This story is 99% likely an urban legend. (The height of the protagonist, the size of his weapon, and the height of a subway car ceiling make it very unlikely.) But damn it, it OUGHT to be true.
(Hat tip to Bruce)
This story is 99% likely an urban legend. (The height of the protagonist, the size of his weapon, and the height of a subway car ceiling make it very unlikely.) But damn it, it OUGHT to be true.
(Hat tip to Bruce)
It’s fake Jay. There’s no way you can run with pants around your ankles.
I know this must be a UL, but I agree, I really really want to believe. I also wish I had musical talent, cause “Blood for Odin” would make a cool speed metal band name.
The Washington Monthly weighs in on the the ’08 campaign. Clintons are not the only ones with skeletons in ht ecloset it seems:
“Lurking just over the horizon are liabilities for three Republicans who have topped several national, independent polls for the GOP’s favorite 2008 nominee: Sen. John McCain (affair, divorce), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (affair, divorce, affair, divorce), and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (divorce, affair, nasty divorce). Together, they form the most maritally challenged crop of presidential hopefuls in American political history. “
… from the Washington Monthly
…and the obvious response to MMerlin’s off-topic posting?
“BLOOD FOR ODIN!”
J.
Jay – I don’t think any of us sensible people would be opposed to the wholesale deletion of off-topic BS spam like Merlin and DFL a few posts ago. It’s getting old already.
BWAAAHH-ha-haa! I know this has gotta be fake, but I wish I coulda seen it.
The version *I’ve* heard involved a lady fighter coming back from a fighter practice with a coat on over her armor; when stopped by a punk brandishing a six-inch switchblade, she smiled, pulled out her broadsword and said “I’ll see your six and raise you forty-two.”
I do not believe this story: nobody wears armor for longer than they have to (the stuff is heavy, and smells) and we (that’s generic SCA ‘we’, not SCA fighters ‘we’ – I don’t do heavy combat) don’t use live steel at fighter practices. But it’s a pretty good story. 🙂
Sadly it’s likely a legend, but I wish it were true. I just can’t stop laughing at the image of this guy hobbling down the street with his pants down, screaming at the top of his lungs.
I did know a guy who got surprised once while he was carrying a quarterstaff (not for combat in the SCA, just for practice). Three muggers, two unconscious in he first couple of seconds, the third with broken limbs.
You call that a knife? That’s a knife!
/channeling Crocadile Dundee
“Blood for Odin” who does this guy think He is Thor?
Of course I can see this going into a hollywood movie. As Big Mo points out, it would be a riff on Crocadile Dundee. But some how I also see Indiana Jones when faced by the big sword fighter. The perp pulling out a gun and showing why armor went out when gunpowder came in.
I heard the same story once–but the hero’s name was Bernie and the little “punks” had sharpened screwdrivers…
I’m not a fan off-topic posting but that Mariah Carey side-boob in the “Zud’s Vlog” advert at left is worth a peek.
Hmmmm.
1. I used to do SCA heavy rattan combat back when I was healthy enough to do so.
2. Unless you’ve got plastic or aluminum armor, it’s going to be very heavy. If you’re travelling using the subways then it’s sometimes a lot easier to wear the armor rather than carrying it. The reason is that when you wear the armor it’s balanced across and along the entire body. When it’s in a seabag or duffel bag, most common carrying container, then you’ve got the entire weight off one shoulder.
3. You get used to the smell. Though I have seen fighters get swarmed and their gambesons forcibly removed and then washed.
ahhh. Memories. I should start back up with some very light armor. I found a place that sells titanium scales suitable for a coat of scale armor. Probably end up in the hospital if I did.
Yeah, given that a 6’7″ guy would not be able to stand completely upright in most subway cars, raising a battle ax over his head would pretty much require the use of a sunroof, which my train, at least, does not have.
Hmmm.
I re-read the article. It doesn’t actually say that the guy was wearing armor so this is entirely plausible.
A lot of events aren’t oriented around combat and many involve arts, crafts and … well … eating and quaffing ale. Generally if you’re travelling while using public transportation you need to fully secure the edges of any metal weaponry, preferably by using a “peace knot” that can’t be untied easily. Additionally people are encouraged to leave/make the edges of edged weapons blunt to avoid any accidents. It’s entirely possible that this guy was going to an event, i.e. “meet”, where he wasn’t planning on fighting and just was travelling in costume. Which would include, for a Viking, a battle-axe or sword.
…
You know this might actually have happened. I’ll have to ask around and see if there’s anyone I know who could confirm or deny it.
It does raise a point; if everyone carried battleaxes and other medievel weaponry on the NYC subway system, things might be a bit more polite. :))
What stinks is that now we all have this private joke, but if we try to use it (ie: somebody cuts you off in the 10 Items or Less lane and you scream “Blood for Odin”) they’ll have us carted off.
What stinks is that now we all have this private joke, but if we try to use it (ie: somebody cuts you off in the 10 Items or Less lane and you scream “Blood for Odin”) they’ll have us carted off.
Unless it’s someone from this blog…then we’ll all have a good loff by god.
ed: I’m not saying that it’s impossible, just that I’m not buying it. 🙂
Hmmmm.
1.
By **Odin**!
2. A link to the Pennsic War website.
http://www.pennsic.net/
Armor link:
http://www.pennsic.net/cgi-bin/pennsic/photos05.cgi?cat=armor
I need some time away from the computer. A nice Lorica Plumata style scale armor project would be nice.
1.
then we’ll all have a good loff by god.
By **Odin**!
OOH!!…nice touch on my pathetic attempt at humor.
I can hear the moonbats chanting:
No blood for Odin!
No blood for Odin!
No blood for Odin!
.
.
.
OregonMuse, you stole my thunder, damnit! LOL
Katie’s spot on. At 6’7″, Odin would have a helluva time raising a battle ax on an NYC train.
Still funny as hell, though.
Back in the late seventies, our science fiction club met on the campus of SDSU. One such meeting the loud cry of a lady in distress was heard. The SCA contingent, largely in costume, stopped a would-be rapist cold, detained him for campus police, and testified at the trial. I’m not certain how much force was involved because I wasn’t there that night, but several people independently related the story of the halted rape within the next few days.
If this was a real story, the viking cosplayer would have been arrested for carrying an unlicenced weapon and sued by the would-be robber for emotional harm.
My brother’s an SCA person. Lives in NYC. Goes to meets frequently.
When I told him about this one he laughed. He asked around but none of his friends could offer proof that it actually happened.
As a former NYC resident I would have loved it if this turned out to be true…