Last weekend a group of eight students managed to break free from reality's tight grasp, leaving Hanover and the perils of modern life at Dartmouth behind them.
They escaped back into medieval times, re-enacting an old society marked by wild, chaotic wars in which a king assumed all powers over his domain.
These students are members of the Medieval Enthusiasts at Dartmouth, one of the newest clubs at the College, whose purpose is to create a focus and framework for the study and enjoyment of medieval history and culture.
The medieval re-enactment held last weekend at a Dartmouth Outing Club cabin was the group's first official event. Clad in authentic medieval clothing. Each crafted and adopted a persona typical of the period and they spent the weekend eating medieval foods and mirroring medieval society.
By staging such events, the group hopes to revive societal and cultural aspects of the medieval world, which existed from "the beginning of recorded history to the establishment of transportation," Michael Fromberger '93 said.
"The intention of re-enactment is not all a desire for fantasy, but centers on a scholarly study and educational perspective of the time period as well," Molly Harbaugh '93 said.
"We try to put a practical face on what is written down in history books. Re-enactment is much more precise than the written word, and when performed creates a much richer experience," Fromberger said.
One specific medieval practice they performed was the creation of a bardic circle, or story-telling competition, Elisa Francovilla '95 said.
In preparation for the weekend event, the club held workshops during the Spring and early Summer terms on costuming, at which they crafted the costumes to wear for the festivities.
In May, eight members of the club attended a similar event near Albany, N.Y. where an estimated 400 to 500 people attended.
Also, after gaining College recognition this past Spring term, the members worked on forming a constitution and other necessary administrative duties, Fromberger said.
Recently, members of the club have been making costumes and appropriate garb in preparation for their next scheduled event. For the week of August 16 they plan to travel to Pennsylvania for the Pennsic War, an annual medieval event put on by the Society for Creative Anachronism, the world's largest medieval group, which is based in California.
The weekday activities of the Pennsic War will include playing and singing medieval music,archery and other cultural events. The culmination of the event takes place on the weekend the actual war takes place.
To fight in the battle, members must have appropriate armor suits and their weapons must meet specific safety regulations, since the moves in the battle are not staged. The College club hopes to establish groups to research medieval music, culture, history and society, to sponsor lectures and workshops on various aspects of medieval society and to have more dancing and music at future events, Francovilla said.
"Many professors in the English department are well versed in medieval history. We'd like to establish a respected platform upon which they could speak and teach," Harbaugh said.
The early music ensemble has a similar interst in medieval culture.
"We hope to provide a center where the various types of medieval interest groups in the College can meet," Harbaugh said.
Other plans for the future include the recreation of several guilds that existed in medieval society. This would allow members to get together in groups with others who hold the same interests, Molly Rutledge '95 said. Examples of such guilds include the equestrian and Nefarious Mariners guilds.
During the school year, the group has an estimated 50 to 60 members. In addition, there is widespread interest in medieval re-enactment throughout the region, Rutledge said. The club is interested in providing a center for medieval enthusiasts in the region so that events, lectures and workshops can be held close to home.
"The club is free in form and open to many interpretations of medieval society. We organize ourselves according to what we are interested in, and try to avoid a power structure," Francovilla said.
"We want everyone to get involved in some way. There are no spectators. The fun is to get inside the medieval society, develop a person you might have been or would like to be and get away from the everyday," Harbaugh said.
"It's a wonderful way to learn and have fun," Fromberger said.
