Hello all,

Acta Periodica Duellatorum has just published an article of mine on rapier hilts archetypes. Here is the abstract:

Quote:

A.V.B. Norman?s typology of hilts currently serves as the standard for the classification of rapiers. However, its flat structure and minutious granularity make it inconvenient for memorization and discussion. This work proposes a restructuration of Norman?s extensive typology into fewer archetypes that renders it less cumbersome to use and follows the functional developments of complex hilts.

Le Chevalier, V. (2026). Rapier hilts archetypes. Acta Periodica Duellatorum, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.36950/apd-2026-001 (direct link to PDF)

I've done this work with the hope that it might make it easier to discuss rapier hilts, or to approach Norman's typology at any rate. Here is one of the figures, showing a synthetic view of all outer guards archetypes:

[ Linked Image ]

Best regards,

In general I like the idea of a functional typology.

Do I understand right that the model does not distinguish between hilts with a full cross, hilts with the forward arm of the cross bent into a knucklebow, and hilts with a cross and a knucklebow?

I have a memory that knifes with Nagels date back to the early 15th century. I may poke around, but my library of medieval knives is not the most extensive. One of the limits of A.V.B Norman's typology is that he could not use the vast archaeological dataset that is now available.