JAKARTA: Armed with blunt swords, a dozen would-be chevaliers are put through their paces in a gallant effort to keep alive European medieval martial arts taught hundreds of years ago.

But this is not a scene from Game of Thrones or the Adventures of Robin Hood — it’s a breezy Sunday afternoon in the middle of Jakarta, one of the world’s biggest megacities.

The fighters are practicing sword-fighting techniques that were honed across Europe from the 14th to 18th centuries — known as Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA).

After a quick warm-up, members of the Gwaith-i-Megyr group take turns to show off their swordsmanship outside the massive Gelora Bung Karno stadium.

“The training is beyond my expectation. As we spar using weapons, the adrenaline rush from attacking and defending is more keenly felt compared to hand-to-hand combat,” said Gede Indra Krisega, a 23-year-old civil servant.

The Gwaith-i-Megyr was established in 2016 after several members of a local fan club of English author JRR Tolkien — who wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy — showed an interest in HEMA.

Nearly 50 people have recently joined the group in Jakarta and its sister branch in the Javan city of Bandung.

The group’s name means “Fellowship of Swordsmen” and comes from the Sindarin language, one of the fictional languages created by Tolkien in his novels, said Ahmad Rizal Soulisa, one of the founding members of the group. HEMA enthusiasts usually pore over manuals left behind by past masters as they learn, train and revive the moves, Soulisa said.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2022