This party was thought up because I asked my son who was turning 18 if he wanted a party, his brother was also turning 22 in a couple of days and they had had a lot of combination birthday over the years...I joking said we alway had a theme party for them in the past, but they were old now and did they still want me to do a theme...HE said in a funny voice, like a viking hourd party" I said why not and we started to throw out ideas! I got to work on the party right away...I needed to get all the decor to make the room seem viking like...I combed the goodwill and salvation army stores for wooden bowls and cast iron vessels...i was very excited to find some horn shaped beer stines I bought primitive baskets and wooden salad bowls old looking candle holders made of cast iron...I already owned many dear skins and some light brown burlap for the table cloths I draped them all over the table and made it look peasant like I put lots of candles on the table and I used some old elk horns I had for decor. NOW I reserched on line viking costumes<( not the cheesy plastic kind) real costume of the period. As everyone nows...a birthday has to have a party hat and a goody bag. SO I found some old wool coats at goodwill on bargin day (any one for 2.00) and cut the wool coats up to make the scule cap style hats they wore I used all the fur callers to make the rims of the hats...i bought 1.99 cent a yard fabric...the ugliest  plain brown and tan stuff I could get my hands on and made tunics for all the guests...I had to make a goodie bag too...so I made draw string sachels out of burlap for everyone and filled them with chocolate gold coins! for the dinner my husband and i made a home made stew of deer meat and wine stew and beacuse no one drank in this crowd we had our meed in a vessel...but it was cream soda gave the same look...I put big ruff loaves of bread sticking out of the rustic baskets I had bought.for a cake I had a.chocolate cake covered in ruff looking chocolate shavings...IT was period looking BUT I believe they didn't have that taste there!.For another decor look I had made wooden viking shield out of the ends of wire spools . Free from the supplier my husband took the two ends off and we mounted a hand holder and leather strap to the back and i painted the fronts with authentic viking designs there were 4 of these and eveyone got a chance to be photographed with them and the swords my sons already owned even the girls had shifts to wear. hey sat at the dinning table surrounded by all the decor and served with their hands and ate with their knives...and no one left the table for 2 hours ...thats a big thing for a bunch of young men and women!"