Disclaimer: The views, endorsements and opinions expressed in the “Ratatosk” are not necessarily those of  the New Varangian Guard [Vlachernai Garrison] or those of the New Varangian Guard Inc. [NSW].

Projectile Combat at the Hill Fort [Mernda]:    by Stuart Laird.
It was a fineday for warfare, with the ground dry and the sky clear. There was an expectation of visiting forces from foreign lands but, alas, they did not eventuate. To begin the day and to assist the Archers in finding their range, Sven Skildbiter arranged for a Clout shoot into the Tower from the back of the fort hill. Most attending Archers emptied their quivers in an attempt to stike the Tower, but only three people succeeded. The prize of a gold coin each was awarded to Idunna [Jenny Baker]
Kris and Sven. The day then proceeded to the real business at hand - Storming the fort! This proved easier saidd than done. My recolection of the day is that the fort was only breached once, on two other occasions, all within were killed and at all other times, the attackers were vanquished.
Other than the usual array of long [self] bows and composite or recurve bows, there was one light artillery piece, a Staff Sling, operated by Idunna and a Crossbow used by John Sultana. While the staff sling did provide some problems to the opposing side, John’s crossbow was much commented on by the defenders for the difficulty in spotting the bolts and the speed of their flight[I can attest to that and he was so bloody hard to hit too - Ed]. The experience proved that you can allmost never have too many arrows in your quiver, as it was very easy to empty a quiver of 24 from either side of the wall. On one occasion, I believe Sven loosed over 60 arrows from the Fort tower and was constantly calling for more.
The “stones” in the tower were put to good use on a few occasions as the attackers tried to storm the gate or the walls. When the Fort was breached, they were used inside the walls, unfortunately striking down one of the defenders - myself, dear readers! [Oops! Ok, who threw that rock! - Ed].
The day was very much enjoyed by all, even those who came late. Everyone who attended will be looking forward to more events like this. Expect to see more arrows, more javelins and larger Pavises at future events. I also hope to see more people, as the more the merrier.                Rune.

Ingredients:  400 grams fresh or slightly salted Bacon in slices.
1 teaspoon Butter. 2 Onions. 1-2 Apples. 2-3 Cloves.
1 tablespoon Pork dripping or Butter. White or black Pepper.
Method:
Peel and slice onions. Core the apples and cut into slices. Fry the bacon slices [in butter] over medium heat, turning 2-3 times, the longer the frying time, the crisper the bacon. Fry the onion and apple slices in the dripping/butter over very low heat until browned and soft. Put the cooked oniona nd apples in layers with the bacon in the frying pan and allow to heat thoroughly. Season with pepper and cloves. Serve with new baked or fresh crusty bread.               [serves 4]

 Bibliography:- Vikingars gastabud [The Viking feast] by Michael fant, Roger Lundgen and Thore Isakson.
            Reviewed/reprinted in Viking Heritage Magazine - #1/2002.

havamal - The sayings of the vikings:

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This page was last update on the 4th June 2004

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