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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Not to be a Viking slave?

68 replies

Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:16

This weekend I volunteered at a Viking Festival. Tickets were £20 daily. The deal was supposed to be volunteering in exchange for entrance fee.

9am Saturday I was told I’d be on until 9pm doing shifts every hour for an hour with a 1 hr break each time and duties were to clean all the toilets and do gate duty.
I was also told that if I wanted to join the Viking reenactment group I would have to work as a ‘space’ for the group for around one year until I have proved myself and then am upgraded to a ‘free man’.

I told them no thanks - I did 4 hours work which I felt was more than equitable and then left as the organisers were being rude and off with me because I refused to work as their slave!

And they actually used the terms slave and free man. Not sure if this is normal for the reenactment camps but I saw another volunteer working non stop, they so desperate to fit in and belong, it made me worry vulnerable people were being used tbh as they’re were very pushy with it and it’s a bit intimidating when you’re all there in a field in the middle of nowhere and everyone has giant axes!!

AIBU for telling them to get stuffed (but doing a fair shift)
YABU - I should give myself as a slave to the Vikings (for the weekend!)

OP posts:
Original poster
Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:17

‘Space’ should be ‘SLAVE’ !!

OP posts:
Original poster
Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:18

Oh and I’m a woman - but was only ever told I could be a free man 🙄

OP posts:
DucklingDaisy · 04/09/2022 11:18

Sounds bizarre, of course you aren’t unreasonable for doing 4 hours work at below minimum wage in exchange for your ticket and then stopping.

Blueberrywitch · 04/09/2022 11:20

😂😂 this is very funny. YABU

Blueberrywitch · 04/09/2022 11:20

OMG YANBU! Typo. Not unreasonable 😂

Mrsjayy · 04/09/2022 11:24

Reenactment societies ..really emerse themselves in the "'experience " its clearly not for you though maybe next time just pay the ticket price !

Endlesssummer2022 · 04/09/2022 11:24

What does a Viking reenactment group actually do? I can understand if it was to cover a particular famous battle but weird to just dress up and walk around as a bunch of people from history. Vikings didn’t spend 100% of their time raping and pillaging. Or is this just some alt-right fantasy cosplaying?

Azandme · 04/09/2022 11:26

Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:18

Oh and I’m a woman - but was only ever told I could be a free man 🙄

Because it's REENACTMENT - they're reenacting the time period, and using the language of the day.

Slave to Free man is also historically accurate. I live in a town settled by Vikings. We have a "Freeman Street". I don't clutch my pearls over the fact that as a woman I'm technically not represented.

I don't think you fully grasped how seriously reenactors take their activity. It's about historical accuracy, not changing historical actions and terms to fit modern cultural norms.

I don't think this is the hobby for you.

Original poster
Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:28

They were having battles amongst the various reenactment groups and I think deciding rules for the re-enactments across the UK.

And yes I think they’ve taken the acting side a bit too far!!

I didn’t think IWBU but clearly they did as I had to do a runner!😅

OP posts:
Tomorrowisalatterday · 04/09/2022 11:29

I used to do Saxon and Viking reenactment and still have lots of friends who do it - I have never heard of this idea of being a slave to earn your spot.

Azandme · 04/09/2022 11:30

Endlesssummer2022 · 04/09/2022 11:24

What does a Viking reenactment group actually do? I can understand if it was to cover a particular famous battle but weird to just dress up and walk around as a bunch of people from history. Vikings didn’t spend 100% of their time raping and pillaging. Or is this just some alt-right fantasy cosplaying?

There are battles, but it's more than that. It's showing day to day life.

You can go to a wide variety of living history museums and witness people demonstrating day to day life - noone sees that as "weird"...

I'm going to watch Viking longboats come up our river on the 25th - just like they did centuries ago. Can't wait.

mrsparsnip · 04/09/2022 11:32

It sound like you were in Olaf the Jester's camp. He used to hang around Old Jorvik with Erik the Everready and Ragnor Ribtickler.

The best advice I can give is NEVER VOLUNTEER TO BE A VIKING SLAVE

Unless, of course, it is like this:

GreenWhiteViolet · 04/09/2022 11:34

YANBU and this is bizarre. Volunteering with stuff like gate duty should be very much out-of-character no matter how seriously these people take re-enactment. If someone actually wants to pretend to be a Viking slave for historical accuracy, fine, but it shouldn't be pushed on anyone. The group sounds really weird and were raking advantage.

Apl · 04/09/2022 11:34

Yanbu for not wanting to work for free.

Yabu for not understanding the way the group works by asking more questions before volunteering. I’m not in any community like this but from friends I know for medieval groups it’s standard for new people to start at the bottom of the social order and work their way up. So you can’t just turn up as a king or a knight you have to first me a knight’s squire etc etc. It’s to make it feel more realistic and also prevent having 100s of knights and no squire.

Qwerkie · 04/09/2022 11:35

reenactors are on the whole a slightly weird bunch. I went to one where you got called newbie all the time until you found a little niche for yourself. They didn’t want to learn names of people weren’t sticking around but couldn’t grasp if they were a bit friendlier it would make people want to stay as members. I tried it for about 6 months before I vcouldnt bear it anymore

yanbu

Original poster
Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:35

Tomorrowisalatterday · 04/09/2022 11:29

I used to do Saxon and Viking reenactment and still have lots of friends who do it - I have never heard of this idea of being a slave to earn your spot.

I had a feeling it might be this one particular group….. from what I saw I’m not sure the other groups had this system….. so that’s good to know it’s not the norm!

OP posts:
TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 04/09/2022 11:37

I'd set fire to their long boat and then go home. The cheeky little marauders!

BlossomsOnATree · 04/09/2022 11:37

What would the slavery involve? I don’t like the word in itself, but it’s less bad if they’re just using it as equivalent to “probationary”, and worse if you would actually have to enact slave-like services. Especially if realistic ones as the vikings weren’t nice to their slaves IIRC.

anyway YANBU at all! I’d run a mile.

Original poster
Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:37

mrsparsnip · 04/09/2022 11:32

It sound like you were in Olaf the Jester's camp. He used to hang around Old Jorvik with Erik the Everready and Ragnor Ribtickler.

The best advice I can give is NEVER VOLUNTEER TO BE A VIKING SLAVE

Unless, of course, it is like this:

Hahaha note to self
NEVER VOLUNTEER TO BE A VIKING SLAVE AGAIN - unless I find a very hot Viking!! 😂

OP posts:
fioreun · 04/09/2022 11:38

The Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss is a great read about taking historic role play too far. And it's always women who end up with the duff jobs...

Original poster
Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:40

Just as a comparison - earlier this year I helped organise a festival, we had around 80 volunteers.

However, we as paid staff and proper team members did toilet duty as I wouldn’t put someone who was giving their free time to support our cause on toilet duty!

I didn’t expect any acting roles or doing reenactment and was ok with Gate duty but really not sure it’s right to get volunteers straight on toilet duties!!

OP posts:
Tomorrowisalatterday · 04/09/2022 11:40

Apl · 04/09/2022 11:34

Yanbu for not wanting to work for free.

Yabu for not understanding the way the group works by asking more questions before volunteering. I’m not in any community like this but from friends I know for medieval groups it’s standard for new people to start at the bottom of the social order and work their way up. So you can’t just turn up as a king or a knight you have to first me a knight’s squire etc etc. It’s to make it feel more realistic and also prevent having 100s of knights and no squire.

In groups I have been in, this happens fairly naturally in that it is time consuming and expensive to have kit that is right for a higher social class Viking/Saxon so everyone who joins tends to have simple kit, i.e. basically tunic/trousers, peasant garb without decoration. It takes a while to get into it enough to want to put the time in for more elaborate stuff. It doesn't come into how you treat one another within the group, though, that's getting a bit weird and cosplay like for the groups I have been in.

Original poster
Newusernameaug · 04/09/2022 11:41

BlossomsOnATree · 04/09/2022 11:37

What would the slavery involve? I don’t like the word in itself, but it’s less bad if they’re just using it as equivalent to “probationary”, and worse if you would actually have to enact slave-like services. Especially if realistic ones as the vikings weren’t nice to their slaves IIRC.

anyway YANBU at all! I’d run a mile.

I asked this - the slaves have to do all the camp duties, fire, cooking, etc and once you’re free you don’t have to do it

OP posts:
BlossomsOnATree · 04/09/2022 11:43

And it's always women who end up with the duff jobs...

I can just imagine, massive chauvinism is probably a common thing in these groups. If you think about it may be one reason why certain types of men are so keen on reenacting the past.

CPL593H · 04/09/2022 11:45

As a child I was very taken by the Cavalier ladies in lovely dresses waving prettily out of some castle being besieged by the Roundheads of the Sealed Knot. I really wanted to be one.

Viking slave, not so much.

It does sound a bit extreme, OP.

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