Hours after students exit the gates of St Theresa College, Birkirkara, a group of like-minded individuals gather in the school grounds twice a week to practise no ordinary hobby or sport but historical combat styles.

MERCS, which stands for Martial Era Revivalists and Combat Society, was formed in 2015 by three members, two of whom are still active today: president Dylan Sultana and treasurer Christine Montebello.

The group is currently made up of 15 members, who take part in various local re-enactments and travel quite extensively abroad for training sessions and major combat events, such as the Festival of Slavs and Vikings in Wolin, Poland, and the Moesgaard Viking Moot in Denmark.

Throughout these events, they show off their fighting skills in the Eastern and Western Viking styles of combat and in HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), in the styles of 14th-century knight and fencing master Fiore dei Liberi and Joachim Meyer, who wrote a multi-weapon treatise about the art of fencing in 1570.

MERCS shieldman and president Dylan Sultana on the front line of the battle in Denmark.

“The Viking styles of fighting are older than the HEMA fighting style as the Italian manuscripts that we use were written in in the late 14th century whereas the vikings existed from circa the eighth to the 11th century,” Mikal Suleiman, the group’s public relations officer, explains.

HEMA (Italian/modern) is the only one of the three fighting styles the group practises that does not involve group battles, but rather consists of only one-on-one duels. Besides, it is the only fighting style of the three where modern protective gear is worn.

“This is especially important due to it being in full contact, meaning that the whole body counts as a target area,” Mr Suleiman notes.

On the other hand, Western style fighting (Viking) involves both group battles such as line fights, as well as one-on-one duels. Despite the use of some historical armour, most of the fighters do not wear protective gear.

A member fighting in one of the battles in Moesgaard.

“This is possible due to the safety regulations surrounding this style, where the target areas are the torso and, for those using short weapons and Dane Axes, the thighs,” he says.

Speaking of weapons, each combat style requires different weapons. For example, longswords, daggers, one-handed swords and bucklers are used during HEMA, while spears, round shields, daggers, axes, one-handed spears and Dane Axes are used for Western and Eastern Viking combat.

These battles are ferocious and gritty

The Eastern style involves both group battles and one-on-one duels. Historical armour such as helmets and gambesons are worn due to the more aggressive nature of this style. The safety rules are identical to those of the Western style, with the only exception being that the head counts as a target area.

Mr Suleiman is still reeling from his first experience in Wolin, Poland, in which the group earned a place in one of the main armies, the Red Wing West Army.

“Fighters travel from across the world to meet up in Wolin once a year for this week-long event, sharing experiences, tactics, food recipes and, most importantly, good laughs,” he says, adding that the festival is one of the biggest early medieval events in Europe, which is attended by 2,500 people from over 30 countries.

Group members in a scene from the upcoming film Mostri.

“Here, contests and battles, in the Viking style, take place side by side with traditional weapons and other traditional exhibitions,” he continues.

“These battles are ferocious and gritty, having nine clashes spread along three days. This results in the need for more armour, equipment and experience in order to fight in this kind of melees.”

Apart from the main battles, which consist of around 700 warriors, a number of other competitions also take place, such a five-man team skirmish fight.

“And if you are brave enough, one can take part in the duel tournaments. You get to face some of the toughest and most experienced fighters out there. It is important to note that there are no prizes to be won, only honour and recognition by your peers,”  Mr Suleiman adds.

The re-enactors duelling during the Festa Agrarja in Dingli.

For the past four years, the group has been attending the Moesgaard Viking Moot, one of the oldest and largest Viking events of its kind, which has taken place annually in the last weekend of July since 1977.

They are the first and only Maltese group to attend such an event and represent Malta. Moreover, last year, MERCS was recognised as one of the main attending fighting groups.

Arranged by the Moesgaard Museum of Archaeology, the event brings together Viking warriors, horseback riders and merchants who spread their vibrant camps across the beaches and fields at Moesgaard.

The group members that participated in last year’s Moesgaard, with the Viking MERCS insignia on the banner full of shields representing official groups.

Four massive battles, with 300 to 400 fighters on each side of the battlefield, are fought in total throughout the weekend, where the audience can witness the live drama and intensity of mass tactical combat and skirmish played out before their eyes.

“The unique experience of fighting in a battle of 300 versus 300, not knowing what the outcome will be, is quite intense as not many get the opportunity to fight in such a large battle, dealing with styles and techniques they have never seen before,” Mr Suleiman points out.

The group, of course, takes part in local events as well. These include Festa Agrarja, Medieval Mdina, the Malta Comic Convention and the Gold on Dice Gaming Convention. Besides, they do educational school visits and take part in film productions that involve sword fighting. Members will, in fact, soon be seen in the upcoming film Mostri by Talon House productions.

Society members representing Malta at the Wolin festival in Poland, last year.

One notable upcoming event that MERCS will be taking part in is Castrum Maris in May. They will also be returning to Moesgaard in Denmark, besides participating in the HERJA Viking weekend in France and other training camps with foreign groups and instructors in Malta.

Mr Suleiman says that one does not need to be skilled or have any experience to join the group.

“You just need determination to learn and have fun while doing so,” he enthuses.

Anyone over 16 years of age may contact the group  via the Facebook page Mercs Malta or Instagram account@mercsmalta.com. One can also e-mail mercsmalta @gmail.com or call on 9927 8569.