Stumbling Into A Bronze Age Sword Fight

It was early morning, misty and dark. I was walking along the edge of an escarpment. The path was barely distinguishable from the tussocky grass either side. As I walked, the eerie surroundings sent me into a more receptive state of mind. A tall figure passed me going the opposite way. Usually the early morning dog walkers have flashlights and the dogs have lights on their collars. This figure had neither. I had no reason to think they were anything other than a flesh and blood human on an early walk, but the way the figure floated through the mist made me a little uncertain. What I was about to see was most certainly not living or ordinary.

Ahead of me the land rose slightly, an ominous dark cloud of mist hung over the highest point. It seemed as if I was walking on and on. I began to wonder when the next landmark would appear.

As I approached the darker mist I saw things from the past.

A palisade appeared where now there is nothing but grass. It looked something like this. en.wikipedia.org...

Inside the palisade the action unfolded, disturbing enough to be on my mind for the two weeks since.

What I saw was a brief glimpse of a sword fight between several men. Possibly around eight or more combatants, difficult to estimate as it was a flurry of rapid movement. The swords were short, the clothing minimal, not big men but very muscular. The style of fighting was furious.

There seemed to be no defensive actions and no retreat. Each man threw himself forward chest first, cutting with great speed at arms, legs, neck. The ground seemed stained with blood as if this was the final of a number of fights on the same spot.

Another group stood some distance away screaming at the fighters. At the centre of this group was a tallish figure in a hooded cloak, either side of this figure were shorter figures, some wearing cloaks. They appeared to be a woman or women and older children.

The nature of the fight suggested there may have been no survivors. Such trauma could explain why the scene is still played out for the sensitive wanderer out walking in the dark.

It was a couple of days before I realised the short swords were probably bronze. Looking into what's known about bronze swords I can see why they would try to avoid striking bone or their opponents sword. They're easily damaged. I suspect the design uses aerodynamic principles, enabling them to be fluttered like a leaf cutting with great rapidity.

www.museumoflondonprints.com...

Walking over that spot in daylight I felt a slight tingling in my hands. I haven't walked that way in the dark since then.

a reply to: Kester

No info as to where this was at, not even country or region?

No other details as to when or what time of night?

I mean sounds like some nice creative writing but let's be honest, you've been known to spin some pretty big yarns here on ats

Very interesting, past live intruding on present day perhaps? That’s a very clear description of the scene. Do you thing it’s from one of your past lives?

I had a dream like that once. It was many years ago now. I was reading about the Knights Templar in the crusades. In fact that very night I had the dream I was just reading about how king Richard had sacked Jerusalem Acre, emptied it of all its thousands of inhabitants and beheaded all of them like a raving madman drunk on power.

Also read about some really foolish exploits of the Templar, pillaging, and mass slaughtering cities, both "Christian" and Muslim.

So I fell asleep, and all the sudden I was in the thick of a massacre. It was gruesome. I saw the armored knights on horses, with their white robe with red cross over their armor not unlike this...



The knights were ferocious. They had thick beards and mustaches and had no pity or remorse. It was so vivid. I saw them in a desert-like ravine. It was sandy, clods of dry grass here and there, nothing green. And they were murdering other people with lust-filled eyes full of love of violence and cruelty.

It was so vivid as I saw them hacking the poor people to pieces, the blood gushing, the limbs flying, the blood-curdling cries of the helpless people they were massacring. It was so dreadful and demonic. I saw all of the knights Templar drenched in blood, filthy with dust, eyes full of everything bad, reveling in the violence. Delighting in the massacre. I never felt so utterly and totally disgusted and repulsed in all my life.

Then I woke up. I opened my eyes and stared into the darkness of the night and contemplated the dream I had and all its gory details Then I thought, man reading that history does a man mind games when he sleeps. Then I thought, what a horrible disgusting order, and group of people the Templar were in real life.

ETA:
I had to do a google about the Jerusalem part, this was years ago I read about it. It was the city of Acre, not Jerusalem. From wikipedia:

"The Massacre of Ayyadieh occurred during the Third Crusade after the fall of Acre when king Richard I of England had more than two thousand Muslim prisoners of war from the captured city killed in front of the Ayyubid armies of sultan Saladin on 20 August 1191. Despite attacks by Muslim forces during the killings, the Christian Crusaders were able to retire in good order."

a reply to: SimpleIdea

So do you think you were seeing the battle as it really happened? Or do you believe your mind made up this scenario due to what you were reading before going to sleep?

a reply to: Nickn3

. . . from one of your past lives?

If it was I hope I learned from it. The glory of death in battle leaves a great emptiness behind.

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: SimpleIdea

So do you think you were seeing the battle as it really happened? Or do you believe your mind made up this scenario due to what you were reading before going to sleep?

I don't lay claim to having supernatural dreams. I'm sure it was something my brain put together from what I was reading.

a reply to: SailorJerry

My location is given as Albion.

A poetic or literary term for Britain . . .

www.oxfordreference.com...
That should be obvious.

From the OP.

It was early morning . . .

There's another clue.

Usually the early morning dog walkers have flashlights . . .

Another clue, the pre-work dog walkers.

I think it's fairly clear this took place shortly before dawn in Britain.

. . . disturbing enough to be on my mind for the two weeks since.

Even allowing for cultural differences I think two weeks is more than a clue as to when.

Thanks for the compliment on the writing. I have more time available than usual. I made an effort to make it enjoyable reading, even if the subject matter is rather dark.

a reply to: Kester
So did this actually happen, or was it some sort of dream? Never the less it's still interesting.

a reply to: Rekrul

It happened as stated and it's disturbed me so much since I had to write it down.

a reply to: Kester
Do you think you could take a picture of the spot? That sounds very interesting. There's been a lot of people who say they've seen things early in the foggy morning and ghostly visages in historical spots. Does that particular land have any bloody history in its past?

a reply to: Kester

Based on what you've said about your area it could have very well been a ghostly reenactment of when the Roman's invaded the British isles, and made Londinium. It was very bloody, and other people have seen ghosts of Roman soldiers in other parts of Europe. Just food for thought.

a reply to: Rekrul

I don't want to identify the place because I live there at the moment. The place has massive history, including the more recent Romans.

a reply to: Kester

You are not the first or the only person to have seen ghost battles, mostly they are near to ancient battle sites but there are also story's related to roman amphitheaters and other places were stress, anger, sorrow, fear, pain and dread were probably very strongly felt by the combatant's, basically the most negative emotions human's can feel, these are psychically scarred places were lingering sorrow, regret and worse may still hold the soul's of some of those that were involved and prevent them from passing over to find peace.


This one was probably NEVER used in battle but it seems' to be at least as good as any steel sword and at least as sharp but it was from the end of the Bronze age and the other side of the world from ancient Britain.

a reply to: Kester

I obviously don't want to call you out, but you may have stumbled across something very very few people will. I'd just like to know the history of the land. It'll shine the light on the history of it.

a reply to: Kester
Do you think you could at least post an image of Google maps where this thing took place? That way we could kind of map it up with ancient locations, and get closer to the bottom of things. Maybe learn the ancient history of the area.

a reply to: Rekrul

I think it is fair to say that almost the entire UK surface area has had battles many time's as tribes and nation's have fought for control of these land's ever since the end of the last Ice Age, much of Britain has a reputation as one of the most haunted places in the world.

Actually the fight Kester saw sound's like either a feud OR champion's from opposing tribes as back then and in the later viking period a lot of disputes could be settled in that manner - not all obviously but a lot of them were so the champions of the two opposing army's or tribes would fight usually to the death to settle the matter and while not really civilized in our way of thinking it often then saved the lives of many more warrior's that may have been lost to both army's and since those warriors were often also father's and farmers the loss of those men for either or both sides could be devastating in early subsistence economy's.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Those are some great videos. I personally like the second one you posted. How in the hell did that ancient Chinese sword survive for so long, and be as sharp and beautiful as it remains today. Totally mind boggling.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Those are some great videos. I personally like the second one you posted. How in the hell did that ancient Chinese sword survive for so long, and be as sharp and beautiful as it remains today. Totally mind boggling.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Judging by the speed I saw the swords used I'm sure the owners must have practised every day. That got me thinking about Bronze Age sword practice, once an everyday thing and now a mystery. I suspect a fair number of inexperienced warriors died without even drawing blood from their opponent.

It seems likely the weapons deliberately damaged and ritually deposited were those belonging to the dead. Getting rid of the weapon may have helped survivors deal with the memory.

With its origins in the Bronze Age, one of the most mysterious phenomena in Celtic Europe is the practice of ‘Killing the Objects’ – the deliberate bending, breaking or otherwise deforming of weapons and other artifacts before depositing them in burials or as votive offerings at religious sanctuaries

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