No, I’m not a member of SCA. I understand that lots of people are into the whole ren-faire reenactment sort of thing, and that’s fine, but it’s just not my sort of thing. “It’s not my bag, baby...”. :-)
I do believe, however, that there was a powerful European martial art that was (and can be again) just as elegant, spiritual, and lethal as any of the more well-preserved asian martial arts.
After the Renaissance, as the age of the firearm dawned, fighting with swords of course largely became obsolete, and the old masters (like Lichtenauer, George Silver, Sigmund Ringeck and others) died off and the teaching of the Art died with them. But there are a number of organizations ernestly researching the documentation that does exist and there is a growing interest in giving this true martial art a re-birth.
It’s a true martial art. Of that there’s just no doubt. I got interested because of my interest in history, and because it is part of my own cultural heritage. I bought a Viking sword and started wondering one day “how was this thing actually used...”. As is turned out, that was an expensive day. What started as one has become several, but it’s only the beginning... :-)
Regards,
TS
“I do believe, however, that there was a powerful European martial art that was (and can be again) just as elegant, spiritual, and lethal as any of the more well-preserved asian martial arts.”
I had heard about that. The draw being people looking for a form of martial arts that wasn’t based on Eastern Spirituality.
My perception of the SCA members is that they are into the history and re-enactment of the medieval time period and less about re-enacting Renaissance Fairs. Many make their own period clothes, either make or buy armor made by modern day armorers, eat period foods, and generally study the martial arts as well as, brewing, herbal medicines, etc.
The last SCA event I went to had little to none resemblance to a Renaissance Fair but had some medieval period martial art experts offer live demonstrations and explanations of various tactics and weaponry.
My son is majoring in History and Archeology he will be completing his Bachelors degrees this next year and intends on going the whole way to Phd.
Because of his interest, I have become interested in this subject as well. Last year, I purchased a 16th century book which has incredible color drawings of royal family crests, military insignias, etc. that my son says was used to determine the authenticity of a stranger coming into town making those kinds of claims. They evidently would be asked to show their credentials including crests or what have you and then would be cross checked with this book.
I have been looking for a sword but have been concerned about buying one that is authentic. I did get a bronze age ax and bracelet that was determined to be authentic and that is a real joy. I can relate to your wondering about the living history of your Viking sword...who used it, why and how, etc.
Of course European Medieval martial arts are real...what strikes me is the current mistaken belief that Europe was backwards compared to other cultures. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, all one needs do is listen to the music of that era to know otherwise. Besides the incredible science and art capabilities. I am enjoying your informative posts on this subject and hope you will continue.
Thanks again, John