Call to arms olden & charms

See combat in the flesh, cheer for your chosen side, and watch history unfold at this weekend's Medieval Faire. Photo/supplied

Turn back the clock a few centuries and experience a glimpse of life in medieval times when history is retold not with dry facts, but with battles, music, games and the reliving of everyday life.

This weekend a medieval faire is being held in the city, giving people the chance to stroll through living history encampments, watch craftspeople making their wares, and see the re-enactment of the Battle of Grathe in 1157, that marked the end of a civil war fought for the rights to the Danish throne.

You will see people from all walks of historic European life, as well as battle action, knightly hand-to-hand combat, maidens, storytellers, theatre, and musicians.

Often history is a re-telling of an event where the facts of anniversaries are remembered, however this faire brings history to life, according to New Zealand Medieval Faire co-ordinator Andria Goodliffe.

There are plenty of activities for children, and they can dress up, dance like a peasant, use a longbow on the archery range, fight like a knight, learn how to be a Viking, and stitch on an ever-changing embroidery.

"In our complicated modern world, the past represents an appealing, simpler way of life," says Andria.

"We can remember long-past events to influence us towards improving our current life. Something as simple as a craft, that was common in Saxon times, being seen and remembered by someone now, so they learn it to help create a better society now - I'm thinking of leatherwork and reducing plastic waste." She says the re-telling of an event that was brutal at the time can, with the passage of time, translate into a rip-roaring tale, or gripping play.

"We will have both of those. There will be roaring Viking storytellers, and scholarly ladies offering tales that will grip the audience, plus more formal theatricals and spontaneous outbursts of medieval life - keep your eyes peeled for the cutpurse and the strolling entertainments."

the fine print
What: Medieval Faire
Where: Southey Field, Devonport Rd, Tauranga
When: January 20-22