Poll: How much do you think Medievil swords weigh?
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The rapier is the only blade worth using anyways, and I believe those weigh at most 3 pounds.
I have a pair of replicated medieval hand-and-a-half swords (sharpened, tapered, with an unadorned crossguard), and neither of them could possibly weigh more than seven.
I have a pair of replicated medieval hand-and-a-half swords (sharpened, tapered, with an unadorned crossguard), and neither of them could possibly weigh more than seven.
The only thing that might have weighed more than 5 lbs in combat is the hand and a half sword - or bastard sword.
I would have voted for the right answer, but I wanted to ADD to the headaches of all the people who are trying to figure out if people are actually that stupid. See if you can guess what my vote was.
I would have voted for the right answer, but I wanted to ADD to the headaches of all the people who are trying to figure out if people are actually that stupid. See if you can guess what my vote was.
the point is, the weapons weren't particularly heavy. they were heavy enough to be deadly, and strong enough to carry an edge.. some of them were large, and heavier then other blades, but when compared to the numbers in the poll, it's ridiculous.Kogarian said:
Hmmm.
Let me go weigh my replica claymore.
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About 5.5 lbs.
There are two kinds of swords bigger than claymores, the Japanese 'Horse-killer' and the Scottish 'Slaughter-Sword'.
Neither are above ten.
And as for Angus, you have lost even MORE of my respect.
Let me go weigh my replica claymore.
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About 5.5 lbs.
There are two kinds of swords bigger than claymores, the Japanese 'Horse-killer' and the Scottish 'Slaughter-Sword'.
Neither are above ten.
And as for Angus, you have lost even MORE of my respect.
You could not be more wrong. Where the hell did you get a number like 20lbs for that? With those dimensions, a sword made of most common grades of steel would weigh roughly 150lbs. I would estimate it to be something like 110-120lbs if you calculate in the taper.GloatingSwine said:
Given how many people voted for other than "15 lbs. or less," I'd say he now thinks we're (at the time of posting) 64% dumb.Spacelord said:
I mean, seriously. Oh, and everyone asking "what type of medieval sword?" It doesn't matter. The only possible response that could change the right answer is "real or ceremonial."
I don't think the word "ceremonial" is right there.. more like.. "fake".. ceremonial weapons, like those used in religious rites, and heirlooms that weren't used for fighting, are rarely as much heavy as it could make a difference.. If you're talking about a video game or comic character's weapon that's based on the imagination of a person and not any real historical accuracy, then it might weigh an amount that is infeasible in a weapon based in reality.NeutralDrow said:
"Used in rites and stuff" was what I meant by ceremonial...but admittedly, that's based entirely on one sword I saw in the White Tower at the Tower of London that was about 10' tall. It was the only maybe 15+ lb. sword I could think of.Altorin said:
I'm not sure in weight in lbs. but I've held one and it's pretty damn heavy. Chainmail's a ***** to wear too.
Oh and shields.
Oh and shields.
It greatly depends. Remember that Replicas and such are made with modern materials and steel, and might not be all that effective if they were actually used.
Contrary to heroic fantasy slicing through chain mail or hitting the gaps in someone's plate mail (when they are turning to stop you, knowing an enemy is going to try this) is not easy to do. Most ancient weapons were designed to be heavy and land very hard blows to pummel shields out of the way and hack through armor (or inflict massive impact when they don't impact).
It's going to vary of course, and it depends on the sword and what your going to do with it. But in general if your a serious fighter your going to work on building up your strength and carry the heaviest weapon you can carry. All of this "Swishy poke" stuff you see in movies is BS. Even Samurai Swordsmanship (the real stuff, used in combat) is a very "straight" style designed to deliver a lot of power. The Katas you see in movies look pretty but aren't actual combat techniques. A lot of people expecting "Samurai Fever" tend to be overwhelmed when they see actual demonstrations or matches involving Kendo or whatever.
So really, I'd have to ask here "whose sword"?
Also real sword fights are over with pretty quickly. Hollywood draws things out to be dramatic, but in general you don't get into these 5 minute+ strike/parry/lock matchups. Again it looks cool, but in reality when it's not a show it doesn't work quite like that. So a lot of people assuming that your sword would have to be fairly light so you could hold it for a really long time constantly, are missing the point.
Also remember that putting modern edges and such on weapons wasn't really possible back then. So of course walking up with say a Carbon Steel or Titanium sword and slashing through the hood of a car with a sword that only weighs 6 pounds isn't really accurate. Though admittedly your probably looking at a pretty good rendition of what a "magical sword" might be like in comparison to the weapons guys were actually carrying (extremely light, and being able to deliver a lot of force (and cutting) with less effort, parting steel with 'little effort').
Contrary to heroic fantasy slicing through chain mail or hitting the gaps in someone's plate mail (when they are turning to stop you, knowing an enemy is going to try this) is not easy to do. Most ancient weapons were designed to be heavy and land very hard blows to pummel shields out of the way and hack through armor (or inflict massive impact when they don't impact).
It's going to vary of course, and it depends on the sword and what your going to do with it. But in general if your a serious fighter your going to work on building up your strength and carry the heaviest weapon you can carry. All of this "Swishy poke" stuff you see in movies is BS. Even Samurai Swordsmanship (the real stuff, used in combat) is a very "straight" style designed to deliver a lot of power. The Katas you see in movies look pretty but aren't actual combat techniques. A lot of people expecting "Samurai Fever" tend to be overwhelmed when they see actual demonstrations or matches involving Kendo or whatever.
So really, I'd have to ask here "whose sword"?
Also real sword fights are over with pretty quickly. Hollywood draws things out to be dramatic, but in general you don't get into these 5 minute+ strike/parry/lock matchups. Again it looks cool, but in reality when it's not a show it doesn't work quite like that. So a lot of people assuming that your sword would have to be fairly light so you could hold it for a really long time constantly, are missing the point.
Also remember that putting modern edges and such on weapons wasn't really possible back then. So of course walking up with say a Carbon Steel or Titanium sword and slashing through the hood of a car with a sword that only weighs 6 pounds isn't really accurate. Though admittedly your probably looking at a pretty good rendition of what a "magical sword" might be like in comparison to the weapons guys were actually carrying (extremely light, and being able to deliver a lot of force (and cutting) with less effort, parting steel with 'little effort').