Fencing has a long history, dating back to the 16th century. The uniforms worn by fencers are predominantly white, as it shows respect for the sport’s centuries-old traditions and the presence of blood, cuts, and marks left by the blade. Before electronic scoring, touches were recorded on the usually white surface with a wad of ink-soaked cotton on the tips of the weapons. Cheating was possible by soaking a uniform in vinegar, so that when a weapon hit the vinegar-treated material, the ink was dissolved and no mark was left behind.
Fencers wear white uniforms because they show respect for the fencing history and its centuries-old traditions. Before electronic fencing swords, fencing bouts would last until first blood was drawn. The color change from brown to white on wooden fences is usually due to weathering and exposure to sunlight. Over time, UV rays from the sun have caused the color change to be more consistent.
The rule for uniforms in fencing has changed several years ago, but it still requires white uniforms. This change was made due to the durability of white garments, which were bound to take sweat, mud, or even blood. Olympic fencing is white, while HEMA is black, covering the weight coaches may put on after retirement.
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting in three disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre (also saber). Some athletes, such as 2020 Olympian Eliza Stone, have recently started wearing white jackets both on the strip and in the lab.
📹 How to Put On Fencing Gear Step-by-step (Beginners’ Guide)
0:05 Step 0: Wear athletic clothes under your gear 0:15 Step 1: Fencing pants/britches/knickers 0:33 Step 2: Fencing socks and …
Why do fencers wear all white?
Fencers wear white uniforms to prevent cheating by soaking the uniform in vinegar. Their clothing must be made of “robust” material that can resist 800 Newtons pressure, with seams made carefully to prevent weapons’ points or touches from glancing off the uniform. An under-garment with a protective plastron pad covering the upper body is mandatory.
Jackets must overlap the knickers by at least 4 inches when the fencer is in the en garde position. They must have a double-thick Kevlar or cotton cloth lining for the sleeve down to the sword arm and covering the flank up to the armpit. An epee fencer must wear a regulation jacket covering the entire body’s trunk. Women’s equipment must include metal or rigid breast protectors.
What does the white light in fencing mean?
Fencing involves a fast-paced game where fencers and opponents are hit by a lamé. A green light indicates a hit, while a red light indicates a hit. A touch landing outside the valid target area is indicated by a white light, which does not count in scoring but temporarily stops the fencing action. For beginners, it can be challenging to follow the lightning speed of fencers’ actions. To become more comfortable, focus on one fencer and watch as they defend themselves using parries and riposes.
The referee stops the bout, describes actions, and decides whether to award a touch. Fencing involves maintaining a safe distance from each other, then trying to break this distance to gain an advantage. Sometimes, fencers make false attacks to gauge the opponent’s reactions. As you become accustomed to the speed of the game, tactics and strategies become more apparent, allowing you to gain a better understanding of the finesse and fascination of fencing.
Is fencing a gendered sport?
Fencing is a sport consisting of three distinct disciplines: foil, epee, and sabre, each with its own blade and rules. Fencing has historically been male-dominated, with women’s participation in the Olympic Games limited to foil. Epee made its debut in 1996, and sabre was introduced in 2004. This gender imbalance has remained evident throughout the author’s journey, from initiation in South Africa in 2013 to recent experiences in the UK.
During their time on the University of Bath BUCS fencing team, they aimed to have at least five women, whereas the men had two full teams plus substitutes. This situation has given unfavorable opinions about women’s fencing, particularly women’s epee, which is often perceived as “boring” due to the faster and more aggressive nature of men’s epee.
Why is fencing lame?
Lamé is a layer of electrically conductive material worn over the fencing jacket in foil and sabre fencing, covering the entire target area. It helps determine if a hit fell within the target area. Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting, with three disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre. Each discipline uses a different blade and follows its own rules. Most competitive fencers specialize in one discipline. The modern sport gained prominence in the late 19th century and is based on traditional swordsmanship.
The Italian school altered classical fencing, while the French school refined it. Scoring points in fencing competitions involves making contact with an opponent. The 1904 Olympics Games featured a fourth discipline, singlestick, which was dropped after that year and is not part of modern fencing. Competitive fencing, along with athletics, cycling, swimming, and gymnastics, has been featured in every modern Olympics.
Is fencing a rare sport?
Fencing is often considered an expensive sport, often seen as an elite activity that is too expensive for many families. However, this reputation is not entirely undeserved. This blog aims to provide parents and fencers with a better understanding of the expenses associated with fencing. The figures provided are based on research and experience, but are subject to change due to local cost of living and the fencing marketplace.
It is essential to consult with your local club to understand their requirements. Despite this, the guideline provided is a general understanding of what to expect when enrolled in fencing and as you progress to a high competitive level.
Why do they scream in fencing?
In non-electric fencing competitions, fencers may shout or scream to convince the referee of their victory in a double hit or near double hit. This can also occur in electric fencing, especially in epee, where there are no right of way rules. The shouting fencer may also have a psychological effect on the referee, who may perceive the shouting fencer as more deserving of contested points. This effect is more pronounced when the opposing fencer is quiet, as officials subconsciously view the louder fencer as trying harder or being more dominant.
Why do they wear wires in fencing?
The introduction of electrical scoring in fencing competition occurred in 1933. This method of scoring was developed to address the limitations of traditional judging methods, which were often unable to discern minor infractions with the naked eye. The use of a body cord to register scores between fencers’ uniforms and swords was implemented to provide a more objective and accurate means of scoring.
Can a fencing uniform be black?
The practice of wearing black fencing uniforms by masters and trainers originated with HEMA practitioners. In the mid-1800s, a fencer attired in black velvet made an appearance at tournaments, inciting displeasure among the majority of fencers who took pride in their white uniform. However, some fencers, such as Louis Mérignac, who had been influenced by the black uniform, began to wear the black one themselves. The identity of this fencer remains unknown.
Why do fencing coaches wear black?
The HEMA community adopted black as a defining characteristic of their “HEMA look” for a number of reasons. These include the early availability of padded fencing coach equipment, a desire to differentiate themselves from the Olympic fencing crowd, and a touch of counter-culture aesthetics. This dye is now regarded as a defining characteristic of the “HEMA look,” and it is anticipated that it will remain a prominent feature in comparison to its historical counterpart.
Why do fencers yell so much?
A fencer may use shouting to influence the referee and judges in non-electric competitions, such as dry or steam, and electric fencing, particularly in epee, where there are no right of way rules and confusion over who deserves a point in the event of a near-double hit. This is more common in non-electric competitions where a fencer may shout or scream to convince the referee they won the point.
Which sport is gender neutral?
Some sports, such as competitive shooting, car/motorcycle racing, and archery, are gender-neutral at the highest levels of competition. This is because they rely on skill rather than physical strength or size, which makes them suitable for all genders.
📹 Why did so many German Officers have scars??Mensur
An overview of traditional Mensur/Academic fencing. More War Movie Content: https://www.youtube.com/johnnyjohnsonesq …
a few small points: The breeches need to cover/overlap the top of the socks, so putting on socks FIRST makes more sense. The body wire clip should be placed on the rear of the lamé on the WEAPON side so as to make it inaccessible to the unarmed hand. Lastly, I don’t know why the body wire should need to be UNDER the plastron.
Not to be that guy, but speaking as an armorer, the body wire should NOT go inside the plasteron only because it puts the most sweat directly on the wire which can cause breaks at the half way point, and then the whole wire is sort of worthless because to repair it you’ll have to cut it too short to be useful. Yes I admit most brands rubberized insulation tube on the body wire is pretty durable so this isn’t an issue, but we’ve all seen people with transparent body wires where the wire itself is green inside from sweat corrosion. Same thing can happen in the armpit.
You know, I always assumed that they just depicted German officers in movies as having scars because it makes him look more like the bad guy, but they didn’t always explain why they had them in real life. Learning that there was actually a legitimate dueling reason for the scars was actually pretty cool! learn something new every day!
My art teacher back in the early 2000’s had those too. My father, who had known him all the way back when both were attending university, told me of the practice and why he had such gruesome scars in his face. Edit: On my fathers funeral, his old frat members (he was a doctor) attended it all with their own sword.
I am German. My Grandfather (Wehrmacht Officer) had a scar from Mensur. He survived the eastern front and a couple of years as a POW in Russia. He was very proud of his scar, but sometimes complained that he would have prefered it to be “a little lower, and more to the right”. He told me as a kid that one day i will have one too (nope, lol).
A little correction: A Mensur usually doesn’t end with first blood, it ends either after a certain number of blows, or when a cut is deemed dangerous by the doctor on site. This is called “Abfuhr”, and it typically happens when two cuts are crossed, a cheek is pierced, or a piece of skin is severed (like it happened to me, for instance); however, the rules vary regionally.
This still happens! I met a few guys who were fraternity members in Hamburg when i was there during my study abroad, and visited their frat house where they had practice rooms for this exact thing. The swords are razor-sharp! One day my frat member friend came into class with a huge scar on his face, apparently he had done one of these fencing fights with a guy from another frat who disrespected him. They take it super seriously and the fight goes on until the doctor supervising calls it off because it is a sign of weakness to give up during the fight. Edit – the improvements to safety head-gear weren’t the case at the place i saw. They just wore goggles that cover the eyes and ears, leaving the forehead and cheeks exposed.
I remember reading in Theodore Roosevelt’s biography (written by Edmund Morris), that in his youth he was staying with a family in Dresden. Two sons of that family studied at the University of Leipsic and were members of a dueling corps. One, a famous swordsman, was called Der Rothe Herzog (the Red Duke), and the other was nicknamed Herr Nasehorn (Sir Rhinoceros) because the tip of his nose had been cut off in a duel and sewn on again.
As someone used to seeing Olympic fencing and HEMA, seeing this form of fencing is very interesting. If the fencers weren’t standing still, this would look like some sort of old Hollywood movie type fencing where the fencers were clearly aiming at each other’s swords and not each other. Regardless, this was definitely not how I imagined that these duels were actually fought. I’ve known about this dueling tradition for a long time now but I had always thought that they were regular style duels with the entire body being a valid target and a lot of back and forth.
I myself am a member of a German fraternity that is obliged to fence. In fact, the frequency of scars has decreased, but more because of the way fencing is done today. The technique is a little more “advanced” and the obligatory hitting area in most German fraternities is much higher up on the head, which makes defence much easier. However, I know some people who are still scarred today, it’s not entirely uncommon. The article you showed when you talked about safety precautions is complete nonsense, though. The Mensur takes place under the same safety precautions as back then and the helmets you showed are only worn for training purposes. So the possibility of being hit sharply is still there and is what makes the mensur in itself. Apart from that, your article was amazingly accurate.
I am actually in a German fraternity and did this in my active time. Few comments: 1) no need to talk in past tense, it’s still thing 2) there is no screaming and dodging, your frat will remove you immediately from the ground. You are bringing dishonor to their colors and your name and have to do another duel at a later point of time to clean the shame. 3) scars are only important to very few people nowadays. I don’t have scars and inflicted few minor wounds, but my opponents didn’t do anything to make them worse 4) no beer and cigarette tastes better than the one after the fight
The more modern article you showed in the end is of course only of training. The protective equipement of a Mensur today consists of the Mensurschläger itself with the large basket (Korbschläger), although in a part of Germany, a lighter kind of Schläger with a sheet metal handguard called Glockenschläger is used instead. The fencing hand is also protected by a heavy leather glove with kevlar or chain mail inserts. The arm is protect by an armgaurd of similar material up to the shoulder, and the body is protected by a chain mail shirt. The neck is covered by special made wrappings similar to the arm, so there is no risk of deadly injuries. It is also made sure that there are no gaps. Finally, the eyes are protected by a special kind of metal glasses called Mensurbrille. So of course there is still a chance for strikes to the head or face. There is always one or two doctors, an impartial and a second and several assistants for each side present. A Mensur isn’t always over when one side gets hit. There is always a fixed number of strikes in each round and a fixed number of rounds, although it may end early when one side shows fear as in crying out or stepping back etc., or when one side is too badly hit. The first and sometimes second Mensur that members do is more regulated in the number of rounds or also strikes, and the types of strikes and techniques that are allowed, but these rules vary from region to region. Most members don’t desire scars as it rather shows that your opponent was the better fencer.
This practice did not only take place in Austria or Germany. Fraternities and their customs spread everywhere where the ruling class consisted mostly of Germans. This also includes Latvia and Estonia. Although back then these two countries were part of the Russian Empire, the local ruling class consisted mostly of Baltic Germans. Also, the two main universities in the region, the University of Tartu (Dorpat) and Riga Polytechnical Institute, were mostly German and the students organized themselves into fraternities.
My German grandfather was in one of these duelling student fraternities. I remember going to a few of their “old boys'” social evenings. No women allowed and heavy drinking was expected. I also had 2 German work colleagues with the typical scar across their face. These fraternities though were not really for enjoying oneself although that was part of it. They were meant to support new students, help them find digs and be there for them if they get into trouble, fr instance with the police. And later it was a big bonus if the boss of the company you want to work for was a fraternity “old boy”. He would make sure you didn’t just get a job but also that you climbed the company hierarchy speedily.
Having founded and ran a fencing club in college, I remember having to clear up some misconceptions to some of the non-American students that we were not a Mensur club. It’s always a bit of a culture shock to find that Olympic fencing is not the most well known type of fencing in every part of the world.
Friend of mine has a big scar in his face not due to mensur but he fell into glasshards as a baby. when he wanted to join a student union (Burschenschaft) at first glance they thought he was a member of another union calling for satisfaction. He had to explain that he was new and non of their members was in trouble. In some citys, areas people do care about a “schmiss”
Very nice article! I’m member in a student Fraternity here in Germany and fenced five mensur. Calling them duels is strictly prohibited, since according to german Lawduels are prohibited. It’s considered a sporting event where both sides agree to violence. Basically like a boxing match. The word “mensur” derives from “measure” as in distance between the Paukanten (the fencing guys). It’s strictly prohibited to move anything but your arm during fencing. If you move anything else or even flinch, then youre instantly disqualified and have to repeat the mensur to restore your wothiness as a fencer. Every City has its own nuances to the rules but they’re all similar. The clips from “Hans Westmar” are quite accurate whit the speed and technique.
When my dad was in university in the 70s or 80s here in germany (i cant remember the exact year) there where people who would participate in these duels as well. He never participated in them but he saw plenty of people with scars like that so now finding out that this was a more wide spread thing its quite an interesting feeling for me.
In your article, it comes across as if Mensures are a part of the past. In fact, Mensures are still fought in German-speaking countries today. The risk of injury is still quite high today and I know many students with scars on their faces. In the past, however, students made sure that the scars deliberately become severely inflamed so they are more visible. This is rarely the case today.
My dad actually was in one of those kinds of fraternities where they had to fence (I’m german). He managed to win all his matches so he got out of it with no scars, but he knew a bunch of people whk did have them. Interestingly, the equipment didnt really change much until the 90s at least, people were still wearing the same type of steel goggles shown in the article
This is awesome I’ve been to German college towns and another right of passage was going to their local school prison where they would paint silhouettes of themselves and friends on the prison walls. They’d use a lamp to create light for the shadow and the silhouettes of a group would be layered/tiled together with their names
Thanks for the article, it´s a great and compact explanation of academic fencin. Fencing is not only seen as a sport in many fraternities, but younger members have to do it, to become a full-member. It´s usual to have training one or twice a week so those guys are well prepared in their first official mensur. There are also fraternities that have an origin based on their religion, for those a mensur is strictly forbidden.
I am from Germany Bavaria i am 26 years old and the fraternitys here still do this, i know a couple of people around my age who have scars like this…there are different types of fencing with more protection, or less protection. The city i was Born in “Erlangen” is quite famous in the fraternity Community, because the fraternities here still fence without much protection…
Great article Johnny! I am an active member in a fencing fraternity and you did a pretty good job explaining the Mensur. However, it is difficult to find articles online depicting the Mensur accurately. During a real Mensur, the “Paukant” (Fencer) is not allowed to say anything. Most importantly, you are not allowed to flinch, even if you cannot block the oncoming blow. The Paukant has to stand his ground and “take the hit”. Receiving the hit during the duel does not hurt that much, as you are full of Adrenaline. The stitching of the Schmiss immediatley after the Mensur if usually quite painful, as there are no anesthetics and the adrenaline starts to wear off 🙂 Cheers!
That’s interesting, thank you! What I was taught at school is that German men around 1930-1940, is that was that they could claim they got it from fighting in WWI… So not high class BUT heroric nontheless. Facial scars were so popular that small schoolboys gave themselves scars to be cool. Eventually it became kinda vulgar..
This goes back 5000 years…. Not just with Germans. Life is a little different back then. People and individuals were more dedicated to the profession….. their profession was part of their identity and purpose. Recognition for bravery and courage weren’t handed out like candy and Boy Scout badges back then. A warrior had to do something extremely brave, or courageous to get the attention of his superiors. For the 99% of soldiers that fought on the field their scars were their badges. Many of them did very brave and courageous acts, that defined who they were, but didn’t get recognition. Their dedication and their sense of belonging to their community/nation was the bond that justified it all. Battle scars were a way of showing people “I was there, I fought that and I made it back”. This is all before war became commercialized.
The article material, with a few exceptions, is complete bullshit. You don’t cheer when you’re hit, you don’t move or shake dramatically. Also the blows that are struck there are mostly bullshit (With the exception of the contemporary recordings) When you get hit, you stay still, make no noise and wait for the Sekundant to jump in front of you.
I find it very interesting how a violent practice of this nature can essentially develop into a less-lethal & more regulated ‘sport’ over time. When the students were allowed to carry their swords on their person, more duels & deaths occurred as a result… until ‘referees’ & rules began being introduced to said duels. That phenomenon is indicative of man’s nature & propensity to ‘overact’ within a society where there is an absence of a referee (the Rule of Law). The Rule of Law referee adapts anarchic chaos into civilized order.
The schmiss (or dueling scar) was a sign of nobility, and of bravery. They got those scars from fencing, the most well known figure to wear those scars, in my opinion, was Lieutenant Colonel Otto Skorzeny. Fictionally, Leon Askin’s General Burkhalter character from Hogan’s Heroes wore those scars as well.
My Austrian exes father had scars from when he was at university. He was in an organization, my girlfriend called them, “the face slappers” which was probably an in joke. He was a lawyer and in the Austrian government. My girlfriend told me they would get a cut and the med students would sow them up so they would get a good scar.
As someone who is part of a german fraternity and as someone who had his share of mensurs, i can say that this article is very well researched and describes the concept of the mensur well for people that have never heard of it, but to be honest most of the cinematic depictions are rather silly compared to what actually takes place
Since I have one of this so called “Schmiss” myself yes this is still a thing to this day. Also the Rules may vary depending on the regional Rules so does the Protection. Always protected are the eyes, the nose and neck and in most regions the ears. Also it is only allowed to aim for the head and if “Tief Partie” with “low” hits the left check if both are right handed . To hit the right check is forbidden cause you cant guard it. Also there are many strict rules that are to follow to ensure that only clean cuts are a posibly outcome if you get hit. There is much more about this and it is very complex also there are difference between “Pflicht” Mandatory Mensur and a Personal one . It is meant to strenghen youre character and stay silent don’t do illegal hits during a “relative ” safe match between u and another one who is at the same level if paired correctly and as it should be in the “Pflicht” ones . Also no not all german fraternities are right winged or nazi affiliated thats also bias because its old an has historical background. Also they say its sexist because in “schlagende Verbindungen ” there are only male members. Thats for one we have “Anstand ” decency and don’t want to harm women cause who knows decensy you don’t harm children, don’t hit women and have respect for elders. Also there are biological diferences and no I don’t want to discuss this hornet nest deeper. Sadly there are of course black sheeps in these that are in this political spectrum but at least where I was they were frowned upon and not liked.
We have to keep in mind that history is the story of humanity and that the bad guy Troup of the scar faced villin in most cases comes from our veterans who saw things they didnt fully understand during their service. We can measure the changes in society and determine what truth is but its just better to have records like in this case.
I’ve read that some students would hire doctors to give them a mensur-like scar on their cheek. The doctor would make a clean cut, put a horse hair in the wound and patch it without stitches. After a week he would open the wound and pull out the horse hair, leaving a perfect scar on the students cheek.
There is one person I know that literally fought around 12 matches for his mensur organisation. This is far from normal by the way as most people that fence only fight two matches in their lifes (the reason being that two matches are required to become respected members of the organisations). That one guy has his entire face covered in scars. He is a lifetime member of extraordinary honor to his organisation because he has earned such a reputation for himself and his folks. One information I’d add to the article: There are different types of sabres, varying in weight and size. They go from 500 grams to 5 kgs. Depending on which one you use, the probability of getting nasty scars is much higher. Needless to say, that guy I know went the extra mile to always fight with the heaviest sabres allowed.
The Mensur shown at 1:28 is very realistic. The speed, the position of the arm and body as well as the protection is like it is today. Both try to parry the blows of the opponent using their arm protection, while keeping in constant motion. As said, during the Mensur, there is no crying or insulting. The duelists are not allowed to speak (only “halt” when they were hit or loose their Schläger). Also making a step or shoulder/head movement is prohibited, since this could result in bad injuries- also the Mensur will not be accepted. Thank you for this article. You hardly find such a content in Germany/Austria. Especially in Austria, Tennagers between 15 to 18 can join fencing fraternities too. However these “college fraternities” are using really blunt sabers and sturdy head/ arm protection, but with naked upper body, and these type of Mensur actually looks like a classic duel since the fencers are allowed to move back and forth.
As a german and someone who is into historical martial arts the mensur always makes me laugh. If you hide your entire body in protective gear and only leave out one small portion out for the only reason of getting a specific scar to look tough, you might just as well go to a piercer in your area and let him make the cut you want with a surgeons blade. Truly the logic of a child to connect this with “bravery” or something.
With my Great-Grandfather, it was the other way round. He was an Infantryman in WW1. An enemy soldier charged him with a sabre and sliced his cheek open, he killed him with his bayonet. After the war was over, everybody saw his scar, and assumed that he was a member of such a fraternity. Never even having studied, he took it as a compliment, and never told anybody the real reason for his scar, he only told his son about it, arguing that he had some kind of a duel after all. 😂 But this shows that having such a scar once really was something respectable. Today at campus in Austria or Germany, you rarely see young students with these, it’s gone very much out of style. Mainly due to the fact, that most (not all though) of these fencing fraternities are veeeery conservative at best, if not reeealy right-wing.
The scars still happen regularly, what has improved is medicine and more importantly the Schmiss has lost its societal value. Back in the day it was seen as the entry card into higher society, so many participants would have their wounds sewn together with horse hair, so that the wound would infect and leave behind a visible scar, nowadays it mostly just looks like a scratch at first glance. (The blades are razor sharp and get disinfected before every “Gang” (4+ strikes per side according to the local rules before there is a short break), so they cause very fine and clean cuts that are easy to tend to)
I’ve read a few books that talked about this culture of dueling scars to the face. There are stories of people faking scars by cutting themselves on purpose in order to get the right look. Im not sure how many scars were from dules and how many were self inflicted for the asthetic itself but there are certainly accounts of some being self inflicted. Of those self inflicted it would seem they were for appearance alone but knowing the cultural background it could be assumed some were also for the bragging rights. Essentially faking their experience. The scars were real but the method that placed them was fabricated. I wonder what percentage was real. I would assume the vast majority simply due to the duelist circles being personal affairs.
Or,….you could enroll in your local firefighting squad (or similar) and help your community while at the same time putting your life in danger, therefore displaying utter courage! Rather than trying to shave your partner, at a distance. Saying that this is a display of courage….seems more like a display of idiocy.
I believe it was in Starship Troopers, of all things, 😮 that I first encountered the term “Heidelberg Scars.” I later looked up the term, and found it astounding, yet very appropriate that German universities still had such practices. Very good, Johnny. I like how you’ve implied that it was the “Old Aristocracy” or Prussian nobility that had dueling scars, and thus bearers of such distinguishing marks were in fact unlikely to be diehard Nazis. 🫡
I once got cut across the orbital while larping with a friend with a VERY crude ork cleaver imitation I made out of an old curtain rail a few days earlier. First couple of days it just looked like a regular black eye from a punch, but then for a couple of weeks I was proudly wearing a really cool looking Geralt-style eye scar. Was only skin deep though, so went away eventually without a trace 😅
It is very important to know that organizations, that practice Mensur today, called Burschenschaften (loosely translated to fraternity) are known for their ultra-nationalist, far-right ideology. They are also called schlagende Burschenschaften (meaning “fighting” or “hitting” Burschenschaften) or deutsch-nationale Burschenschaften (“German-national” Burschenschaften). Even though they were banned during the Nazi Regime, they play an important role today as a bridge between far-right extremism and right-wing parliamentary parties, like the AFD in Germany or the FPÖ in Austria. And although fraternity and academic pursuit seem like sensible values, they use their status to push an elitist, nationalist, anti-Semitic, and ultra-masculine agenda. Being part of a Burschenschaft hast nothing to do with honour and pride, but rather partaking and upholding an elitist and discriminatory organization.
I dont think the narrator properly understands why and how it was done. In the article you mostly see training scenarios from a movie. These were meant to prepare you for situations where you accidentally sullied the honor of a member of a different mensur. They would fence 3 rounds unless blood was drawn, whoever wins has to buy drinks for both contestants. It is done differently today. Whoever empties 500ml of beer first is the modern version.
Not a fan of people hyping this up. Firstly it’s a moronic belief that you have to prove your manhood by visually scarring each other, secondly, as most people in german speaking countries know, fraternities who practice mensur are often associated with far right ideas and neo-nazism therfore some are even being observed by defense of constitution or are completely forbidden.
Just one small hint: It wasn´t the Universities where the mensur was practise, but the so called “Burschenschaften”, which roughly translates to a fraternity, but they would usually share a big house which would in part be financed by the “Alte Herren”, so the Alumni who previously belonged to the “Burschenschaft”, but not on campus as a fraternity usually does. My brother actually was in a Burschenschaft in Würzburg and this tradition is still practised in the silicence of privacy until today.
There’s actually a German soldier from the war recruited by the United States to be a consultant for our government any other scars and eventually earned an award buy a US government he made public appearances I don’t recall his name but he did live a full life in our America. If anyone knows his name please share it with us.
I really don’t understand the thinking behind a scar being imposing or bad ass. To me that meant you lossed and suck at this so called dumb sport. The guy who doesn’t have any scars but won the match is considered not bad ass? If a guy that went 20-0 and no scars is considered not bad ass because he doesn’t have any scars but the guy that losses 20 matches and is riddle with scars is considered the victor? How does this make any sense?! Even Hitler saw how dumb this so called sport is. This ranks up there with eating tide pods.
Not 100% accurate but we appreciate the effort put into the article. Fencing is still a very important part of German fraternity culture. If one gets the chance to visit a fencing fraternity and maybe even attend a Mensur, one should certainly take it. There are fencing frats in almost every German and Austria university city. Düsseldorf too 😉
It has gotten less common, but I still remember that the “schlagende Verbindung” (aka Mensur) encouraged us to join at university. And I know people who did. I always found that it has lost its significance and that the people just felt extremely old fashioned (or simply weird), but it must have been different a century ago.
youtube.com/watch?v=e6qZmZKn2xE I watched the above documentary on SS officers early yesterday. There was a collage of photos of very renowned SS who had exceptionally cruel reputations. One photo stood out to me because his mouth, chin and jaw were disfigured due to long, deep slash-like scars. Until seeing your article, I was wondering how this could have happened to him. I believe you’ve answered my question. Side note: One of my dearer friends was born and raised in Germany. She told me that they were not taught any history about Hitler, WWI and WWII in the Catholic schools. In fact, those topics were taboo even at home.