Published on Monday, May 19, 2008

	6 Photos

Duke Cuan’s 13th-century fighting attire — helmet, linked metal rings protecting his chest and metal plates over his knees — withstood repeated blows from his tiny challenger Sunday.

Benjamin Donadio, a 2-year-old in 21st-century basketball attire, kept whacking away with his foam sword and wooden shield. He was one of the few to score a direct hit on Cuan, an armored fighter during a demonstration of pre-17th-century arts and skills.

Cuan is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, which tries to recreate aspects of European life from 600 to 1600. Cuan’s real name is Arthur Donadio, and Benjamin is his son.

He discovered the society by chance while driving through the N.C. State campus 20 years ago.

“I tried it, and I’ve been hooked. I came for the fighting and competition,” said Donadio, 40, a former football player who saw his opportunities for sport dwindling as he aged.

“You stay for the friends you make and the opportunity to keep it going and teach other people.”

Fighters with blunted weapons demonstrated fencing and armored combat with a variety of weapons and belly dancers swung their hips for a crowd of about 100 during perfect outdoor weather.

Sunday’s demo also featured homemade armor, medieval shortbread and informational booths.

Demonstrations like this one are held about once a quarter. Think Civil War re-enactment, then rewind a few centuries.

The society, which has more than 30,000 members around the world, is broken into 19 kingdoms.

The local group, called the Canton of Attillium, belongs to the Kingdom of Atlantium.

Attillium has from 40 to 50 active members.

Members choose a time frame to portray, research how to play their character and then give themselves a name. They may decide to be lords, warriors, poets, artisans or scholars.

Jennifer Kuntz of Raeford joined the society in 1994, after seeing it referenced in a children’s book by Judy Blume.

She became Eibhlin inghean ui Charain, and eventually met her husband at a society event in Pittsburgh.

“I learned his SCA name before I learned his real name,” she said of Tiernen Ferrel, or Tom Kuntz in modern times.

She said the question that she hears the most from outsiders is whether their equipment or clothing is authentic to the period. People like to know that the stuff they’re seeing is handmade instead of picked up at a store, she said.

Taura Pool and husband C.J. Pool have been participating for about 20 years, as Lady Taura McArthur-Blackwell and Pierre Blackwell.

They offered shortbread samples and displayed a castle made of graham crackers, pretzels and white icing.

Taura Pool said she focuses on the sweets made during medieval times because people today wouldn’t enjoy the other foods.

“If you could catch it or kill it, they’d eat it,” her husband said.

Four-year-old Cameron Valenzuela was thrilled by the fighters and dancers. He said he wants to joust when he gets older.

His grandmother, Leigh Leach of Fayetteville, said she was equally impressed.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be this much. I had expected it to be more amateur,” she said. “It’s my first time here, but I’ll be back.”