scenes from a gathering of vikings

it was a glorious, sunshiney day for a visit to the viking market at the viking harbor museum in bork havn. 250 people who spend their summers dressing and living as vikings (if you don't count the campers i saw out back) gathered and sold traditional viking wares - hand-dyed yarns, ironwork, jewelry, bows and arrows, hides and the like. we came away with a lovely bow and some safe-for-children arrows for sabin, a bit of hand-dyed embroidery thread, a couple of skeins of yarn and a lot of ideas. we tried to buy a viking "stove," - handmade by one of the viking blacksmiths, but none of them seemed to be for sale (we encountered the same with several of the arrows sellers had on hand) - they were for their own use and not for sale (making me wonder why they were there with a stall, ostensibly to sell, but i digress). but here are some highlights. i definitely wouldn't mind spending my summer this way...

viking yarn candy - all hand-dyed with natural plant dyes.

clothing fit for a viking. i did wonder if the main audience for many of the stalls was the other vikings

mmm, food fit for a viking - a pancake with tart forest berries,
served in a smart, environmentally-friendly wooden bowl with wooden fork.

more yarn candy, tho' the woman here admitted she was a cheating viking since she had used some dyes from south america and the vikings wouldn't have done that (the pinks and purples came from those).
i wanted to be good, but i did buy two shades of gorgeous purple from the far left.

we will definitely be getting one of these at some point.
tho' oddly and totally against the viking spirit of trade and commerce,
the ones we saw were not for sale.

the tools of the trade - if you're a viking jeweler

pretty shiny beads make lovely viking jewelry.

see, i can take pictures of random people in public.
but apparently only if they're not facing me.

another of those fabulous viking stoves - one of these WILL be mine even if i have to take a welding course myself to get it.

beautiful baskets. and yes, another people picture!

more yarn candy - and look at that embroidery!

a feast fit for a viking.

i definitely NEED one of those bread dough bowls.

look at that baby viking.

and another adorable baby viking. isn't she sweet?

we interrupt this interview thing for some pretty pictures

just a note up front to all who requested interview questions...i am still writing your questions and if you haven't received them (tho' it's been a week), they are still on their way. it's just that i'm writing specific questions for all who have asked for them and so i'm taking the time to catch up on your blogs before i write. so please be patient and know i haven't forgotten you...and i really appreciate the response to this. it's so cool that so many wanted to participate!

and now, back to the pretty pictures from my day at the viking harbor museum in bork havn, denmark. it's a little tiny town on the ringkøbing fjord, nearly on the west coast of denmark. i can tell you that i wanted to move in and i will definitely be going back in two weeks when they have a big viking festival with 300 folks from all over the nordic countries who go around every summer dressed as vikings (gotta get me one of those gigs, i tell you)....

hello viking man!

the tattoo i want is something along these lines.

tho' this would make a good tattoo.  a little smaller, of course.

a chapel that must be a replica from the period just after the vikings accepted christianity.
it was a very cool mix of pagan and christian.
not that most of christianity isn't that.

building through traditional methods.

next up, basket weaving classes...

this viking lady was dyeing cloth with flowers she'd just gathered in the adjacent field.
she used alum (sp?) as a mordant - it's apparently a natural mineral, which i like the sound of (sorry for the preposition).
she said those yellow flowers were going to make a lovely green.
because my memory is like a sieve, i can't remember what she called those flowers.

check out the "j"
this must be MY room.
there is, after all, a loom! 

a whole selection of naturally dyed fabrics and yarns.
heaven, i tell you.
and the fur-covered viking beds with embroidered curtains.
very inspiring.

of course, as a viking harbor, they had some viking ships.

and that's your little tour from the weekend. interviews resume tomorrow and i will be sending out questions all week! there are some great interviews coming up, so stay tuned!