Ready Your Shields And Spears: Welcome To The Frostbitten World Of Vikings In Malta
Being stuck in the middle of the Mediterranean makes it difficult for us to become the next Ragnar or Lagertha Lothbrok. But such quandaries are now a thing of the past.
Meet M.E.R.C.S: Martial Era Revivalists and Combat Society, a voluntary organisation comprised of 18 dedicated men and women whose roots are firmly tied to the art of Medieval war.
Presently, the team practices both HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), a martial art form using arts formerly practiced throughout European history as well as Viking styles of combat using a variety of weapons.
Yes, that means axes, swords, shields, and spears, are on the menu.
Bi-weekly sessions are kept in order to keep the associations’ members primed from a technical, and even a physical point of view.
And what does the training culminate in? Battles re-lived through the study of history and notable past events relating to war.
Lovin Malta reached out to Dylan Sultana, whose passion for swordplay moved him to co-found the organization in 2015, alongside two friends.
“I dabbled in various eastern martial arts over the years but my yearning for medieval combat always remained deeply embedded within me,” Sultana said.
Together with friends and local re-enactors, he explored various combat styles, eventually delving further into the way of the sword and shield.
His path led him to train abroad, and take part in prominent international events such as the Moesgaard Viking Moot in Denmark, shown in the photo below.
Presently, M.E.R.C.S is preparing to hit the event as a team, later on this year.
Photo Credit: Moesgaard Viking Moot Facebook Page
Veteran members of the group have done it all. From international to local events ranging from re-enactments, classroom lectures, and features in Maltese films.
“We also take part in film productions that involve sword fighting. One special mention goes to the upcoming film MOSTRI.”
“That aside, the public can find us doing local events spread all year round, in Malta. In such events, the audience can take part in archery and sword fighting tournaments. But they could also just sit and watch us fight with real armour and weapons.”
Some local events which featured M.E.R.C.S include Festa Agrarja, Medieval Imdina, and Malta Comic Convention.
COVID-19 permitting, they will now take part in HERJA, an international Viking event in France.
So if you’re down swordplay, merriment, and the occasional pillaging, and you are over 16 years of age, you can take the first steps to become a warrior by contacting M.E.R.C.S through their Facebook, or by simply dropping them a line on [email protected].
Tag a prospective Viking!