Follow Me to Hynafol
An Adventure to the past.
The muffled sound of a horn graces your ears on the wind…
A call to arms has been made! A Kingdom in need! Will you answer the call, and save the day?
Over the last few weeks, Stephanie and I have been quietly working on a very exciting project and are thrilled to finally share this news. Earlier this year, our home faire contacted us and put us in touch with the organizers of Hynafol, a new event that will be hosted on the grounds of Sherwood Forest this November. Welsh for “ancient”, Hynafol exists somewhere between historical reenactment, fantasy world building, and live action role play. For several days, the grounds of Sherwood Forest will be taken over and turned into a living, breathing medieval village. There will be quests, battles (both large and small), political dealings, and maybe even some magic to be discovered. Participants will be asked to leave the modern world behind and fully embrace living in this fantasy world. Depending on your budget, you can bring your own camping equipment or take advantage of one of the all-inclusive packages offered by Hynafol and camp in a medieval style tent within the grounds of Sherwood Forest. Either way, there will be no shortage of adventure to be had.
I was intrigued when the announcement for Hynafol first popped up on my Facebook feed. The opportunity to spend a few days living in a “medieval” village reminded me of the time my mom told me she would take me to Colonial Williamsburg if I read all the Felicity books from American Girl. To my parents’ surprise, about a week later I proudly announced that I was done and ready to start planning the trip. What can I say? I’ve always been a completionist.
Let me tell you, I lived my best American Girl life. I proudly pointed out buildings and shared anecdotes with anyone who would listen. I wandered around shops, drank tea (scandalous, I know), danced at the Governor’s house, and gave my parents a personal tour of the historical sites. All in costume, of course. Thankfully the hotel we stayed at had a washing machine. I literally wore my Felicity dress the entire time I was there. Looking back, it shouldn’t be a surprise that 20+ years later I’m still dressing up and making historically inspired costumes.
Anyway, back to the present. Stephanie and I have several years of experience when it comes to camping at Renaissance fairs. Nearly a decade, if we’re putting a number on it. While we haven’t done any LARPing, between us we have multiple years of D&D campaigns under our belts and really enjoy embodying the characters we cosplay whenever we’re in costume. What we don’t currently have is any medieval garb. Most of our creations live somewhere in the Tudor/Elizabethan eras. That being said, we have been toying with the idea of creating some shield maiden characters for some time now. Between Sherwood and the Viking gatherings here in Central Texas, there are plenty of opportunities to wear this style of garb.
Over the next few months, we’ll be documenting the creation of our wardrobes and characters. We’ll add our signature Historically Laced spin, but will also be coming up with backstories as to why these adventurers would travel across the ocean to the lands of Hynafol. I have a feeling it’s going to have something to do with the rumors of ancient magic inhabiting this place, but you’ll just have to wait and see.