More Sources for A Medieval Fix

The Society for Creative Anach ronism is just one way to revel in the Middle Ages. Here are four others:

Dagorhir Battle Games. This group was founded in 1977 and inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" books. It combines history with fantasy (i.e., combat with role-playing). Its D.C. realm, Aratari ( http://www.dagorhir.org), includes specialized groups such as Ikko Taizen, a fighting unit that re-creates the combat and customs of medieval Japan.

Markland Medieval Mercenary Militia. This group ( http://www.markland.org) centers its re-creations on the time of the Norman Conquest of England (1066, plus or minus 100 years). It features staged combat involving real steel and competitive fighting with padded weapons.

Maryland Renaissance Festival. Though some SCA members participate heartily in the festival (one of the largest of its kind in the country), others have an amused perspective on the yearly event, which aims to re-create a 16th-century English village. Some medievalists consider the event "funny," a "carnival," a place where "they do what people http://think is medieval." (For example, smoked turkey legs are served, though everyone knows the turkey is a New World bird.)

Still, many medievalists say it's an entertaining experience. It's 125 acres of jousting and juggling and imbibing and gorging: What's not to like?

Weekends through Oct. 21. 1821 Crownsville Rd., Crownsville. $18, seniors $15, ages 7-15 $8. 800-296-7304. http://www.rennfest.com.

Philadelphia Museum of Art. If you want to see the chain mail worn by the princes of Saxony, trek to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Kretzschmar von Kienbusch Galleries feature the arms and armor of kings. The museum's collection of European art from 1100 to 1500 includes religious iconography, illuminated manuscripts and stained glass housed in a medieval cloister from a 12th-century French monastery.

2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., Philadelphia. $14, seniors $12, students and ages 13-18 $10; pay-what-you-wish Sundays. 215-763-8100. http://www.philamuseum.org.

-- D.Z.