myArmoury.com - "Fantasy" Weapons from the Middle Ages

Posts: 578 Location: Georgia

Mon 04 Aug, 2014 8:43 am

Craig Peters wrote:

I'm not really sure what to call the polearm that dominates the front portion of this painting of Christ before Caiaphas, although its size is massive and seems to border on fantasy-ish proportions. Note also the extremely long ahlspiess in the background.
[snip pic]

Source: As the watermark indicates, it's from Imareal, bild 000305.

I would consider that large spear something of an exaggerated partizan or hunting spear.

The picture is particularly noteworthy for having a couple of very nicely depicted scabbard rigs, plus the guy carrying the funky weapon is also wearing what appears to be leather or cloth covered armour. A nice find.

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Mart Shearer

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Posts: 1,303 Location: Jackson, MS, USA

Mon 04 Aug, 2014 9:19 am

Jeffrey Faulk wrote:

Craig Peters wrote:

I'm not really sure what to call the polearm that dominates the front portion of this painting of Christ before Caiaphas, although its size is massive and seems to border on fantasy-ish proportions. Note also the extremely long ahlspiess in the background.
[snip pic]

Source: As the watermark indicates, it's from Imareal, bild 000305.

I would consider that large spear something of an exaggerated partizan or hunting spear.

The picture is particularly noteworthy for having a couple of very nicely depicted scabbard rigs, plus the guy carrying the funky weapon is also wearing what appears to be leather or cloth covered armour. A nice find.

I'm showing bild 000318...

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Shahril Dzulkifli

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Posts: 1,265 Location: Malaysia

Wed 06 Aug, 2014 7:24 pm

"Fantasy" Weapons from the Middle Ages

Nobody including myself knew that 'fantasy' weapons existed since the Middle Ages.
I wonder if the weapons shown in those manuscripts were used in real life back then...or not.

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Craig Peters

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Posts: 2,167

Fri 20 Nov, 2015 5:01 pm

A peculiar single-edged sword seen among the legions behind the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, BNF Français 403 Apocalypse, circa 1250 AD.

[ Linked Image ]

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Jonathan Hodge

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Posts: 132 Location: East Tennessee

Fri 20 Nov, 2015 6:17 pm

Craig Peters wrote:

Another image that has been posted elsewhere, this two-handed sword seems like a strange form of falchion.

[ Linked Image ]

Source: http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4373/7073/

Coincidentally, I've seen one and two handed versions of this falchion-esque weapon being used in some footage from Battle of the Nations. .

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Michael Beeching

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Posts: 271

Sun 22 Nov, 2015 6:52 pm

Craig Peters wrote:

David versus Goliath in the same manuscript.

[ Linked Image ]

Source: http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4741/13617/

This looks to be exactly in the same guise as the "military cleavers" seen in the Morgan Bible. A few of the drawings you linked to on page #3 also have the same general characteristics of a long grip and a fairly short blade.

I don't know why it's so hard for some to believe the Morgan Bible falchions existed. Weapons of that sort seem to have existed in China at a large scale. I wonder if part of the problem is our familiarity with mass production - we tend to think of a limited number of manufacturers and thus a limied variety of products. We tend to forget that such standards were limited, perhaps nonexistant in Medieval Europe. Thus, you are left with the reality of an unfathomable number of makers, each producing weapons, each of which are somehow unique.

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James Moore

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Posts: 61

Tue 24 Nov, 2015 1:12 pm

Jonathan Hodge wrote:

Coincidentally, I've seen one and two handed versions of this falchion-esque weapon being used in some footage from Battle of the Nations. .

two real ones survive apparently - I've attached a photo of one in Paris.

the "battle of nations" style repros are awful apparently - balanced completely wrong, the only thing that's close is the profile.

But really good replicas have been made too: http://www.elmslie.co.uk/sale-item.php?id=60
Inlaid with 24kt gold... :eek: Wish I could justify something like that!

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