I am Roland Warzecha, a professional illustrator – and a swordsman. Hence the name ‘Dimicator’ which is a Latin term meaning sword fighter. I present to you cutting-edge research into historical martial arts, and Viking & high medieval sword & shield fighting in particular. I am co-operating with museums, fellow martial artists and scholars worldwide. Renowned expert for historical arms, Dr Alfred Geibig, says: “The careful reconstruction of historical swordsmanship, impressively demonstrated by Mr. Warzecha, is a valuable supplement to archaeological insights, and clearly proves the efficiency of European swords and the sophistication of the associated historical fighting arts.” To get regular up-dates on the archaeology and history of sword & shield and how they were used, sign up for my newsletter! I would be delighted if you would join my quest.
Sword At Hand
More on Cutting and Sword Ergonomics
Hello fellow sword geeks.
I have resumed work on my book project – finally.
The first volume will be about my findings regarding ergonomics of early medieval swords. I am currently composing illustrations to visualise what is so much easier to understand when actually picking up an original sword, namely the preferred way to hold it: Which side is supposed to face up, which side faces down.
Swords with Brazil nut pommels, for instance, share a curious feature: While the crossguard is always mounted in perfect symmetry, the pommel is shifted to one side. The difference is easy to miss – until you pick it up! Find out how this affects ergonomics, and see more examples in my respective public post.
| Learn more about sword ergonomics |
Training to Chop off Heads
The post on historical cutting practice which I linked to in last week's newsletter turned out to be an extremely popular one. In the comments, a reader pointed out to me the diary of 16th century executioner Franz Schmidt of Nuremberg. Amongst other things, Schmidt describes in this remarkable source how he learned his profession from his father. He trained chopping off heads by first cutting squashes, rhubarb, and later on also animals.
In his career, Schmidt executed almost 400 delinquents. Here is his English Wikipedia entry. His detailed diary is available in German, of course, but also in English: “The Faithful Executioner” by Joel F. Harrington. I am sure you can find it at and order from your favourite bookstore.
So, that's it for today. Take care, and keep your head on your shoulders.
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Yours,
Roland
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Dimicator
I am Roland Warzecha, a professional illustrator – and a swordsman. Hence the name ‘Dimicator’ which is a Latin term meaning sword fighter. I present to you cutting-edge research into historical martial arts, and Viking & high medieval sword & shield fighting in particular. I am co-operating with museums, fellow martial artists and scholars worldwide. Renowned expert for historical arms, Dr Alfred Geibig, says: “The careful reconstruction of historical swordsmanship, impressively demonstrated by Mr. Warzecha, is a valuable supplement to archaeological insights, and clearly proves the efficiency of European swords and the sophistication of the associated historical fighting arts.” To get regular up-dates on the archaeology and history of sword & shield and how they were used, sign up for my newsletter! I would be delighted if you would join my quest.
AI, Combat Training & Martial Dress Accessories How to get from A to B with AI? Hello fellow history geeks and martial artists. This newsletter's title sounds somewhat confusing, doesn't it? But when you read on, it will all make sense. Let us start with an image that will feature in my up-coming book. I created the original version of the above illustration last year. It depicts hunter-gatherers sneaking up on reindeer in northern Germany about 10,000 years ago. However, I needed to expand...
My pencil drawing of a Vendel period warrior A Mystical Hero and a Dragon Hello Vendel fans and dragon slayers As you may know, I am busy writing my long-awaited book. For one of its paragraphs I re-read the famous dragon slayer tales of Sigurd/Siegfried, and Beowulf armed with their mystical swords Gram/Balmung and Naegling – which prompted the making of a respective illustration. 2024 version of a 1999 illustration of mine If you want to see my Beowulf illustration, and learn more about its...
A Home for a Sword The scabbard Christina made Hello sword enthusiasts. A good sword needs an appropriate scabbard. My friend and fellow buckler fighter Christina had been aware of that for a long time. Last year she approached me and asked if I was willing to supervise her work if she would make scabbards for her training swords. I said I would. So today I will present to you one of the two scabbards she made. I think she did a great job. I have compiled some photos of details for you in a...