medieval gear conundrum.

[Rider of scaled wing]

i've been having the hardest time finding information on a certain tiny little aspect of medieval fantasy these days. it's nothing really earthshattering, but i wish i could find info on it from a 'official' source. but i can't. so, i come to ask other writers their opinion.

The problem is, can you really sheathe and unsheathe a sword, roughly as long, or slightly longer, than your arm, from a scabbard on your back held there by a crossbelt across the chest, i hear it's called a baldric, but i'm not sure.

This look has been immensely popularised by Link from the latest incarnations of the Zelda videogame series, but i'm certain he didn't invent it. is it really a realistic method of carrying a sword?

 

[Culhwch]

I have little actual expertise in the area, Rider, so I can't offer you a conclusive answer. But in my own meagre writings I tend to stay away from the over-the-shoulder scabbard for the very reason that it seems impractical, and rather something popularised by popular culture...

 

[Coolhand]

It's very much a fantasy thing. In real life, carrying a weapon that way is fine as long as you don't need to draw the thing in a hurry (a short blade isn't so bad but the longer the blade the more awkward it becomes), or put it back in the scabbard without serious fiddling and accidental severing of ears and fingers.

If you look around the world at various historical cultures that carried a sword, you'll see that the waist was the preferred carry point. Centuries of practical battle experience went into proving that position generally to be the quickest and easiest to draw from and carry around .

It’s not unfeasible that a single person might perfect and prefer an effective method of over-the-shoulder sword drawing (the shorter the blade, the more practical this is) but on the whole it’s a creation of fiction.

Then again, so is shooting two guns whilst jumping through the air John Woo style, but it’s still cool.

 

[The Ace]

Medieval great swords, and the Claymore (great sword) of Highland Scotland were no myth and were carried this way (try slinging a five-foot blade at your waist). The trick was to wear the lip of the scabbard fairly high, and for the scabbard to be able to swivel, allowing gravity to do the work. The problem was that drawing such a weapon took time, and was almost impossible in the heat of battle, thus the weapon would have to be carried, rather than sheathed if it was likely to be used.

 

[Coolhand]

Medieval great swords, and the Claymore (great sword) of Highland Scotland were no myth and were carried this way (try slinging a five-foot blade at your waist). The trick was to wear the lip of the scabbard fairly high, and for the scabbard to be able to swivel, allowing gravity to do the work. The problem was that drawing such a weapon took time, and was almost impossible in the heat of battle, thus the weapon would have to be carried, rather than sheathed if it was likely to be used.

Which pretty much goes to show that you should NEVER listen to ANYTHING I say...

 

[Pyan]

Especially as you're still using that baby-pacifier gun!

 

[The Ace]

It would probably be more common to slip the baldrick and discard the scabbard if a fast draw was required.

 

[Coolhand]

Especially as you're still using that baby-pacifier gun!

Hey, this thing is a .44 Pacifier, and can suck a man's brains clean out...

Ace, did they take the scabbard off to put the great sword/lowland claymore back in, or did they have an over the shoulder re-sheath technique? I’m trying to imagine hefting a sharp blade that big over my shoulder and back into the mouth of the scabbard with any kind of accuracy and it’s not a pleasant thought!

Was the draw an “over the shoulder” thing or more a “to the side of the back/ from around the shoulder” thing?”

Sorry, I have a morbid fascination with sharp pointy things…

 

[The Ace]

I would think that sword and scabbard would be taken off before drawing and likewise, both would be mounted. The problems of drawing/sheathing a sword in this position are all too real.

 

[Rider of scaled wing]

so it is realistic, just not the way it's popularised. ok, thanks for the info.

I'm still gonna need to think about all this, but it's great food for thought. thanks everyone.