The Vikings (reenactment)

"The Vikings" is a British-based society of re-enactors, dedicated to the study and re-enactment of the culture of the Viking Age (790 – 1066) and the display of authentic Dark Ages living history and combat.

The Vikings, previously known as the Norse Film and Pageant Society (NFPS), which was founded in 1971 by Peter Seymour and Alan Jeffery, initially as an extension to their 'Central Focus' WWII film club, with the purpose of bringing an awareness of the Norse Myths and the Viking culture to the public through dramatic entertainment. They are the oldest and largest Dark Ages society in the UK. They are a founding member of the National Association of Re-enactment Societies. In its N.F.P.S days, the society consisted of some thirty core members, including the 'Odin Guard' an elite combat group maintaining Norse Heathen religious practices and values, but which eventually left the society during the leadership of Gerry East, whose recruitment tactics eventually took the membership into the three hundred plus bracket. The Society now has over 1100 members throughout Britain, Europe and North America. While the Society concentrates mainly on the 10th Century, events are often set in the wider period from 790 to 1066, with the appropriate modifications to dress and equipment used.

Despite the 'Vikings!' title of the Society, the groups within it portray Saxon,Norman, Celtic, and Viking cultures.

The Vikings' goal is to provide an accurate and educational portrayal of the Viking period, with equal emphasis on the daily life of the period and on the more warlike aspects of life in what was a formative period in European history. Events staged by The Vikings aim for a high standard of presentation, historical accuracy and attention to detail. For combat displays, which combine public entertainment with a historical background, the battle organisers strive to recreate an event local to the area. Aside from the combat, at each event there are extensive living history displays which present a cross-section of life in the tenth century.

The Vikings has local groups in the UK, mainland Europe and Northern America, each group usually numbers between 5 and 50 members depending on the region. The groups are each led by a Sturaesman (or woman) or Jarl, who deals with the administrative and organisational aspects, and when at large events each will usually fight as one unit.

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