Photos by Chris Zaluski | The Roanoke Times

Bill Goodwin (left) and Will Goodwin practice German longsword fighting techniques at American Freestyle Karate Studio in Salem.

Bill Goodwin shows off his 1640 English mortuary hilt sword reproduction while Gary Hall (not pictured) shows the authentic sword in a history book.

Will Goodwin holds his sword in a guard position in a duel against Bill Goodwin (no relation) during the German Longsword Study Group at American Freestyle Karate Studio in Salem.

An authentic 1796 Scottish brass basket hilt sabre owned by Gary Hall.

A 16th-century Afghani Poulwar sword owned by Will Goodwin.

A 1780 light cavalry Hussar sabre owned by Will Goodwin.

Steel swords clash in midair as two fighters gracefully step around each other, evading attacks and planning strikes. Protected only by fencing helmets and padded gloves, they are practicing the same methods used by medieval knights centuries ago.

It may seem like an odd fit inside the walls of the American Freestyle Karate studio in downtown Salem. But nearly every Sunday evening, these men practice a martial art just as intricate -- and lethal -- as its more commonly known Asian counterparts.

"Europe has its own form of martial arts, and the swordsmanship side of it was pretty much lost with the introduction of gunpowder," said Bill Goodwin, 47, co-founder of the German Longsword Study Group. "We are breathing life into a lost art."

The few people who meet for the study group each week practice the 14th- and 15th-century European fight manuscripts the same way they were studied hundreds of years ago. It's about making the experience as historically accurate as possible, Goodwin said.

That idea of reconnecting with history has attracted Goodwin and his friends to swords for many years, and the study group is just one outlet for this interest.

Another is sword collecting.

Showing and teaching

Three years ago, Goodwin had the idea to start the Roanoke Sword Guilde with his friends and fellow sword enthusiasts Gary Hall and Will Goodwin -- no relation to Bill -- and his wife Jeanie.

The guild's mission is to educate and share the history of swords through presentations for schools, youth groups and Renaissance festivals by displaying antique weaponry and martial art.

The presentations are more than just showing off the members' collections, Bill Goodwin said. "It's passing on the history of it.

"Between all of us, we probably have a quarter to a half million dollars' worth of antique weapons," said Hall, 48. "And we're just like, 'No one gets to see this stuff and no one gets to see how it was really used.' "

The group's immense collection is the result of decades of buying and studying swords.

For guildsmen Hall and Will Goodwin, their love for swords started at a young age. Will Goodwin, 41, purchased his first sword at age 12. Hall was 9 when his stepfather gave him a sword he found while clearing an old slave quarters behind his boyhood home in Salem. They both still own those swords.

As for Bill Goodwin, though he's had an interest in swords for decades, his passion for collecting was sparked by the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy nearly 10 years ago.

Now, the group owns nearly 200 swords, 90 percent of which are authentic antiques, with many worth thousands of dollars.

Story of the sword

On a recent Monday evening, an informal meeting is taking place at Bill Goodwin's house in Roanoke. The three men and Jeanie sit around talking about the numerous swords spread out on the floor: a Scottish brass basket-hilt sabre from 1796, a 16th-century Afghani Poulwar sword, a 1780 light cavalry Hussar sabre. The swords include both two-handers and sabres.

"What this blade has seen in 500 years just boggles the mind sometimes," said Will, as he holds the group's oldest blade, which dates to the 1400s. "Who's held it? Who's used it? Who's suffered because of it?"

These questions are usually hard, if not impossible, to answer for many of the swords the men own.

For example, Hall's Scottish brass basket-hilted saber from 1796 is one of a kind. The only other similar style he's seen was in the Culloden Battlefield Museum in Culloden, Scotland.

He knows that the sword was used at the Culloden battle and that after the battle, the remaining blades were used as fence posts. Other than those few details, the centuries in between are a mystery.

"Once you own it, you want to find out as much as you can about who owned this," Hall said. "Where did it come from? What battlefield it's been on? What's it done?"

Recognizing the numerous types of swords, the time periods when they were forged and even where they're from requires extensive research.

"We love history. That's what's brought us together," Bill Goodwin said.

Indeed, in the past 20 years, there has been a surge in the creation of groups such as theirs, he added. There are even national organizations such as the Historical European Martial Arts Alliance that aim to connect groups from all over the country.

Sound investments

Years ago, Hall bought a Japanese katana for $600. After holding on to the sword for almost eight years, he found a collector willing to buy it from him. Hall sold the katana for enough money to buy a 50-foot houseboat in cash that he now lives aboard at Smith Mountain Lake.

"These are the best investments I could ever make," Hall said. "It's a lot better than the stock market."

Though it's not nearly as common anymore because of the Internet, rare finds in pawn shops and antique stores could be worth thousands if you know what to look for.

"After 20 years of studying, certain things fall into place," said Will, who once purchased a blade for $68 that is now worth nearly $800. "The 20 years of sitting in a den at night instead of watching television ... if I see a [blade] out, all that stuff just comes back."

Though Bill Goodwin doesn't own nearly as many antique swords as Will Goodwin or Hall, even the 15 or so reproductions he does own will increase in value.

"The very minute I sell you one of these, it's worth more than what you paid for it," Hall said.

Though the Roanoke Sword Guilde and the study group are technically separate, the members share strong interests in reconnecting with European history.

"Most everybody I know who collects has at least tried some form of fencing," Will Goodwin said.

Though the longsword group uses replica swords with dull edges, that doesn't mean the sport is without injury, as in dislocated thumbs, cut forearms and bruised biceps.

"What does it say about our personality when that's fun?" said Will Goodwin, laughing, during a recent Sunday evening practice. "Because this is just a blast to us."