Bill Fedun (right) instructs a student on the art of Chivalrous Sword Handling.
Take a trip to the Plant Recreation Centre on a Sunday afternoon and you may be surprised to hear the clatter of swords, the bustle of chain mail and the war cries of 12 eager opponents learning the art of battle.
Bill Fedun, 54, is an armour-maker, Middle Ages enthusiast and seasoned sword handler who has made a lifestyle out of his passion for the medieval era. He teaches dozens of classes on broadsword handling and armour making at Algonquin College and the Plant centre, saying that the art of sword fighting, although not mainstream, is highly popular.
“There is no better empowerment than to know how to use a battle sword with finesse and skill,” says Fedun. “Anybody that has an interest in honour, courtesy, loyalty, chastity, faith, courage, and prowess, will also have an interest in armour.”
After studying martial arts like kenjutsu and kung fu for years, Fedun found his calling in Liechtenauer sword fighting, a technique developed by the German fencer Johannes Liechtenauer in the 14th century.
It was only when he seriously injured his arm in a fight that Fedun thought to combine his love of medieval armour and broadsword fighting and come up with a safer method. Now when he’s not crafting and selling armour, he's teaching basic and advanced levels of a class he calls “Chivalrous Sword Handling.”
“Our goal is to spar safely, effectively and efficiently. We’re looking for the long term benefits; the camaraderie, and the fact that you’re engaging in a martial art and won’t hurt yourself,” he says.
Christine Primeau was Plant’s program co-ordinator at the time they decided to offer a broadsword handling course. The centre decided to take on the class because they could see it becoming popular, she says.
“Oddly enough there were two sword fighting courses running at around the same time,” she says. “I didn’t know anything about it, but I realized there was certainly a need for this activity and people were looking to take these courses.”
While clashing swords and duelling to the (imaginary) death may not seem like a family-oriented environment, Primeau adds that it is primarily teenagers who are interested in the medieval courses. Since the age limit is 16 and over, she says they usually go with a parent and enjoy the activity together.
Fedun supports the idea of young people getting involved, saying that while many medieval organizations are more violent and don’t promote proper technique, the physical risk in his class is almost non-existent. He says the importance is in the experience of the fight, not the winning.
“I cannot teach you how to fight; fighting comes from within yourself,” he says. “I only teach you how to swing the sword in a safe manner. People are here to experience, and they have to keep that goal firmly in the forefront to get what they want.”
Even though 21st century duellers don’t fight to the death, Fedun says the sport is still self-scoring and self-correcting with no room for cheaters. The idea is that if you make a hit that would have killed with a real sword, you win the bout. If the victim challenges your attempt, the hits just start getting harder until someone eventually gives in.
“I usually say that if you hit me, and it gets through the guard that I put up, I’ll just die of shame. If I do it right, nobody should be able to get through that guard” says Fedun, noting that opponents should use skill over force to triumph.
Fedun and his wife Brenda have been running their store and workshop, The South Tower Armouring Guild, behind their home in Metcalfe Street for 21 years. They sell hand crafted armour, swords, chain mail, knives, shields, and even medieval brooms. Visitors are welcome to tour the workshop every Saturday to check out the armour and weapons, and try their hand at making it.
The equipment can be expensive, with a full set of armour reaching up to $5,000, but Fedun guarantees his custom, handmade set will fit perfectly and allow you to spar without getting hurt.
This claim is tested four times a year, when the couple holds a tournament on a piece of land near their home, which allows students and medieval buffs alike a chance to get together and embrace the sport. Up to 80 armour-clad fighters participate in duels, and they always attract a large number of spectators.
“I consider what I do more of a living history,” says Fedun. “I don’t know if that’s strictly fair to other living historians, because some of them do everything exactly; and I just have the chivalrous sword handling."