Today's image is titled "Battle of Lake Mendota" and was photographed by Kristian Knutsen.
The eastern shore of Lake Mendota was the scene of a battle most dire on Thursday night, when a score of armored warriors clashed on the green fields of Frisbee and futbol of James Madison Park for honor and glory.
Actually, this photo depicts a regular scene at the near-east side park, where denizens of the Realm of Rhun train on a weekly basis for the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. This national group, which includes the chapter based at the UW, revolves around a "sport where participants wear medieval or fantasy themed clothing and fight with foam padded weapons."
More information about the group, including its heraldry and history, is available from the Clan of the Hydra, a fighting unit operating within this land of Rhun. The clan provides photos and videos of their combat, along with a roster of its forces. More than 2,500 other photos of Belegarth activities in and around Madison are also available for viewing boffer battles is provided by the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society.
There is a larger version of the photo in the gallery at right.
This is the latest entry of Madison Snaps: photos of Madison-area events and locations. The Isthmus group photo pool is the primary source for Madison Snaps, which are published here with the permission of individual contributors. If you are interested in having your photo eligible for Madison Snaps, please respond to the posting on the Flickr group page, or send a message. There is no compensation for Madison Snaps photos, which are © to the respective photographers.
