As unlikely as it may seem, the Upper Highway is home to a band of enthusiastic medieval combatants, who bring historic warfare to life in the 21st Century.
Story Sandy Woods
Pictures Heidi Christie
“Lay on!” shouts the referee. The two women in the lists advance cautiously on each other as the weak winter sun warms their highly polished armour. Christa Heysen Martins, in her dented gauntlets, has a solid grip on her polearm and Bronwen Huysamer wields her long sword with practiced ease and grace. The hard, metallic sounds of their connecting weapons disturb the resident goats and sheep at Willow Creek Animal Farm in Hillcrest. With the rolling farmland behind them, the fighting knights could have momentarily left their seats at the Round Table, were it not for the brightly coloured South African flags on the surcoats worn loosely over their shiny armour.
These modern-day athletes are part of a small team who flew the South African flag proudly at the 2017 International Medieval Combat Federation (IMCF) World Championships held in Spøttrup Castle in Denmark. They are passionate about their sport which is both new and old.
“It’s a sport but no game” is how medieval full-combat fighting is described on the IMCF website and it is a sport that is growing in popularity. The Federation, founded in 2013, has hosted four annual World Championship competitions for its 26 member countries. Historically accurate armour and weapons are deemed as important as the physically demanding combat, and are subject to strict rules drawn from historical tournament documents. For instance, shoes must have leather soles and be hand stitched, and weapons and armour must be faithful replicas of items available at the time and manufactured with materials of the period. No plastic is allowed in the international fighting arenas.
Local medieval fighters can expect to spend approximately R10 000 on a suit of armour, should it be made in South Africa, and considerably more if the suit is imported. It is a wise investment considering the potential for serious injury. Eurika Dippenaar, the South African team medic, says that serious injuries are surprisingly rare. Most of the required medical attention is for dehydration. The suits of armour are heavy and hot. The helmets are often lined with leather to absorb direct blows to the head, and a padded jacket and trousers are the foundation garments.
Although necessary for historical accuracy and safety, the armour makes movement awkward and uncomfortable. A full suit of armour can add 35kg to a medieval fighter’s weight.
Travelling to Denmark by bus and plane with large bags of heavy stainless steel armour and bulky weapons was a challenge that required immense patience and good humour from Christa and Bronwen, who were joined by Stephanie Roets, Oliver Dry and Henry Booysen from Johannesburg.
For the first time, South Africa sent a women’s buhurt team to compete in the IMCF World Championships. Buhurt, also called melee, is, in the simplest terms, groups of fighters waging war against each other using weapons of their choice with very few rules in place. The losing team’s members are knocked to the ground or forced to submit by taking the knee.
Our ladies’ team, comprising of Christa, Bronwen and Stephanie, won one out of three bouts in the buhurt, competing against the United Kingdom, Quebec and Finland. Christa and Stephanie impressively reached the quarter finals in their individual divisions of Long Sword and Sword and Shield, respectively.
Both Christa and Bronwen were invited and mentored into the sport by friends. Medieval fighting is growing in popularity in the Highway area and the two full-combat medieval fighting clubs are well-known for their friendly and passionate members. Bryan Topper from Durban Sword and Shield believes that medieval combat is a pastime for all ages. Their 15 members’ ages range from 10 to 67 years old and novices and experienced fighters are warmly welcomed. Christa and Bronwen are members of a smaller club called Rogue Squadron and the goal of their five fighters is to compete in the next World Championship.
As Christa writes in her aptly named The Girl in Armour blog, “Whatever happens next, I’m ready.” *
