skyrim special edition back mounted swords

It usually had a slim straight blade with a blunt or sharp tip. The German zweihander is most recognized by its parrying hooks or parierhaken that functioned as a secondary guard for the ricasso, the unsharpened part of the blade. In live-action role-playing games or LARP, participants use foam swords with a fiberglass core. Modern reproduction of European great swords often feature high carbon steel or stainless steel blades, though the latter is only for decorative purposes.

Hence, most Scottish swords including the claymore had German blades. In Scotland, Scottish swordsmiths also imported sword blades from Germany, mainly Solingen and Passau, and mounted them locally. The Landsknecht’s zweihander may not have employed the pattern welding technique of the time, but smiths likely forge-tempered them using excellent German steel. Medieval and Renaissance swordsmiths were capable of producing steel swords that hold edges. Here are the characteristics of the European two-handed great swords: Steel and Construction Today, the term great sword may imply either the Landsknecht’s zweihander or the Highland claymore. Great swords are distinguished by their exceptionally long blades and grips that allow the use of two hands. Characteristics of the European Great Swords However, the name “claymore” later applied to the 18th-century Scottish broadsword with a basket hilt. It could be over 4 feet long, making it shorter and lighter than German two-handers.

It traditionally had downward-sloping quillons ending in quatrefoils. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic claidheamh mór, meaning great sword. Claymore Claymore 16th–17th century hilt, Scottish blade, German, Solingen ( Source)įrom the 15th to the early 17th centuries, the Scottish Highlanders used their two-handed sword claymore. It typically had a long straight blade, sometimes flame-shaped with parrying hooks. During the 15th and 16th centuries, most German Landsknecht mercenaries used pikes, but the doppelsöldners or double-pay men skillfully wielded the weapon to smash their way into enemy ranks. The longest European sword of the Renaissance, the zweihander or two-handers could be as long as six feet. Zweihander German Zweihander (two-handed) Sword of the bodyguard of Duke Julius of Brunswick-Lunüneberg ( Source) While they were not as heavy as they looked, these formidable weapons required strength and skill. In the early Renaissance, the term “great swords” referred to extremely large swords that were designed for two-handed use. Let us explore the history of the European great swords, their use, and their unique characteristics. These early Renaissance swords were longer and more powerful than medieval swords, hence being called great swords. Of all the two-handed swords, none are as impressive as the German zweihander and the Scottish claymore.

Skyrim special edition back mounted swords