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Thursday, 21 February, 2002, 16:29 GMT
Lonely Viking looks for pillagers
"I enjoy fighting, combat and being in the public eye"
A Viking enthusiast in Lincoln is looking for like-minded history buffs to join him in mock battles and 8th Century re-enactments.
Dale Bavin, the only member of the Axholmr Viking group in the Lincoln area, said he is looking for new blood. Mr Bavin, 30, also known as Guthurn Sigurdson, said: "I enjoy the fighting, combat and being in the public eye and getting strange looks." But because the 25-strong Midlands section of the Viking horde has only one member in his city, he wants some company for his marauding and mock battles. 'Rape and pillage' "I need someone to hit," the Viking lover said. The re-enactment group makes its own swords, dresses in authentic fur clothing and tries to show the public what Viking life in the 3rd to the11th centuries was really like. "We are trying to do away with the image of the mythical bloodthirsty Vikings who does nothing but rape and pillage," Mr Bavin said.
"There might have been some of that going on, but no worse than anyone else at the time." He said the allure of the Vikings has always fascinated him. "We all like to play soldiers and I always wanted to do stunt work, so I guess that is what attracted me." The members are careful to make sure no one is injured during the mock fighting and there is training before the Vikings go into the field of battle. "Sometimes I am told to stop smiling when I am fighting because I am enjoying myself so much," he said. |
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