My perception of the SCA members is that they are into the history and re-enactment of the medieval time period and less about re-enacting Renaissance Fairs. Many make their own period clothes, either make or buy armor made by modern day armorers, eat period foods, and generally study the martial arts as well as, brewing, herbal medicines, etc.
The last SCA event I went to had little to none resemblance to a Renaissance Fair but had some medieval period martial art experts offer live demonstrations and explanations of various tactics and weaponry.
My son is majoring in History and Archeology he will be completing his Bachelors degrees this next year and intends on going the whole way to Phd.
Because of his interest, I have become interested in this subject as well. Last year, I purchased a 16th century book which has incredible color drawings of royal family crests, military insignias, etc. that my son says was used to determine the authenticity of a stranger coming into town making those kinds of claims. They evidently would be asked to show their credentials including crests or what have you and then would be cross checked with this book.
I have been looking for a sword but have been concerned about buying one that is authentic. I did get a bronze age ax and bracelet that was determined to be authentic and that is a real joy. I can relate to your wondering about the living history of your Viking sword...who used it, why and how, etc.
Of course European Medieval martial arts are real...what strikes me is the current mistaken belief that Europe was backwards compared to other cultures. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, all one needs do is listen to the music of that era to know otherwise. Besides the incredible science and art capabilities. I am enjoying your informative posts on this subject and hope you will continue.
Thanks again, John
When you say "authentic", do you mean an actual historical antique, or an accurate reproduction? There is a lot of pseudo-fantasy dreck on the market, but if you are looking for what they actually used, the authority on the subject is Ewart Oakeshott, who was referenced above by Ramius.
He was a scholar who devised a typeology method for classifying swords. Nowadays, when a sword is found in an archeological dig or an old collection, it is generally described by one of Oakeshott's classifications.
The sword dealers who are supplying the Western Martial Arts enthusiasts are selling reproductions which have been adapted for sparring (flexable "blunts" or "rebated") as well as totally accurate recreations ("sharps").
A couple of dealers with a good reputation:
Darkwood Armory
Angus Trim
A little lower end/ mass produced:
Hanwei/ CAS Iberia
If you are looking to drop a lot of $ on a beautiful hand-forged repro piece, I can point you at some people who do that as well. As for antique pieces, those are available out there, but I have no recommendations as to dealers.