History, Mythology, Art and RPGs

[Brainfart]

Personally, I prefer the clean and simple lines of the Hersir to the 'busier' hilt outlines of Patrick Barta's custom swords. I appreciate the workmanship from a technical perspective, but those swords seem to be more of status symbols than weapons. Just look at this pommel: http://www.templ.net/pics-making/decoration/cloisonne05v.jpg I wouldn't have the heart to use that sword.

The ideal Viking sword for me would be one of those pattern welded blades married to the Hersir's hilt furniture. Understated elegance combined with stark lethality.

 

[Galloglaich]

Yeah some of those get a bit ornate, but the Migration era ones were crazy lethal works of art... for people who carried much of what they owned with them (especially if they were Migratring ). Barta is one of the few who can pull off the look with sufficient style that it doesn't look ridiculously baroque. But I agree with you a plain Hersir with a pattern welded blade would be scary cool.

And I can definitely relate to where you are coming from, I like the simpler forms a lot too. One of my all-time favorite antiques is the so called Henry V sword, so simple, so elegant, so damn lethal looking.

Imagine running across that in a box when you were cleaning up... (which is how it was found

http://www.myarmoury.com/review_aa_hen.html

G.

 

[Galloglaich]

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/bbq-sword/index.html

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm down in Texas...we'd probably want a BBQ Claymore.

 

[Galloglaich]

Hussites vs. Catholic Crusaders from 1957 Czech film about Jan Ziska

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE-ghxHNhl0&feature=related]YouTube - PROTI VŠEM (Against All, 1957) - Battle On Vitkov, Part2[/ame]


Sort of the Eastern European version of Braveheart, it's the true story of Bohemian peasants triumphing over huge international knightly army, (six times over 15 years) partly by inventing a variety of new firearms like the hook-gun and the howitzer, and other weapons such as the flail, and making excellent use of wagon-forts called wagenburgs.

G.

 

[Galloglaich]

Medieval whodunnit from Scotland

Medieval News: Face of a Medieval Knight revealed

G.

 

[Jack7]

I enjoyed both those last two posts Gall. You always have interesting and useful research.

 

[Galloglaich]

Thanks man Here is an interesting vid, one of the first all-steel longsword tournaments which has been done to date, by a Polish HEMA group. Takes some balls to spar with steel at full speed without any restrictions on where you can stab or cut... helps to have a lot of good safety gear

http://vimeo.com/9960737

 

[Jack7]

Takes some balls to spar with steel at full speed without any restrictions on where you can stab or cut... helps to have a lot of good safety gear

I've been in a knife fight. It takes a lotta balls, but you don't think about that when it happens. You think a lotta bout it afterwards though. I don't think I'd have risked that if I'd a thought about it first.

Then again I guess I could say the same thing about a couple of times I been shot at too. Good thing people have short memories.

My wife says, "you stupid white men run straight at danger." I'm not sure that's absolutely true. But she thinks it is.

Looking forwards to watching the video.

 

[Galloglaich]

I've been in a knife fight. It takes a lotta balls, but you don't think about that when it happens. You think a lotta bout it afterwards though. I don't think I'd have risked that if I'd a thought about it first.

Then again I guess I could say the same thing about a couple of times I been shot at too. Good thing people have short memories.

My wife says, "you stupid white men run straight at danger." I'm not sure that's absolutely true. But she thinks it is.

Looking forwards to watching the video.

I was reading an interesting article about hormones and what happens to animals after they win fights... in a nutshell, Rams (male sheep) win some fights with other rivals, they get a testosterone surge, which makes them grow bigger, increases their strength and confidence... and aggression. A little bit of this is a good thing. When they win too many fights though, they can become reckless.

Apparently a lot of these big horn sheep they find in this one part of Canada which have fallen off of cliffs, turned out to be dominant males. Similarly with some species of fish and birds; they go through this testosterone surge which makes them superdominant over their rivals, but then they expose themselves to predators. I've seen that myself with cichlids.

All that stuff about fight and flight, morale, honor etc. are really interesting subjects to me which I think could be explored in fun ways in an RpG one day.

Or maybe not

G.