HEMA, Sabres, Facial Hair

James, he/him. This is my blog dedicated to HEMA, fencing, and history. My personal blog is "the-grand-duke-of-deadly-noodles", which you can check out for more general posts

[the-grand-hetman]

Sabres like Dussacks?!

Did some cool stuff at Georgetown Playfield with one of my students, Aaron, today!

We experimented with using sabres in the style of Meyer’s dussack fencing. I don’t pretend to be super in the know on dussack fencing, but it was extremely fun to use body voids, hip shifts, moulinets, and front foot actions with our new foam sabres. I feel we can learn a lot about our own grasp on general swordsmanship with this light sparring “drill”, as well as help me identify useful things to add to my club’s in-house Polish sabre curriculum.

Full Disclosure: Aaron and I took the calculated risk of not wearing face coverings while doing this. We felt that being outdoors on a generally breezy day and not coming into grappling range of each other was alright, and we put masks back on after this bout.

*Special shoutout to Richard Marsden and his book “The Polish Saber” which includes awesome info on how Polish dueling culture was often influenced by the Germans and other peoples from Western Europe*

[the-grand-hetman]

Time to shake off some rust

Here in Seattle, some of the protocols around public gatherings have been *slightly* rolled back. We can now have gatherings of 5 in open air spaces! Armed with this knowledge, some of us are meeting every week for sparring sessions in a public park north of the city.

I’ve been on a hiatus from content creation with sooo many things going on (Black Lives Matter and put on your damn masks), but I hope to be posting a new sparring session video every few weeks as time and my other commitments allow.

For the sake of transparency, here some info on how we stay safe at these little gatherings:

1. We maintain social distance of six feet and wear surgical or cloth masks when not actively sparring

2. We do not share gear between the people there, with the exception of some of our training swords. Grips and hands are sanitized after use every time.

3. We have a designated person to watch over the area and call a halt if people accidentally wonder in to our zone. If that happens, a halt is called, we stop and put our training swords down, and engage in a little dialogue before asking the passerby for some space.

4. Some of the general public like to ask question, and we like to talk to them about what we do so that the chances of us being mistaken for actively dangerous ne’er-do-wells is at a minimum. If park staff or local law enforcement show up, we take off our fencing masks, lay down our training swords, and do our best to explain what we’re doing or leave if we are asked to do so.

Enjoy!

Also, apparently my compatriots fancy camera decided it was suddenly nostalgic for the color palettes of 90s workplace safety VHS tapes...

[chiaroxoscuro]

Hi! I’m sure a lot of you know this but I’m a non binary crafts person of color. I run a business called warclad, making medieval and fantasy gear. I’m self taught and spend my time studying old techniques. I’m currently teaching myself to work steel. With how things are times are hard and I can use all the help I can get to keep doing the work I love. If you like what you see consider following me on

Tumblr

Twitter

and Instagram

If you like my work you can get your hands on it over on Etsy, or you can support me on Patreon. I’m really hoping to get into making tutorials and testing out my work. 

Please consider rebloging this, and if you can, add on other poc’s and lgbt individuals involved in craft work as we can use all the boosting we can get these days.

[haulaway]

@the-grand-duke-of-deadly-noodles

[armthearmour]

More Harnischfechten!

[the-grand-hetman]

Pandemic Fencing Video Dump! Part 1

With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, I have begun to brave the process of using YouTube to provide instruction and fencing theory videos for my students and any other historical fencers who wish to see me awkwardly bumble through some of my curriculum on video.

Context:

I teach a “living document” curriculum that I loosely call Eastern European Sabre (EES). It is a composite of techniques and concepts mentioned in first and second hand accounts in regards to Polish, Hungarian, Muscovite, Caucuses, and Ottoman Turkish fencers from roughly the 16th and 17th centuries in central and eastern Europe. Aside from fragmented accounts, I have also drawn interpretations and techniques from Richard Marsden’s “Polish Sabre”, Russ Mitchell’s “Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing”, and am currently working on incorporating some of Marc Lawrence’s works from his books on Cossack swordsmanship.

Aside from these modern works, some concepts and techniques are also incorporated from Joachim Meyer’s dussack, Marozzo, and some other well-documented fencers from Western Europe in the same general time period. Since the Polish and other ethnic groups of central and eastern Europe largely opted to not record their national fencing systems in writing (thought minimal works exist) and the consistent presence of western Europeans in the region wielding their native weapons, I feel it is not unreasonable to include some of what influenced the region’s soldiers and the husaria in this curriculum.

While I do work from Silver’s 1599 treatise and the 1595 Club’s curricular interpretation of Saviolo’s treatise and other things that fall under the HEMA category, I tend to shirk the term “HEMA”, “Polish sabre”, or other similar monikers for this specific curriculum/system out of the knowledge that those of us who operate in this vein of the historical fencing community have very little to work with, almost no formal historical treatise aside from the document included in Marsden’s book, and that my attempts to create a system are 40% of reading historical accounts and interpreting them, 40% co-opting my experience and knowledge of other systems to help fill in gaps, and 20% “best guess”. Sure, this probably falls under the HEMA umbrella, but I’m still navigating that. Hell, I even dislike the term Eastern European Sabre because I feel that it is not accurately representative of the culture groups that added to our modern ideas about Polish sabre. Give them a watch if you feel inclined to do so, and I am always happy to hear people’s thoughts or questions. My curriculum is a “living document” that doesn’t have all the answers, so I always love to talk about sabre stuff.

Solo Practice: The Cutting Circle and Basic Footwork

Solo Practice: The Moulinet

Solo Practice: Edge and Beak/False Edge Alignment

Solo Practice and Theory: The Forward + Outward Shift

Solo Drill: Shedding the Cut (Focus Cuts)

Solo Drills: Shedding the Cut and Thrusts

Solo Drills: Grips + Grip Sequence

Solo Drills: Protecting the Leg

[armthearmour]

A pair of Wheellock Pistols inlaid with mother-of-pearl, Italy, 1600-1625, housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

[armthearmour]

A beautiful Kriegsmesser with gilt fittings, Austria, ca. 1490, housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

[ltwilliammowett]

Lady of Trafalgar

When during the battle of trafalgar the boats went out to collect possible survivors, the crew of the HMS Pickle’s boat didn’t believe their eyes as they fished a naked woman out of the water.

Lady of Trafalgar by Patrick O’Brien, 2019

But so a certain Jack Nastyface wrote the following:

“Among those who were thus preserved from a watery grave was a young Frenchwoman who was brought aboard our ship in a state of complete nakedness. Although it was in the heat of battle, yet she received every assistance which was at that time in our power; and her distress of mind was soothed as well as we could; until the officers got to their chests, from whence they furnished her with needles and thread to convert sheets into chemises and curtains from their cots to make somewhat of a gown and other garments so that by degrees she was made as comfortable as circumstances would admit; for we all tried who would be most kind to her”. It turned out that the young woman concerned was a survivor of the French Achille and was the wife of one of that ships crew who could not bear to be separated from him when he was ordered to sea. Disguising herself as a boy, she had entered the ship with him and had served at his side until she was told that he had been killed during the battle. Her reaction to his apparent death gave her away.

Lady of Trafalgar, by Patrick O’Brien, 2017

The rescue of the Frenchwoman was described by Captain Moorsom in a letter to his father dated 4th December 1805:

“When the Achille was burning, she (Jeanette) got out of the gunroom port and sat on the rudder chains till some melted lead ran down upon her and forced her to strip and leap off. She swam to a spar where several men were, but one of them bit and kicked her till she was obliged to quit and get to another which supported her til she was taken by The Pickle and sent on board the Revenge. Amongst the men she was lucky enough to find her husband. We were not wanting in civility to the lady. I ordered her two Purser’s shirts to make a petticoat; and other of the officers found something to clothe her*; in a few hours, Jeanette was perfectly happy.”

*One of Revenge’s lieutenants gave Jeanette a length of blue sprigged muslin he had intended for his wife and the Chaplain gave her a pair of his old shoes. Jeanette, originally a dressmaker, quickly made herself a jacket and dress in the Flemish fashion. Additionally she was given a blanket, two pairs of white stockings and two silk handkerchiefs.

Anecdote at the Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805 by William Heath

Each of the officers in HMS Revenge gave the woman a silver dollar and when the ship limped into Gibraltar after enduring the storm which followed the battle, the woman and her husband were put into a Cartel ship which took them both to Spain.

[armthearmour]

The Metropolitan Museum of Art lists this as a Lucerne Hammer, although I believe it can also technically be called a Bec de Corbin or a Pollaxe. Swiss, ca. 1520.

[armthearmour]

A beautiful War Hammer, French, ca. 1450, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[victoriansword]

Ethiopian Gurade, c.1900

Rhinoceros horn hilt and later carved wood pommel, with 82 cm curved and fullered blade etched with stylised flowers and Amharic script, the forte with lion of Judah and profile of Menelik II (1844-1913), red leather scabbard.

[renaissanceswordclub]

View this post on Instagram

Dealing with a strong #lunge that binds up the sword. The #fencer could parry with the dagger, but their sword would still be bound and they could be stabbed by the opponent. Instead, the fencer uses a prime or hanging #guard to parry, pushes their dagger through the gap to bind the opponent, then cuts.

#historicalfencing #martialartists (at Frimley Green) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8zn2_9HzuN/?igshid=uemp35zojnt4

[we-are-knight]

Dear Knight, would it be plausible to say one type of shield is more mobile than another? This came up in a discussion in which one brought up a viking shield would be more mobile and would have an easier time hiding the sword, whereas a heater or a kite shield wouldn't seeing as they are strapped to the arm. Would it be possible this was also the case with a scutum?

Yes and no: it depends upon how one uses the shield based on function.

Technically I’d argue that a heater shield in particular is very manoeuvrable as it being strapped to the arm means you only need to extend your arm to be protected, and adjust your arm as such. A shield that uses the grip of the hand is subject to pivoting from impact (if the thumb slips) or from tiring the arm (due to the whole shield being supported by the hand rather than the length of the arm). But this discounts the fact that a buckler is held similarly to a Viking shield and is less subject to drift due to a smaller surface area, and reduced weight.

This also discounts how different shields are used for different functions: a scutum generally is used for formation tactics in conjunction with a spear or sword while protecting as much of the user and allies as possible. A kite shield is meant to cover the upper body and legs both mounted and in foot. A heater shield helps defend against arrows and melee weapons while being easily carried and held. A Viking shield can be used for a shieldwall and duels similar to the way a buckler might be used. A duelling shield is a weighty weapon meant for defence and entrapment both. A buckler is a duelling weapon meant to deflect or parry a single weapon and is extremely easy to hold and move.

So for example, if I had to use a shield for a duel, I might opt for a buckler or duelling shield, due to them being specially devised for the task, but I would not consider them for formation fighting. Meanwhile if I want to advance on an opponent with my allies, I might consider a scutum or a round migration shield, depending on circumstance and training. If I want to do a cavalry charge and protect myself both on horseback or foot, a kite shield might be advisable, but if I want a lighter trade off and my armour covers me well, a heater shield does the same job.

I think there is probably some truth to manouverability being a factor, however, having possession of a very large buckler with a central grip, and access to a large rotella (with a strap grip), I find both are easy to use and move when applied in their proper context. A central grip shield wants to be held extended, boss toward the opponent to create a “cone” of defence. A strapped shield wants to be held out at an angle to close off a line of attack to the opponent, and can be used to cover the whole body. It’s very contextual, and within the scope of their functions, both are very fast and easily utilised in terms of speed and agility.

[muslimgamer]

@we-are-knight

So if two fighters, one with a central-grip shield and one with a strapped shield were to fight, which one would have the advantage? Or at least, what would be the challenges each fighter face when fighting the other? This is far more extensive topic then I would have expected.

[we-are-knight]

Central grip is generally used to make a cone of defence that the attacker has to work around to deal with.

As you can see in the above image. Any attack coming toward the buckler is prevented, but so too do attacks around the shield get cut off or warded off to the outside of the fencers body.

Strapped shield is generally held closer to the body, often in conjunction with armour (but not always).

This is pretty common in all art we see in which a heater shield (as an example) is used.

The strapped shield works generally by behind held closer to the body and cuts off the line of attack to that side, being a very easy to hold/move barrier. It does have some offensive capacity, but it’s much more dedicated to offering full mobile cover.

The gripped shield is generally held further away from the body, using the shape of the shield to create the cone of defence to ward off attacks and create a barrier the attacker and defender work around to assault the other. It also can be used as a weapon itself in close range, much like a knuckleduster.

[renaissanceswordclub]

#pike drill, with fencers learning the #basics of unit #combat

Rob Runacres was teaching rapier at this event in the #netherlands

#polearm #fencingteam #martialartist (at Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8pDZgVH8pU/?igshid=1la0nk56rgzs1

[peashooter85]

Russian presentation sword with the inscription “By the Grace of God and order of Empress and Sole-Ruler of Russia and others…Granted with this Sword the Ataman of “Don Cossacks Host” Ivan Petrov for His Loyal Service in Moscow in the Year ..49 December 22nd”.

[peashooter85]

Gem enameled and silver gilt saber, Hungary, mid 19th century.

from Thomas Delmar Ltd.

[ubercharge]

look. look at this beautiful sword meme. i’m going to cry

[literallybyronic]

@petermorwood

[petermorwood]

I saw and reblogged this one a while back, but it’s always worth repeating, and this time I’m adding a bit of background info comparing common fantasy sword features to the Real Thing (with pictures, of course.)

Leaf-bladed swords are a very popular fantasy style and were real, though unlike modern hand-and-a-half longsword versions, the real things were mostly if not always shortswords.

Here are Celtic bronze swords…

…Ancient Greek Xiphoi…

… and a Roman “Mainz-pattern” gladius…

Saw or downright jagged edges, either full-length or as small sections (often where they serve no discernible purpose) are a frequent part of fantasy blades, especially at the more, er, imaginatively unrestrained end of the market.

Real swords also had saw edges, such as these two 19th century shortswords, but not to make them cool or interesting. They’re weapons if necessary…

…but since they were carried by Pioneer Corps who needed them for cutting branches and other construction-type tasks, their principal use was as brush cutters and saws.

This dussack (cutlass) in the Wallace Collection is also a fighting weapon, like the one beside it…

…but may also have had the secondary function of being a saw.

A couple of internet captions say it’s for “cutting ropes” which makes sense - heavy ropes and hawsers on board a ship were so soaked with tar that they were often more like lengths of wood, and a Hollywood-style slice from the Hero’s rapier (!!) wouldn’t be anything like enough to sever them. However swords like this are extremely rare, which suggests they didn’t work as well as intended for any purpose.

I photographed these in Basel, Switzerland, about 20 years ago. Look at the one on the bottom (I prefer the basket-hilt schiavona in the middle).

A lot of “flamberge” (wavy-edge) swords actually started out with conventional blades which then had the edges ground to shape - the dussack, that Basel broadsword and this Zweihander were all made that way.

The giveaway is the centreline: if it’s straight, the entire blade probably started out straight.

Increased use of water power for bellows, hammers and of course grinders made shaping blades easier than when it had to be done by hand. This flamberge Zweihander, however, was forged that way.

Again, the clue is the centre-line.

Incidentally those Parierhaken (parrying hooks - a secondary crossguard) are among the only real-life examples of another common fantasy feature - hooks and spikes sticking out from the blade.

Here are some rapiers and a couple of daggers showing the same difference between forged to shape and ground to shape. The top and bottom rapiers in the first picture started as straights, and only the middle rapier came from the forge with a flamberge blade.

There’s no doubt about this one either.

The reason - though that was a part of it - wasn’t just to look cool and show off what the owner could afford (any and all extra or unusual work added to the price) but may actually have had a function: a parry would have been juddery and unsettling for someone not used to it, and any advantage is worth having.

However, like the saw-edged dussack, flamberge blades are unusual - which suggests the advantage wasn’t that much of an advantage after all.

Here’s a Circassian kindjal, forged wiggly…

…and an Italian parrying dagger forged straight then ground wiggly…

There were also parrying daggers with another fantasy-blade feature, deep notches and serrations which in fantasy versions often resemble fangs or thorns.

These more practical historical versions are usually called “sword-breakers” but I prefer “sword-catcher”, since a steel blade isn’t that easy to break. Taking the opponent’s blade out of play for just long enough to nail him works fine.

NB - the curvature on the top one in this next image is AFAIK because of the book-page it was copied from, not the blade itself.

The missing tooth on that second dagger, and the crack halfway down this next one’s blade, shows what happens when design features cause weak spots.

So there you go: a quick overview of fantasy sword features in real life.

Here’s a real-life weapon that looks like it belongs in a fantasy story or film - and this doesn’t even have an odd-shaped blade…

Just a very flexible one…

If you want more odd blades, Moghul India is a good place to start…

[ubercharge]

i could not ask for a better addition to my meme post than blade education thank you so much

[churlingtonbeesecoatfactory]

@drukhari