Skip to main content

Vikings, Voyageurs & Skræling by Mark Hatmaker

 


Round the Corner in Black Box Weaponry…the surprising nexus between Viking Skeggøx [bearded battle axes], long-handled Native American Tomahawks, and the Canoe Oars of Voyageurs.

·        My savvy Warriors know that more than a few Viking expeditions made landfall in the Americas pre-most anyone else you can think of.

·        They encountered fierce folk they called, Skræling [“wearers of dried skin”] and had more than a few less than friendly encounters. [It should be noted that the Americas were the one region the fierce Norsemen decided to abandon colonization despite abundance of resources.]



·   


The Skræling were of Northern proto-United states and Canadian tribes.

·       The later-arriving fiercely intrepid Frenchmen who became the far-venturing Voyageurs learned from, intermarried with and became cultural descendants of the Skræling.

·        There is a marked commonality [plus a few fascinating differences] in the method of wielding the Viking Skeggøx, the long-handled tomahawk of the Skræling which filtered down through the Iroquois Confederacy, and the combat à l'aviron, [oar-fighting] of the water-borne Voyageurs.

·        Whether you have a long-handled tomahawk, Skeggøx, or canoe oar at your disposal, you’ll find that these uniquely vicious tactics work with any two-handed wielded implement.

·        Not to mention, it’s one helluva PT session. One five-minute round of “The Stockade Set” will get your lungs pumping and muscles a’quivering.



·        More on this in upcoming Black Box volumes.

·        More on The Black Box Project here.

Viking Words of Wisdom

“Eigin hönd manns er sannasta prófið.”

[“A man's own hand is the truest test.”-The Saga of Olaf Haraldsson, c.153]

[Until you do it yourself, you know nothing.]

For more Viking Words of Wisdom.

Comanche/ Skræling Words of Wisdom

“Nara’ur’u Khu’t’u.” [“Find out for yourself.”]

[The above was a stock answer to “What is a raid like?” or “What’s down in the arroyo?” etc.]

Voyageur Words of Wisdom

Je mâche le monde et crache ma propre chance.

[“I chew the world and spit out my own luck.”]

A remark noted in the journal of a traveler accompanying voyageurs.

·        In other words, put your own hand to all things, find out for yourself not by reading/watching/listening—do it, and chew on your experiences and spit out your own self-made fortune.

To that I say, Huzzah!!!

Have a helluva weekend, Crew!

[PS-More on the historical Skræling/Voyageur Connection to come via the Blog & Free Newsletter, for the hands-on/find-out-for-yourself/chew-up-the-world-and-make-your-own-luck tactical exercises, see The Black Box Subscription Service.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Apache Running by Mark Hatmaker

Of the many Native American tribes of the southwest United States and Mexico the various bands of Apache carry a reputation for fierceness, resourcefulness, and an almost superhuman stamina. The name “Apache” is perhaps a misnomer as it refers to several different tribes that are loosely and collectively referred to as Apache, which is actually a variant of a Zuni word Apachu that this pueblo tribe applied to the collective bands. Apachu in Zuni translates roughly to “enemy” which is a telling detail that shines a light on the warrior nature of these collective tribes.             Among the various Apache tribes you will find the Kiowa, Mescalero, Jicarilla, Chiricahua (or “Cherry-Cows” as early Texas settlers called them), and the Lipan. These bands sustained themselves by conducting raids on the various settled pueblo tribes, Mexican villages, and the encroaching American settlers. These American settlers were often immigrants of all nationalities with a strong contingent of
Post a Comment
Read more

The Empirical Fighter: Rules for the Serious Combatant by Mark Hatmaker

  Part 1: Gear Idealized or World Ready? 1/A: Specificity of Fitness/Preparation If you’ve been in the training game for any length of time likely you have witnessed or been the subject of the following realization. You’ve trained HARD for the past 90 days, say, put in sprint work and have worked up to your fastest 5K. Your handy-dandy App says your VO2 Max is looking shipshape. You go to the lake, beach, local swimmin’ hole with your buddies and one says “ Race you to the other side!” You, with your newfound fleet-of-foot promotion to Captain Cardio, say, “ Hell, yeah!” You hit the river and cut that water like Buster Crabbe in “ Tarzan the Fearless ” with your overhand stroke….for the first 50 yards, then this thought hits as the lungs begin to gasp for air, “ Am a I gonna die in the middle of this river?” This experiment can be repeated across many domains of physical endeavor. ·         The man with the newfound Personal Record in the Bench Press getting smoked in
Post a Comment
Read more

The Original Roadwork by Mark Hatmaker

  Mr. Muldoon Roadwork. That word, to the combat athlete, conjures images of pre-dawn runs, breath fogging the morning air and, to many, a drudgery that must be endured. Boxers, wrestlers, kickboxers the world over use roadwork as a wind builder, a leg conditioner, and a grit tester. The great Joe Frazier observed… “ You can map out a fight plan or a life plan, but when the action starts, it may not go the way you planned, and you're down to the reflexes you developed in training. That's where roadwork shows - the training you did in the dark of the mornin' will show when you're under the bright lights .” Roadwork has been used as a tool since man began pitting himself against others of his species in organized combat. But…today’s question . Has it always been the sweat-soaked old school gray sweat suit pounding out miles on dark roads or, was it something subtler, and, remarkably slower? And if it was, why did we transition to what, and I repeat myself,
Post a Comment
Read more