Sword and Shield Combat in Norse Sagas

A previous post discussed the subject with regard to treatises and the use of the sword and shield. […] The idea that the shields of this period were weak in some fashion, even though there is evidence of them being destroyed in the same saga, should not be over-stated, the shield was still used as…

Sword and Shield Treatises

In studying the idea of the use of sword and shield in the medieval period there is an issue as there is a large gap in knowledge. Studying the sword and shield in the Renaissance period is not so much of an issue as when the shield left the battlefield it found a place in…

Viking Bog Axe Tested on Boar

Thrand test an artifact Viking age bog axe head found in Novgorod, Russian on a wild Boar carcass in Forged in Fire style by doing the famous kill test of Doug Marcaida from the History Channel program. So sit back and watch the famed Historical Torslev or Torslav axe possibly an early Scandinavian ,Varangian Gaurd,…

Lindenwood Viking Shield Test

For 30% off Odin Ring at V.K.N.G Jewelry use this code :THRAND30 with this link : https://www.vkngjewelry.com/discount/THRAND30?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fodin-ring-silver For 20% off other productsThis code : THRAND20 with this link : https://www.vkngjewelry.com/discount/THRAND20 Thrand test the Historically accurate replica of a Viking age real linden wood Shield famed in the Sagas and rune poems with all Viking age…

Forerunners of the Fechtschule Pt I: Antiquity

The Fechtschulen or ‘Fencing Schools’ were combat sport events that purposefully emulated their historical predecessors as public spectacles attempting to maintain martial arts training traditions that date back to Ancient Greece. Some argue these Fechtschulen events for the Middle and Lower classes were pure sport and spectacle with little value […] Continue reading Forerunners of the Fechtschule…

Review: The GFFG Berbekucz Club Sword

“Now, when starting up the Gothenburg Free Fencers Guild […], we wanted to have a club sword that was as close as possible to historical originals, both in shape and characteristics, and which would fit well with the sources we study; primarily the treatises of Joachim Meyer.” Continue reading Review: The GFFG Berbekucz Club Sword on…

Maxime Chouinard

Maxime Chouinard of Kingston Irish Fighting Arts: French sources deserve to be better known

My focus is really on 18th-19th and early 20th century HEMA. What I would call “Industrial martial arts” and the remaining vernacular traditions which survived in that period. When I started HEMA, I tried to do as much as I could. Longsword, rapier, sabre, wrestling, staff, stick etc. I still think it is very useful…