The Vikings

The Vikings (previously the Norse Film and Pageant Society) are a British-based society of historical re-enactors, dedicated to the study and re-enactment of the culture of the Viking Age (790–1066) and the display of authentic Dark Ages living history and combat. Origins The group was founded by Peter Seymour and Alan Jeffery in 1971 as the Norse Film and Pageant Society (NFPS), initially as an extension to their 'Central Focus' WWII film club, with the purpose of bringing an awareness of the Norse Myths and the Viking culture to the public through dramatic entertainment. Originally, the society consisted of some thirty core members, including the 'Odin Guard', an elite combat group maintaining Norse Heathen religious practices and values. The Odin Guard left the society during the leadership of Gerry East, whose recruitment tactics eventually took the membership over three hundred. The Vikings are the oldest and largest Dark Ages society in the United Kingdom, and are a founding member of the National Association of Re-enactment Societies. The Society now has over 1100 members throughout Britain, Europe and North America. While the Society concentrates mainly on the 10th Century, events are often set in the wider period from 790 to 1066, with the appropriate modifications to dress and equipment used. Despite the name of the Society, the groups within it portray Saxon, Norman, Celtic, and Viking cultures.