Who we are:
We are a group of individuals that practice the art of “Western European Martial Arts” which can be defined as armored combat. We fight with real steel weapons which are “rebated”, or basically non-edged, not sharp. The combat we engage in is real, not choreographed or “staged“. It’s actual combat the way it used to be done. The armour we wear is real, not plastic or modern, but all real steel or leather. The weapons we use are real as well. Put an edge on these things and they can be used just like the warriors of old used them.
What we portray:
We call ourselves a “free company”. A small, traveling group of men that would have fought on the “winning side” of an army of men who were looking for “strong sword hands” to assist them. Not so much like mercenaries, but professional soldiers who do not follow any specific noble. We espouse the ideals of chivalry and knighthood. We want to depict the life style and the best of times that these individuals could have lived through. While we are not fighting in a “war“, our company is always in search of a “tournament of arms” to make some quick funds. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Tournaments were numerous, and many men made their living competing at such tournaments. Many times the prizes would be the equivalent of hundreds of thousands for dollars! But, many men would spend these winnings on equipment, horses, wine, women and song. Easy come, easy go! Perhaps someday Canis Bellum will save enough winnings through our efforts to obtain horses!
“What does Canis Bellum Mean?”
“Canis Bellum” is Latin for “Dogs of War”. There are also different spellings such as “caneus” or “bellim”, but we use the common spelling for our group. Since our group is comprised of soldiers the name implies we are the front line troops, fighting on foot, willing to fight for what we want. “Fortuna Fortis Adjuvant!” (Fortune Favors The Brave)…
Why do we do this?
Everyone in our group has a driving desire to relive armored combat as it once was. The feel of the armour, it’s weight, the feel of swinging a weapon. We enjoy the competition of the tournament, facing our opponent, riding that edge of adrenalin. We enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow fighters, talking about the fight, the rush of victory and the lessons of defeat. We enjoy learning the annals of history, understanding the decisions that were made, and the feelings of those that made history.
Some Questions We Often Receive From People
“Where did you guys learn this stuff?”
Many of us have prior combat related history. Be it Asian Martial Arts, Fencing, high school or college level sports, military service, or something else. Some individuals started fighting with foam weapons, (often called LARP), or fought in the SCA, but eventually, we all just gravitated towards wanting to do armored combat.
“Do you guys ever get hurt?!”
Well, on the rare occasion it does happen, but its no more than if you were playing football, basketball, baseball, or whatever sport you enjoy. We take many safety precautions in our “sport”. We train and practice constantly, but yes, on occasion we do get hurt. But nothing more serious than a bruise or a sprain. You have to know your limitations and not exceed your body’s basic construction. We aren’t trying to be super heroes, we’re just “doing our thing” and having fun.
“But don’t those swords weigh like 20 lbs or something?”
No. Thank the heavens! Think about this: if you needed to defend your life, would you want to try and swing around something that weighed 20 lbs all day? Of course not, and neither did our ancestors. Most swords weighed around 2 to 6 lbs. Good balance, good steel and lots of practice. “If you fall down in your armour, can you still get up?” Yes, of course! Same thing with the swords, if you fall down and can’t get up, you’re dead! The fighters of old made good armour to move with their bodies, and to also protect them. It does no good if you can’t move, either fighting, dodging, ducking or whatever, you had to keep moving.
“Cool! I got a sword, can I fight with you guys?”
Well…., we like your enthusiasm, and we all had to start at some place, but this kind of thing sometimes just isn’t for everybody. There is the issue of buying or making your own armour (which we do), getting the right kind of armour and weapons, because they both need to be made of certain types of materials. Not to discourage you, but you have to be realistic. It takes a lot of training to finally be allowed to enter our fighting arena. We definitely train people to fight, we help them get their armour together and their weapons, and eventually if they “stick with it” and have the right attitude, they become one of the “Dogs of War”. If you are serious enough, train hard and get your “kit” together, there is always room for another fighter. So hang in there, you just might get the chance.
Site contents copyright © 2004-2005 Canis Bellum.
800 visits (1 today, 1 this week, 12 this month, 113 this year).