Who are the Stray Dogs?

The Stray Dogs are a Viking re-enactment group portraying the Rus Vikings of Staraya Ladoga, Russia in the late 900s. Through living history all aspects of life of a bygone era come to the forefront in the discovery of the past, allowing a greater understanding of how things really were first hand compared to a text book. The Rus Vikings from Staraya Ladoga offer all this and much more with influences gained through trade and the exploration of their surroundings.

The group is based in Brisbane, Queensland and is involved in local shows and festivals, including the Abbey Medieval Tournament at Caboolture, History Alive at Fort Lytton in Brisbane, the Armidale event in NSW and Brisbane Medieval Fayre.

Their campsite displays traditional Rus Viking style tents, cooking hearth with period equipment, woodworked items including seating and chests made from patterns in archaeological Viking finds.

Activity at the campsite includes traditional Viking activities- tanning of hides using traditional natural tanning methods, longbow archery, cooking and craft activity. Evenings are spent feasting, carousing with copious quantities of ale and mead, music and Skaldic verse. It is truly said-

"Wealth Dies,
Kinsmen die, a man must also die,
but word craft never dies
for thoughts that achieve it well."

In between performances, the Stray Dogs work on clothing research and construction by hand, shoe-making, armour and weapon production by hand and social get togethers. Here, for the fist time, is a Skaldic verse which was read at the Saga Vikings' Althing May 2004.

"Gather round all thegns and good men
For ragnarok is upon us and our time's near an end
For the gods and the giants have come down to fight
And the dead now rise up and set us to flight
The world serpent turns and Fenris is loose
Our time is at hand, it's our moment of truth
As the world turns to fire and is ripped inside out
Some will survive of that there's no doubt
The world will be reborn old into new
A fresh new begining for those that are true."

by Old Dog

return to Stray Dogs home page