Hey all;
Out of the Woods again...thought I'd begin with a non-Asatru essay.
As this blog develops, I'll be pulling in stuff from all the other sites where I've been dispersed over the years.
I finally saw the "Knights of Mayhem" program on NatGeo...the main character around who the program revolves, Charlie Andrews, wears a Mjolnir, however I can find nothing to indicate he is Heathen.
I participated in one form of fully armored, full contact, unchoreographed foot combat for over 25 years. At some events I spent 5 or 6 hours in armor; fully loaded, I weighted about 70# more than being in street clothes. Some fights (one on one kind) would be over as quickly as a pass in the list on a horse; "One Shots" we called them. The longest bout I ever had with one opponent went over 20 minutes, with no time outs.
I've participated in battles with 3000 or more fighters on each side. It is a great adrenaline rush, because as the two "armies" come together it seems every one of the other side is charging straight at you.
It is not a sport for one is does not have a lot of self-confidence, nor for one who is not physically healthy or fit...and it can breed the sort of arrogance you see in these professional jousters.
I was lucky, only one broken bone in all that time, but I lost count of the dislocations, strains, sprains, muscle tears, bruises, the several concussions, heat exhaustion...if I still had good joints, I'd still be fighting (I'll be 55 in March).
Put that on astride a horse, not me; takes bigger brass ones than I have.
