Warriors & Combat
The Warriors of King Penda are divided into three groups. The Geogud or new untested warriors eager to make their name and reputation on the battle field. Then the Dugud or "Doughty Warriors" who are the more experienced troops who have served their master for some time and proved their worth. Then finally the Heard Werod or Hearth Troops, these are the warrior elite , The kings own personal bodyguard who live in his hall. They are men of wealth themselves and even have followers of their own.
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If you join us as a warrior then you will start as a Geogud. Here we will train you in all the methods of safe reenactment combat in spear and hand weapons, how to use a shield to protect yourselves and the commands you need to know on the battlefield. Once you have passed a few safety assessments and proved yourself you then progress to the Dugud where you then attain your own personal symbol on your shield as well as the groups sword motif in yellow on a woad blue background.
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The final stage is to enter the Werod in the personal service of King Penda (where you receive another shield symbol) but dont worry you dont have to get that stage if you dont want to.
Reenactment Combat & Weapons
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Reenactment combat is based on a tried and tested system of attack and defence. As a new member we will train you in these methods until you are deemed safe to take your basic safety assessments for different weapons. These are pole arms such as short spear & long spear and basic hand weapons such as Lang Seax, Broad Seax , Sword and Axe. You will also be taught how to use a shield which is your primary defence and you will need to have some basic items of protection such as a helmet and combat gloves. However dont worry we have group kit for when you start off so you can get stuck in from day one.
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The weapons are real and made of steel, however they are blunted for safety reasons. The most common weapon is the spear used by all warriors. Axes are also sometimes used along with the Seax a short knive worn at the front and the lang seax and broad seax both bigger versions. Swords such as the one depicted in the picture (Made by Heron Armouries ) were the preserve of the high status warriors and would have been a very expensive commodity along with armours such as a mail byrnie (chain mail shirt) We also have archery with longbow as part of our display and can train you in the safe use of a bow and arrow.