I was thinking about medieval swords and the general public's perception of them. As everyone here undoubtedly knows, the general public's perception of anything medieval is usually rife with inaccuracies and anachronisms. So, I was wondering: if we were to ask people from the general public at large to describe what they thought the "classic" historical medieval sword looked like, how do you think it would look according to their description? Let's assume for the moment that they don't have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and historical types of designs and will pick a design that is somewhat historical, if perhaps anachronistic, in nature.

I guess the real point of this question is, what is the general perception of what medieval swords are like floating out in the public consciousness, or what would people identify as the Platonic Form, if you will, for a medieval sword?

My guess is that it will look something like Albion Armorer's Squire. However, the grip would lack the risers that the Squire has, and that the guard would be more like the one found on the Senlac. My guess is that if you showed people photos of this sword and asked them if this is what the "classic" medieval sword looked like, they'd tend to agree, favouring it even over photos of other, earlier swords from Oakeshott's typology. I am curious as to what everyone else thinks on this subject.

PS: If someone wouldn't mind doing a Photoshop of the sword I described with Albion's Campaign Worn brown for the grip, I'd like to see it.

I can tell you mine, before I really got into swords.

Straight blade with no profile taper. Spatulate point. Simple straight cross guard. Plain wheel pommel.

Basically this sword with a longer hilt and no fuller.

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Most people ordering a sword from our workshop ask for a sword with a flat disc pommel and a straight guard, like Patrick's picture above. Because of that we call it "The Medieval Standard" (Mittelalter Standard). :lol:

For me the Knight is the quintessential medieval sword. The Steward is up there though. :)

I know that when I first got interested in learning about historical swords, I was surprised to see how thin they are when looking at them from the side. It sounds so foolish to me now, but at the time I envisioned them being almost cubicle, if that makes any sense. Functionally, of course this is absurd, but from t.v. and movies I usually only saw them from the front, and I was shocked to see how narrow they are in reality.

I would say that before I began learning about swords, I probably invisioned the "classic" sword would have a hilt similar to the Black Prince with a blade more like that of the Albion Baron.

Kenton

I would think the archetype of the medieval sword would be rather like a type XI - long, parallel edges, mildly pointed, fuller, straight cross and disc pommel.

Hmmmm.... strange. When I look at all the swords I've seen on the net, one sword always feels most...medieval to me.

And it always looks like the Gaddhjalt ( or perhaps a little like the st. Maurice, too ). :wtf:

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I don't know why I think this way. Maybe it was those little toy Normans and Anglo-Saxons I played with so much, when I was a kid... ;)

Guys, I appreciate that some of you want to share your ideas about what the quintessential medieval sword is. However, my question isn't really asking about what your opinion of the quintessential medieval sword is; I know that pretty much everyone here at myArmoury is much more sophisticated that the average person and has a far better idea of what the quintessential sword might be like. I'm more interested in your thoughts and ideas about what the lay public thinks and why. If you don't have any ideas about this, consider asking someone you know who is a member of the lay public.

I think that those without a deeper interest in history will tend to be influenced by the latest popular films. Fortunately, Kingdom of Heaven illustrated some swords that weren't too bad, if not necessarily correct for the period.

I believe the general population's concept of the archetypical medieval sword would be some fantasy creation. Something from Lord of the Rings, Excalibur, Conan, Kingdom of Heaven, and the like would all be included as answers to such a poll. It would be speculation to know if these items would appear before actual historical swords in the polls, but I personally have no doubt that they'd rank highly.

and it had better make a really lound SHHIIIIIIINGGG!!!!! when you draw it.

Kenton

While it's probably true that the general public's idea of what the quintessential medieval sword is while involve fantasy elments, let's suppose for the sake of discussion what I said initially: "Let's assume for the moment that they don't have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and historical types of designs and will pick a design that is somewhat historical, if perhaps anachronistic, in nature."

Craig Peters - Just wanted you to know that I did what you asked. My description was from when I was a kid, before I even saw a wallhanger. I used to hate European swords, because they were so plain. Then I discovered that real European swords could be beautiful, even though most are visually boring.

If you ask kids today who grew up on Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, then you may get different answers.