[Merv Cannon]

Some of you may have heard of the 14thC. Baron von Clyde who had a sword with a unique pommel which, so the story goes, he used to catch his opponents blade and snap it in two. This would seem to me to be quite unachievable with a pommel. I remember reading about it a long time ago and I just stumbled across a "repro" of it still for sale. I tried doing a web-search but got nothing çause I wondered if there is any historical basis for this sword as I dont have the amount of books that some of you would have.
Does antone have any historical info on this Baron and/or photos of his sword if, indeed it existed ?

[Derek Estabrook]

I kind of question that one myself. I cannot really picture effective sword techniques fiquring the pommel in that wouldn't seem obvious, plus having that kind of sword and reputation would kind of tip off your opponent. You'd have to tip your pommel up leaving you vulnerable if the situation isn't executed perfectly. Thats not necessarily to say that he did not have a pommel like that as people often do and have things that don't stack up to logic or the reasons they give. Maybe its just a case of a noble telling stories at a party or having something unusual to fixate the conversation to get noticed. The sword pictured would make it seem almost impossible to catch the blade and then break it. I have a hard time picturing anyone catching a sword blade in those grooves unless you're inhumanly more skilled than your opponent and in that case you're just showing off anyway. A thin vertical catch would be more practical in that regards, but rather than use the pommel for such purposes it would be so much easier and practical to either have a parrying dagger designed for that regards or to alter the quillons for such a technique to be more like the Asian sai or other weapons specially designed for that. With that type of design you have the ability to catch, possibly break a weapon, and if you don't parry it perfectly its less likely to cost you your life. I'd rather base my fighting on skill and practicality and let luck fiqure in as it may not the other way around. I've known guys that tripped, accidentally spun around, and parried a blade Hollywood style, but they never incorporated it into their style. My leaning would probably be towards the noble at a party theory or myth idea.

But anyway, thanks for the interesting post.

[Sean Belair]

i find it hard to belive. ignore the problem of pommel design, just think of the reaction time coordination and luck required to trap a moving blade in such a thin opening. thats just catching it now you have to jerk the grip with enough force to snap a blade that has flex built into it.

now that doesn't mean the old count didn't have a pommel meant to break swords. the question is did it ever get used in battle.

[Merv Cannon]

Yes........I agree it is probably a tale or product of a local legend. I just wish I could remember or had record of the article which told the story of this Baron ..... I remember that he was portrayed as quite a character...a showman.....a big man too. Perhaps the pommel was just for PR value ? I know that knights sought a "reputation"...mabye a bit like the gunfighters of the old west ? It occured to me, however, that if there were any credence to the pommel story, it would have undoubtally been put to use during grappling and not the sword strokes.

[Bruno Giordan]

Another Philip Starck's can opener?



The story could be true but without having the original swor it is only an hypothesis.

Not to mention the fact that catching an opponent's blade in a duel doesn't seem to be an easy task ...

Maybe he would grab the opponent's blade firm and then he would use his cleft pommel to break it: it sounds quite farfetched, however, as long as he wasn't an exceptional man with peculiar circus - level abilities .