New guy with (Norse) training questions.

[Silent Requiem]

I've practiced a great many marital arts growing up (courtesy of moving a great deal) and I've always been turned off by the Eastern culture that comes with it (nothing against Eastern culture, just not for me).

Now that I'm older, I'm interested in pursuing something from my own heritage (Norse/Saxon). Unfortunately, most of the training texts that we have come from a much later period, and involve the longsword, which differs significantly from the Norse/Saxon sword. Can anyone point me towards a good training reference for this weapon?

In the alternative, I see on this forum that there MAY have been Norse longswords (albeit rare). Would I be better off studying longsword and using a "Norse style" sword?

Or is there an alternative I have not thought of?

-Silent Requiem

[ChristineChurches]

Silent Requiem:

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Thank you.

[Benjamin Smith]

Well, if you're final goal is to learn Norse swordsmanship from the early-high medieval period, much of the techniques will be transferable. There were of course contemporary martial arts to the German, Italian, English.... in Finland, Norway, etc.... Most of them will have been extremely similar, their weaponry was similar enough that I would be inclined to deny any significant difference. So you will be working in your heritage this way. I don't know how many fight-books may exist in those countries, but I think there ought to be some.

I would study the later arts, until you have a firm grasp of it in both longsword and sword and buckler and whatever weapons seem to demonstrate the most crossover, probably a couple of years worth of steady practice at the least. While you're doing this study texts and iconography of earlier Norse texts on combat, as well as their historical weapons. Once you have both of these prerequisites ready try to transfer the Renaissance skills you've learned to the earlier weaponry. You may need to custom order/make proper training tools to get them to be appropriately historically accurate.

[Guest]

This is Silent Requiem. Sorry for the use of a psuedonym, the registration process did not mention the requirement.

Thanks for the advice, Benjamin. Will sword and buckler be the equivalent to scramseax and round shield then?

I've seen the resources here and elsewhere, but am unable to distinguish between good and better. Is there a specific training resource that is particularly comprehensive and acessable to a newcomer?

[Gene Tausk]

I've practiced a great many marital arts growing up (courtesy of moving a great deal) and I've always been turned off by the Eastern culture that comes with it (nothing against Eastern culture, just not for me).

Now that I'm older, I'm interested in pursuing something from my own heritage (Norse/Saxon). Unfortunately, most of the training texts that we have come from a much later period, and involve the longsword, which differs significantly from the Norse/Saxon sword. Can anyone point me towards a good training reference for this weapon?

In the alternative, I see on this forum that there MAY have been Norse longswords (albeit rare). Would I be better off studying longsword and using a "Norse style" sword?

Or is there an alternative I have not thought of?

-Silent Requiem

My advice, FWIW, is to study longsword because it is the fundamental weapon (at least for ARMA) and we have the texts and documentation to show how it was used. You will find that a lot of the same principles apply to fighting with a "Viking" type arming sword.

[Grant Hall]

There are a few texts on Sword and Buckler and sword and shield around.

Try the Cut-and-Thrust, and the Arming Sword also. Infact the Arming Sword is pretty much the direct decendant of the Norse sword, so there will be ALOT of similarities there.

Hope this helps.

God Bless!