'Swounds!

David Weigel | March 20, 2007

Joel Warner's profile of a Viking re-enactment group was plenty funny even before he asked the group's leader whether they had been exploited to puzzle the political correctness brigades of a Columbus Day event.

Fjellborg members would like to believe the Denver Sons of Italy invited them to the controversial event because Norsemen reached America before Columbus -- but these Vikings aren't naive. "I think they invited us as sort of spoilers for the fight," says Schultz. "I think we threw the protesters a bit. They said to us, 'The Vikings killed more people than Columbus!' And their point is...?"

Eleven-year-old Josh Burgin (Viking name: Agnar) interrupts the banter. He wants to see Schultz temper a steel blade.