Web of Wyrd November 2004
THE LAST SIX MONTHS
WELCOME to the fourth issue of the Ice and Fire magazine, your twice-yearly look at what is going on in our world. This year has been very busy - as well as keeping up our cycle of monthly courses, we have attended a lot of other festivals and events, and also ran the first of our foundation courses to give students a solid grounding in the basic principles of Stáv. It is fair to say that this three day course went better than we could have expected, and it proved to be a resounding success. You can read a couple of reports of it inside.
Dueling in Germany - an introduction
The universities of Germany come from an ancient and noble tradition. For 800 years, people have travelled from all over Europe to study there, and from early on these institutions developed their own customs and rules. One of the most closed aspects is the fraternity - the ancient and venerable traditions that survive to this day, providing brotherhood and family within each fraternity that overcomes all barriers. At celebrations, a new member of two weeks may find himself conversing with a member who joined 70 years ago, and all members help each other in times of crises, as well as celebrating happy occasions together. One of the oldest traditions of these fraternities is the duel. Like other European duelling traditions, the German fraternity tradition developed into a competitive non-lethal combat, but vastly unlike what we would recognise as ‘fencing’. These ancient contests of honour and courage use live (i.e. sharp) blades, and the target is the face (the only armour is a pair of goggles, incorporating a nose-guard. It should be pointed out that, although the letting of blood in what is ostensibly a sporting contest, may seem offensive to modern sensibilities, these are ancient traditions, of which the participants are rightly proud. Below is an extract from an article by Peter R. Sauer, a Stáv student from Germany who is a member of such a fraternity, who’s article also provided the above information, detailing his participation in such a duel.
God, Honour, Liberty and Fatherland
An insight into German armed student fraternities from Peter R.Sauer, Hamburg
Part III - The blade
It has been the intention to write something about fencing in this article. For we still are STAV related here. Nevertheless it is important to see the historical background, to grab the proper mood. If I'd just been writing something about fencing, that we members of fraternity take a sharp piece of metal and slice each other's cheeks and bodies with it, that we are proud off the scars in our face and we regularly see litres of blood splashing on the floor, when e.g. the ateria temporalis is being cut on a duel or our cheek has been cut through to the teeth- no one would understand me. Rather you would think we are totally crazy people who ought to check their psychological health. Besides the fact me studying Psychology, everything is ok with me though ;) Fencing springs from a certain way of living and is a very important part of our tradition and history. It is the idea of fighting for your rights. It is the idea of a noble elite of society and the idea of a people ready to defend themselves when necessary, which creates fencing1. Last but not least, a Mensur is a perfect way to separate the guys from the boys - we want our members to do two duels and thereby we know who really is worth being called a Bundesbruder and who just sucks. There are 2 ways of fencing: The "Ehrenhändel“, duel or fight for honour and the Mensur, which is a blood-soaking, but not lethal duel. Originally the Mensur sprang from two noblemen meeting on the street and no one wanted to give way- so they fenced and the first one to be cut let the other go. As Ehrenhändel, there is the sabor, pistol and Rapier. But we will only look at the blades and their usage. As stated, several original schools created nowadays fencing of the fraternities. You can say shortly that all fraternities east of the Alster do fence with a "Glockenschläger“, which sprung originally from the dagger or rapier, was a stitching weapon. Nevertheless you only cut with a Glockenschläger, due to the following reasons:
Usually stitching weapons were used by catholic theology students who weren't allowed to have scars in face - nevertheless all christian fraternities aren't fencing nowadays - they found their bindingpiece in praying together, not in fighting together. So a stitch was perfectly hideable and you never saw it2. In those universities, the dagger was worn then.
Second, there was the blood semester 1850, where over 150 students died in duels - most through the rapier. So they created the Glockenschläger, which was non-lethal and easy to carry on the way - duels were forbidden those days. All other fraternities west-side of the Alster use the Korbschläger, which sprung from the sabor. This is my weapon, besides the sabor. But I will come to that point in a minute.
I study in Hamburg west of Alster, therefore we use the Korbschläger as ordinary weapon for a Mensur. For honour duels we do train the sabor. We train it, for officially it is forbidden to do a real duel. Although legend says in Austria it is still common to have saborduels - that's all I will state and say about that matter (...)
Looking at those weapons you see the sword to be heavy and two sided sharpened. It rather kills by its impact energy than by its sharpness. Mostly it's been only sharp at the very top point, to be able penetrating any armour and leather. It's a heavy weapon of war and executions. So it's nothing for ordinary fencing contests. But still one sword is in fraternities hands: Wherewith the famous fraternity member Karl Ludwig Sand was executed Mannheim 1820, who tried to overthrow former government by shooting a politician. It's not been used and that's all about the sword for the moment. The Rapier is very sharp and used for stitching attacks. The cruel effect consists of it finding unpredictably ways once stuck into the opponent’s body. So it may turn round and penetrate the lungs, although you hit the belly of your opponent. Dangerous and a weapon's choice of an officer who only had to defend his honour and wasn't involved into the actual battles. The Glockenschläger is very fast and light. Using it, it's quite common that it bends around the whole head and thereby hits you at a totally open area. This fastness is it's greatest problem, too. It only gives small and tiny cuts, of 1 cm. So you have to hit very often till a duel is over. Usually a duel is over, when it'd be dangerous from a medical point of view, but I'll come to that in a minute. The sabor is curved and the most dangerous weapon. It's for heavy use and its shape is for effective cuts and - if necessary - stitches. For it is curved, cuts are faster and deeper and longer. Also you may reach with the curve some points inaccessible for usually weapons, e.g. the groin or under the arms. When you are hit with it, you are destroyed. Usually we count the success of our duels in the relation of needles - with how many stitches you and the other one has been sewn. Usual are 12 - 20 stitches at a normal Mensur. With a sabor you easily make some 70-150 stitches - with one cut! The sabor had different zones of the blade, from very sharp to not sharp at all. Interesting enough, the half-sharp areas are most interesting. For in a proper way cut, the opponent just gets unconscious like being hit from a highspeed bullet. That's the reason why only German soldiers could do something against Amoks, not the English soldiers, who shot and shot and couldn't stop them in Indonesia and China. It's been one of the best regarded secrets of German fencers. And so even in WW2 the sabor was a feared weapon of close combat. Actually WW2 began with sabors, as 3 German officers3 in their black commando-suits stormed the polish station, which was full with soldiers. They rushed in, in typical V-shape, and cut them all unconscious, just to finish their work afterwards, but that's another story.
In fraternities, you had the light and the heavy sabor - not meaning the weight, but the amount of protective clothing you wore. At simple honour duels, you wore a heart leather, a huge arm protection, neck - and eye protection. The more insulting the reason for duel was- the more „heavy“ the duel was- up to the so called „sine-sine“ duels, where there wasn't any protection at all. Mostly those duels weren't bloody, for people respected each other too much and were afraid of risks. But looking through our archive, you find stories of curt guts, throats, eyes, arteries, necks, jaws, etc. No fun at all. You could move as you want - only your left foot has to be at a firm place. We learn German saborschool, which uses French and German names for the cuts. Nowadays pupil fraternities and officers fraternities in army, too, do fence with the french sabor, but it hasn't been sharpened - so only severe bruises are the result - but those hurt, too. Before WW1, fraternity members did duels on life and death - to get ready for war with the "evil French“ ... But let's come to my main weapon, the Korbschläger.
The proper way holding it is index into the leash and thumb at top of it. It must be like the prolongation of your thumb. It is important not to hit like with a sword, but to do a whipping movement, like we all did at school with the wet table cleaner cloth to tease our classmates. A speciality of German (and Spanish) fencing school is that it only attacks the head of the opponent and the arms are always high and up, for it is more effective and fast this way. See Escrima for example, or the old German fencing manuals. Usually you attack horizontally extremely seldom, for it is most insecure. So you mostly attack on the well known lines of the web. For getting over the hiding of the opponent it is also very important to do this whipping movements. After a while this comes from alone, but learning it is really hard, for your wrists hurt, the Korbschläger suddenly weights a ton and you think you will never be able to do those noble and fine movements from the fencing master. After while though you get better and better and overcome the point where you have to work with speed and force, but you work by timing, psyche and technique. But in the beginning it is extremely hard work, we say "Die Kraft bedingt die Kunst“ - meaning somehow that you need force to get the art, which overcomes strength then. Usually you train at a wooden dummy, called the phantom. Its head is of rubber, mostly the former wheel of a car. Here you stand and learn. Morning after morning, day after day. A real elite sport - if not the most elite, somehow4. Thereby you get a maximum of flexibility and power with a minimum of effort. Note that one arm is on the back. This has practical reasons and also was a place where you hided some knifes. So any opponent with his hands on back is extremely dangerous- surely even more in times of handguns. Also you don't want to hit your own arm, do you? Now you trained and trained and practised and practised. Time has come to prove you are the one. You never walk alone. And thus are the duels. You have a whole team around you. Your Sekundant, your Schlepper, your Testant, your Paukarzt and your Writer. You do not stand at a duel only for yourself - although it is breed of the interior. You do 6 cuts, then your Sekundant, who is fully protected, jumps between you and the opponent and cries "Halt!“ - also he does when you are hit, or the other is doing something illegal. He is like your guardian angle - there but invisible (due to the spectacles you are wearing). Your Schlepper gets your arm and holds it inbetween duels. The Testant cleans your blade in-between the breaks of each of the 45 rounds. The writer writes down what happens and what the jury says. Your Paukarzt must be an educated physician who sews you and stops the duel when there are medical reasons (e.g. danger of losing substance). You are a team. You stand there for your fraternity. All for one and one for all. So - if you move your body, make a noise or show fear, you lost! Losing 3 times, you are out. Hard rules, but if you trust your brethren totally, you will stand and find an experience you would never ever expect and you will never forget in your life.
My duel was at Saturday. Thursday I woke up and thought it will be my last day on earth. Friday all passed like trance - as if going to front. Saturday everything was so unreal. Then the duel. I went stairs up - and suddenly was totally aware - what am I doing here? "F*ck!" I thought, but too late - the duel already begun. I felt in stomach the raw steak my Leibbursch Olaf gave me for breakfast. I felt my blister I had from hard training. I sat there and all around me, preparing me - all totally packed in protective suits, besides my face. Then I stood there, one full Korbschläger away from the other person - at Korbschläger duels you never move but stay as still as possible. Nothing was left but me standing in the orlog and breathing as being taught by my teacher Graham Butcher. Then I hear as in trance my Leibbursch saying "Herr Unparteiischer, ich bat um Silencium für eine Partie geschlagen auf Bandagen nach dem.....“ "Hoch bitte“- the other Sekundant said - "Fertig!“ - Olaf. Never-ending nanoseconds - all like in bullet time. Me being Neo up to jump in the Matrix - "Kämpft!“ ......Then all happens this tremendously fast! "Halt!“ - Olaf again. "Warum halt?“ - "Genügende Anzahl der Hiebe“ - "War das der Fall“ - "Das war der Fall“ ..... and so on. Suddenly me being hit by a liquid - was it blood- my blood? No, just the disinfectional liquid of the other one. The guys around me - I feel like a gladiator in a very bad movie - and I was the actor! Suddenly I know my opponent has got as much fear, as I do have. A mistake - uh no! And immediately the razorsharp blade of the other person rushes 1 mm away from me - puh! Luck! Suddenly this feeling - I knew - when starting this cut - that I got him and it was so. Blood running out of his forehead in the rhythm of his heartbeats - his ateria is hit. Blood everywhere. His Sekundant, which forename is Toben, as I found out later, almost fell down - because of sliding on his Paukants (the fencer) blood. Some Fux (a new member) to come, who sweeps the blood away - we keep on going. I get into a wonderful bloodrush. Wonderful and somehow forbidden. Something peculiar, something only known to a beast of prey, a carnivore....His blood running downwards, covering him and the ground, coagulating to small frozen drops in red, stalactites of blood hanging at his spectacles. He is licking his blood and I am only breathing - nothing more. And another hit. And another. I got him three times. A red rush of blood and gore - a vacation to the deepest depths of my thrives. "Wir kommen nunmehr zum letzten scharfen Gang.....“ Last round - the other one had to stand, for he lost one duel still - his face is pale because of the blood he lost..... no mistake now! Please no mistake! And so was it then. I was finished, but he wasn't - the doctor will have needed 2 hours for sewing him - without anaesthesia - that's the rule of the game. Afterwards another raw steak. It tastes somehow forbidden, too - as if I ate the living flesh of my opponent. Somehow good - I will never forget this taste. The suit I am wearing is of kevlar. Above that I do have a chain mail. I wear the band of the fraternity. If I bleed, it will be my bloodband, something very holy for us fraternity members.
Why - I hear many of you crying - are people doing such stuff - in the twenty first century. A good one; I don't have a proper answer for that. Allied forces didn't have one, either. And so it was forbidden; although allowed later on. For that, we had to swear never to do any life-and-death duel, again... It's something to do with becoming a man. It's about finding to your noble roots, hearing your ancestor’s cries through the borders of space and time. Last but not least it helps preventing severe troubles in a difficult surroundings - you never see brawling in fraternities - everything seems to be more honest, real and peaceful than in "normal“ life. It's all about getting closer to your instincts - something quite uncommon nowadays. Afterwards my approach to martial arts, STAV especially, totally changed.
I got a total awareness about how dangerous and animal any fight is. No matter how much you describe it with nice words or mystical attributes - it is, what it is: The primary principle of this world, we have to put our measures on5.
Part IV - Living in a Fraternity
Now that many things are said and done I want to come to the core of fraternity life: trust and fun. You will very seldom see such a good atmosphere, such an intimate being together, such and good friendship throughout generations. The 100 year old doter who was a fencing student a century ago sits besides the young member who joined that evening and has his whole life before him. You got to those men and you know you have a new family, a totally new life. For me it's sometimes today still like a wonder. Living on the fraternity house, I am in the room where I first slept - totally drunken after a Kneipe. It was like a reawakening like coming home, like finding peace, at last. So my days start now with fencing and end with fencing. In between there is training and drinking and learning and hard working and strong friendship. How strange that may sound - the essence of any fraternity is love and peace and this is what every life which is devoted to martial arts should be.
1 - Fencing was forbidden in Third Reich, besides.
2 - Very catholic, isn't it?
3 - It was quite common for German officers to be first in battle- a standard which led to the fact, that at the end of WW2, most of the officers to start it weren't alive - unlike at the oponent's side.
4 - Nothing against Polo- but we don't accept women here ;)
5 - Who wants to know more about fencing may take a look at:
- a formidable reader prepared by another fraternity. Return to top of pageWeapons of Stav - The Axe
Last issue, we started a new series looking at the various weapons that we use for training in the martial aspects of Stáv. We are focusing on the five main teaching weapons - one for each of the five classes - and in the first article we looked at the cudgel: the weapon of the Trel.
This issue, we are moving on to look at the weapon of the Karl - the axe. Arguably, the axe is the longest serving manufactured tool of man, from the hand-axes of the stone age - nothing more than a stone, like flint, shaped to fit the hand, with a sharp edge, used for cutting the meat and sinew from bones - through to the pole-axes and halberds of the medieval period, through to modern, high quality steel, wood-cutting equipment. It could even be argued that that many cutting implements, from the knife through to the carpenter’s plane, are modified and specialised variations on the axe. Yet despite - or maybe because of - the axe’s long history of usefulness to man, it holds a special place of terror in the hearts of many. Axe-murderers are still the stock favourite for scaring children, and hold a special place in the headlines of the newspapers. Maybe it is because these days very few people will have had cause to use an axe, even if they have seen one close up, and so they remain something that only exists in the horror stories, an object of mystery. But there is also the feeling that axes are brutal, heavy and vicious, that if struck with one, the damage and wound will be that much worse; that if struck with a knife or sword it may be possible to get only a small cut (though the risks are much greater), but the sheer weight and brutality of the axe will cause terrifying trauma - after all, this is a tool used to cut down giant trees, and used by fireman to break down doors. Let us not forget, also, that in English history it was long used for public executions, and so ranks alongside the guillotine and gibbet in people’s psyche. In the mind, it is a tool/weapon quite capable of smashing through whatever it cuts, in the most brutal fashion. And it is true, the axe is designed to utilise the weight of the head in the cut, and the blade length is (usually) too short to allow much in the way of slicing action, so it relies on impact alone - it can be said that the axe is a not particularly subtle weapon, but we shall see.
Let us begin by looking at the class association. The axe is associated with the Karl class, the class of the freeman, someone in control of their lives, with the responsibility to make decisions regarding their own future. In practical terms, this relates traditionally to the farmer or landowner, whose wealth is measured in the amount of land and number of cattle they own. As their main responsibility is the protection and furtherance of themselves and their family, the axe is perfectly suited as a tool necessary for chopping wood for the fire, as well as making repairs, which can also function as a very effective weapon for protection. In stanza 144 of the Hávamál - a poem of importance to Stav practitioners, contained in the Poetic Edda - the four lines can be taken to refer to the four principle mindsets (the Trel being considered to have not yet learned how to comprehend such information, or perhaps having no real use for it). The first line therefore refers to the Karl, and can be translated as ‘Do you know how to cut? Do you know how to read?’ and obviously this can have many interpretations. One possible relates to the use of runes - do you know how to cut a set of runes, and then read the results? But from a Karl perspective, things could be a little more subtle: martially, can you read your opponent’s intentions, and then cut into his web on the right line to stop him if necessary? Can you cut the tree down by reading the correct line to cut on with your axe? Can you read the value of a situation, and cut yourself the best deal? Can you read the land, to know when you should cut the soil with a plough, when to cut the crop? All these things are vital to the success and even the life of a Karl - someone who is concerned with looking out for those of their direct responsibility, and supporting themselves, but capable of physically stopping any threat which occurs. Indeed, from the very starting position of many of the Karl martial techniques, the Karl is making his position clear - watchful, yet not aggressive; although he is presenting himself as the barrier to the border of his land, the axe is in the belt-ring, for he has no reason or need to act until the aggressor has committed himself to crossing that boundary. Yet, even with the axe presented as non-threatening, he has the upper hand: the axe may still be in a ‘non-threatening’ position, but the business end - the head - is in reality already threatening the aggressor. Perhaps this is one of the fundamental differences of the axe as a weapon, compared to say the sword or dagger. A sword or knife must be drawn from the scabbard before it can be deployed. True, the pommel can be used to strike with, but for most purposes the blade must clear the scabbard before it can be used to cut or pierce (indeed, it says in the rune poems that 'the sheath is that for swords', both to prevent damage to the blade, as well as to prevent accidentally cutting yourself; also it suggests to others that you are coming in peace, rather than waving it about looking for trouble). The axe, on the other hand, is a slightly different matter. If carried so as to free up the hands, the traditional way was in a belt ring, either horizontally steadied with the hand, or hanging from the head. In either case, when the axe is drawn, the head is the first part of the weapon to move, and this means that it can be used to strike extremely quickly, as in the Karl technique, where the defender steps onto the Karl line and projects the axe through the attacker’s centreline, either above or into his head. This is a somewhat subtler use of the axe, as rather than the normal ‘chopping’ action, the blade is travelling end first along the line of the haft, projecting the end of the haft and the top corner of the blade into the aggressor’s centreline. This is a very rapid movement, enabling the defender to take control of the situation, as the amount of force required to push the head of the axe forwards is much less than that required to start it moving in a swinging motion, due to the fact that you are pushing it straight up the web-line, and there is less distance to cover. Also, it is more subtle, as the swinging movement of the axe may be seen by your opponent, whilst the projection happens below the line of sight of the attacker. The other possibility of this Karl technique is that it gives the opportunity of restraining you opponent, as the haft is stopping his right arm from swinging to attack you, enabling the defender to drive the attacker back unharmed, if that is desirable.
The axe is arguably the most famous weapon of the Vikings, and grave finds seem to confirm their use; indeed, prior to the Battle of Hastings, King Harold Godwinson fought a fierce battle north of York, at Stamford Bridge, against King Harald of Norway and his Viking army. Between Harold’s army and the Vikings, there was a narrow bridge across the river Derwent - the only way to reach the invading army. To give the rest of the army time to prepare themselves with weapons and armour, one huge Viking stood on the bridge with his battleaxe, defying the English army to get past him. It is said that that he held off the English army for a long time, cutting down one man after another, until finally a man climbed into a barrel (or boat), floated underneath the bridge, and used his spear to strike the man down from below. Armed only with an axe, this one man had kept an entire army at bay, striking down more than 40 men it is said. The Vikings weren’t the only ones who achieved fame through the use of the battleaxe, though. The Saxons have long been famed for their use of the two handed battleaxe, mainly because of depictions on the Bayeux tapestry. But even though king Harold’s personal guards at the Battle of Hastings, the Huskarls, famously used the two-handed axe to defend their king - the Bayeux Tapestry shows them cutting down horses as well as men - this seems to be a practice that arrived in England with the Danish king Cnut, who became King of England in 1014. It seems that up until the country was under Scandinavian rule, the English weapons of choice were spear and sword, as was and had been the norm throughout Europe. During the Viking period, the axe rapidly developed from being simply a tool for cutting wood, into a purpose designed weapon. The axe has a fairly short length of blade edge, relying instead on the energy of impact to split open whatever it is cutting; the heaviness of a large lump of iron or steel, on the end of a long haft, can also make the weapon unwieldy if the axe head is to big. To overcome this problem, the weapon that became known as the ‘Dane Axe’ developed, due in part to better quality steels becoming available. Many axes fit the profile of ‘bearded axe’ - that is to say, that the blade is extends down somewhat from the metal that attaches it to the haft - but the Dane axe takes this even further, by having a blade that extends downwards a long way. This results in several effects: for close in fighting, the wielder can grip the haft right up behind the head, with the curving blade offering some protection for the hand; also, the blade length increases, and this offers the opportunity for a more slicing action when in close. Perhaps most importantly though, all this is achieved without overly increasing the weight of the axe - the head remains essentially the same size, with most additional metal being added to the thinner area of the edge, which means that the balance of the weapon doesn’t become too unstable. Later in the medieval period, the battleaxe developed into a true fighting weapon, with the addition of spikes on the front, or the front/top of the blade extending to a point for thrusting and piercing. From personal experimentation, a standard felling axe tends to be a little too heavy to wield effectively, unless you are using it so regularly that you develop the suitable muscular strength (for someone not familiar with its qualities, a felling axe will easily damage wrist or elbow joints of the wielder, and quite likely strain or tear muscles in the arm or back, due to the immense force that can be generated, and has to be released somewhere). What works really well, keeping the power but putting less strain through the body, is a hatchet head (or similar sized hand-axe head) mounted upon a haft of similar length as the two-handed axe. This allows for a quicker strike, also, as there is less mass to start moving when the axe is swung. So, the two-handed battleaxe is the quintessential Viking weapon, ranking alongside the sword. While the sword suggested status and wealth, the axe suggested fearlessness, a desire to engage in battle without the luxury and safety of a shield, trusting all to his skill - while the single-handed axe, like a long hafted hatchet, could be wielded with a shield which offered some element of defence, the battleaxe requires both hands due to the length and weight, leaving no room for a shield. The battleaxe is capable of going through a shield held by a swordsman, and even if it doesn’t, the chances are that the shield arm will be affected by the shock of the kinetic energy transferred through the shield from the axe, potentially even breaking it.
Nowhere was the Norseman’s love of the battleaxe more clearly demonstrated than in the Varangian Guard, the elite Scandinavian warriors that the Emperors and Empresses of Constantinople hired as personal guards during the 10th and 11th centuries (the Scandinavian people got all over Eastern Europe, as far as Russia). They were marked by their great stature (the Vikings were noted as being physically big, compared to the populace), but the most distinctive thing about them was that they carried a large two-handed axe as their primary weapon. In 921, an Arabic chronicler - Ibn Fadlan - wrote of his encounters with a group of Swedish traders called the Rus on the river Volga, and described them as ‘…perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blond and ruddy…Each man has an axe, sword and knife, and keeps each by him at all times.’ It is interesting how the axe is mentioned first - it suggests that it is more than a simple tool, and large enough to warrant mention. This is contemporary to the beginning of the Varangian Guard, who achieved great fame, as noted above, and it would not be wrong to consider this description as similar to the response to those who arrived to join the Guard. Harald Hardrada was very prominent among their number, and led them for a time, finally returning to lose his life leading the invading army at Stamford Bridge (see above), when seeing his line broken, he rushed into the fight, away from his personal retinue of axemen. While it is not recorded what weapon he used at the battle, it is tempting to think that it may have been a battleaxe.
From a Stáv perspective, the training axe that we use is derived from the axe used by the Hafskjolds for the processing of whales, which long was necessary for the people of the Northern coasts for food, and trade, among other things. The axe is shaped to facilitate cutting open the carcasses, and the lower part of the blade above the point was also sharpened for this purpose. This is another example of an axe developed for a specialist purpose, and works exceedingly well as a weapon. The perfect length of a two-handed axe is that, with the head resting on the ground, the butt, or end of the haft, should be level with the naval - this way, each person’s weapon will be a suitably proportionate length for them.
Darren Wells
Return to top of pageCourse Report - Foundation Course
Course in Horspath at the end of September, I hadn’t been able to use the Ice and Fire manual to do the stances with much success. Aware that this was why the Foundation Course was started, I arrived early, bright eyed and bushy tailed, though not really knowing exactly what was expected of me. Inside Horspath Methodist Chapel, warming ourselves with coffee and biscuit treats, Graham and Darren introduced both themselves and the overview of the course. The floor space of the chapel is ideal to the requirements of Stav training, and with off street parking and a basic kitchen, it has more to offer than other more central venues in Oxford.
Over the three workshops enough information was passed on, to build on the private training work expected of students in their spare time at home. I actually, misunderstood how I was supposed to remember the stances, but after the second workshop, I printed out the futhork from a website and marked Kreft with turn to the right, Ar with turn to the left … and so on. This simple “prompt sheet” aided me greatly, and by the third and last course I was almost remembering the moves without looking at Graham or Darren for a lead. The supplied manual is good but having a single sheet is a good idea to have just in case you suddenly get stuck. As a slow learner myself, I think it’s important to stress to anyone considering doing the next Foundation Course in early January, that the workshops are set at the right level and people should not be put off starting something that appears just another martial art. The three sessions cover so much more than the martial aspects of Stav, you never start to feel enough is enough. It’s a good mix of practical and classroom work, with a coffee break always just around the corner. Personally I’m more interested in the magical and healing side of Stav, but it was pointed out that the Stav system of development is really grounded in the stances and staff training first and foremost. Graham explained that, if you can’t deal with the Web of Orlog through training on the physical plane, then Stav will remain just a theory to you. It is very much an experiential system and has many layers to study beyond the martial aspects.
I would suggest it’s actually a spiritual path in it’s own right and has mystery elements to it, that reveals it’s self through the subconscious mind.
I would recommend anyone considering doing this course, to just do it. It’s not expensive either. My personal opinion is the course should consist of another three days to cover both a better understanding of the stances and staff work, together with more aspects like rune making, knot work, the written poems and sagas and of course the magical use of the runes to effect change in the web and divination.
Snake
Return to top of pageReality is in the Eye of the Beholder
Stav is about seeing Reality in all things. But just what is Reality, and how do we distinguish it from illusion? We interpret Reality as what we perceive through out senses and awareness, but sometimes - I may even say often - our perception is not entirely reliable.
Several years ago, I was walking home in the dark when I saw some supernatural creatures. They were short, wore robes with pointed hoods and were clustered around the war memorial. They remained absolutely still, but they held some form of torch or other instrument and I could see the beams of light in the slight fog as the creatures played them over the memorial. Logic kicked in and I realised they must be children with torches. But they remained motionless and silent, lending a strong sense of purpose to their work, which didn't seem conducive of children.
I began to feel unnerved and slowed my approach. Nothing happened to change my original interpretation of the scene and I started to become uneasy and genuinely concerned about what these creatures were. In the end, I was about to change direction and go by a longer route that would skirt the entire area, but finally common sense insisted that there could be nothing supernatural about it. I'd lived there all my life with no problems and I wasn't about to be spooked by what was probably something perfectly normal. Even so, I proceeded with caution and I got quite close before the scene suddenly reasserted itself in my brain.
The 'creatures' were small, conical shaped evergreens around the memorial and the 'beams' were the torn ends of a plastic barrier around the site, blowing in the wind and catching the light of nearby street lamps.
That revelation was made with combined relief and humour, but it also made me think. I realised that I wouldn't have had to be much more spooked to have backed off. It was only my knowledge that it was probably nothing that allowed me to confront it. Any less certainty on my part, and there might now be a ghost/alien story of hooded beings probing the memorial with power beams.
I had similar feelings of getting spooked - though none to the same extent - when I moved to a farm cottage. I had many occasions when I had to walk alone in the dark along nearly a mile of unlit, uninhabited farm track. Again, I made the walk so many times that I knew there was nothing to be afraid of - apart from being run down by a fast moving tractor. Nevertheless, no matter how well you might know something logically, emotions can run high when you're out there alone in the dark. It was on one such occasion that I made a realisation: there is a survival mechanism in the brain that will interpret anything it can't readily identify as the most dangerous thing it could be. After all, pride has little value as a survival tool, and from a survival perspective it is better to run in panic from ten harmless logs than to walk confidently into a sabre-toothed tiger.
However, even leaving aside pride and the indignity of being panicked by something harmless, constantly running from the unknown is not a good move. By Stav terms, of course, it is a Trel response and as such not a good one to rely on too heavily - in running from something harmless you might end up in the jaws of the tiger stalking you. Metaphorically speaking. With my alien-monster-beam creatures I eventually adopted a Karl attitude - “this is my patch and I'm not running”. Other class responses are fairly predictable - a Herse response would have been to challenge them, a Jarl response would have been to leave them to it. A true Konge (i.e., not operating in Trel mode) would probably have either gone in to deal with the potential threat, or else would have seen the ‘creatures’ for what they truly were. That is the true Stav point of my experience: to have seen Reality in the first place.
How, though, is it possible to see true Reality when our own animalistic brain, with the best of intentions, is throwing ginnings at us? I said at the beginning that Reality is what we perceive, but clearly this is not strictly true if our perceptions feed us false information. Returning to our brain, there is a part of it that compares what is happening around us with every experience we've ever had. It looks for similarities that will point us towards a potential solution and, just as importantly, it looks for unknown factors. Too many unknowns and that part of the brain sends a warning that makes us feel uncertain, concerned, even frightened and lets us know there is potential danger. This potential danger is then interpreted as being the most dangerous thing it could be, as discussed above, and before we know it we're backing out. The best way of ensuring that what we see is true Reality and not a survival-response ginning brought on through inexperience is, obviously, to see a lot of Reality and so gain more experience. The only way to gain experience is to do things you've never done before: do things, examine things, question things, explore things, learn things.
In Norse mythology, Odin was constantly going out and learning about new things. He sacrificed an eye to gain one draught from the well of wisdom; he sacrificed himself to gain the knowledge of the Runes; he continually went out in disguise to learn things as a stranger that no one would tell Odin. When he wasn't out himself, his ravens gathered news and information for him. We need to do the same in order to gather the experience to see and deal with Reality, then we will stand less risk of being caught off guard. The process of gaining experience from new stimuli varies from person to person. Some people thrive on that sense of uncertainty and potential danger, while others are horrified at the mere thought. Everyone, however, can help themselves by gaining more experience of Reality and learning to see it more clearly. For instance, if I'd been paying more attention earlier on, while it was still daylight, I would have known there were bushes around the memorial and I probably wouldn't have looked twice.
David Stone
Return to top of pageFolk Evening
On the evening of Saturday October 30th, we held another of our storytelling and folk evenings. This is something that we have run for the last couple of years, where we open the doors to the general public, and invite all to come and share folk tales and music from around the world.
This year we had an excellent turnout, with around 30 people, who brought food and drink to share, as at previous events. This means that the event retains something of the community feel, by ensuring that we don’t need to charge an entry price to cover refreshments.
There were five different entertainers, who each performed two turns - one before the break, and one after. Four of the performers were Ice and Fire members from the Oxford area, and one of our members even travelled up from Southampton for the event! Stories came from Graham, Kaz and Darren from Ice and Fire, who told a mixture of traditional and original tales, from Northern Europe, through North America, to Zen stories from the Far East. Ian from the Oxford Story Group told tales from Africa, and a very dramatic telling of an Arthurian tale. Music came from Ice and Fire member Tim, along with his musical partner Claire, providing some excellent haunting and energetic Irish folk on fiddle and guitar, along with some subtle drum accompaniment from Ian.
At the end of the evening when the contents of the voluntary donation box were inspected, it was found that the very generous audience had given over one hundred pounds to the local mental health charity RESTORE, which was far more than we expected or hoped for, and we look forward to hosting the event again next year.
Return to top of pageBarnsley Chops and Sweet Potatoes
Here is a warming winter meal with lamb and root vegetables.
Ingredients for two:
two Barnsley Chops one onion clove of garlic One tin chopped tomatoes two carrots one parsnip one large sweet potato one leek one heaped teaspoon Rosemary two Lamb stock cubes Salt and Pepper Cooking Oil./p
In a large, flat bottomed pan heat oil and brown both sides of the chops. Then add chopped onion and garlic and stir fry. After a couple of minutes add Rosemary and Pepper. After another minute add tomatoes followed by tin full of water, then stock cubes and salt. While it comes to the boil add chopped vegetables. Simmer for forty minutes making sure it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan.
Serve with potatoes or rice and winter green vegetables such as sprouts or kale.
Graham Butcher
Return to top of pageAnother Report on Our Foundation Course
My first experience of Stav was seeing a demonstration at the Lammas Games in August this year. Apart from a few brief appearances at Ju Jitsu class whilst at Police Training College 11 years ago, I had never had any experience of or interest in martial arts. However right from the start I felt there was something different about Stav, something I was able to connect with straight away, and from that moment I knew I would have to find out more. A couple of weeks later I contacted Graham, booked myself on the first foundation course and joined Ice & Fire.
It wasn’t long before I found myself driving to Oxford from Kent early on a Saturday morning not really knowing what to expect but excited none the less. Arriving in Horspath I met Graham, Darren and Dave, as well as my fellow students and felt immediately at home. After introductions and learning a bit about Stav we spent the rest of the morning learning how to do the stances before moving on to some staff work. The afternoon involved learning about the fylgia associated with the runes and doing some interesting and challenging stretching exercises! Needless to say I was hooked after that first day and went off to practice my stances before the next session.
By the time I arrived for my second days training I had bought a broom handle from my local hardware store, had succeeded in learning all the runes and the order of the stances and had practised them daily, although I knew I wasn’t getting them quite right and was looking forward to some further instruction. During the morning we did more staff work then practised the stances again, paying particular attention to each one with the instructors correcting any mistakes. This was of real benefit to me and I felt a lot more confident in doing them on my own. In the afternoon we looked at rune poems and then had a go at some of the advanced staff exercises, which I really enjoyed. For the next four weeks I did the stances daily, bought myself a shorter jo-stick so I could practice the advanced staff exercises indoors, and did my best to try and learn all the poems and associations. I would have liked to make my own rune set but other commitments meant I couldn’t find the time.
Needless to say I was looking forward to the next session and was not disappointed. The class was smaller this time and we were able to spend time fine-tuning our stances and did lots of staff work which was excellent. We also began learning more about the mythology and spiritual aspect of Stav, and for me at least it all started fitting into place.
Overall I feel the foundation course is a great introduction to Stav. There is plenty to make it challenging each day and enough information is provided to take away and practice without feeling overwhelmed. Highly recommended!
Simon Cole
Return to top of pageUnarmed Combat in Stav - Part 1
Introduction
The subject of unarmed combat training in Stav has always been a slightly contentious one. There are various reasons for this but the two main ones are; firstly that unarmed combat is actually a very artificial activity, in nearly any serious conflict situation weapons will be used. Therefore weapon training should have priority. Secondly, the expression of combat that really works for the individual is so personal that it is difficult to teach in a group situation. However, we do live in a very artificial situation where we are supposed to be a disarmed society. This is a fantasy, but it does make carrying weapons for self defence rather, problematic so unarmed training is a requirement. I have also come to the conclusion that, so long as students have a good basis in the stances and formal weapon training , it is possible to develop skills in unarmed combat using the principles listed here:
Sensitivity and Awareness
Developing sensitivity and awareness is a long process which starts with the practice of the stances. This makes us sensitive to our balance, posture, breathing and what is generally going on inside us. This is particularly important for helping us deal with the stress of a combat situation. Under severe threat there are major physiological reactions which we have to be able to cope with if we are going to continue to function. If we are consciously aware of how our body should be operating under optimum conditions then we will hopefully be able to manage the body under extreme stress. The obvious example being breathing. In practising the stances we learn to control and manage our breathing. Hyper ventilation is a classic symptom on extreme stress. So being able to deliberately manage our breathing should help us retain control.
The formalised two person Staff exercises and other weapon drills make us aware of how to 'read' another person, how to judge distance and line. Also to simply be aware of how much space we need to carry out certain actions and how close someone has to be to actually reach us. More specific to unarmed training is a version of pushing hands training which makes us sensitive to another person's movements and balance. Obviously there is a big difference between the safety and discipline of a class and dealing with a real and serious assault. But the reality of one human being having to interact with another is basically the same in all circumstances. The difference is in the emotional response to the fact that someone is intending to hurt you. If physically coping with the situation is second nature then we can afford to deal with the emotional response. If we are having to think about the physical response then the emotional reaction will probably overwhelm us leading to freezing or panic. Sensitive doesn't mean vulnerable, just able to be aware on all levels.
Holding and Disrupting the Web
The Ability to 'Hold the Web' also develops from practising the stances. It involves a certain kind of strength but not in the sense of resisting an outside force. If we simply react to outside forces then we are actually subject to them. The prime example in Stav training is when we are holding a staff and a training partner pushes against it. If we simply resist their force then when the pressure is released we are likely to overbalance. If we are 'holding the web' then we simply snap back to our original position. This means in a combat situation we retain control over our own bodies, if we move, either to yield or advance then we do so as a matter of our own choice not because our opponent has taken control of us. If we have this control then it is very difficult for an opponent to actually defeat us . If we have this degree of control over our own web then we also have a much greater chance of taking some control of our attacker's web from them.
What is most important here is not to meet force with force or try and match strength with strength. Generally speaking you will only get attacked by an opponent or opponents who are convinced they have some advantage over you. They will have judged themselves to be bigger, stronger or generally more dangerous than you or they would not attack. So the only advantage you are likely to have is your ability to control the web, a concept they probably wouldn't even understand let alone predict. So to actively take control of another person's web and disrupt it needs the ability to flow around their movements and the directions of their force and find your way into their web. When you have an opportunity to take them off balance, strike a vulnerable spot or apply an immobilising hold it should be taken with full intent.
There are simple drills which train the body to work in a fluid, co-ordinated, yet deceptive way. A detailed study should be made of body mechanics and vulnerable areas. Also methods of applying direct force to these weak spots should be practised under training conditions. Curiously, combining this with healer training is possibly the most constructive way of doing this.
Working With the Five Principles
Although we may know how to deal with an opponent it is crucial to be able to make a correct decision about when, where and what kind of action we should take. It is making this decision correctly which may well save your life.
We are working on the Trel principle when we have no responsibility other than to our own personal survival. If we are in a strange area and there is danger then we should extract ourselves from the situation and simply remove ourselves from the area. In Stav training we work on simply removing ourselves directly from the line of attack.
We are working on the Karl principle when we are protecting a given area. The obvious one being the prevention of an intruder entering your house. On this level we seek to prevent an attacker from coming any further forward by shifting the body out of line of the attack, neutralising the weapon and driving back the attacker simultaneously.
This should be practised first with long, two handed weapon training and then working down to one handed weapons and eventually to unarmed against knife attack.
On the Herse level we will have some kind of authority to uphold. We may be formally in the police or military. Or we may simply have accepted the role of marshal or steward at some community event. Either way it is expected that should there be trouble of any kind you will take control of the situation. This requires a combination of given authority, the projection of self confidence and the willingness to take action if required.
On the Jarl level it should be possible to disengage from danger in order to keep an overview of the situation. The body is then trusted to react spontaneously to a genuine threat. When it is really possible to enter into this mindset, then it does provide a very powerful self defence.
The Konge level is its own justification. On this level you take control simply because you know you can. You are also fully ready to take the consequences. You can either do this. Or you cannot.
Do not fool yourself about which level you can actually function on. There are five levels to choose from so although a particular situation may seem to call for, say, a Jarl response but you know you cannot disengage, then deal with it on a Herse level. The first priority is your own survival. Your honour should come a close second, but don't be a fool about it.
Working with your Fylgia
The big problem with serious unarmed combat training in Stav is that to be truly effective, we have to be true to our own natures. Size, build, gender, age, infirmities all affect how we train and what we can be expected to do. But the nature of our power animal is also very influential. I operate as a cat, it works for me. If yours is a dog, boar, stag or bear you will have to discover for yourself how to express this to full effect. This means that training has to develop these essential principles while allowing each student to express them in their own way.
Destroying the Ego
This is a slightly dramatic way of putting it. The ego is the part of ourselves which tries to impose standards and objectives and complains if they are not met in some way. In a combat situation this is very dangerous since if we decide that an opponent will be defeated with a particular technique and it doesn't work then we will probably be defeated by our own ego, let alone the attacker. As one of my students put it - Learn to go with the process, don't be concerned about the outcome. Combat is a process in which we struggle for honourable survival. We can only deal with what is happening, not what has gone before or may occur, only the moment. If we get knocked down we simply get up again as many times as we have to. If we defeat the ego in training then defeating real opponents in combat will be easy by comparison.
Conclusion
This is a necessarily brief overview of this very complex subject. This article is unlikely to mean much to anyone who doesn't have a basic grasp of Stav. But I assume that readers of this magazine do have this basic knowledge. There is no substitute for formal Stav training in the stances, lines and principles. But from this foundation it should be possible to develop an effective personal method of self defence. If anyone would like me to address specific questions on this issue then please feel free to email me with questions and I will see what I can do.
Graham Butcher
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