Medieval art of jousting is alive and well

Kalleigh Wagner had just watched a horse throw an armored knight during a joust when Captain Hook walked up to her.

Hook told the 10-year-old girl he was looking for Peter Pan. "We have some unfinished business," he said.

Did Kalleigh think Peter would save her if the vengeful captain tied her to a pole?

"Maybe," Kalleigh replied, with a cautious smile.

Robin Hood and his Merry Men also were present Saturday at "Faeries and Berries," a one-day prelude to the first Penumbra Fantasy Faire, which will take place Oct. 10 and 11, also at V2 Farm in Enumclaw. So were fairies with gossamer wings, Peter Pan's "wild girls," Vikings, pirates, singers and ordinary folks from days of yore.

The Seattle Knights, the troupe of jousting, sword-fighting actors that put on the fair, are building the first of two pirate ships in preparation for the October event and future fairs. Nearby are a Wild West town and a Native American village of tepees used for other family-oriented events at V2 Farm.

The Knights, founded in 1991 by former comic-book artist Dameon Willich, play their parts with relish, goading the audience to cheer them on as they fight with swords, knives, lances and other weapons.

"This is sort of a hobby and a second job at the same time," said Lauren Crosson, of Issaquah, a Seattle Knights pirate for the past two years. "You get to hang out with the best and funniest group of people."

For the mounted knights, wearing as much as 80 pounds of armor and peering through narrow slits in their helmets, the outcome is a bit unpredictable. It takes a special kind of horse to stay on course while running toward an oncoming horse, with a combined speed of 60 to 70 mph, actor Alan Paulsen said.

And plenty of nerve and skill on the knight's part to hit the target. In a "light joust," the knight tries to strike the opponent's shield. In a "heavy joust," they go for the torso.

Lances are built with tips that break off when they hit body armor. "We're crazy, but we're not stupid," Paulsen said.

"It's exhilarating when it goes right," he said. "and even more exhilarating when it goes wrong." Paulsen said his doctor has given up advising him not to joust when he comes in with battle-related injuries.

The actors are well-versed in historic lore about knights tilting in the Middle Ages and strive for authenticity. Faeries and Peter Pan characters are there mostly to please the kids.

"A little escapism is good for the soul," Paulsen said.

Before Kalleigh Wagner was accosted by Captain Hook, she said the jousting looked like what she saw in the "Chronicles of Narnia" films — but this time "in real life." The overall experience, she said, was "like Sleeping Beauty and stuff like that."

Kalleigh's mother, Katie Wagner, said, "The people dressed up, they stay in character — it's phenomenal."

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com