David takes his steel knife and scrapes it against the ferro rod, causing small sparks to fly everywhere.
Rika looks at his knife then inspects the carpet in the living room. “Maybe you should practice that in the backyard?”
It all started when Rika pointed out a small, Morakniv, a knife with neck kit for sale on Amazon. Being born and raised in Sweden, Rika is very familiar with the Morakniv brand.
Sometimes, with me, that’s all it really takes. I looked at that little knife and I knew that I had to have it. I was like the little kid in “A Christmas story,” completely obsessed with the idea of having my very own…
“Morakniv Eldris Fixed-Blade Knife with Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade and Neck Kit Including Lanyard and Fire Starter!” A survival knife… with a fire starter!
No sooner did the Eldris arrive (with its two and a half inch blade) than I quickly also ordered the “Morakniv Bushcraft Carbon Steel Survival Knife with Fire Starter and Sheath, in Black.”
This one even has a sharpening stone in the handle! One for the neck, one for the belt!
But what truly did me in was the “other people also bought” Amazon teaser that led me to “Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival” By Dave Canterbury.
That was all it took. I am on the road to learning mad Viking survival skills, I cannot turn back.
It's a quest. I have to have these skills. My 1% Viking DNA practically screamed at me, shaking the very foundations of Valhalla!
As I waited for the weekend to come, I watched numerous YouTube videos on how to start a fire. I thought I had some of the basics down fairly well.
Combustion (or “fire” for you non-survivalist, like I used to be. Yes, I now count myself among them after several YouTube videos) is one of the five “Cs” one must master to survive in the wilderness.
No fire means no cooking, no warmth, no boiling water, and nothing to sit around telling tall tales.
To be a Viking, I must be able to start a fire.
I split the wood using the knife, (Batoning method) made shavings, formed my “birdnest” and sent sparks flying as I struck the fire starter over and over again, aiming at the materials that were apparently just too wet to burn. But the knife was awesome!
Rika is a very supportive wife. She was soon out there with me, having brought some dry paper, seeing that I wasn’t very successful with what I had at hand.
Sparks flew once again, and soon one caught the paper and I had a little fire going for about a minute and a half.
Success! I have taken my first steps toward making fire! I know there is much more to learn… but this is an important first step!
Later that evening, as we sat watching TV, Rika pointed to her wool sock where a burn mark the size of a quarter had “suddenly” appeared...
Apparently, while we were both fixing our gaze at my manly feat of fire making, I sent a spark that flew over to a spot exposed in Rika’a sock. Apparently that caught and burned rather nicely!
I’m sure there is a proverb in there somewhere, something about fire and wool socks, but I can’t think of one at the moment.
"Fire is needful to him who is come in, and whose knees are frozen; food and raiment a man requires,whoever the fell has traveled." - A Viking Proverb
So now I am on my way to learning my mad Viking skills. More tales to follow...
So, my DNA kit is on the way. I have a great-grandparent who came over from Sweden. Otherwise I expect to find that my lineage is primarily English, Irish, and Scottish. I believe my heritage is making tea, smoking pipes, and writing epic tales of adventures I heard someone else had.
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Thanks for reading and commenting! Triumph riders have a way of finding one another (I ride 2015 Bonnie), I'm sure you have had an adventure or two of your own! All my life I thought I was pretty much fully Italian. DNA pointed to 34% British! (that explains my choice of motorcycle and my enjoyment of Fawlty Towers). Good luck with your DNA, I've had a lot of fun with mine.
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