Swords are... Kind of Silly, Actually!
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
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When we take a step back and look at the big picture... aren't swords kind of over-hyped? Considering all the weapons that humans have come up with over the course of history, they were not the most effective relative to how much time, skill, and resources they required to make.
So here is a cheeky, snarky look at what makes swords sort of silly in some ways. Let us know what you think, and I hope you find this entertaining.
The reproductions I'm showing here:
Ming Dynasty jian by LK Chen
kultofathena.c...
• One of the Lightest & ...
Messer by Landsknecht Emporium
www.kultofathe...
Custom war scythe
• Turned the Reaper Scyt...
Goedendag by Karliah @playingwithweapons232
www.youtube.co....
Relevant videos:
Sickle to the Face... Yikes! (Goedendag too)
• Sickle to the Face... ...
Cutting Tatami While my Camera is Slowly Croaking?
• Cutting Tatami While m...
I Ruined the Principe and Ended a Zombie Rightly...
• I Ruined the Principe ...
Don't Mess with AXES... Especially if You're a Zombie!
• Don't Mess with AXES.....
Can it be Done? - Defeating the "King of Weapons"...
• Can it be Done? - Defe...
The Most Vicious Axe vs. Zombie Head
• The Most Vicious Axe v...
How to Parry with a Sword - Edge or Flat?
• How to Parry with a Sw...
Staff vs. Sword - Guard Breaker?
• Staff vs. Sword - Guar...
Source / picture credit:
www.tf.uni-kie...
www.deviantart...
** Music credits **
"Spirit Waltz" by Horrorpen
opengameart.or...
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)
Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
theslantedroom...
Used with artist's permission
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Other ways to support the channel by shopping through affiliate links:
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These are the videos I'm referencing here... worth a watch in my shamelessly self-promoting opinion. ;)
Sickle to the Face... Yikes! (Goedendag too)
ruclips.net/video/Wm1W0gYTt_0/видео.html
Cutting Tatami While my Camera is Slowly Croaking?
ruclips.net/video/3_nkOnKOkHM/видео.html
I Ruined the Principe and Ended a Zombie Rightly...
ruclips.net/video/5BROoYHGH5g/видео.html
Don't Mess with AXES... Especially if You're a Zombie!
ruclips.net/video/PaLgvKW9VtI/видео.html
Can it be Done? - Defeating the "King of Weapons"...
ruclips.net/video/25QOKmFXC_4/видео.html
The Most Vicious Axe vs. Zombie Head
ruclips.net/video/jVoEu_onyNA/видео.html
How to Parry with a Sword - Edge or Flat?
ruclips.net/video/6jxjvW-Wb6Q/видео.html
Staff vs. Sword - Guard Breaker?
ruclips.net/video/VHZKHmqa0KY/видео.html
Bruh
As a gun nut, are you going to do a vid on C-21?
02:27 *THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID*
A question for you sir... Can you throw a Goedendag as a weighted dart or javelin? Let's say you have two or three of these with you and you face a walking tin can (more likely a walking steal can but you get what i m saying) can you seize the initiative by throwing one not only to distract but do some damage? It might be more of a question for Tod's Workshop, regarding the engineering of making a Goedendag able to do this....but what i want to know is not if we are able to make something like a "flying mace" but does it work with the one you have?
Swords were probably the outcome of wanting to do everything. The large blade also compensates for being a little off with the strike.
As a spear simp in a world of sword fanboys, I feel incredibly validated by this video
Still wouldn't carry a spear for self-defense.
0==[=======>
@@Idazmi7 Depends on the situation
Day to day life?
No.
If I'm traveling long distances through wilderness or if I was transporting valuable goods?
Absolutely I'll take the spear with me defensively
Especially if I'm in a cart and can basically carry whatever
@@1stCallipostle
_"Depends on the situation"_
Darned right it does.
_"Day to day life? No."_
Ahem.
Ambushed in an alley.
Ambushed in your room.
Ambushed in your cart by your 'allies' or 'employees'.
The sword is not a main weapon. It's a defensive weapon, like the pistol. It should be carried and used as such.
@@Idazmi7 I agree wholeheartedly.
I mostly was poking at how broad defense is.
Much how like I'd probably be carrying a handgun, but a professional bodyguard today that has to deal with Somali Pirates is probably toting an intermediate caliber rifle, or how I'd prefer a 12 gauge if I'm in the home
Doesn't mean the handgun isn't great in about a million ways that things could go wrong when I'm not at home, much as a sword would've been beautiful to have against all manner of ruffian in the old days.
A Knight would prefer a poleaxe, but is thankful for the arming sword when that isn't much of an option
Just as I'd prefer the shotgun, but would be thankful for the 9mm if I got jumped
"Nice dagger you've got there. Would be a shame if I'm quarterstaff trained..."
I practice a Japanese sword martial art. And I have heard it said many times that the sword is basically a sidearm you always have it on you but it's rarely your primary.
When you're drawing it It's because you're either out on the town or s***t has really hit the fan.
I remember reading an account of a samurai who pissed off a pair of ferrymen who preceded to kick his ass because they both had long boat paddles and the samurai only had his sword
So you're saying he actually got paddled?
@@OhitsONnow LOL No not that kind of paddling ☺️ As in they proceeded to cudgel him into the ground with their boat oars. Many in the Japanese lower classes knew how to defend themselves with everyday items because they where not allowed to carry weapons and so had to come up with some way to defend themselves which evolved into their own martial arts.
Now that you mention it, I'm reminded that Musashi killed Kojiro with an oar.
Pissin' off ferrymen... that's a paddlin'
you mind sharing the source? sounds hilarious
That sinking feeling when you spend hundreds of hours grinding to get the flamberge sword, only to be bested by a wiseacre swinging a Dollar Tree goedendag.
Petition to have Dollar Tree start selling goedendags...
@@shifty_salad only if they also do oversea post orders...
@@irgendwieanders2121 Hmmm. Yeah then you might be better off crafting almost anything from anything lol. Buy a spare farming tool, sharpen it, put it on a stick. Ten bucks at most haha
@@shifty_salad Sure, DIY is an option, but getting one via mail order has a certain kind of sex-appeal, imo
@@irgendwieanders2121 Truth
I, for one, cannot imagine a world where swords have not been invented.
Mainly because humans have been so creative with various experimental weapon models, that "long blade on a short handle" is an almost inevitable variation to be attempted eventually.
Ever heard of the disk mace? It wasnt very good XD
Having watched a lot of Forgotten Weapons, and seeing the unbelievable creativity and genius involved in killing people in unique ways, yes this is a good point.
@@tatumergo3931 It's worth mentioning that Contemporary literature describes Pilum being used as Pikes. It's not like Romans only used short swords
@@krofgninut5984
*Stone stone sto-sto-stone?*
My disk mace proves you wrong. It is a sacred stone bladed weapon blessed by the Stone God of Kogainon and forged with stone thousand times. *Stone-stone!*
@@roboticceltic2388 Bloody stoner.
I don't think we put enough stock into how aesthetically influenced humans are. I have to imagine at least a small part of swords popularity is due in part to how friggin cool they are.
"Dude yer going to war, you can't use only a sword in the Battlefield"
"Fuck It Man This shit cool"
The rocks the cavemen used for sharping things weren't in the best shape for doing so , rather they were good enough for sharping and also looked really nice , even in such Bad conditions people appreciated aesthetics
Agreed. I had a role in a folk-fantasy themed musicvideo earlier this year. My character had a sword made by an actual blacksmith. It had to be the coolest thing I had ever hold and I thought why don't everyone walk around with swords.
As expected of youtube, we stop short of considering anything interesting. Why are swords aesthetically pleasing? Why aren't other weapons aesthetically pleasing? What is the nature of aesthetic pleasure? What qualities must an object possess to be aesthetically pleasing?
@@samuellaakso7012 I think it’s the any blade over 5.5 inches is illegal to carry factor lol I can’t remember what the exact length is to be honest. Also swords, spring loaded knifes, switchblade’s, daggers and spears are illegal. The way around that is to carry a filet knife for “fishing” or carry a sharpened screwdriver. The ones that are like 10 inches or longer. No matter where you stab with a screwdriver that long you can give a lethal blow and you can just carry it in your belt or under your shirt and conceal it and it won’t be classified as a concealed weapon. No one thinks twice about a screwdriver in a belt. That’s what my relatives did for that exact reason.
Sword nerds going from "katakanas suck" to "swords kinda suck" has been a very fun and beautiful journey
It's made me appreciate swords and sword nerds a lot more
When sword nerds appreciate the Japanese writing system more
@@iantaakalla8180 Katakana is the easier Japanese writing system to learn after all
@@graphite7898 that's not true I learned a couple thousand kanji studying daily for 3 years, and only spent a couple hours a day doing it. I also study bi-weekly using rotating flashcards for it and I write them down, I have to do this permanently to keep them in my mind. It isn't hard at all.
@@escapetherace1943 That's purely anecdotal so that doesn't mean much. May be easy for you but not for many others. Besides, I never said kanji was hard just that katakana is easier for a majority of foreigners. I'm sure if you did that very same practice for katana you would have mastered it faster then you would have kanji.
@@graphite7898 it is easy for anyone to learn they just need to use time. You cannot "master" a katana without 10,000 hours of swinging it. You can not master anything without at least 10,000 hours. Therefore not everyone can become a master at everything, we only live so long, but anyone can learn anything.
Nothing is hard to learn on this earth for anyone, you just spend time and effort.
It's simply lack of effort = can't learn or rather WON'T learn.
Probably swords were fulfilling the role of secondary weapons as well as a self-defence weapons due to their versatility and ease of wearing. The primary weapons were spears, polearms, axes, maces. They are much more difficult to wear on body. So if you lost your polearm it would be better to have sword on your body.
Yeah self defence is where swords really shine, plus it's *usable* as a knife especially if you go with a shorter sword. Hell with the right design a sword can also work okay as a machete and axe, then you have like 4 tools in one which means you can skip lugging a bunch of stuff around or have a backup in case they break.
though longswords are pretty neat for war, i would definitely avoid the guy twirling a longsword in a figure-8 at high speeds and marching forwards steadily.
Also location. A interior guard would prefer a sword since a polearm indoors is very unweildy
I wonder if handguns will be looked at in the same way in a thousand years. The advantages, disadvantages, and usecases have a lot of parallels.
That is just a generalization. Gladius, longsword, zweihänder, etc. were primary weapons
Swords probably shine best during siege urban warfare and naval boarding engagements
Polearms are especially handy in field battles
Axes excel in close quarters whether in the camp forest or defending a breach
Blunt weapons are great for those who want an effective weapon that doesn't require a lot of training
In this sort of discussion I feel like the most "obvious" types of swords are the Filipino and other southeast Asian blades where it's just "this is my machete, because I live in a jungle, and if somebody messes with me I'll hit him with my machete"
They had some seriously impressive swords pre Spanish
Somebody or Something
Definitely.
Machetes and shovels will always be within our arsenals - shovels let us dig and can act as a handy club, machetes let us make big cuts - whether that be food, foliage or living flesh being cut.
The best weapons are those that also act as tools.
No need to beat your swords into plowshares.
@@wormwoodbecomedelphinus4131 Hell, Soldiers in WW1 sharpened the sides of their trench shovels to use as melee weapons.
@wormwoodbecomedelphinus4131 The shovel is most effective as an axe, though also useful as a club
Remember: Switching to your sword is faster than reloading
Peeing is faster than pooping.
@@derchozenvun83 Strong disagree here. Eat more fiber maybe?
@@milkygodric539 if you overdo it on the fiber you can wind up with everything else undigested and rotting against your tissue; enjoy. Plus even if it drops fast all at once you get that zen period that you don't really get after peeing; so it takes more time. Peeing is technically faster than wiping if you aren't a dirtball; don't forget that extra flush whether you're man enough to fix your own clog or not.
@@derchozenvun83didn’t expect to discuss poop in a sword video (though it was kinda shitposting?), but here we go.
If you’re actually inducing “rot” in your bowels (referring to fermentation?) then you either have (a) a VERY fermentative flora or (b) have way way overdone the fiber.
@@ronstewart5945 I was already on the second point that you made; and even if you can drop a deuce faster than peeing especially if you blow your nose on the pot, you still have to properly and gently wipe; so it therefore takes more time.
In regards to your commenting on fermentation, tumors actually feed on alkaloids, or fermentation. If you remove alkaloids such as bread, chocolate and booze from your diet, you essentially "starve" the tumor. While it can then adapt to proteins, cannabis will prevent cellular growth in tumors and prevent this adaptation, curing cancer for comparably dirt cheap. I hope this comment doesn't get hidden and someone is able to save a life.
The chuckle after, “I’m a sword and gun nut.”
True happiness.
Me too
That claymore is for home defense.
Time to review gun-swords again...
_proceeds to mag dump a vector_
Great video. Funnily enough, in a world without swords, some artist would probably make something resembling one, and people would absolutely tear it apart.
Bruh pre warp klingons shjitting on sword(hooman) design and how utterly useless and wondering why we would be so satisfied by it on an anesthetic level. It's just the funniest thing to me.
To be honest, before seeing RUclips historians talking about them, I thought great swords were purely ceremonial.
@@sukhdeepsingh1487and then you look at the goofy ass batleth
@@IamGrimalkin That's a fair enough presumption considering across many cultures the great sword and other large blades were used in a way to (for lack of a better word) "rally" their troops and incite confidence.
Roman Soldier's kit has both the sword (Gladius) and the spear (pilum). The advantage of the sword is that in close combat it is more versatile than a spear. One could run faster, dodge and hit someone who gets too close to be effective with a spear. It is also used inside buildings where the spear is extremely disadvantageous.
Well in their time Europe was covered in forests,and using spear in such place is not effective,swords can be used for clearing the path and for combat in woods,spear become useless there.Thats why all armies have backup weapons,even when guns where invented bayonets were added for close combat and places where shooting is not an option.
Enemy cavalry: Cute dagger, Roman.
Also imagine using pilum after the lines been broken and you shoulder to shoulder with friends and enemies alike.
Just to be that guy, the pilum was more of a javelin than a spear and was used to widdle down enemies before melee was engaged, but ya
@@Scarlet_moon. legions fought all over the Roman empire not just Europe. It was a very effective style of fighting in large formations in the open field. Their style of fighting was less suited to the forest, hence their defeat at Teutoberg
The sword's enduring popularity is probably due to the fact that it is _definitely_ more effective as a personal sidearm than something like a spear or poleaxe. Add the expensive construction cost and associated prestige and you have a keeper.
And as opposed to other sidearms like a hand axe or my beloved Mace, you're winning that 1v1 more often on range even with the more affordable "Big Knife" class of blades
@@1stCallipostle
Exactly. The hand axe and mace are neither as fast nor as tactically flexible as a sword, nor do they have a similar reach to a sword. Unless I'm explicitly fighting a fully armored opponent, the sword carries a distinct advantage there, and in a pinch I can still half-sword or mordhau.
If I _am_ fighting a fully armored opponent, I wouldn't be using my sidearm in the first place unless something went _very_ wrong.
@@Idazmi7 I somewhat disagree on the last point
Outside of like a Polaxe, a Dagger might just be your best bet against a shiny bastard
Grapple and poke in neck seems to be highly recommended as a strategy against plate
@@1stCallipostle any type of polearm is effective for fighting an armored opponent; even simple spears can strike hard and make great tools for controlling the enemy's body.
And also you can carry a shield with a sword. Which turns out to be very important
Thorum : "I made a ring"
Skallagrim : "Make it longer !"
Thorum : ...
Thorum: Bracelet?
Skallagrim : Make it longer!
Thorum: Necklace!
Belts next for sure
@@urena7945 make it longer !
Depending on which dimensions, you end up with either a necklace or a gauntlet.
And that's how the Forerunners constructed the first ring of the Halo Array.
Another cool thing about swords is how they are integrated in us in our social aspect. You can look like you're not engaging in combat with a sheathed sword hanging by your side in comparison to approaching someone with a spear or a hammer. You can use them for self defense and in an enclosed space. Also it's more convenient to carry.
I believe thats why the longsword, despite its many advantages in Europe fell out of favor at pace with rising cosmopolitanism through the renaissance. Since the sword was a nobles weapon and their dress and involvement in urban life would be constant, social constraints would play a heavy part in the sheinking of swords
What survived was carrying knives. Good tool for nearly anything + self defense since ancient times, vikings had even women and children armed, even after the vikingi Age that lasted nearly 300 years
Halberd's always seemed like the coolest weapon to me. And a bargain vs. a sword!
I know they are way cheaper, but do you have any source on prices, friend?
@jj4l Yea common sense tells us that swords were very expensive, some of them unreasonably so. I was just hoping to see some stats in comparison with other weapons, would be nice. Thanks
The guandao is my personal favorite
Well, halberds WERE the AK47 of their times.
Always been a glaive fan, myself
Skall, it is the old rule of cool for everything that humans have been doing for millennia: “oh i’m going to die, i could have a really regular tomb…or i can have giant ass triangle for a tomb” “our messiah said be humble and generous…let’s worship it in intricate temples that take generations to build and are breathtaking ” “this vehicle has 4 pistons and goes really well…let’s make another one but more aerodynamic, colorful, slap 6 more pistons in a V configuration and an exhaust that can shatter glass”.
"Upgrades, people. Upgrades."
This aerodynamic V10 vehicle is fantastic. . .
Lets make it fly.
Hahaha all of you are so funny
Hahaha all of you are so funny
@@DH-xw6jp
Basic bitch! Let's give it lightspeed!
The Goedendag has always been on of my favorite melee weapons. It can be used like a mace and a spear is easy to replace and fix, can be used with on or two hands, can be reinforced. Slap some type of guard on it and it'll be my dream weapon.
Went to a museum in Paris that displayed skulls that were injured by halberds. The skulls either were missing pieces or shattered.
The pommel falling off is actually a feature. It let's you end them rightly. Can't do that with a polearm.
You might cut the end of the shaft in a manner, you can break it off and then throw it like a pommel. But yeah, better use the true pommel.
I haven't seen anything from this channel in years, I love that this gag is still alive.
So happy that this meme is still alive
Thankfully, it was not ended rightly.
I haven't watched this channel in years and this is still a thing wow
Part of my difficulty in imagining a world without swords is how many different cultures independently developed them. Even cultures that didn't have metal made something recognizeable as a sword out of obsidian or shark's teeth embedded in wood.
Obsidian swords from South America are more like clubs with nails in them than actual swords.
@@TonkarzOfSolSystem They were still nasty though. Gave you cuts and knicks while smashing into you like a club.
@@inwit594 They did more than cuts and nicks, they would shred flesh. Make no mistake, they were potent cutting weapons.
This was really great. It's worth discussing. I think that having the messer you love plus a poleaxe would be plenty for most violent situations.
Never underestimate the utility of a pointy stick.
"I have a permit for that."
what if someone comes at you with a handful of blueberries though?
@@DIEGOLOKO82 Release the tiger!
@@DIEGOLOKO82if the pointy stick is thin enough, blueberry skewer to keep your fingers clean.
Utility for pointy sticks - 1, blueberries - 0.
@@DIEGOLOKO82 A nail cross wise in the end makes it into a brambling stick.
Nomma nomma nom!
Sword is to polearm/spear what pistol is to rifle. In battle, long guns have every advantage over handguns, but for the rest of the time handguns dominate on convenience and cool factor. There are obviously many examples of epic long guns in media, but it's far more common for the signature weapon of a hero/villain to be some kind of handgun that they are never seen without. It's as much a part of their costume and personality as anything else they wear. This same cool factor absolutely applied to swords throughout recorded history.
hm good connection but argument totally applies to guns too haha, pistols kinda suck, I mean they have their use, but in war aint nobody pulling out a pistol except for some very unique situations and its typically going to be because you lost your good gun, the rifle ha. Pistols have less stopping power, less accuracy, less ammo typically, less range, but do have convience of being smaller, but rifles are still small enough typically to still be the preference even in like a house size confined space. Pistols have their place just like rifles, polearms or swords of course, but pistols are very much a city boy carrying around for the off chance of a fight kind of thing... or convienient sized protection you could say. which ironically sounds very similar to how someone in another comment described swords use in japan. Carried mostly around town for the off chance of a brawl, and likely to flash at the honnies.
@@BenJaminLongTime Less likely to flash for women, and far more likely a good conversation piece for the boys. anytime i'm out and about and someone mentions their carry we talk about it, he shows me his, I show him mine, we talk about them and how 5 or 6 inches is way too much, 3 inches or even 2 inches is just fine and will get the job done.... I think I'm still talking about guns here.
@@indoorkite651 5 is way too much?
Thanks for making me feel good about myself, man
It's funny, I've personally always loved swords and rifles. Although I'm more of a halberd and polearm guy these days, I still love rifles. I just think they're way cooler than handguns. I guess I'm a bit odd in that way lol..
The heart ramone... dont forget the heart
Skall: "Fortunately I have no such weakness, because I am both a sword and a gun nut."
Canadian government in 2023: "Imma stop you right there."
too true
🤣 You lads are hilarious!
What's happening in Canada next year? What am I missing?
@@liu3chan They're going to ban all the guns
I, for one, am perfectly okay giving up a fun toy so that other people can live.
A sword combines the handiness of a dagger with the longer reach of a spear. The sword and shield combo is very versatile.
Also trying to grab the opponents sword behind the point is a very bad idea. With a spear it's a handy way to get his weapon out of your way. You probably have to be fast though.
Wouldn't there be situations where having a two-handed grip be preferable? I mean, I remembered in a past livestream asking Skall about what would be the best weapon for an adventurer between sword and shield, longsword, sword and dagger (I think) and bow and arrow. I don't remember which stream in particular but he told me longsword.
But again, there are polearms and halberds...
@@AvengerofWarcraft Speaking in fantasy adventurer terms, a longsword may be better cause you're probably oft not fighting humans. I'd rather have a sword and board combo for people. They're actually intelligent enough to exploit your lack of protection.
But have you heard of... Sword and spear!
The fact that swords arose independently and were prized in several different cultures all over the globe has to be worth something.
Or maybe it just speaks to humanity's collective oopsy ability lol.
@@OneWingedRose like your parents?
@@whiteeye9584 as if you have parents :)
@@dankolord said orphan
I think the fact that swords were so prized was mostly due to status. Swords were expensive and if you had one you were probably rich. Any peasant can fashion together a spear or ax but only a smith can make a sword.
Nothing makes my sword longer than a new Skall video in the morning.
XD, I cant find a way to beat that comment of yours. You might aswell won the internet today.
Jeez!
Nooooo
Dude............
MAKE IT LONGER
Impossible... The saber class is the strongest of them all!
I believe archers might have a thing or hundred to say about a that.
All I'm saying if that if someone summoned a lancer that didn't have terrible luck…
@Balmung Or ya know a lot of punching
Just because you're correct doesn't mean you are right
All Sabers can shoot beams, negating all range issues.
Skallagrim is becoming jaded, it's really nice to see this evolution take place over time. Keep it up!
Great points, I cracked up at "make it longer" for the bronze dagger. Thank you for this vid
"Why have a giant sword, to be some kind of edgelord?"
Landsknecht: "YES!"
lol
Jawohl Vom Leibe klein aber Sein Schwert ist meilenweit.
Guts will cut your little sticks
I recently started reading a Korean web comic where the protagonist champions the spear as the best weapon. Every noble house uses the sword and he keeps ticking them off with his spear techniques.
What's the web novel? Please?
Edit: think I found it: Return of the legendary spear knight
@@annekekramer3835 thanks for the help buddy
Miyamoto Musashi, the greatest swordman in the history of Japan and arguably the most well-known swordsman in the world, famously said the spear was a better weapon by far. Even after he beat a local shoguns best spear warrior, he still insisted the spear was better, and this just proved that he just happened to be better skilled than the spear master.
@@nickchavez720 What a Chad.
"The spear is still the superior weapon, I'm just that good."
Well considering that the Aztecs tried to make swords out of obsidian and wood and considering that modern people have found a flint sword elsewhere then the concept and principal of a sword must not seemed that silly even when we're talking about people who didn't really have access to the ideal the material to make them.
The Aztecs "sword" is a club with Obsidian blades embedded in it and after the first few swings its just a club.
@@vonfaustien3957 True but you have to admit it is pretty awesome.
@@vonfaustien3957 Aztec swords are a brutal mix of sharpness and blunt. One of the few sharp weapons actually built fantastically against armor (Even if armor wasn't a huge thing back in those days) But even then, it was made for fighting. They accidentally made a weapon that busted armor like a hammer against thing glass.
@@marakalos3838 I'm not denying it's awesome or effective I'm denying it's a sword.
@@vonfaustien3957 Primitive concept of reinforced blade or edged weapon, built on top of a club. Fair to deny it is a sword, what with the blade being a segmented thing of flint-knapped obsidian. It just handles as a sword until those pieces have fallen/broken off. Not a sword by any means, more like a fragment axe in a way
What's interesting to me is how little we actually see maces depicted in most sources. They got popular-ish in eastern Europe but elsewhere it seems like they weren't as much of a thing as Blunt Enjoyers would have you believe. Like, something about Shad's point at the beginning: Yeah hammers can hurt a lot, but they're also tiring to use. A sharp sword doesn't take much effort to push into someone by comparison.
I think the fact that axes and maces are far more of a pain in the ass to carry safely was a huge factor. After all you're going to carry them rather than using them for like, 99% of a campaign
A mace is one heavy piece of metal that doesn't cut wood.
Yeah and try duelling with a mace or axe without it breaking or getting caught somewhere in between the enemy weapon, shield, armor, clothing and or flesh.
@@xolo_music How is a mace gonna break? If anything it seems to me like a ball of metal at the end of a stick would be one of the most reliable, least maintenance-heavy weapons around.
@@colbyboucher6391 Only if the stick is actually made from metal too, what makes it double as heavy.
Overall it certainly depends on variuos aspects of personal fitness involved (strength and endurance), skill level (a skilled sword fighter can deflect any other weapon in duels easily, meanwhile a mace can be handled intuitively) and armor of your opponent (a sword can not cut and hardly pierce heavy armor, meanwhile you need to hit certain areas or multiple times with a mace versus light armor to effectively take someone out completely).
- Skall overlooking the fact he's using a glass table
- Basement Edgelord Skall
- Neon Mohawk Skall
That's some character development.
Swords are great side-arms, and work well in conjunction with shields.
I would only prefer a sword when used with a shield. I would prefer a two handed axe however to a 2 handed sword
@@themightypaw3318 id rather have maces and shield or even flail with a shield
@@neveridle maces did not see that much use in warfare you would tire too fast, there is a reason romans used a light stabbing sword and would rotate ranks every 4-6 mins. They ground down all armies using heavier two handed weapons or shield and heavy 1 handed weapon axe, spear, heavier sword. Two of the hardest conquests for Rome was old spain area where shield + falcata was used, and some would say the most challenging conquest was old Romania area where farmers with shields + falx (sica) a light weight sword like weapon. Vikings who dominated for along time had very light axe heads almost a hatchet size head on a longer shaft in the shield walls (mighty close to what a falx/cica even a falcata does) Myself shield + war axe would be choice vs well armored folks, shield + falx/sica/falcata vs light or mid armor folks.
@@xomox5316 ty for the input. Another bonus of axes is how cheap and multiuse they are. Swords require more smithing abilities, so axes might be a good choice paired with a shield, although I dunno how hard shields are too, i understand they need leathermaking n such
@@neveridle yup shields took some effort to make also, Rome had to reinforce their shield's wrap the rim with metal after running into the falcata that would split the shield deeply hitting the roman behind it. Before that it was never an issue as most armies used spears trusting into the roman shields. From what I can tell once shield construction really improved spears fell out of favor for shorter 1 handed swords or in the vikings case axes that could attack at more angles. Swords were a primary weapon with shields for many hundreds of years.
In regards to the larger 'great' swords (don't know how to spell actual names) I have been told by reenactors/HEMA that it was actually a popular bodyguard weapon, such as in Spain. The reason is that streets were narrower back then and the swords could reach either side when the guard was in the middle. Which means even with multiple opponents one person could block the advance. Also, advantage of a sword is larger strike area, sure there is ideal cutting section but still wouldn't want to be hit with the other sections either.
Plus a big ass sword looks hella cool, which is possibly the most important aspect of peacetime security.
@@Raccoon2544 HEMA is a sport, trying to apply the methods of a fair duel to actual murderous combat will never work.
I can't imagine a world without swords for the same reason I can't imagine a world without pistols. As classes of weapons, they blow every other weapon out of the water in terms of convenience. You have an extremely potent weapon that you can carry every day with little inconvenience. Lots of bang for your buck in terms of effort.
And very very very very little bang for your buck in terms of buck
It’s not necessarily that pikes were preferred by the majority of soldiers at the time, but they were a necessity to try and not get road down by cavalry. That in mind, the most common weapon at the time were actually swords since pikeman, gunners, polearm users, cavalryman, etc, all carried swords as their sidearm for the most part.
I saw a Lindybeige video where a guy with a spear won against swordsmen (LARP) 67 to 1 I believe. The loss was when the guy got inside his range by sprinting at the start of the bout. I’m thinking long weapons like spears for long range work, shorter weapons for when the enemy is closer.
@@markewing10 LARP...
@@markewing10 that's without shields. With shields swords win
It's always been the secondary ones, you can say whatever you like, between a weapon full of techniques and the little hammer that you hit without thinking too much, I'll use a little hammer.
I think people are mainly discussing the most common *primary* weapon. Swords were a phenomenal sidearm, but weren't as common when it came to being the main thing.
Anyone whose held and practiced with real weapons soon figures out that polearms are OP af.
It rarely comes across in games or media though, so they're often very surprised. Although less these days thanks to exposure from youtubers such as yourself. I guess I'm not a spear-hipster anymore, as people realize their power and effectiveness now. 20 years ago though that was most certainly not the case...
I used to bee a spear hipster, now I've had to specialise into being a spear+shield hipster.
I still like my long knives
I still love swords more
But honestly, i will admit that Polearms and Spears are better due to range
Swords have their uses though, always have, always will
Ive always love pole weapons over swords.
When I learned spear, I wasn't really into it. It was a required part of the curriculum but I really just wanted to do sword stuff. There were dozens of times the teacher showed us some new drill and I thought to myself, "Oh, that is fucking slick."
I think that the sword can be though of analogous to a pistol or a revolver today.
It is more practical to carry on your day to day, and if you are going to war, you want something better as your main weapon, but you still want to have a sword in case you lose the other one.
(I would classify the big knife as equivalent in this regard)
Funny to think about weapon design and creativity around “how the hell do we kill those bastards in the shiny metal armor?” 😂
Enjoyed this discussion my dude
We did what humanity has always done, (look for the holes).
Also, "how do we kill them CHEAPLY". I liked that goedendag -- I could put that together out of scraps lying around my workshop.
hammer? why, I hardly know 'er!
The entertaintment factor was through the roof with this one. Loved it 😆
Thanks, that's exactly what I was aiming for. :)
The Zulus didn't really have swords, they had iklwa instead. Seems to have fulfilled a very similar function to swords though.
If google leading me accurately, the Iklwa look very much like swords, like someone tried to hybridize a hewing spear and a sword. Kinda like the Spit (or whatever it was) that Skal reviewed from Zombietools a few years back. Pardon my ignorance, but what prevents this from being called a sword (or, at least, sword-adjacent, like a maquahuitl)? Outside of youtube videos, I confess I don't have any knowledge or experience with the taxonomy of weapons...
zulus lmao
@@xShadowsaur in all honesty it likely was called a sword throughout history by various people; the iklwa is either a very short spear with a wide cutting blade and spear point; or a very short bladed sword on a ridiculously long handle. Terminology is easy to get bogged down in, the weapon supposedly gets it's name from the sound it makes when removing it from a body; TLDR they likely called it many things, sword included
Skal did a review of "The Spit", a zombie killing varient, my personal pick for apocalypse gear.
Aztecs had (flat-ish) clubs with sharp obsidian parts embedded in them.
Reminds me on how in a vr game where you can cast weapon parts and make the shafts yourself, how most weapons are just long sticks with blades on the end instead of your typical blade
The game is A Township Tale for those interested
Spearman and swordman in a fight, suddenly both take an arrow to their eye and the bowman strolls away to get a cup of tea.
I really do wonder if swords were almost an old fashion way of threat cocking. If you had some super expensive blade hanging at your side, people would know you had money... lots of it. Money is power. So an elaborate weapon could have been a way to say "don't mess with me. I'm rich and powerful."
In certain periods, fancy armor certainly seems to have made a person more likely to be captured & ransomed rather than killed in addition to providing physical protection.
Even the Romans who used standarize Swords (Gladius and later Spatha) they always started with a Pilum which they usually carry two of them one longer than the other to throw at enemies and then finish them off with a Gladius charge.
and it's not really a sword, more like a double edged knife\dagger
Yeah like the guy above me said, they didn't overdo it on length. Its just long enough to do what needs to be done with no wasted material.
And ironically, Roman gladius got shorter over time as the longest ones were from the mid Republican era while the shorter ones were from the late Republic and empire. Then during the mid to late Empire when longer spathas were standardized, the troops still carried a spear and/or war darts as a part of a weapons system to used alongside their swords.
You guys a nitpicking now
The Romans (post Marian reform pre East/west split) definitely used sword as primary weapons for legionaries.
==But it was short...
No it wasn't it was average length most swords were like that it doesn't make it a dagger,
=== But the pilum...
They lost that during the first second of battle then goes on to fight hours with the sword
@@miracleyang3048 I can't speak for the other people here, but when I say short I mean relative to swords found in many other cultures, even for a one handed sword. The average arming sword had a blade of around 70-80 centimeters, as opposed to a Gladius which was like 50-60 on average. You are right that it probably was the same length of other swords of that period though. I think the point that we were trying to make was simply that even if it could be longer, they probably wouldn't have made it any longer because it already served its intended purpose just fine.
You didn't mention perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the sword... how it feels to actually swing and use as the user. No, not in a real fight of course, but in theoretical fights against another sword user or in your imagination fights as a jedi swatting away laser shots. It's a much more natural and flowy extension of the human arm than it feels to wield a huge polearm with 2 hands.
It's basically a flattened metal club. Which follows wooden clubs of prehistory. There is a reason that was among the first weapons early humans (and even some other species) came up with.
@@HappyBeezerStudios But the spear has similar history.
I imagine swords worked well when paired with really big shields. You can use spears with shields too, but I imagine a gladius is lighter and easier to use than a spear and so somewhere a culture would decide to make their shields bigger at the expense of the weapon and then you get swords. (Maces and axes can't really thrust which could be a problem in a tight formation.)
Stabbing Sword+big shield and armor was OP. See Rome or the Zulu.
The romans used rather short and wide swords with big shields, the greeks before that used spears with big shields.
But why the romans decided on an arguably bad stabbing sword in a combat style that aims towards stabbing is a different issue. But they have a great shape for a close quarter slashing combat.
Really it’s bad for stabbing
I know Roman troops where taught to stab due to energy a stabbing motion is much easier to do all day rather than these pretty slashes you see in movies
So what makes it bad for stabbing @@HappyBeezerStudios
It also depends on where you are engaging your enemy,if you get ambushed in forest,anything longer than a sword is useless.
@@ice843 A wider blade is going to have more surface area which spreads out the force of the thrust, it's better to have the force concentrated into a smaller point for more effective penetration.
I don't think they're silly at all, they work for its intended role, a light, nimble side arm that can do both cuts and thrusts.
sidearm, that's the point
@@Wild.Beaver make a longer point
@@chrisbasarab2446 Make.....it......LONGERRRRR
@@Wild.Beaver The point is why even bother with sidearm?
@@Juras2137 i.e. husars. When longer than spear stick breaks (copy? idk english term), you use saber
edit: it's faster to take out a saber than pick up a spear
I think the humble Spear is truly a weapon of war, not of fame. It is at its best when used by many and in tight formation; row upon row of spears preventing anyone from penetrating through to the actual spearman.
It is not a weapon of personal glory but of dominating a battlefield.
I read somewhere that in some battle some guy had to commit suicide against a wall of soldiers carrying spears to break the link so that his side could get in and win the battle. Without that action, their chances of victory were basically completely hopeless. Might just have been a legend, but now I'm curious what it was that I read. But it goes to show how deadly spears can be when used in mass.
Hoplite phalanx. Looong spears massed behind shield wall...
A POLE ARM YOU SAY?
*Raises his hand*
**The sound of 2,000 English long bows are heard**
"Make it .. Longer...." he says snarkily as the sun turns to shadow and the thread of your life comes to its end.
Agincourt baby yeah.
If you look at an axe in a it’s simplest, essential form it is a wedge on a lever. A club for example is just a lever that maybe has a weight on one end.
In this context it’s easy to see how a sword is kinda counterintuitive. An elongated and thin wedge is inherently quite strange and doesn’t really fit any particular niche.
An axe is a wedge on a lever. Mmmm. I love that.
@@nosrin1988 thx.
What about a niche in the defense part, like parrying/blocking/counter-attacking with a sword vs an axe/club/top heavy lever?
Except the niche of sliding into someones gut a lot easier than an axe 😆
@@denizsifoglu6987 Great question, I’ve thought about that and it’s definitely not a stretch to say that swords are better for parrying than most weapons, it’s not going to stop a proper swing from a hammer or mace, almost ever, and it’s really hard to learn to parry effectively (generally speaking).
There is something to be said for having extra blade length and lots of maneuverability though. You’re more likely to land a hit with the actual blade part of the weapon. I think the main thing people forget is that even if you’re really amazing at fencing you may still encounter your own equal and so an easier weapon (to apply in practice) is almost always favorable to a complex and “advanced” one.
Also don’t count out the face that a sword can be held in the “half-swording” position.
I feel like I just got talked out of my fascination and appreciation of swords in a short 12 minute video
Dont worry, he is just talking shit because of views. Swords are very versatile, great against unarmored, quick and nimble. Great for horseback combat.
If i recall. The montonte and other large 2h swords were intended for infantry to go between pikeman formations after they've binded with your own pikeman
Sometimes, but often also perfect weapons for bodyguards that wanted the option to create a lot of space around their client. People whip those around really fast, a group of men wanting to get at your client through you would have to decide quickly who is going to risk the first cut when attacking.
I’ve always loved how you hold some of the weapons you speak about, and the clothing choices in videos like this one. And as always, wonderful editing, the perfect balance of humor and information, well spoken and with great visual aid. This video is now easily one of my favorites of yours, I’ve shown it to a few family/friends, and I’m rewatching it now on my own - the progression through the time periods with the satirical commentary is so well-done - thank you for the entertainment! Been watching since around 2016, but I’ve never left a comment, just silent support, but I digress - your style of explanation and presentation makes the things I’ve learned stand out in my head and helps me retain them, and I really value the information I’ve taken in over the years, and your dedication is more than evident.
Bit long winded there, but I hope you (and anyone who might be reading this) have a wonderful holiday season, and once again, thank you for all the entertainment and information over the years.
Kind regards, and good health
I wonder if someone could make a dual functional, good looking scythe/war scythe with a mechanism to quickly change the angle of the blade. It need to function in an non akward way both as a weapon AND an harvesting tool to count of course.
If one exists, I’d want it
Scythe and war scythe has different handles, so "changing the angle of the blade" wouldn't be much of use.
Hinge is another word for structural weakness when it comes to weapons.
Isn't it the same with folding knives vs. full thang fixed blade? Folder needs to be constructed like a tank to be somewhat rigid, in comparison to the simpler and lighter fix blade.
Warscythes, improvised from agricultural tools, ware modified to be mounted upright. But not only that. The razor thin edge, used for cutting the grass, had to be grinded off, and new, more rigid edge with broader angle was made in place of original. Warscythe blade will most likely only bend the grass, instead of cutting it neatly.
Also, using them in a fight will render them useless as a grass cutting tool, because all types of edge damage, like folding, chipping, denting...
@@adamcichon6957 It only need to look cool in some movie anyway...
I think if I were forced to fight on a medieval battlefield I would prefer to have a halberd or some sort of pole arm AND a sword on my side if said long pointy death stick were broken, I still had something fairly effective to fall back on. And I believe this was likely the case for a lot of the rich knightly fellows. Lance+sword=live longer.
And that's virtually always how they were actually used on the battlefield. Primary weapon for most people was a polearm of some sort, with the simple spear being most common. But everyone also needs a sidearm, because the spear may be lost/broken or the enemy may simply get too close to use it. So if you're poor, you carry a club, if you're better off a hand-axe, and if you're wealthy a sword. Or if you're expecting heavy armor maybe a hammer or mace instead.
Sword, saber, and katana has always been a secondary armament. The medieval army back then use Spears, halberd, lance, and naginata as their main weapon of choice. Those pointy death stick is easier to handle and safer to use in battle.
A well slung bag of rocks beats them all.
@@jimmydyurko do you mean the Sling? That weapon is very cost efficient, easy to manufacture, and quite deadly. The Balearic slinger is very famous in Europe and middle east due to their accuracy and lethality just by using a sling.
this is why Hilde is broken in Soul Calibur IV.
A great related scene is in the beginning of the first Musketeer novel by Dumas, when d'Artagnan is viciously beaten by a few peasants with sticks vs his sword
You will never convince me to ditch the Viking sword and round shield combo!
Never underestimate the power of coolness!
Seriously tho, maybe the effectiveness of swords comes match it with shields.
You get great verstilty and you can easily close distance
I suddenly want to see a video on glaives (basically if the sword and the spear had a baby, for the uninitiated). Super underrated weapon in my opinion!
Boy do I have a place for you to look up. Japan. The weapon is Naginata and was a favorite for samurai who preferred more reach. It is literally a katana on a stick.
@@Nempo13 Weren't they mostly popular among women tho?
@@vermgilbestdad3678 Nah, they were used by most warriors alongside the bow and katana, it's just that men were trained in all of them due to fighting a lot compared to woman, and as such, women only were trained on the most effective and easy to use weapon, in case an emergency happened.
@@Joker_Zz I see, thanks
It's so cool how the sword has a skill curve that makes it a very versatile weapon.
Arming sword + shield was a very reliable way to go.
But the defensive qualities of the sword really don't shine as much when you consider the time it takes to craft or the effort it takes to make.
Alternate history: people use mini-crossbows that look like crucifixes when unloaded but fold into a tight, straight pole that can be carried as easily as a dagger. There are three separate triggers that can be pulled all at once for quick stopping power, or fired one at a time for multiple attackers. Something kind of like that was used, called the repeating crossbow, but I think its use was pretty limited compared to other weapons.
I think the swords place in the history of weaponry is pretty secure, weapons are situational to tactics, and what the other force is using.
The sword sacrifices advantages of other weapons to average out its capabilities typically it was best deployed with defensive loadouts like roman legion use of short sword with square shield
There's actually a lot of evidence that even the Romans used swords as sidearms rather than primary weapons.
@@TheAchilles26 Are you sure you mean the front line? because im sure the second line had spears, but i do recall hearing that the short word was why the Romans were so efficient against queen Boudica
What about shields? You can pair lots of things with shields, but a really long dagger would be super effective at reaching around a shield to poke with when your in the middle of a tightly packed skirmish wouldn’t it? Just a thought. 🤗
In shield on shield fights I really think the handaxe is the optimal weapon of choice for hooking the shield and getting around it.
you might be able to reach around a shield, but same could be said about the guy with the shield too, which also could be bashing you with it as you try and reach around.
@@ruukinen I would say some sort of mace or hammer would do even better. At least with armored fighters. They can dent or spike into the armor, but have the same hooking ability as axes. For unarmored fighters axes are obviously more effective, so it comes down to the time period.
@@ruukinen This works well against center-gripped shields, but against a strapped shield this can actually work against you. Unless gravity or balance is in your favour (top down hooking or sidestep hook with the motion of your opponent), the shieldbearer generally has a better grip and can potentially trap your axe and disarm you. It's a lot harder to hook and manipulate a strapped shield, because you need to deal with the weight of the shieldbearer. I'm not saying that it's impossible, but it is quite difficult and potentially risky.
I still like axes over swords due to their practicality and viability.
@@saffron5802 interesting you bring up that point as when folks started full arm strapping with a shield again during the viking age to counter the axe tactic and it worked. Also as armor got more advanced and two handed pole arms with very heavy strikes evolved smaller but heavy shields strapped to the arm became the norm as you could take the blow and close in.
about the halberd vs greatsword,I tried the synthetic sparring halberd( is a blackfenfcer in a ash haft) in my club and compared to my steel sharp montante and the halberd felt way more clunky, that said I have more practice with the montante, the cutting power on that thing is crazy I managed to cut a palm tree log that was as thick as a human thigh in one cut
I'm calling cap in the log cutting part
@@volcajohann ruclips.net/video/Q-CLu3-dCqk/видео.html&ab_channel=DonYosho
I would think the greatsword would generally have the advantage for unarmored single combat against a staff weapon of similar length & weight. As you write, swords are more nimble because of balance & weight distribution. Greatswords likely also do better against multiple opponents than most polearms (at least the shorter & heavier ones).
@@yoshi658 ok that's good and all, but a human thigh? I don't think that's too close. Great cuts anyways tho
@@volcajohann it was as thick as my thigh in person
I’m fond of short hafted spears as primary and short swords/long daggers as secondary weapons. Agile stabbing weapons are highly efficient against both modern and medieval armor.
With a mace on the other end. Defence,( block and push ) stab and bludgeon. Handy.
Miyamoto Musashi beat people to death with a Bokken... wooden sword made of a boat paddle! Great video as usual!
Well yeah against other people with bokken so skill matters a bit more
@@ohnoanyway6096 he beat Sasaki Kojiro with a paddle while he had a large nodachi, so close enough tbh
@@ohnoanyway6096 Nope! They used real swords... He used a Bokken! Yeah! Bad dude!
@@cobaltstar_8281 if you watch the whole video he said the great sword is the embodiment of all the downside of a pole arm without the upside of it
@@ohnoanyway6096 Miyamoto Musashi is regarded as one of the greatest Samurai to ever live, an extremely skilled warrior.
We have the modern benefit of videos showing us trained martial artists wiping the floor with untrained morons who think they're tough... its not a stretch to think that a warrior who has trained for their entire life and earned such a reputation would have been able to win fights with something less than ideal.
Roman army conqered a lot of land with short sharp metal bars, so they must be useful. It is great to have defensive piece of wood that will save you from arrows and be able to kill anybody by just stabbing them with one simple move.
The Romans main weapon was the pilum. The two salvos were usually enough to demoralize the enemy before they even reached blade reach.
There's even lots of evidence that the Romans used heavy pila in melee, not to mention the hasta dominant eras before and after the pilum and gladius era
The gladius was an adaptation specifically to the Roman shield and tactics. With a shield like that, some of the disadvantages of the sword vanishes, while some of the advantages are increased. Killing the enemy at a distance becomes less necessary, and the swiftness and nimbleness of the sword made it easier to fight "around" the massive shield. Using these shields, the Romans could close the distance, somewhat neutralizing the enemy's spears, and then use their short swords to stab around the shield rim. It worked. It's not the secret behind their success, though. That would be organization: formations, discipline, recruitment, training, supply lines, uniformly sufficient equipment, field engineers, etc.. Boring, but much more dangerous than any number of swords, or even spears.
@@Hornet_Legion umm what examples are there of this? There are dozens if not hundreds of recorded battles in which Roman legionnaires had to engage in melee to defeat the enemy. I've never heard of a single battle being won by simply throwing their javelins let alone it being "usual."
@@Tribune_of_Italia he's just running his mouth over things he has no clue about. Pilum was a tool to soften the enemy, but that would mean nothing if the main weapon (i.e. sword) were useless against pointy sticks.
"Make it longer" might be my favorite quote of yours ever.
The sword is THE alternative. It's simply the most well balanced of melee weapons.
I can imagine in the bronze Middle Ages blacksmiths made swords as an look what I can do to attract more customers
Makes sense.
Imagine an ancient battle being fought in close, tight area and a swordsman starts swinging his double blades sword wildly, chances are that he will be striking his own comrades more than he connects with his enemies.
Silly, yes, over-hyped, maybe, but they're still really cool and beautiful. But in saying that, halberds and the goedendag are my absolute favourites.
Swords are also some of my favourite weapons like messers and longswords
Goedendang is one of my favorites. I'll have one, some day.....
And it will be a good day sir!
really they're notthat silly; they develop from our desire to maybe survive when somebody with a normal-length knife attacks us; the sword is long enough to perform effective defenses while the normal, short, knife/dagger is not. (the mace/axe are also long enough, but they aren't nimble enough)
Swords are meant to be a side-arm first and foremost, for when you're cornered and your spear is out of your hands.
side arms and self defense in everyday life
@@vonakakkola A lot more convenient to carry a sword in day to day life than a spear.
Agreed. Swords are equivalent to the modern day handgun. They can be carried on our person easily, they're light weight, and can even be concealed (an advancement over the sword). However, in times of war, we always prefer longer and more effective weapons, like rifles, which are the mainstay of any modern fighting force, like the spear used to be. Handguns can be cheap (sticks, clubs, axes) or really expensive (swords), but all achieve the same thing, personal defense in every day life, and as backup weapons in close quarters in times of war.
Polearm first, saber if they get too close 🤺
No way, really? :O
Jokes aside, I dare say anyone who's frequented this channel for at least a little bit of time should be aware of that (hopefully). That said, and going by the notion of this video ... why not a mace as a side-arm instead?^^
Sword is just all-around useful in a portable enough package.
Like with guns, today it's not all about long full length rifles(although some specialized ones do exist) which would usually give the best shootability, but more about the medium length or even short length barrels, as a standard for militaries around the world.
Yeh, in a lot of history too it was pretty socially unacceptable to be walking around with a spear just like today, while _allowable_ to walk around with a rifle, people don't typically approve, so just like a sword was more socially acceptable (and _better_ overall for every day carry and confined fighting) a pistol is more acceptable than a rifle.
Like military dudes always say in their videos on guns, _it depends on the mission_
The more things change, the more they stay the same I guess lol🤔
Super interesting Skall! Once swords attained the prestige factor, I guess it makes sense for the rich folks to want both a weapon AND a status symbol. But how did they attain the prestige in the first place? And it's the same story in Europe, Asia, and Africa independently. It's also fascinating how nearly all of these cultures made very clear distinctions between swords (symmetrical, double-edged) and other long blades with single-edges and asymmetry: Jian vs Dao, sword vs messer/falchion, or kris vs numerous machete variants, etc. Even Dynastic Egyptians used very rare meteoric iron to make pharaohs short swords.....when their actual side arm in combat was the khopesh! Anyone have any theories on this?
Prestige comes with the price. Swords are more expensive than Axes, so the sword is more prestigious.
No one can beat the pointy stick
How about the Banana, or the Strawberry? (Old Monty Python sketch on self defence!).
@@jeffreybarton1297 also great tools of destruction.
*LONGER POINTY STICK HAS ENTERED THE CHAT*
@@GunterThePenguinHatesHugsOK, what about a pointy stick that gets launched at high velocity by a curved stick?
@@dragoknight589 _LONGER POINTY STICK HAS LEFT THE CHAT_
I love the mention of the War Scythe, aka scythe but like, actually useable as a weapon.
The one thing I will say in defense of the greatsword vs. polearms is that they deliver a roughly equal force overall - which of course is more focused in the case of a polearm - but the greatsword comes with the advantage of having a much smaller blind zone without having to adjust your grip. The main drawback of the polearm is that once you do get past the tip, the person using it is pretty much rendered harmless; of course unless they switch to a sidearm. Naturally you can always just grab the pole closer to the tip, but that will take away most of the force multiplier effect which is why you made a long pole to begin with. Compared to that, greatswords are designed to operate with their whole length as a surface of attack. Not to say of course that greatswords can't be outmanouvered, but in general terms you'll be effective on a wider spectrum of range than with a polearm.
Rendered harmless by going past the tip? What is this? Rock, Paper, Scissors? You'd be first to die in a battlefield with that mentality. Edit: Most polearms are designed with hooks EXACTLY to have you past the tip then pull. Also, the whole shaft is used to guard, parry and strike. Specific variations of polearms even have either a bladed or blunt reinforced end to strike behind you or do a counter full swing.
@@EldeNice Of course there is always the option of drawing your secondary weapon but that takes precious seconds. Polearms are most commonly employed in tight formation which eliminates manouverability unless you want to bump into your own allies at every turn. Thrusting attacks in general have a small point of impact so if you miss, with a sword you can always do a drawback cut whereas the pole of the polearm is blunt. Depending on the type of polearm you can try to hook it from behind as well but there is 50-50 chance at best that you'll be fast enough before being cut down. And even then it's only a lose-lose.
Regarding your comment about my mentality, everything I say is supported by firsthand experience on the battlefield as well as historical evidence of various engagements.
I think people overstate how easy it is to get inside the reach of a polearm. You can always step back or choke it (hold your front hand further up the shaft). Meanwhile you can't magically make your sword longer when you need more reach.
@@ruukinen Normally that is true - if you're willing to lose some of the leverage by choking - but when talking specifically a two-handed sword vs polearm, a heavy swing will easily knock aside the shaft and leave the opponent exposed to a backhand uppercut or backswing follow. And that is one on one fighting which rarely occurs with polearms (mainly halberds and pollaxes). Polearms are most commonly deployed in a tight square or porcupine to fend off charging enemies. The reason why two-handed swords became popular with German landschknecht mercenaries was that they could both provide flanking support to their allied pole and shot square and flank the enemy formation attacking either the shafts or the soldiers directly once the two polearm lines are tangled together. A similar approach more favored by the Spanish was to send soldiers with daggers crawling under the entangled pike lines to attack the enemies' legs.
In one on one combat there are also several techniques of getting into the blind zone of the polearm - especially if you also have a shield - with the trick being that needs to be a riposte rather than a direct aggressive move. You lure in the polearm and take advantage of the opening. Since you are the attacking side, if you target the weapon directly it'll apply much more force onto the same lever than the person holding the polearm can put into holding the weapon in place. Once it is knocked aside, it is very difficult to recover your guard quickly enough to stop the opponent from entering the blind zone. And this is the part where I expressed the greatsword having an advantage because while it can be knocked aside with the same techniques as a polearm, there is a much smaller blind zone and even that is closer to the user of the weapon than to the attacker. So even if you can't recover your guard you can still force an interruption of the attack or at the least also inflict injury on your opponent.
@@balintkovacs4089 I mean there are several videos of people demonstrating how easy it is to ready your weapon after having it "knocked to the side". You literally just pull your rear hand back and choke the weapon. Secondly the Zweihanders sent in, to disrupt a pike and shot formations are literally called the suicide squad.
So it's not exactly the most accurate measure of historical sword-usage, but I distinctly remember when I first bought a set of Perry Miniatures Agincourt Infantry, and realized that there were barely any options available for classic one-handed swords. Having grown up on fantasy of all sorts, the idea that swords were the standard weapon of war became more or less ingrained into me; it wasn't until I got that box of minis that I realized swords were typically considered to be sidearms, while bigger, stronger weapons were used as a soldier's primary armament (for essentially all the reasons listed in this video). Again, no idea how accurately that spreads across all history, but it came from a source that I felt was suitably nerdy enough to mention here. :)
I like the goedendag. It has a certain(ahem) rustic charm. It really brings that i-can-wreck-your-day vibe to the party
LOVED the dagger skit in this one. Great job!
From what I can gather, swords on their own is a status symbol but a sword and a shield is warfare equipment. Oh and swords are also sidearms.
It’s incredibly funny to me because all the points in this video are valid on why it doesn’t make sense to make the intellectual jump to make a sword but nearly all if not all cultures across the world made sword or at the very least long cutty sticks that fill the same role as a sword that also takes more time to make and with out any clear overwhelming advantage in doing so
Dear Skal,
The videos you produce are freaking excellent. Whether you are sparring, cutting, reviewing or committing satire, etc., you are highly entertaining. Your videos are gripping and I never watch them "in the background." When you're on my screen, big or small, you command my full attention. I can't recall how long I've been subscribed or how long I've been watching but I thank you very much for being so damn consistently entertaining. Someday I'd like to shake your hand or fist bump or whatever in person and thank you.
-I wish you and yours the very best,
RAKA
One word:
*Wood*
You get a little rain on your polearm and it's already prone to severe damage. The reason langets exist is because stress on the metal head of the weapon chips, snaps, and breaks the wooden shaft, which happens long before chips or bends might occur on the metal to the point of making the weapon useless.
Rust can be cleaned. Little chips can filed. Edges can be sharpened. Bolts can be tightened. A little bending can be heated and straightened. In the most extreme circumstance, the metal can be recycled.
Once you get a little split on your polearm, particularly near the head, the entire weapon is useless. And this is going to happen far more often and more likely to a polearm than a sword.
Swords are also more flexible with more uses. Plus if you're rich enough to wear significant armor while your numerous, poorer opponents don't, a sword is a great thing to have. Remember, poleaxes were not a commoner's weapon, they were a knight and retinue bodyguard weapon. So once you get into the thick of the fight and you're in the enemy's face, you're more likely going to prefer the sword. (Once both sides are in heavy armor though, that's when that might change, but a majority of forces in most historical instances wouldn't be, and when they were, they were usually very dominant against one that wasn't).
Everyone loves swords, me included. You made good points here though and I think your kinda right, swords evolved a little out of necessity but also out of prestege I think. A polearm is kinda the winner in any fight thats not in a 4x4 room haha. And a sword is fairly long too tbh, so polearm/spear + dagger and some nikes is the true warriors gear.
Swords are like big knives but still basically knives. They’re sidearms, typically. Really big for sidearms. Really effective sidearms. But almost always a sidearm.
But why bother with the extra size and weight when you could just carry a slightly bigger knife?
This gives the: that's not a knife, this is a knife, quotation another level of coolness.
@@arx3516 Because you're still going up against polearms and maces and axes, and if a sword is bad against those weapons, a knife is almost useless. Sidearms weren't an afterthought, they were a very real, important part of a soldier's kit. If you lose your primary weapon in the heat of a melee, or you have a longer polearm and the fighting gets too close in for you to effectively use it, you're going to need something reliable on your hip that will let you keep fighting.
@@arx3516 honestly some cultures like most natives American braves forwent swords entirely because they felt that their clubs and knives filled those roles just as well or better. Gunstock Warclubs are also called Saber Style Warclubs because they fill the same role of a sword being around the same size and capable of defensive maneuvers, but the natives favored them because the clubs could be thrown much more effectively than a sword. Daggers and knives also are typically better for throwing. Add tomahawks to that equation and you really don’t need swords. You may want one. But you def don’t need one.
@@screamingcactus1753 Oh for sure. Just bc I say sidearm, doesn’t at all mean it’s worthless or not valuable. It’s just not the “starter” so to speak. You begin the battle with a diff weapon and sometimes don’t draw the sword. When you do draw the sword though, shit gets real, quick.
Watching Tod's rondel dagger test made me wonder why armored fighters didn't develop those much earlier.
I love a good old stick with a pointy end =))) It give the "That silly sod over there think he's safe from his horse" vibe =))))
Weapons are much like the tools in your tool box. Each one has a purpose and some are better then others but you cant stop folks from wanting the best or the craziest tools out there.
Fortunately, none of these weaknesses apply to the Japanese katana, which can cut through an office building in a strike, and which are no longer used due to concerns that some day a master swordsman (or "baka gaijin" as the Japanese call them) will cut the Earth in half.
If I understand correctly, flamberge and other greatswords were ment to serve the dual porpouse of cleaving pikes, and serving as pikes if cavalry came a knocking.
"They discovered...metal" *Cue metallica*
You got me there, that hit just right lol
I have always thought that axes and hammers were cooler than swords so it's great to know that there are actually tons of advantages to using axes instead of swords