This story was updated April 10 to adjust some spelling errors.
Some people learn taekwondo, some people learn karate, but the Warriors of Ash help people learn historical European martial arts.
Warriors of Ash is a nonprofit organization that helps teach people about historical European martial arts. According to the Historical European Martial Arts Alliance, or HEMA, historical European martial arts are the “study and practice of historical European fighting techniques.”
“We do medieval and Dark Ages European combat mostly,” said David Henderson, WCU Philosophy and Religion department chair.
Henderson is a part of The Council for the Warriors of Ash and teaches rapier, a style of sword fighting, on Tuesdays for the Warriors of Ash. Before joining, Henderson did martial arts from high school through grad school and didn’t feel fully connected.
“A lot of manuals that are well illustrated with both theory and techniques on how to use swords and axes and spears in armor and out of armor,” Henderson said. “Starting in the 1990s, people started getting these things online and clubs started growing.”
Many manuals were made during these periods, and people can interpret them and learn about
how to fight with certain weapons. Some manuals were even recreated more recently.
“The vice president of the club, Mike Erbach – he published a book that’s called ‘The Art of Viking Combat’, and it’s actually a really impressive little manuscript,” said Watson Harlan, a graduate student studying American History.
People participate in Warriors of Ash for many reasons. Lyndsey Tate, a creative writing major at WCU, goes because she finds it welcoming.
“One of the coolest things about it is even me as a female of shorter stature can start in the club,” Tate said. “I felt welcome, I felt safe, and I felt encouraged to be there.”
Some people join Warriors of Ash for competitive reasons, hoping to fight in tournaments around the country.
“We travel and do tournaments in Johnson City and in Charlotte and other places, and people come to do our tournaments,” Henderson said.
But Warriors of Ash are different than other HEMA schools around the country in how they host tournaments.
“A lot of HEMA schools around the country and tournaments bracket things off by weapons,” Henderson explained. “The Warriors of Ash has a unique role in that we almost always are doing mixed weapons combat.”
Though Tate and others go for different reasons, there is something common about a lot of people who are a part of Warriors of Ash.
“Swords are cool,” Harlan said. “It’s really hard to see a bunch of people swinging swords and wearing armor and not think ‘dang, that’s cool’.”
