All Day Fighting and Dinner On the Grounds

Local Medieval combatants, the Clan of the Hydra, had "Rhûn" on Saturday out at Goodland Park.



Rhûn involves a bunch of folks with foam weapons, shields, and period costumes getting together and fighting one another when not socializing. I arrived a bit early and found folks readying for combat. People were friendly but it was obvious that this was a fairly close community. I think I was the only one there who wasn't in a group or friends of someone who was. While nice, people ingored me for the most part unless I initiated conversation and I felt on a couple occasions that my asking questions was considered a bother. So it goes.

Equipment was checked to make sure there were no sharp edges exposed (this was done to weapons by feeling the edges and beating someone in the back with it) and a castle wall was erected.







One couple had brought their young daughters along and they too got into the swing of things.



With the wall completed, more folks from as far away as Rhinelander and Champagne, IL arrived and readied themselves.









Somewhere towards the two o'clock hour, folks took to the field. The last event drew about 100 people but there were only a few dozen this year. The rules were fairly simple: no head shots; two hits to appendages or one to the torso and you're dead. If you get hit in the leg, you have drop to at least one knee and, if your arm gets hit, you've got to put it behind your back.

I have to admit that it was rather an awesome sight as the two groups of fighters march across the field at one another.



It set my mind to imagining what real Medieval combat was like. Firstly, there'd be no cars parked off in the distance. Secondly, the men involved would be much shorter. If you've ever seen period armor, you'd know that most men today could never fit inside. We're much taller, on the whole, plus we're just bigger. My chest is much too big for an old suit of armor. These historical asides aside, I imagined what it would have been like to have hordes of men and horses charging each other. The earth probably shook in the din of battle. These folks had swords, polearms, and arrows. (Sorry, no arquebi.) The guy in the portrait above had a really nice shirt of chain mail too.







Most people got killed fairly quickly. Those still standing usually gathered themselves together and then found an ally. They'd look around for enemies and walk towards them as menacing as possible. Watching one group bearing down on another, I felt really anxious. But it was a hoot waiting for combat to resume.

But it wasn't all serious. These people knew each other and mocked one another on the field of battle. Plus the dead folks chatted as they waited for the round to end. A couple folks even got down to some dancing.



I couldn't stay the whole time as I had to head back downtown to meet up with The Dulcinea. After the fighting, dinner was to be served, a half-barrel rolled out, and who knows what else would transpire.