Web of Wyrd May 2004
THE LAST SIX MONTHS
It is now a little over 1 year since the beginning of our venture, and things are looking good. Our rolling monthly courses continue to be very popular, and we have much more lined up this year in the way of shows and the like.
As last year, we will be appearing at the Druid Camp in July, and the Merlin mind, body, spirit Fairs towards the end of the year; but new for this year, we shall also be appearing at the Wessex Gathering, in Swanage, at the beginning of June, and at the Lammas Games near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, at the beginning of August. There was no monthly course in December, due to our appearance at the Oxford Green Fair, where our new line of blowing and drinking horns went down very well.
The downside is that twelve months of business meant that taxes and accounts needed to be done, which after the expected stress and hassles, turned out to be surprisingly simple, which was something of a relief. So now, we can focus on the year ahead, and continue to bring you the news and courses you expect!
Return to top of pageCOUNTERING INTUITION AND BEYOND
I was driving down a country lane last night when a rabbit ran out across the road in front of me. I swerved away from it to avoid it … and killed it instantly. If I had swerved towards it, it might have stood a chance. Counter-intuitive, but true. Even though I have done this before, I saw myself overwhelmed again by the impulse to move away from the rabbit.
A hugely powerful aspect of Stav is the way in which we learn to respond to situations in ways that are initially counter-intuitive. Over the past year in class, time and again, Graham has exposed weaknesses in following natural impulses and brought us to practice responses that work instead. Not all natural impulses are faulty, of course, but if they are, then critical situations present real dangers to our physical, mental or spiritual well-being.
In effect, therefore, we are aiming to replace poor habits with good ones, and this must be the goal: that new, effective responses become as natural - even more natural - than the old ones. If you like, we are developing super intuition, respons-ability.
So the key issue is not how well can we carry out movements in training, but rather how do we apply this to situations in day to day life, when the adrenalin starts to pump, when fight or flight kicks in, when panic starts. We are not just talking here about physically threatening situations, but also about challenging personal and social situations, which probably occur more often than we would consciously acknowledge.
In this context, each of the five principles has something to say about countering our basic impulses to fight or fly:
Trel: don’t run away, withdraw - clear and conscious
Karl: don’t defend, put a stop to - assertive, final
Herse: don’t argue, redirect - no-nonsense, preventive
Jarl: don’t get caught up, deal with - detached, focused
Konge: don’t hesitate, decide and act - visionary, inspired
More importantly, catch yourself handling a situation well where things previously went wrong. The chances are that it will be in no small part due to your practice of Stav.
Next time I am going to swerve towards the rabbit.
David Orr
Return to top of pageVALHALLA CALLS - A Warrior’s Farewell
Mrs Daniella Astarte Walters: 15/11/72 - 12/04/04
It was with great shock and sadness that we learned of the recent death of one of our closest friends, and earliest members. Ice and Fire will always be grateful for the solid advice and input she provided for us, as well as for the enthusiasm, support and confidence she had for us when we were starting out.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family, especially to her husband Phil, her brothers, and her parents. It is my honour to have been asked to write a few lines in tribute - I hope these words do that honour justice.
Daniella was a fighter, a Herse through and through. Whether in business (an international jetsetter, her presentations are still being talked about in many countries as being THE event to have been at), or on the mat during martial arts training (where victory was the ONLY option), Daniella won respect for her confidence, commitment, and integrity. Indeed, before coming to Stáv, and before health complications arose, she spent many years doing full contact karate, and to anyone who had met her, this would come as little surprise. When talking of her sword collection or bow, a light would come into her eyes that any collector or enthusiast would recognise, the same excitement that came when speaking of the history and folklore of her ancestral homelands.
But, there is more - as is often the case with a natural Herse, it is easy to focus on the hardness to the exclusion of all else. Daniella came from Monte Negro, and her Balkan blood flood heatedly through her veins with a passion that is natural for that ancestry. But she grew up in Australia - indeed, her stepfather was Australian - and this left its mark in the softness (or rather gentleness) of her nature. To watch her playing with Spiral (one of the cats) or Sushi (no ‘Tiddles’ or ‘Tom’ for these felines!), the joy and pride of having grown plants (“I’ve actually grown something!”) on the kitchen windowsill, or the beautiful pebble garden created in the tiniest, most unlikely space, interspersed with plants and shrubs, one could see the love of life that came so naturally. As graceful in the kitchen as in the dojo, anyone who has eaten at her table has probably heard ‘I’m sorry it’s not much, I didn’t have time for anything special’, before being presented with a huge plateful of something outstandingly nice, created from the very most basic of ingredients.
Daniella had also a great love for Japanese tradition and culture. One outward sign of this is the bonsai collection she leaves - even taking the most sickly plant in the shop, that was due to be thrown out, and nurturing itback to health. She was very much looking forward to travelling to Japan with Ivar and other Stáv practitioners later in the year.
She was a skilled leatherworker, and was looking forward to practicing this traditional craft again, and to keep it alive in the Stáv community. Her interest in history and folklore was remarkable - an off-the-cuff comment could lead to an in depth discussion, as she sought to find the root of the phrase, the symbolic connection behind it. I also have never met anyone with a greater understanding of crystals - not the New Age rubbish that is often talked about these days, but thoroughly researched scientific reasons as to why and how they work. This scientific, analytical way of looking at things was typical - she liked to know what was what - but it was balanced by a deep spiritual faith. This blend of belief and science can be troublesome for people, but for Daniella it was natural - the one gave strength to the other.
I know that one of the happiest days of her life was her wedding to Phil - a full blown outdoor ceremony that, knowing them, was fairly normal (challenges and swordfights, spears and drinking horns, etc.), but seemed to provide good entertainment for the locals. I know also that there was no one who could have made her happier.
These words can do little to describe the extraordinary life of an extraordinary woman, whose hospitality was always more than merely generous, whose honour is without question, who’?s optimism, exuberance, and sheer lust for life was always an inspiration. Who was never afraid to tell you if she thought you were wrong (and annoyingly, she was usually right), and who would back you all the way, doing all that she could to support your endeavours - from advice and moral support, to lending of any free time that her busy schedule allowed. For all these reasons, and more, we will miss her; but most of all, because she was our friend, our sister. Sleep in peace, Daniella, you have earned it - I know we will meet again.
Darren Wells
Return to top of pageTHE WEAPONS OF STÁV
The Cudgel
In the first instalment of a new series, we look at the various weapons we use for training in the martial aspects of Stáv. Although, in theory, any weapon is applicable, we will focus on the five main teaching weapons - one for each of the five classes. We will begin with the weapon of the Trel - the cudgel.
Seemingly quite innocuous, the cudgel, or walking stick, can be quickly and easily cut from a hedge or tree, and provides for excellent self-defence qualities. Primarily a walking aid, a cudgel can, when properly employed with use of the Line, be a very successful defensive weapon. In the period where one person could be owned by another, a definitive sign of the slave (trel/thrall) was that they were forbidden to carry weapons, meaning that the cudgel was probably all that you would be allowed (there are obvious modern parallels, but that is not the intention of this article).
It is important to bear in mind the difference between the mindset/principle, and the social position. Here, we are using the term Trel in the sense of a physical social position, rather than as a principle. In this example, the Trel (slave) could have the mindset of a Karl, Herse, Jarl, Konge, or even a Trel, but that has little or no relation to their physical, social, status. For example, if a person with a Karl mindset was captured and put in chains, he would still be a Karl (albeit with his physical movement restricted), although socially he would be a Trel. So the Trel is allowed to have a walking aid, but one that takes a lot of skill to use effectively as a weapon, and even then may be of limited use against a skilled and armed opponent. It also has no monetary value (which makes it an almost ‘anti’-status symbol, when compared to the sword), can be easily discarded, and a new one obtained.
It should also be mentioned that slavery was something that could happen for a variety of reasons, the two main ones probably being through capture in battle, or entering into it voluntarily to pay off debts, etc. This situation could be either long or short term, and a trel who was a warrior would be able to train still by replacing his sword with the cudgel. Indeed, there is a lot of similarity between the cudgel and one-handed sword in use - a blow with the sword translates into a strike with the cudgel (although one must be aware of the different parts of the weapon length that one can strike with effectively, as well as balance, etc.); thrusts are much the same between the two (obviously swords puncture a lot more easily, though!); locks with the cudgel become entangling cuts with the sword. The obvious difference between the two is the damage inflicted. The sword is designed to cut and pierce - a blow from a sword may break even large bones, even assuming that armour or suchlike has prevented the sword from biting deeply into the flesh. The cudgel, on the other hand, is much more lightweight. True, a stout oak cudgel can do a lot a lot of damage - even breaking bones in the arms or head - but generally speaking random strikes just are not going to work. Crucial areas to strike are kept to easily breakable bones, such as the ocular bone in the temple, the wrist, etc. - clothes will also negate much of the power of cudgel strikes. Thrusts have a wider range of targets, as more energy/power is delivered through the tip in a thrust, allowing a cudgel with a narrow tip to cause considerable damage. Thrusts are most effective when delivered to the Centre Line, e.g. from groin, through navel, solar plexus, throat and face. Other areas, such as joints etc., are possible, but should be left as opportunity attacks - as usual, the focus is kept on the Centre Line, allowing for devastating response.
The ideal length of the cudgel is with the arms hanging straight by the sides, and with the tip of the cudgel on the ground, the top of the cudgel should come to the wrist - that is to say, about the height of the protrusion of the hip bone. For both walking and defence, that is the perfect length
Darren Wells
Return to top of pageSWORD COURSE
On the 18th April, Ivar Hafskjold ran a course in Oxford on the use of the Boken, or Japanese wooden training sword.
With films like The Last Samurai and the Kill Bill saga lighting up cinemas around the country, Japanese swords and swordsmanship are currently proving to be the cutting edge of big screen entertainment.
So it seemed an apt time for a day-long seminar on the use of the boken (wooden practise sword) and traditional Japanese techniques, under the guidance of Ivar Hafskjold.
Ivar studied martial arts in Japan for 14 years and found many common principles between Stav and Japanese sword styles (although he also points out that due to the way the human body is structured, there can only ever be a limited number of effective postures to adopt while holding a sword).
However, while Stav can teach sword cuts through the principle of 'following the line', there seems no concept of this among Japanese sword schools. Rather, they learn through a series of kata, a number of two-man drills practised repeatedly to hone their skills.
It was these kata that Ivar demonstrated, and which we tried to emulate - we being a full range of keen-to-learn, would-be swordsmen and women, from beginners to experienced martial artists.
Back and forth we went, our boken striking, attacking, countering. Each drill was developed from fighting an armoured opponent, with the final strike designed to cut into a vulnerable area amid the lacing of Japanese armour. Aiming to cut only with the tip of your sword meant distancing proved vital as well, as getting in too close affected your balance and positioning.
Everyone seemed to grasp the fundamentals and looked able to take away the kata knowledge and practise it at home (so long as they could find a willing partner/victim, of course). Certainly everyone developed a keen sense of spatial awareness, for despite the relative confines of the hall when four pairs of swordsmen were cutting back and forth across it, there were no injuries or inadvertent swinging of swords. No mean feat when you are concentrating on your partner's armed approach, plus being aware of the people on either side of you attacking at different times, while also avoiding the instructors as they paced the hall checking on everyone's progress. A testament to everyone's concentration and willingness to learn, as well as Ivar's eagle eye for spotting and correcting faults.
It was a good day's training, with lots to take away from the course and build upon. If memory serves, Ivar has mentioned on the Stav web pages about the possibility of a trip out to Japan to learn at one of their established sword schools. From the evidence of just a day at Horspath, it would be well worth the journey.
Mark Misceldine
Return to top of pageMEAD
A very brief history, and a quick and easy method to make it. Mead can be found in cultures from around the world, and can be traced back at least 10,000 years, and was very common in parts of Europe where grape growing was not suitable. Mead has found it self buried deep in myths and ceremonies. Such as marriages where mead was drunk by the couple for a month afterwards to aid fertility and happiness, and this is where we get the word honeymoon from.
There are many different types of mead such as dry mead (3 lb per gallon), sweet mead (4 lb per gallon), sack mead which is just a very sweet mead (5- 6 lb per gallon), to mead made with grapes (melomel) or with apple juice (cyser). Also mead can be flavoured with spices (methglin), malt (braggot - a mead beer), and also Chile peppers (capsicumel)!
Mead can be easily made at home fairly cheaply. For this you need, a fermenting vessel such as a demijohn and an airlock which fits, a large saucepan and lid (a pressure cooker is ideal for this task), a large funnel and a straining spoon. Also you will need honey (3 - 6 lb per gallon), water (still mineral water is ideal, although tap water is still sutiable) 5 L per demijohn, Camden tablets, and of course yeast! If you have never brewed your own alcohol before its recommend that you use blended honey, as it’s cheaper if it goes horribly wrong. (The method below is an adapted method, for making quick sweet mead)
The type of honey used is very important, as this will directly affect the taste of the mead its self. Go into any supermarket and you will see a large range of honeys available on the shelves from all over the world, from Australia to Mexico to the UK. The main choice is between top quality pure honeys and blended honeys. Single source honeys normally have the best flavour but are very expensive, where as blended honey are normally half the price. But after a few glasses you start not to tell the difference!
Remember the better the honey the better the mead, although even cheap Kiwi Save honey makes nice mead!
The first stage of Mead making is the sterilisation of the fermenting vessel, Camden tablets work very well for this although other sterilising agents work just as well.
Stage two.
Place in the pan 2 L of water and bring up to boil, add the honey and simmer for a bout 5-10 minutes while scraping off the scum being produced. Place the lid on the pan and allow too cool. So that it is just warm to touch. Pour into the demijohn and top up with water up to about two inches from the top. To this add the yeast culture (high alcohol yeast is preferable, also nutrients may be added to help the yeast). Fit the airlock and store in a warm, dark place.
Stage Three
After about three to six months time when the mead should have stopped fermenting.
The mead may be still cloudy - you can use a wine-clearing agent to solve this. An alternative to this is cinnamon bark or powder, which seems to do the job well but take a few weeks.
(Note: some people prefer to rack* the mead after a couple of weeks fermenting, and again before settling, this is up to the brewer.)
Stage Four
The mead is now ready to be bottled, use a siphon tube to transfer the mead while trying not to suck up the sediment. An empty demijohn is ideal for this as it easy to transport a gallon of mead. Now you mead is ready to drink!
Remember if the mead does go wrong and you make vinegar, it still good to use in the kitchen for salads etc.
Dave Smith
*racking the mead is to siphon off the liquid, leaving the sediment behind
Return to top of pageMYTHS AND SYMBOLS IN PAGAN EUROPE
by H. R. Ellis Davidson ISBN 0-8156-2441-7
This book is, in essence, a study and comparison of Scandinavian and Celtic religions, from the early times to the late periods. It journeys through a wide variety of subject areas, and each one is dealt with in a great deal of depth. The book is divided into seven main chapters: Holy places; Feasting and sacrifice; The rites of battle; Land-spirits and ancestors; Foreknowledge and destiny; The other world; The ruling powers. Each of these sections is then divided into various sub-chapters, covering different elements. This makes it excellent for reference, as it clearly places things in definite areas, and where the necessary and expected overlaps occur, these are referenced to the relevant pages. Each subject area is dealt with in excellent detail, and as with her other books, her knowledge of the subject matter shines throughout. This enthusiasm leaves the reader completely absorbed in the telling of the various myths, in their many surviving forms, be it stone carving, later written record, or folktale from the very edges of Europe and beyond. Although focussing on the Celtic and Germanic cultures, the research draws in many other traditions, from the local (and influential) Finnish, through to more widespread European cultures, such as the Spanish, looking at similarities and common roots.
As might be imagined, the Eddas are drawn upon heavily, as are the Irish tales. This allows comparisons to be drawn between different cultures and deities (such as between the Norse god Thor, and the Irish Dagda), which allows the reader to truly start to see the similarities and connections between the many and varied (but not so distant) pre-Christian European cultures. It is clear that the book is aimed at ‘non-experts’ as well as scholars, for the names and words in Old Scandinavian are rendered in simplified form, many of which may already be familiar to the reader (for example, the use of ‘Odin’, rather than one of the many variant spellings from different places and periods). It should be pointed out that this book is not always easy reading. It is very academic, and while at times this can be heavy going for the casual reader, perseverance is rewarded with a wealth of information about a much-neglected subject, about which much conjectural nonsense is often spoken as fact. There is little of the flights of fancy needed to entertain those of little imagination, but instead the stories and revelations speak for themselves, shedding light and colour on the ancient and ‘dark’ ages of western and northern Europe
Darren Wells
Return to top of pageTHE JAPANESE CONNECTION
As you may know, Stáv has certain connections to Japan, not least because of Ivar’s time there, and his family connections. Aside from this, though, there are some other surprising similarities. Not only the excellence in weapons training, but Shinto - the indigenous religion of Japan - has many similarities to the religion of the pre-Christian Scandinavian folk. Here is an article by Alice Freeman, one of our members from Oxford, about one tradition, which although modern is rooted in traditional practices.
Hitsuzendo - an Introduction
There seem to be many diverse paths which lead people to take up Stav, and everyone has a different story to tell. In my case, an interest in East Asian culture and through it calligraphy and the martial arts inspired me to take up something which I felt had much in common with these traditions, and yet originated closer to home. I had been learning Japanese for three years when Professor Terayama Tanchu, second headmaster of the "Hitsuzenkai" or "Society of the Zen Brush" held an exhibition of Zen calligraphy at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Having done some Chinese calligraphy, I went to see some demonstrations at the Victoria and Albert Museum of "Hitsuzendo", "The Way of the Zen Brush". Following my meeting with the Hitsuzenkai in London, I was fortunate to be allowed to visit Professor Terayama's home in Tokyo to study for a few days, and also to take part in a workshop for non-Japanese students of Hitsuzendo in Japan in 2003.
I believe that Hitsuzendo and Stav have much in common as martial arts and as ways of life - their use of ki or megin, their required dedication, and their attempt to see reality through the practice of swordsmanship.
"Hitsuzendo" comprises three basic elements - Zen, calligraphy and swordsmanship. It is a little-known art, and relatively new, the term having been invented by the late Yokoyama Tenkei (1883- 1966), who founded the "Histuzenkai", currently led by Professor Terayama Tanchu. However it is based on the traditions of earlier calligraphy masters such as Wang Xizhi (303- 361) of China, and Kukai (774- 835), founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan.
Hitsuzendo being a practice using "ki/ qi" or megin, "Yokiho", ki-raising exercises, are practised morning and evening. These exercises are derived from various systems from across East Asia, including yoga and tai chi, and take about half-an-hour, somewhat longer than the Stav stances! Ki provides the force behind Hitsuzendo calligraphy. Zen calligraphy is usually fairly large-scale - for Hitsuzendo a large brush of about 30cm in length is used, which to me enhances the feeling of using a sword. For practice, sheets of newspaper are used, whilst white sheets of calligraphy paper are used for works to be appreciated later. The ink is traditional Chinese or Japanese black ink. Zen and indeed much of Japanese culture is based on the concept of impermanence, and of accommodating oneself to this reality by "letting go", and being only in the present moment - so most calligraphies are disposed of soon after completion and appreciation. The simplest form of calligraphy practice is the "mujibo" - a simple straight line, like "Is", and the "enso", or Zen circle. Both are drawn from a Japanese formal kneeling position, and the calligrapher, in his application of the entire body and mind, aspires to reach "mushin" or "no-mind". The calligrapher will then move on to some Chinese characters, in the form of a Zen aphorism, and more advanced calligraphers may also do some ink painting, such as some bamboo, Mount Fuji or a frowning Daruma (Bodhidharma). I see no reason why this form of calligraphy could not be applied to the runes - alongside the stances, it might be an ideal way of embodying their shapes, and also of appreciating them visually. The sword aspect of Hitsuzendo is Hojo, of the Jikishinkage School. The swords used are approximately the same length as Stav poles, about 5cm in diameter. The partner is never struck, so perhaps Hojo is more of an art form than a method of self-defence, but it is not at all lacking in power and energy it is actually another form of "yokiho", the object being to free oneself from everyday concerns and to let one's original nature reveal itself.
The above is a brief summary of Hitsuzendo, however as Zen is something which cannot be put into words, I would like to recommend another aspect of Hitsuzendo - "Kanshodo", the "Way of Appreciation". After sessions of Hitsuzendo in Japan, we would pin our works to the wall and comment on them - quite challenging when carried out in Japanese in Professor Terayama's home! I hope that readers will have a chance to visit the two exhibitions taking place in Oxford in September 2004, and also to attend some of the demonstrations, and meet the Hitsuzenkai, who, as their stunning calligraphy and swordsmanship reveal, are all earnest, considerate and delightful people.
Alice Freeman
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