Hey Blog! Just a short one today, about an event in Scouting that gave me my first opportunity to camp without knowing anyone there, and help with a whole plethora of activities for Scouts of all ages.
Activation is something I have mentioned before. I attended in 2019, as a Cub, and last year, as a Young Leader with the archaeology team. This year was the first that I have helped as a Young Leader on the whole site, with all activities. They have a team of Explorers each year who help the adult leaders, and provide a halfway point between old and young. The biggest job is asking the younger sections, “are you exited?!” telling them to drink lots of water and stay in the shade, and that no, they can’t actually go for an ice cream because their next activity starts in one minute and they need to be on the other side of the field so go NOW. I like it because you get to interact with the younger sections, and tell them about your time there, and hopefully encourage them not to be so scared of coming alone for a whole day. When one is only eight, that’s hard.
There is a camping space set apart for Young Leaders, because Scouting rules mean that people in the older sections can’t share a sleeping space with either adults or younger ones. There were quite a few of us there, almost all of whom were complete strangers, and by the end of the weekend, we weren’t. We’re still in touch, occasionally. That’s one of the things I love about Scouting and activity camps in general – they make you get to know people you’ve never met before, spreading the circle of people one knows ever wider. In everything except sleeping we were fully integrated into the camp life: collecting breakfast crazy early from the canteen (which had to serve over a hundred people three meals a day for two days, so the chefs were busy!), waiting around while everyone was off at their activities and walking around talking to them when they were back onsite for breaktimes and lunchtimes, and assisting the adults in taking the children down to be picked up by parents at the end of the day.
So, that was Saturday, with the Cubs. Sunday, with the Scouts and Explorers, I chose to help with the Archaeology group again, where we were making hnefatafl boards. This Viking board game is family-friendly yet Viking-accurate, unlike the swords, axes, and large heavy helmets* that most people associate with this ancient Norse people. Far from being exclusively bloodthirsty warriors (though they were very much so at times) Viking culture was rich in gaming, drinking, and singing; often these were combined, for instance battle and gaming in the ancient boardgame hnefatafl. The h at the beginning is a bit like the k at the beginning of knot, in that it’s knot not pronounced. We don’t actually know how the Vikings pronounced it, nor do we know all the exact rules they would have used, because the original form of the game died out completely. However, from records and similar games that have survived, we have rebuilt them. I have heard that one of the rules was that you weren’t allowed to attack the winner with an axe just because they beat you, which I think is pretty good advice, whether it’s original or not!
The boards we made were of leather, decorated with marker pen, and tied up with string to form a pouch to carry the pieces. Our counters were glass pebbles, like those often found in vases. I think all the Scouts who came to us enjoyed it lots, and one of the best bits was they could take the game home to play with friends and family, further spreading interest. As a side note, the leather we used was from a local leather shop, which invited anyone from the team to come to a workshop on their open day a few weeks later, so there will be a post about that coming very shortly. Watch this space!
* No, sorry, Viking helmets didn’t have horns. The few contemporary depictions which do include horned helmets are most likely of gods, not men, though absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and one day we may find an actual horned Viking helmet. Probably not though – it’s hard to attach the horns. Apologies if all you have heard of Vikings is How To Train Your Dragon and the Norwegian football team; neither represent real-life historical culture, much as they might represent modern culture, sadly.