Wiktenauer Update: Andre Paurñfeyndt

[Michael Chidester]

One of my students, Jeremiah Smith, has finally taken an interest in doing composite work. He's compiled the four known versions of Andre Paurñfeyndt's fascinating treatise. This includes my first ever manual transcription, from the rare 1516 edition. Paurñfeyndt's work is quite different from those of his fellow masters in the Liechtenauer tradition, perhaps because of his stated intention to provide a textbook for beginning swordsmen. Enjoy.

http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Andre_Paur%C3%B1feyndt

[KeithFarrell]

Superb, thank you!

[Ivan]

Wow. This surely is different. Winging? Kron is a strike?

Step and strike through from above with your long edge to his left ear, step and strike the second with your short edge above below the right ear, and strike the third going backwards with the long edge.

Ooooh. Combo strings. Is this a triple zwerch?

[Michael Chidester]

Kevin Maurer of the Meyer FreiFechter Guild has kindly donated a translation of the Longsword section to the wiki, which is now in its proper position online.

[Ran Pleasant]

Wow. This surely is different. Winging? Kron is a strike?

Step and strike through from above with your long edge to his left ear, step and strike the second with your short edge above below the right ear, and strike the third going backwards with the long edge.

Ooooh. Combo strings. Is this a triple zwerch?

No, Kron is not a strike. The text is talking about striking cuts from Kron. All of the 16 possible cuts that can be made with a longsword can be made from Kron. Please check out the following video to see how the cuts are made from Kron.

http://www.thearma.org/Videos/JC_ontheRealLongsword.m4v

This video will also be of help to you.
http://www.thearma.org/Videos/LongswordLesson1.m4v

Ran Pleasant

[Michael Chidester]

The interesting thing about the Kronhau here is that the counter to it that Paurnfeyndt describes is actually the technique which Meyer labels the Kronhau itself.

[Ran Pleasant]

Michael

Yes, I did overlooked the Kronhau in Meyer. But there is nothing special about Meyer's Kronhau, it is just a cut from the Kron guard/position and he does not even note the angle of the cut. Depending on how one pushes the pommel up they can produce a vertical cut, a diagonal cut, or a horizontal cut. And as seen in the video all of the possible 16 cuts can be made from Kron. In both Meyer and Andre Paurñfeyndt it's clear they are demonstrating a technique for cutting rather than some specialized cut. In the end I would still say that Kron is not a cut, it is a guard/position.

Ran

[Michael Chidester]

I agree, the first part of Paurnfeyndt is generally just describing cutting sequences that involve the technique named. For another example, in the Flugel device only the second cut of the three is the Flugelhau itself.

[Ben Halliwell]

Excellent, thank you guys for doing this!

Long ago I came across a copy of this treatise in the Glasgow museum and I was wondering if the gathered feet positions shown in the images could fill in a gap from Meyers footwork. Now I can find out, awesome.