Sword beads were popular in western Europe from the late 300s to the late 500s. Their meaning remains unclear. In this video, a functional purpose as suggested by archaeologist Elias Flatscher is presented, kindly assisted by Sebastian Wesche, a skilled craftsman and devoted re-enactor of the Merovingian period. To support my work, join my patrons at www.patreon.com/Dimicator . Subscribe to my newsletter on my website dimicator.com/ or go here: exciting-pioneer-6049.ck.page/a8f72e8432
What is the meaning of modern knife beads . What is the meaning of modern sword nots? What is the meaning of a charm on a charm bracelet? What is the meaning of the English language? 😉
So my first thought seeing those was about all the decorations hanging from people's bags and cellphones... and then I remembered that fobs hanging from key rings and watch chains have been a thing for about a century longer... People just seem to like hanging decorations from their stuff, at least at times when it is fashionable.
At about 7:30, the way you have tied the sword knot around the scabbard and used the bead to secure knot from coming loose easily, can be handy to keep a sword from falling out the scabbard accidentally and prevents quick draw of the sword eg. by somebody stalking you. This can be very important when you are traveling and eg. sleeping on the saddle or sleeping at camp with your sword close by. The fact that the era of its popularity coincides with the great migrations and endless skirmishes and ambushes should not be seen as accidental.
This makes a lot of sense to me as well. Without a sword bead and tether a tight sheath is necessary. But that comes with disadvantages. When caught in bad weather a rain soaked sheath can tighten and be a burden to draw a blade when you need it most. It reminds me of the scene in Gladiator (not the most historically accurate film yet still enjoyable) when a Roman soldier's sword is stuck in his sheath due to frost. I would much rather have an easily drawn blade with a tether and bead to secure it. Having it brace the hand or wrist is also a great bonus of course.
@@RyllenKriel Interestingly, Tod Cutler just recently did an episode specifically on the question of how tight sword sheaths were in the past and the effects and issues of water and such.
Not being able to draw a sword quickly in an era of ambushes seems VERY counterintuitive. As long as you're not asleep, there is almost no way someone can sneak up on you without you noticing.
@@HessianLikeTheFabric I suspect a bit overmuch s made of ambushes and the like. Movies and books make it seem like every league or two down any give road there were cutthroats waiting in ambush, but that's not at all the case and for most people life was devoid of that sort of danger. If you were in the class of society that carried a sword and if you were in a situation where an ambush was likely you'd know that, and you'd have your sword set to be drawn quickly. In other normal situations drawing a sword quickly would not be a concern, and having a simple, easy to undo button-like arrangement to keep the sword in place would be a useful thing. It looks like the sword button could be freed with a flip of the thumb in any event when used to keep the sword in place.
@@earthknight60 Yeah, it kind of does look like that. I was just confused by the statement that it saves the sword from getting grabbed by a robber that would sneak up. It is REALLY hard to sneak up on someone if it's not extremely crowded. Woods aren't crowded, and honestly, the cities of the time were neither.
The sword bead also seems like the sort of 'I have a problem but I don't want to go get my sword re-made' solution that makes perfect sense for people to come up with in the interim between the problem appearing and smiths adapting their weapon designs to the problem.
As I noted in a couple of replies to comments, if you look at police training films from the 1950s-60s on the use of the police truncheon equipped with a lanyard, the officers were trained NOT to put their wrists through the lanyard strap, because an assailant who succeeded in grabbing the truncheon would also trap their hand. Instead, they were trained to use the lanyard exactly as you used the sword bead -- put the pinkie finger into the end of the cord, then wrap the rest around the *outside* of the hand to "lock" the truncheon in the fist. It made it more secure, but the officer could free his hand instantly if required. The sword bead makes this process faster and the grip even stronger by giving a solid object at the end of the cord for the fingers to lock onto. Simple and brilliant. Of course, the archaeologists are ALSO correct that the beads have a ritual, religious or talismanic function. After all, most warriors would have considered it extremely unlucky to drop their sword in the middle of a fight...
I think you're right. Especially once your hand gets sweaty or covered with various bodily fluids. It aided with retention but later hilts would have wider pommels.
I think taking a look at the evolution of scabbards of the era as well would be very worthwhile. We might be looking at the sword, when the purpose is with the scabbard.
I thought so as well. Useful when traveling to prevent the sword from falling out the scabbard, to show peaceful intent when crossing a town and to prevent quick draw of the your sword by another person. Also very useful when sleeping.
That is really interesting. The explanation that I am familliar with is that the beads were part of 'peace strings'. These made a noise when the sword was unsecured. This expanation does not exclude the idea of a practical function.
Awesome video! I really like simple things that serve a functional purpose and add a bit of nice aesthetic flair and this fits very well to me. I will have to include sword beads into my fantasy concepts. Thank you for sharing! Cheers.
Interesting.... I suspect that they fell out of the archeological record before they fell out of use. The obvious downside to them is potentially tangling with clothing or belt/scabbard when trying to draw quickly, likely the major danger would be the large bead, which would be the first to go, and a simple lanyard would not remain archeologically. With better scabbards and pommels the need for the bead would lessen, while as the wealth of the average combatant increases the presence of backup weapons would lessen the advantage of a lanyard, making any possible tangling, with clothing or a broken/trapped weapon increasingly concerning. On a personal note, I have seen things like them used to effectively replace pommels on civilian tools so they may be holdovers from earlier times.
That can help peoples in reenactment movment when they use gloves in fight. We all know that in such fights sword grip behave a little bit more unsafe than in bare hand.
Same concept as a knife lanyard, especially when doing heavy chopping; it prevents the knife from easily flying out of your grip as you swing or if it gets stuck in something. I imagine it would be good in battle if your hand gets sweaty/bloody or if a blade gets lightly stuck in a shield. Though it could also become a hindrance if the sword gets stuck and you can't let go of the hilt quick enough. In that case it might be possible for the enemy to pull you off balance or just get enough time to strike you while you are fiddling with getting out of it.
Lanyards are only hard to get out of if you are using them wrong. If you wear them right, you can let go of the tool very quickly simply by opening your hand. But as long as your hand is closed, it is very difficult for the tool to slip free, or be pulled out of the hand. Riot cops were taught to hook the loop of the lanyard of their batons/billy clubs with their thumb and then wrap it around the back of their hand the same way as the sword bead in this video. Most people do not know how to use a lanyard correctly.
I have often found myself wondering whether some sort of lanyard was attached to these rings, but I had neverheardof sword beads before. I find the migration period fascinating for so many reasons, but the swords from this period are definitely some of the coolest!
I wonder if this could be connected to the ring hilts found on some swords. Could it be an attachment point for the cord, or perhaps a decorative representation of the same charm? Or perhaps they are totally unelated.
If the description in the saga you've read is correct, then maybe these beads were used for lanyards, so the sword could hang down on the wrist while the warrior is throwing his thrown weapon (spear, javelin, angon, francisca or something alike) before charging into melee. If I understand correctly, thrown weapons became less popular among the Franks in the 7th century, so this correlates with the decline of use of these beads. Another idea, mentioned in some other comments, is that these beads were used to secure the sword in the scabbard and provide the so-called peace-knot (also known as peace-band or peace-tie), so the sword couldn't be drawn istantly in a peaceful place like a city. These knots were probably required by customes and/or by the law. Maybe in the later period only nobles were allowed to own swords or to carry swords in cities and so peace-knots became unnecessary? These ideas obviously do not mean that your idea is wrong. These beads could be used for different purposes in different places and times or even simultaneously.
I heard that Samurai would have their katanas tied up in what is called a ‘peace knot’. I reckon this was used at formal meetings where there might be bad blood between people and keep them from drawing their swords.
its no surprise that anthropologists would assume that any artifact that they don't immediately understand its function is a "talisman" or "ritual device". /smh
Are there anything like rondel plates in those finds? Because the first thing I would do is try switching the bead to a small, protective metal plate for the back of the hand and see if it's still usable.
Wondered if such a supplementary grip was/could be used with axes and tomahawks, or if indeed they originated from them in the first place (retention & retraction if stuck, or after a thrust after getting behind the shield, or additional leverage in manipulating shields). They are similar to _jesses_ in falconry used to retain/tether the bird, perhaps there was some mythic semiotic overlay there with the blades at some point.
I bet a wider iron washer would work really good like a micro shield to protect your fingers? Hunnish swords both short and long mostly had T shaped hilts and I've always thought it would be counterintuitive given they were such ruthless horsemen, so surely the ergonomics works somehow to calvary maybe?
Thinking about your hypothesis, the episode of the assassination of Alboino comes to mind. Paolo Diacono says that Rosmunda tied the sword to the bed, this snare could have been used.
The Secondary use of the strap for retention, would be situationally optional. At sea for example, but not at all times, just like the thumb-break on a pistol holster. It is interesting that it was still well-known in 13th Century Iceland, but Iceland was typically the last Scandinavian culture to drop a tradition, still is so, as historians should be glad for.
I have recently purchased a Gustav Style Messer from Landsknecht emporium and am wondering if a sword bead would be appropriate for this style of long knife. What is the bead made of? Any feedback would be appreciated 🗡️
If I'm honest I cant remember where I heard it, but I distinctly recall a theory of norse swordstraps being for quick switching, where you could hang it off your wrist and flick it into hand easily, so to use a spear with sword drawn
When you raise your arm to throw/use the spear the loop will slide to your elbow and hang quite still, if it is fixed to the wrist the sword will fling and swing around much more. If you make a hip hinge whilst throwing the spear the sword is further from your leg. A simple loop is probably the best, any knot to fix it to the wrist is probably an disadvantage in the long run.
I am not familiar with beads, bead history, bead lore, etc. I spent most of my life imagining very small beads when beads were discussed, but as in this example, and there are other places, beads are quite large, and a single bead is often what is described/displayed. This bead is very large, and I imagine it to be something that could be held as a tool. Is it part of bead history that these beads were used as "hard objects" (like a pestle and mortar) to smash materials for diy/foodprep/manufacturing? I can imagine a bead could be useful when mashing fibers free from plants, stretching leather or other fabrics, pushing a needle through a tough fabric/leather piece (like a thimble) ,,, and I can imagine that having the bead tied to a chord or a string of smaller beads would make it much easier to keep a grip on the large bead while under pressure. But,, I don't know about this field of history at all, and until recently I just dismissed beads as fashion whenever they were discussed. In a way, though, I now see them as the "pocket knife of hard objects" ,, in an environment where diy manufacture using mostly natural materials was a regular/daily task.
Wouldn't it be possible that in the event of being killed the sword would be retained in hand to ensure entry into Valhalla ? A possible bonus to the practical use you described?
Do you have any information of the bead along with being on horseback, where you could prep your grip before riding into combat? Also, are there any other weapons that have this bead association? I would think that it is actually preferable in horse combat where you could let go of the weapon if caught up by an obstruction, rather that being unable to drop the weapon in a bind
For what is worth, similar loops were in use for cavalry about 1000 years later, from the XVIII century until the end of the use of the sword as a battlefield weapon. They certainly DO help you control your weapon, albeit they were used in a different way that is shown here (with the hand going _inside_ the loop). Notice that this just means that loops _can_ be used from horseback, not that loops _were_ used from horseback back then.
@@LeeMorgan07 Joke answer: Apparently, the cavalryman found more dangerous having your sword on the ground 😜 Serious answer: Never had a problem with that myself. During sparring, never found any situation on which the loop was dangerous. I admit I have never slashed at someone from horseback so I can not give personal experience of whether leaving your sword stuck into someone's torso duing a ride-by and your sword loop dragging you from horseback would be a factor, but then again, I doubt anyone currently living has THAT kind of personal experience... 🙄which brings us back, this time seriously, to the joke answer: the cavalrymen who _did_ have that experience seemed to love their loops and not to have problems with them.
early medieval sabres (the ones from khazaria volga bulgaria rus lands and hungary) had points to attach lanyard cords on them a lot of times so people clearly saw the bennifit of that
@@LeeMorgan07 The solution to that is the one police officers were trained to use when they were still equipped with truncheons with lanyards rather than those newer batons with the l-shaped grip sticking out the side: you don't put your hand "inside" the loop; instead you slip the pinkie finger in the loop and wrap the rest around the "outside" of your hand. This locks the truncheon in your fist but if someone tears it free, you can still release it without being dragged helplessly by your wrist. In fact, *exactly* the same as the way Roland just demonstrated with the sword bead...
The bead would make the sword slightly slower to draw in a crisis. It would probably be useful in a duel where you have time to prepare, but it would just get in the way if you were waylaid and had to draw your sword quickly and fight. Similarly, there would be more to go wrong if you go into battle with a spear, throw the spear and then draw your sword. Maybe the sword bead was a symbol of being willing to fight a duel for your honour or reputation,
I beg to difer. Based upon my own (admitedly not life-or-death) experience with swords with rope loops for the hand (late XIX century - early XX century cavalry sword-sabers), if you _really_ don't have time to slip your hand trough a rope loop, you just grab the weapon as if the loop wasn't there to begin with: it won't hinder you (just dangle from betwen your fingers). So with that in mind, a loop (if that's the bead's purpose) is not something that slows you in a crisis, but something that helps you if you _do_ have those two extra seconds.
Sword knots do fill the same function indeed, but as Mr. Carlos Speicywiener mentions in another comment of this video, the bead could also fulfill the role of helping peace-tie your sword to your scabbard - something that a simple loop has more difficulty to do. You can see it tied that way in the actual video.
Polo players use a similar loop to hang on to their mallet thingies. Theirs have no beads, they just loop around the little finger. Maybe C7th swordsmen used this technique?
Police officers used to be trained to use their truncheon lanyards the same way. It secures your grip while still allowing you to break free instantly if your weapon is torn from your grasp.
It’s obviously to prevent common thievery. For example a little quick teenage kid in a busy trading centre couldn’t just grab your sword and run. Also, if you have to run through the woods or climb, it wouldn’t fall out. This opinion is coming from a tradesman. Honestly, the fact it’s called a “mystery”. Is pretty funny.
They dont "feel" the same both in weight and balance and when the blades meet. Steel binds and rebounds far differently than wood and a sharp sword is different to a dull one as well.
@@rippervtol9516 Yea, but you cant train with sharp weapons. If you can't do your best to actually hit with realistic force, you are not training on the actual weapon.
@@bernhard7658 It is exactly the opposite. With sharp swords you end up with symbolic fighting rather than practicing real fighting. This shield-dancing is not useful. These swords are cleavers with long reach. The Shield is a weapon in its own right that can be used to strike with. The slow shield dancing farce is exactly because they are using sharp swords and can't try out how the equipment works for real.
Sword beads were popular in western Europe from the late 300s to the late 500s. Their meaning remains unclear. In this video, a functional purpose as suggested by archaeologist Elias Flatscher is presented, kindly assisted by Sebastian Wesche, a skilled craftsman and devoted re-enactor of the Merovingian period.
To support my work, join my patrons at www.patreon.com/Dimicator . Subscribe to my newsletter on my website dimicator.com/ or go here: exciting-pioneer-6049.ck.page/a8f72e8432
What is the meaning of modern knife beads . What is the meaning of modern sword nots? What is the meaning of a charm on a charm bracelet? What is the meaning of the English language? 😉
So my first thought seeing those was about all the decorations hanging from people's bags and cellphones... and then I remembered that fobs hanging from key rings and watch chains have been a thing for about a century longer... People just seem to like hanging decorations from their stuff, at least at times when it is fashionable.
Interesting stuff!
First time hearing about these, very interesting
At about 7:30, the way you have tied the sword knot around the scabbard and used the bead to secure knot from coming loose easily, can be handy to keep a sword from falling out the scabbard accidentally and prevents quick draw of the sword eg. by somebody stalking you. This can be very important when you are traveling and eg. sleeping on the saddle or sleeping at camp with your sword close by. The fact that the era of its popularity coincides with the great migrations and endless skirmishes and ambushes should not be seen as accidental.
This makes a lot of sense to me as well. Without a sword bead and tether a tight sheath is necessary. But that comes with disadvantages. When caught in bad weather a rain soaked sheath can tighten and be a burden to draw a blade when you need it most. It reminds me of the scene in Gladiator (not the most historically accurate film yet still enjoyable) when a Roman soldier's sword is stuck in his sheath due to frost. I would much rather have an easily drawn blade with a tether and bead to secure it. Having it brace the hand or wrist is also a great bonus of course.
@@RyllenKriel Interestingly, Tod Cutler just recently did an episode specifically on the question of how tight sword sheaths were in the past and the effects and issues of water and such.
Not being able to draw a sword quickly in an era of ambushes seems VERY counterintuitive. As long as you're not asleep, there is almost no way someone can sneak up on you without you noticing.
@@HessianLikeTheFabric I suspect a bit overmuch s made of ambushes and the like. Movies and books make it seem like every league or two down any give road there were cutthroats waiting in ambush, but that's not at all the case and for most people life was devoid of that sort of danger.
If you were in the class of society that carried a sword and if you were in a situation where an ambush was likely you'd know that, and you'd have your sword set to be drawn quickly.
In other normal situations drawing a sword quickly would not be a concern, and having a simple, easy to undo button-like arrangement to keep the sword in place would be a useful thing.
It looks like the sword button could be freed with a flip of the thumb in any event when used to keep the sword in place.
@@earthknight60 Yeah, it kind of does look like that. I was just confused by the statement that it saves the sword from getting grabbed by a robber that would sneak up. It is REALLY hard to sneak up on someone if it's not extremely crowded. Woods aren't crowded, and honestly, the cities of the time were neither.
The sword bead also seems like the sort of 'I have a problem but I don't want to go get my sword re-made' solution that makes perfect sense for people to come up with in the interim between the problem appearing and smiths adapting their weapon designs to the problem.
As I noted in a couple of replies to comments, if you look at police training films from the 1950s-60s on the use of the police truncheon equipped with a lanyard, the officers were trained NOT to put their wrists through the lanyard strap, because an assailant who succeeded in grabbing the truncheon would also trap their hand. Instead, they were trained to use the lanyard exactly as you used the sword bead -- put the pinkie finger into the end of the cord, then wrap the rest around the *outside* of the hand to "lock" the truncheon in the fist. It made it more secure, but the officer could free his hand instantly if required. The sword bead makes this process faster and the grip even stronger by giving a solid object at the end of the cord for the fingers to lock onto. Simple and brilliant.
Of course, the archaeologists are ALSO correct that the beads have a ritual, religious or talismanic function. After all, most warriors would have considered it extremely unlucky to drop their sword in the middle of a fight...
Nice to see it being more than just a lanyard with tassel as we had more recently
I think you're right. Especially once your hand gets sweaty or covered with various bodily fluids. It aided with retention but later hilts would have wider pommels.
"Wat dis? Dunno, must be ritual!" - archaeologist 101 :D
Well this is basicly key ring tat for your sword.
@@SuperFunkmachine Yesh! But does it have ritual purpose? 🤔😁
My thoughts exactly!
Fancy seeing you here. It's funny how small a place the internet can sometimes be.
In my country we usually put "Ritual use" on any find we don´t really know what the use was" and that trend seems to follow to all other countries.
Great to see your still posting, I also never heard of sword beads. Thanks for sharing.
I think taking a look at the evolution of scabbards of the era as well would be very worthwhile.
We might be looking at the sword, when the purpose is with the scabbard.
I always thought they were 'peace knots'. When fastened, they prevent it from the sword from being drawn.
I thought so as well. Useful when traveling to prevent the sword from falling out the scabbard, to show peaceful intent when crossing a town and to prevent quick draw of the your sword by another person. Also very useful when sleeping.
To be fair, they might well could fulfill _both_ purposes. Very interesting comment.
That is really interesting. The explanation that I am familliar with is that the beads were part of 'peace strings'. These made a noise when the sword was unsecured. This expanation does not exclude the idea of a practical function.
Do you have a source on that? I've never heard of that but I'd be very interested in seeing a reconstruction that works like that.
It is for retention of the weapon in one hand. You can see similar examples in Chinese swords even in the late 19 century
Awesome video!
I really like simple things that serve a functional purpose and add a bit of nice aesthetic flair and this fits very well to me. I will have to include sword beads into my fantasy concepts.
Thank you for sharing!
Cheers.
This is very illuminating! Bravo, Roland!
Interesting.... I suspect that they fell out of the archeological record before they fell out of use. The obvious downside to them is potentially tangling with clothing or belt/scabbard when trying to draw quickly, likely the major danger would be the large bead, which would be the first to go, and a simple lanyard would not remain archeologically. With better scabbards and pommels the need for the bead would lessen, while as the wealth of the average combatant increases the presence of backup weapons would lessen the advantage of a lanyard, making any possible tangling, with clothing or a broken/trapped weapon increasingly concerning.
On a personal note, I have seen things like them used to effectively replace pommels on civilian tools so they may be holdovers from earlier times.
That can help peoples in reenactment movment when they use gloves in fight. We all know that in such fights sword grip behave a little bit more unsafe than in bare hand.
Loving your content thanks for doing this video on sword bead.
That was excellent experimental archaeology, thank you!
So great to see you again and glad you are well. From the left handed fighter. Di.Mythios
7:18 kitty spotted!
Roland, you are always full of new and innovative ideas!
i love simple yet effective things like these.
Same concept as a knife lanyard, especially when doing heavy chopping; it prevents the knife from easily flying out of your grip as you swing or if it gets stuck in something. I imagine it would be good in battle if your hand gets sweaty/bloody or if a blade gets lightly stuck in a shield. Though it could also become a hindrance if the sword gets stuck and you can't let go of the hilt quick enough. In that case it might be possible for the enemy to pull you off balance or just get enough time to strike you while you are fiddling with getting out of it.
Lanyards are only hard to get out of if you are using them wrong.
If you wear them right, you can let go of the tool very quickly simply by opening your hand. But as long as your hand is closed, it is very difficult for the tool to slip free, or be pulled out of the hand.
Riot cops were taught to hook the loop of the lanyard of their batons/billy clubs with their thumb and then wrap it around the back of their hand the same way as the sword bead in this video.
Most people do not know how to use a lanyard correctly.
I wonder if the rings in ring-hilt migration era swords might not have been meant for attaching such a bead?
My thoughts exactly.
I have often found myself wondering whether some sort of lanyard was attached to these rings, but I had neverheardof sword beads before. I find the migration period fascinating for so many reasons, but the swords from this period are definitely some of the coolest!
That´s a cool gadget :) Might include this into my fantasy concept, will try it out in training :D
I wonder if this could be connected to the ring hilts found on some swords. Could it be an attachment point for the cord, or perhaps a decorative representation of the same charm? Or perhaps they are totally unelated.
Viking wii strap
If the description in the saga you've read is correct, then maybe these beads were used for lanyards, so the sword could hang down on the wrist while the warrior is throwing his thrown weapon (spear, javelin, angon, francisca or something alike) before charging into melee. If I understand correctly, thrown weapons became less popular among the Franks in the 7th century, so this correlates with the decline of use of these beads.
Another idea, mentioned in some other comments, is that these beads were used to secure the sword in the scabbard and provide the so-called peace-knot (also known as peace-band or peace-tie), so the sword couldn't be drawn istantly in a peaceful place like a city. These knots were probably required by customes and/or by the law. Maybe in the later period only nobles were allowed to own swords or to carry swords in cities and so peace-knots became unnecessary?
These ideas obviously do not mean that your idea is wrong. These beads could be used for different purposes in different places and times or even simultaneously.
I heard that Samurai would have their katanas tied up in what is called a ‘peace knot’. I reckon this was used at formal meetings where there might be bad blood between people and keep them from drawing their swords.
Interesting. Thank you.
interesting, never even heard of sword beads. I wonder if other similar beads have been found but not associated with swords.
its no surprise that anthropologists would assume that any artifact that they don't immediately understand its function is a "talisman" or "ritual device". /smh
Are there anything like rondel plates in those finds? Because the first thing I would do is try switching the bead to a small, protective metal plate for the back of the hand and see if it's still usable.
I was thinking the same thing. A thicker leather thong could be reinforced with metal and could almost act as a cestus.
Wondered if such a supplementary grip was/could be used with axes and tomahawks, or if indeed they originated from them in the first place (retention & retraction if stuck, or after a thrust after getting behind the shield, or additional leverage in manipulating shields). They are similar to _jesses_ in falconry used to retain/tether the bird, perhaps there was some mythic semiotic overlay there with the blades at some point.
Fascinating video... but am I the only one distracted by the cat at 7:18 :D
Would this explain ring hilt swords? i.e. the cord attached to the ring on the pommel .
Perhaps the practical use of sword knots was rendered less so by the advent of armor for the hand?
I bet a wider iron washer would work really good like a micro shield to protect your fingers? Hunnish swords both short and long mostly had T shaped hilts and I've always thought it would be counterintuitive given they were such ruthless horsemen, so surely the ergonomics works somehow to calvary maybe?
Thinking about your hypothesis, the episode of the assassination of Alboino comes to mind.
Paolo Diacono says that Rosmunda tied the sword to the bed, this snare could have been used.
Interesting, never heard of them
So it functions like an early version of the more modern sord knots from the 19th and 20th century. A bit different but broadly the same use?
The Secondary use of the strap for retention, would be situationally optional. At sea for example, but not at all times, just like the thumb-break on a pistol holster. It is interesting that it was still well-known in 13th Century Iceland, but Iceland was typically the last Scandinavian culture to drop a tradition, still is so, as historians should be glad for.
I have recently purchased a Gustav Style Messer from Landsknecht emporium and am wondering if a sword bead would be appropriate for this style of long knife. What is the bead made of? Any feedback would be appreciated 🗡️
If I'm honest I cant remember where I heard it, but I distinctly recall a theory of norse swordstraps being for quick switching, where you could hang it off your wrist and flick it into hand easily, so to use a spear with sword drawn
When you raise your arm to throw/use the spear the loop will slide to your elbow and hang quite still, if it is fixed to the wrist the sword will fling and swing around much more.
If you make a hip hinge whilst throwing the spear the sword is further from your leg.
A simple loop is probably the best, any knot to fix it to the wrist is probably an disadvantage in the long run.
I am not familiar with beads, bead history, bead lore, etc. I spent most of my life imagining very small beads when beads were discussed, but as in this example, and there are other places, beads are quite large, and a single bead is often what is described/displayed. This bead is very large, and I imagine it to be something that could be held as a tool. Is it part of bead history that these beads were used as "hard objects" (like a pestle and mortar) to smash materials for diy/foodprep/manufacturing? I can imagine a bead could be useful when mashing fibers free from plants, stretching leather or other fabrics, pushing a needle through a tough fabric/leather piece (like a thimble) ,,, and I can imagine that having the bead tied to a chord or a string of smaller beads would make it much easier to keep a grip on the large bead while under pressure. But,, I don't know about this field of history at all, and until recently I just dismissed beads as fashion whenever they were discussed. In a way, though, I now see them as the "pocket knife of hard objects" ,, in an environment where diy manufacture using mostly natural materials was a regular/daily task.
Never underestimate the power of changing fashions.
Woah. I actually design knives like this. That's amazing
You keep saying "sword knot," but I keep hearing "swordnaut," like, "ah yes, the explorer of the blade."
LOOK AT ALL THOSE BUCKLERS
man's got buckles for days
Netter Kanal.
They also double as a fidget toy.
Unironicaly a realistic theory.
Wouldn't it be possible that in the event of being killed the sword would be retained in hand to ensure entry into Valhalla ? A possible bonus to the practical use you described?
Also might explain why they fell from use after turning Christian?
Did you try seeing if the bead made it easier to find the cord when you want to keep your eyes on your opponent and fasten the cord?
Can you loop it in a way that enables 2handed use? Should alter the practical use if possible.
Do you have any information of the bead along with being on horseback, where you could prep your grip before riding into combat?
Also, are there any other weapons that have this bead association? I would think that it is actually preferable in horse combat where you could let go of the weapon if caught up by an obstruction, rather that being unable to drop the weapon in a bind
For what is worth, similar loops were in use for cavalry about 1000 years later, from the XVIII century until the end of the use of the sword as a battlefield weapon. They certainly DO help you control your weapon, albeit they were used in a different way that is shown here (with the hand going _inside_ the loop). Notice that this just means that loops _can_ be used from horseback, not that loops _were_ used from horseback back then.
@@notfeedynotlazy I was thinking a loop might be more dangerous because your hand is inside it
@@LeeMorgan07 Joke answer: Apparently, the cavalryman found more dangerous having your sword on the ground 😜
Serious answer: Never had a problem with that myself. During sparring, never found any situation on which the loop was dangerous. I admit I have never slashed at someone from horseback so I can not give personal experience of whether leaving your sword stuck into someone's torso duing a ride-by and your sword loop dragging you from horseback would be a factor, but then again, I doubt anyone currently living has THAT kind of personal experience... 🙄which brings us back, this time seriously, to the joke answer: the cavalrymen who _did_ have that experience seemed to love their loops and not to have problems with them.
early medieval sabres (the ones from khazaria volga bulgaria rus lands and hungary) had points to attach lanyard cords on them a lot of times so people clearly saw the bennifit of that
@@LeeMorgan07 The solution to that is the one police officers were trained to use when they were still equipped with truncheons with lanyards rather than those newer batons with the l-shaped grip sticking out the side: you don't put your hand "inside" the loop; instead you slip the pinkie finger in the loop and wrap the rest around the "outside" of your hand. This locks the truncheon in your fist but if someone tears it free, you can still release it without being dragged helplessly by your wrist. In fact, *exactly* the same as the way Roland just demonstrated with the sword bead...
The bead would make the sword slightly slower to draw in a crisis. It would probably be useful in a duel where you have time to prepare, but it would just get in the way if you were waylaid and had to draw your sword quickly and fight. Similarly, there would be more to go wrong if you go into battle with a spear, throw the spear and then draw your sword. Maybe the sword bead was a symbol of being willing to fight a duel for your honour or reputation,
I beg to difer. Based upon my own (admitedly not life-or-death) experience with swords with rope loops for the hand (late XIX century - early XX century cavalry sword-sabers), if you _really_ don't have time to slip your hand trough a rope loop, you just grab the weapon as if the loop wasn't there to begin with: it won't hinder you (just dangle from betwen your fingers). So with that in mind, a loop (if that's the bead's purpose) is not something that slows you in a crisis, but something that helps you if you _do_ have those two extra seconds.
Thank you for this research - I have been making reproductions and documenting them as best I can. This really helps me explain potential uses
Woah your still alive
Wouldn't a simple loop perform the same function? Like a sword knot?
Sword knots do fill the same function indeed, but as Mr. Carlos Speicywiener mentions in another comment of this video, the bead could also fulfill the role of helping peace-tie your sword to your scabbard - something that a simple loop has more difficulty to do. You can see it tied that way in the actual video.
bist du eigentlich wieder in haitabu?
Polo players use a similar loop to hang on to their mallet thingies. Theirs have no beads, they just loop around the little finger. Maybe C7th swordsmen used this technique?
Police officers used to be trained to use their truncheon lanyards the same way. It secures your grip while still allowing you to break free instantly if your weapon is torn from your grasp.
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It’s obviously to prevent common thievery. For example a little quick teenage kid in a busy trading centre couldn’t just grab your sword and run. Also, if you have to run through the woods or climb, it wouldn’t fall out.
This opinion is coming from a tradesman. Honestly, the fact it’s called a “mystery”. Is pretty funny.
As such or like so. Joking said as "like suck". No, not a typo, just something my dad thought was funny.
...but I can see how that sword will hurt you flinging around if you let go of the handle...
Feeding the algorithm
I just used duck tape lolol
Spot the cat
Why don't you use wooden swords for sparring?
They dont "feel" the same both in weight and balance and when the blades meet. Steel binds and rebounds far differently than wood and a sharp sword is different to a dull one as well.
@@rippervtol9516 Yea, but you cant train with sharp weapons. If you can't do your best to actually hit with realistic force, you are not training on the actual weapon.
No risk no fun! 😁
@@bernhard7658 It is exactly the opposite. With sharp swords you end up with symbolic fighting rather than practicing real fighting.
This shield-dancing is not useful. These swords are cleavers with long reach. The Shield is a weapon in its own right that can be used to strike with.
The slow shield dancing farce is exactly because they are using sharp swords and can't try out how the equipment works for real.
@@martinan22 Well said.
whoever thought the name ellias fletcher was funny. and laughed let me know where best friends