Take a trip back in time to the age of the Vikings! In June the Vikings will return to the Green! They’ll set up their encampment on June 3rd and will stay through June 5th on the grounds of the Tuck Museum. The extra special day is Saturday, June 4, 11a.m.- 4 p.m., when they will demonstrate Viking weapons and combat techniques.
Plan to stop by and visit with them and get a look at the life of a Viking. The re-enactor group Straumfjordr will bring Viking culture and customs to life with demonstrations about life at home as well as on the battlefield. Special weapons and combat demonstrations will be held at 12 noon and 3 p.m. with Vikings in full armor clad with axes, swords, spears and bows providing insight into battle strategies. Their website is:
here.
"I particularly enjoy seeing the looks on the faces of children when they watch the Viking demonstrations and tour the encampment,” said Ed Baechtold, a Tuck Museum trustee. “The experience opens up a new and exciting world to them."
While the Vikings are famous for warfare and exploration, the vast majority were farmers and craftspeople engaged in making textiles and jewelry, and woodworking and smithing – with some items on sale at the event.
Scholars agree that the Vikings were the first Europeans to colonize North America. They named their new home Vineland, although where exactly that was no one really knows.
Also on display will be Viking rock, which is part of Tuck Museum’s permanent exhibit. For a century, it was said that the boulder marked the grave of Thorvald, brother of the famous explorer Leif Eriksson. But this proved to be no more than local legend. Today Viking rock is protected by a concrete well with a row of iron bars across the top.
"Every community has their local myths and Hampton is no exception," said Betty Moore, a Tuck Museum trustee and member of the program committee. "From Thorvald’s Rock on display on the Tuck Museum grounds to our current exhibit on General Jonathan Moulton, who was one on the richest and most maligned citizens of Hampton, these stories pique our interest. The Viking reenactors bring to life in a well-researched manner the life and culture of these early explorers."
The event is free and open to all.
