the storytelling, VikingFest put together a festival complete with family-friendly activities for any clan to enjoy.
“They either are part of Clan Wolf, or they are parts of Clan Raven, or they are part of Clan Dragon, or part of Clan Bear. We also have a strong man contest going on where they are lifting very strong things. We have steel sword fighting going on. We have vendors, and we have many, many different people here for this event.” Continued Finan.
Many roleplayers invested time, money, and effort into looking the part, boasting costumes that looked just like the real thing.
Svana, the daughter of Raven Clan’s leader, outlined how her costume was made.
“So some of it’s bought, some of its handmade. It’s quite a bit of work. I used a historically accurate pattern, and I had to hand draw out all the measurements and do a lot of math. So it was quite a bit of work. But overall, Viking stitching is really easy to do, like from a sewer standpoint. So once it was all fabriced out and cut, it only took me about a day to assemble.”
Each clan engaged in some friendly rivalry to elect the next Jarl, with a pyre burning and some live music to enjoy.
Olga, the Dragon Queen, outlined her love for the Dragon Clan.
“The Dragon Clan is the future. We take care of the little warriors and the little workers. We are raising the future, and we are believing in magic, in dragons, we have the numbers and the strength, and we should be chosen as the next leading clan.”
And everyone is welcome to attend next year’s VikingFest, even if they’re not familiar with the culture, as a full table is better than an empty one.
“We’re always happy to have more people for the feast, it’s boring otherwise.” Said Ginnar, the Raven Clan leader.
VikingFest celebrated a successful first year, and anticipate next year’s festival to be even bigger.
For those looking for some mischief and magic, keep a lookout for the Renaissance Festival returning in May.