Two Belegarth experts battle each other at Julia Davis Park in Boise, Idaho.
“One of them said ‘Hey Dude! Come play,’ and I did,” said Reynolds. Four weeks later, Reynolds stands in the park, clad only in a kilt and boots, and tries to best his shielded opponent.
Toby Reynolds tries to block a blow from his leaping opponent.
The people with swords are not time travelers from centuries past; nor do they believe they are citizens of Middle Earth. They are simply players in the game of Belegarth.
According to Belegarth.com, Belegarth began in 1979 as a medieval combat society. The inventors gathered to practice their skill with non-lethal versions of the weapons used by knights and warriors. Since 1979, many practitioners include elements of fantasy—especially
from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Magic: The Gathering.
Elf ears are just one way Belegarthers harness the spirit of Tolkein's work.
Belegarth is an international sport with participants in 23 states, Puerto Rico and Denmark. "It's a great way to get in shape and work out some of the stresses of everyday life," said Len Holcomb. He has been competing in Belegarth for three years.
It is competition; there are set rules to the sport and official heralds and marshals—the referees.
Wes Kobs, acts as a herald for events and says his job mostly entails making sure people go out when they’re killed.
Wes Kobs acts as a marshal--or referee--for Belegarth. His yellow tunic indicates his status
Idaho boasts 12 separate realms—only Illinois has more. Idaho also hosts five different Belegarth events throughout the year. Each has about 100 participants, says Jessica Foreman.
“Your realm is like your family,” said Foreman. She is a member of the Boise realm—called Rath. You don’t get to choose, it’s based solely on geography, says Foreman.
Within each realm, there are separate units. Foreman and Dane Johns—the King of Rath—are members of the Knights of Chaos. “We’re the good guys,” says Johns. “We keep the order.”
Another unit active in Rath is the Uruk-Hai—taken from The Lord of the Rings. “They tend to be the bad guys,” said Foreman.
In addition to the Knights of Chaos and the Uruk Hai in Boise, there are two new and unofficial units on the campus of Northwest Nazarene University and the College of Idaho.
Matthew Hulen watches as Dane Johns gives the NNU group advice about proper Belegarth weaponry.
Matthew Hulen and Michael Gibson are responsible for starting both groups. There isn’t an official roster or set number of participants, says Gibson. “We grow every week.”
When the Belegarth groups gather, they do so to practice their combat skills. Megan Stevens is a casual observer to the NNU group. “Guys just duke it out with swords,” she says trying to figure out what she is seeing.
A ferocious blow knocks one Belegarther off his balance.
Chris Ward, a senior at C of I and a long-time Belegarther, says that’s what it looks like on the surface. “There are injuries.” However, Ward also says Belegarth gives groups of people with similar interests the chance to gather and have fun without being judged.
Most Belegarthers can expect to spend a fair amount of time on the ground after "losing" limbs to their opponents swords.
Many serious Belegarthers wear costumes and choose names to compete under. Foreman is known as “Razia,” Johns as “Sir Par Ohmsford,” Holcomb as "Ryu," Gibson as “Mikar,” and Hulen as “Echoir.”
Chris Ward laughs as he waits for the next battle to begin.
Often, Belegarthers are not only combat buddies, but close friends as well.
“We’re nerds,” says Foreman. “But we have a lot of fun.”
Aimee this is excellent work- I love how you attacked many sides of the team and getting it from different people's perspectives. You could have just focused on the fighting and that would have been boring- so instead you looked at the relationships, the tiny details, and the fun of it all. I enjoyed it a lot. good job =)
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