The Fort Saskatchewan Public Library had a visit from the Knights of the Northern Realm.
The Knights of the Northern Realm are a 14th century living history group that travels around the area teaching people about the experiences of those living in medieval times.
“We have focused on training and everything from swords, shields, spears, and daggers, on a weekly basis,” said Tom Yohemas with the Knights. “Our focus since COVID has actually been solely on education.”
The Knights had gotten ahold of the Fort Saskatchewan Public Library to do the event for free, and the library was happy to have them.
At their presentation, featuring Tom and a variety of medieval weapons and armour, had a packed room of people eager to learn about medieval history.
“I’ve always had an interest, even since childhood, to be able to see these historic sites when I travelled to Europe, to handle reproductions of these items that survived, and to talk with people who have expertise in certain area,” added Yohemas.
The Knights also speak a lot about debunking misinformation and misunderstandings around medieval combat, especially what’s shown in Hollywood films.
“One of the better ones we’d seen was called ‘Arn’, a Swedish series based on books,” said Yohemas. “There are certain elements of history that are buried in this historic fictional movie. It’s like the elements of truth, almost. Like gems.”
The Knights used to hold an annual educational fair, but they stopped doing the event several years ago following the COVID pandemic.
You can learn more about the Knights of the Northern Realm by visiting their Facebook page.
