The Legend of The Black Swan

Our armoury was founded 431 years ago by the Elven wood wrights of Michanoni. The Michanoni Clan had sworn to arm the forces of good against the hordes of Elektra. Jereb Dominnus, head of Elven Clan Michanoni himself crafted the great wooden sword which permitted Lord Leister Douglas of the Black Swan to thwart Elektra's hideous witch lightning and bring her to her doom. Although defeated, the swarms of the Goldabdi, (strange insectile creatures), kin to Elektra, swore to arise and defeat the forces of good. What happened between Jereb and Lord Douglas, when Jereb gave Leister Douglas, the Black Swan Knight the fabled wooden long sword "Topher", remains a mystery. But from that time onward Lord Douglas has been sworn to defend the land of Michanoni and good folk everywhere.

Our Founder

Jereb Dominnus, head of the elven Clan Michanoni, founded the Armoury on the hidden estates of the now famous Black Swan Knight, Lord Leister Douglas. Lord Douglas was the son of King Plotentious the Brave and trained in all the arts of Court and War. As a young lad, he led a fairly carefree existence, thinking only of the things of youth: endless summers, avoiding lessons and adventuring. One day in October, when frost was white and cold upon the ground a seer from the Raven King came to the court of Plotentious with a warning:

"Heed me o King of Michanon, for there will arise from the dark mountains of Alenor a force to destroy you and your kingdom."

"Egads" said the King (he liked to use weird swear words), "Whatever shall I do? I know, I shall crush the evil with my mighty iron war hammer Thrum!"

"Nay," said the seer, "The age of Iron is ended, it cannot contain this evil," the Raven seer chuckled.

"Buggy Bears!" the king cursed, "Is there naught I can do"?

"Naught that I can see," the Raven cried and flew off.

The king thought long and hard. He knew his brave men would be willing to fight any foe, but what if the Raven seer spoke true? What if his kingdom were to be destroyed?

"Ah, I know," thought the king aloud, "I shall save that which is most precious to me."

So the king sent Lord Douglas to be raised by Jereb Dominnus and the Sylvan elves. At first the young lord mocked the use of wooden weapons: "My father's mighty war hammer Throm could break this blade in a moment!" he would cry when being trained. "There is more to battle than power and force," replied Jereb Dominnus - "Wit and intelligence, speed and imagination, these are the true tools of a warrior." One day a message came for Lord Douglas. The Witch Queen Elektra had taken his father's castle, slain the king, and enslaved the good folk of the town. It was then that Lord Douglas swore to defeat Elektra and reclaim his kingdom. He went to Jereb for guidance. Jereb said, "My young human friend, we swear to aid you in this great quest by arming a great force for good, which shall rise with you to defeat this darkness. You shall lead this force as the Black Swan Knight! A bond was then forged between human and elf that would prove to stand the test of time.

Our Weapons

Our weapons, created in the tradition of Jereb Dominnus, are imbued with magic. Each handcrafted weapon possesses a unique power that is unleashed when placed into the hands of the truly brave and adventurous. With our many styles perhaps you will choose the long sword, known to be especially useful against the Goldabdi Swarm with their shiny carapaces of black and their hideous clacking mandibles, or the short sword, which Lord Douglas has cunningly used against the gaseous demon fairies of Arenon. Once, the Black Knight's faithful companion Ricardo, armed only with a shield and dagger, faced and slew the Fire Dragon Justinus whose image adorns our shields to this day. From axes, to daggers, from great swords to short swords, and Elven or Orc blades, the Black Swan Armoury is dedicated to providing you with the perfect weapon for your adventuring needs. And remember, they're magic.

Dear Parents

I have been in the Renaissance festival business since the Michigan renaissance festival first opened in 1980. Since then we have grown the business to include the Maryland, Georgia, Arizona, Louisiana and Tennessee Renaissance Festivals. As our business and children have grown, we have been able to help three of our sons set up their own "armouries' at Renaissance festivals in New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania.

We began with a few simple designs stenciled onto the shields and a limited variety of softwood swords. Now we have over 20 hand silk screened designs available on three different sized shields and a large variety of softwood swords. In 2004 we added hardwood swords modeled after the elven and orc swords of "Lord of the Rings". We are always adding new sword styles and shield designs to our collection.

We promote creativity and imaginative play in children. Our toys promote physical activity and the use of imagination…no couch potatoes or video game junkies here! The children can (and do) create their own foes, whether they be dragons or the demon under the bed.