I'd say the worst ones come from the knife you are, at the time, using to cut those tiny chili peppers of which two are plenty for a whole big six-person pot of soup.
I'm not a chef, but I have to agree with you. Unfortunately, it's from first hand experience. Over two decades, I have sliced more than one finger down to the bone. How do I know that the cuts actually made it to the bone, you might ask? The bone was the only thing that stopped the blade from cutting any further. Both times that this occurred, there was nothing/no one else to blame except myself. It was my own dam stupidity and impatience that caused my injuries. Don't think for a second that I wasn't aware of the consequences if things went south. Well, things did got south, and I might add, it did so very quickly and painfully. Both wounds took a long time to heal, but the last one ended up taking around 5 months. This hasn't affected my views negatively about serrated blades though, quite the opposite! Cheers
Not a chef, but someone hungry enough to be cooking at 3 am and can confirm, smooth, sharp blades always leave easy to heal cuts, but those little serrated monsters? Nasty
Couldn't another possible functional advantage of a wavy blade be that on thrusts they would create a larger wound without having the weight of a similar sized straight blade? That is to say: the wound resulting from the thrust of a wavy blade would have the size of the distance between the peaks of the edges. Equivalent to the wound of a blade with the width of said distance, but without its weight and with less friction during the thrust. That makes sense to me intuitively, but I have no real knowledge or experience in swordsmanship, so I may be wrong.
@@DrownedCrew More a blocking aid I think. In martial arts bumps on kali/escrima sticks stop knuckles getting wrapped by providing audible warning when moving faster than the eye. Further others not used to matching such are thrown off where you are used to your own weapon and how it handles. Could be as simple as a south paw boxer having an advantage while not having any numerical "stat" advantage.
You generally don't grab by the edge you grab by the flats avoiding edge contact if possible. I don't think it would be enough of a difference to make a difference in that regard.
@@demomanchaos The key phrase there is "if possible," because it usually isn't. Gaining a secure hold without any edge contact requires precise timing and coordination between the arm, hand, and weapon. Achieving that level of precision is a very tall order when you're pumped full of adrenaline, doing something entirely different with your off-hand at the same time, and attempting to grab a weapon being moved rapidly and somewhat unpredictably by an opponent actively trying to hurt you.
especially if there's been a trend in your general vicinity's martial arts where people grabed their opponent's blades, and people get good at it purely for the flair of being "the guy who grabs his opponent's sword by the blade and beats them over the head with it" if nothing else, so it just becomes something you get the wiggly-sword to avoid your opponent doing
@MarkusMöttus-x7j Yeah, these are great theories, but unfortunately really unsafe/unethical to test. I promise if I ever become a post-apocalyptic warlord I will host a bloodgame in your honor to try them out though.
I don't know how well this logic would apply to swords, but spears have had wavy blades as well. If memory serves, a Grecian polearm with a wavy 'leaf-like' blade used wavy edges as a way to reduce friction when trying to dislodge the spear from being impaled in an enemy; because the rises in the design would come in contact with the flesh and/or bone, but not necessarily the dips, there'd be less chance on snagging when trying to pull the weapon out of the unlucky stiff you jabbed. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! I love learning with this channel.
I haven't stabbed enough hunks of meat with wavy spear blades to say with certainty, but it does seem like it would make the blade easier to withdraw by virtue of the "serrations" tending to cut through flesh and material on the way in and back out. (Think of it in terms of push cuts and draw cuts. But to somebody's innards...yikes.) It also should help indirectly, just by reducing the chance of the blade piercing a target deeply. Would it hit that sweet spot of hampering overpenetration without encouraging underpenetration though? Anyway, maybe that's another functional reason for blades that are only waved near the forte/medium if they're designed at all for thrusting. (Although the example in the video seems like the waves end too far from the point for that to be the primary intent.)
Chinese had the famous "SNAKE SPEAR" I actually know the form with it. Interesting, a LOT more cutting motions, not wide cuts like in Kwan Dao, but cutting slicing motion in it. Tells you how it was used. Those weapon forms, if ORIGINAL (not modern day acrobatic shit), tell you a LOT about how the weapons was used. Kwan do - very few thrusts, lots of hacks and slices. Spear - lots of thrusts, no hacks, some slices. Snake Spear - lots of thrusts, lots of slices, few hacking motion. Famous general of Three Kingdoms - Cheng Pu, had a Snake Spear.
Oh man, I feel bad about that! It was especially messy when Skall came, partly because I'm in the process of building some new shelving units, and everything is just piled up in the middle at the moment. But yeah... it's always quite messy in there anyway!
It's like in making-of's from movies where they first showing the normal scene and then change the viewpoint so you can see what's going on around the set
MORE COLLAB CONTENT STILL??? My initial conception is that wavy blades are to textile as serrated blades are to naked flesh. They cut really really well into dense textile without getting caught. Edit: Ahhh, in hunting they are good for cutting into the tougher hide of animals, too. That's really cool! Great discussion, guys! I'm really enjoying this collaberation that just keeps on giving!
I can say that having skinned many animals ,and taken advantage of trying out my various knives and such, a razor/straight edge has a really hard time slashing against fur/hair. An edge that offers more bite will often slice thru. Imo the "corrugated " would make an ugly slice
For keris: in silat, the keris is used as stabbing weapon, the sharp point is used to slash (usually the keris is poisoned, thus any scratch can be fatal) and the waviness can rip a bigger wound on the way out (with wrist flick/technique).
One more hypothesis which I think was vaguely alluded to but not specifically mentioned: the undulating design increases the bladed surface area compared to a straight blade of the same length, which I think could be particularly effective with shorter blades dipped in poison, as it could transfer more poison into the wound.
As for there being no practical tools of the era with ‘flamberge’ style blades, I would suggest it is because such blades are much harder (or at least take much longer) to make and sharpen. In the modern era, we have the serrated knife. My guess is that the primary advantage is improved draw cuts. It seems they were most popular in times and places where there were a good number of unarmoured opponents. (Morro islands, renaissance Europe, mogul India). My guess is that any advantage is very minor and primarily it is done because it looks badass and fancy at the same time. The keris is believed to hold talismanic powers.
Wavy weapon isn't particular weapons for war, southeast Asia is particularly peaceful especially not landlocked one so this blade using for killing more brutally than effectively also is pair well with poison. It pretty intimidating for someone had it because well they had no big war that could make big hatred between territory.
Wavy isn't particular weapons for war, southeast Asia is particularly peaceful especially not landlocked one so this blade using for killing more brutally than effectively also is pair well with poison. It pretty intimidating for someone had it because well they had no big war that could hatred between territory.
i love this crossover of two of my favourite youtubers also this info and examples goes straight to my fantasy book idea (not sure if its fantasy since magic isnt real, but the world is fictitious soooo...) i decided to use this blades for a snake inspired faction years ago but seeing real examples helps better than what i could imagine by myself i love this weird straight blade grinded in a wavey manner is so unique it has to go to one of my characters
My old Arnis master said the waves were added to maximize wounds and bleeding. Also, with regards to Kris, they were typically used for slashing, but for killing blows, they used thrusts and the waves were meant to damage organs and muscles
Great discussion guys, and lovely collection of swords! I had not previously heard that the trainers used on the “pikes” showed the wavy blades improved binding. That’s interesting. It just so happens I have a flamberge-katzbalger in sword daycare at the moment, and it’s quite sharp. I’ll see if I can get out video comparing the cutting performance against some targets…
Indeed. I think that, at least partly, it's because usually they are both such calm people (at least in their youtube videos) that they have a calming influence on our souls.
One point about serrations is that if you cut into a hard object you only blunt the top of the serrations, then when you strike a soft target it presses into the bottom of the serration where its still sharp, so if fighting someone with a shield and gambeson a serrated blade could strike the shield without losing it's ability to cut through the gambeson.
My father brought a kris back from Indonesia. It had a wavy blade and the base of the blade where it connected to the tang was so thin we thought it was deliberately designed to break after being thrust into the target. If you look at a picture of one from Indonesia you'll see what I mean.
I'm from Singapore / Malaysia. The traditional ceremonial sword is a kris. These were usually wavy with a pistol grip optimised for thrusting. As kids, we were told the wavy blade was to facilitate disemboweling. Straight blades were rare enough to be specially mentioned in the legends.
When ShakyGrip the blacksmith lied to the nobles telling his "unique" sword was better at cutting he was probably unaware how much that statement will "make waves" on the history of swordsmanship
I feel like I remember when you got a chip in a bauernwehr and suggested that maybe some wavy blades could have been modified as a result of damage. I’m excited to hear all about wavy blades in this video.
I'm writing a dnd game with the explicit desire for it to be very grounded, political, and based in historical accuracy. It's set in a period of time/technology level as the 15th and 16th centuries, and several major characters have wavy blades. This was invaluable, thanks Skall!
I've seen different kinds of Moro kris swords back in my hometown. Some are ornate, stylized and wavy, others are completely straight and practical. Speaking of stylish swords from the same area, the "binuwaya" or crocodile type panabas also have ornate looking blades which look different from the standard ones. So yeah, probably a stylistic choice first just with added benefits. Good video! Also, if anyone has played Bloodborne, Martyr Logarius' sword looks like a Moro kris.
The snake type of blades have there practical advantages оne of which is for cutting not chopping but specifically hard skin, muscles and for leather armor. It can also be used as a saw literally if you need to cut something wooden. If you're in a forest or jungle, killing might not be as high a priority. It is especially functional with knives. Stabbing with a wavy edge is much easier if you want to make a wider wound. The weight is reduced to some extent and there is no need for so much sharpening. Also like you said it's easier to jam the opponent's weapon.
Another possible reason for the wavy blades with more pronounced curves on two-handed swords: it might help focus the blow on a swing. Think about axe-head design: that curve might help focus the blow on a single point if it hits on a outer curve, or "catch" when in the inner curve, again helping transfer power and maybe even helping "control" a limb of a plate-armored person who was struck.
Yay, my two fav HEMA people! Actually, I haven't watched much Tod's but the fact they are with you two means that you can probably vouch so I'm gonna start watching Tod too.
@@Skallagrim oh I know, and that was my initial guess, but you can see how you just light up and so do the other creators. Put out a gofundme or something or maybe raffle some items to patreon subscribers and make sure people know they are funding a trip for content. Not everyone can help but I promise you if people get wind of an amazing upcoming trip they will help, especially with itemized goals, especially if they get to hang out with you. They watch your content im sure people would be willing to help.
Todd’s thoughts might be worth testing, it would definitely be interesting to see the cutting capacity of a wavy blade against cloth armor compared to that of a straight blade. But I think it would be interesting to see the cutting capacities of wavy and straight blades compared just in general, it’d be useful in trying to make sense of wavy blades and their purpose.
I've read in places that large 2 handers like those, during the late medieval or renaissance, were used to cut off the heads of pikes etc. A curve on the inside of the blade would maybe give an advantage in the sense it had less of a chance to slide or bounce off, but catch within the groove and allow for the cut.
I know first hand just how scary a blade-like object with wavy cutting edge. Once had an accident with tools and carving a wave pattern from a sheet of metal. It pierced the gap between my thumb and index finger. The thing literally turned my wound into ribbons and surgery was even more of a nightmare since the flesh had numerous strands of meat that was cut from it.
I think a big piece of evidence for an advantage to the bind is that one Kris/Keris that is only wavy at the base, you know, a part of the blade that would almost exclusively be used in the bind.
Loving the collab content you have been pumping out lately! Video games have conditioned me to see wavy blades as ceremonial, basically keys for puzzles, I wonder what ancient door those old ones unlock?
Great video and some very good points. I want to add two tidbits i found in sources. The military manual of hans konrad lavater from 1644 who was a swiss officer in the thirty years war mentions wavy blades in the military law section. He writes about which kind of people you give quarter and which you should kill on the spot. He lists square bullets, glass bullets, sniper muskets (ones which had bore holes iirc) and wavy swords (geflammte Degen) as reasons to kill the one using them on the spot no quarter given. Less reliable but there is a book from around the same time which contains a lots of preachings from a preacher from germany. The interesting part is him complaining about (christian) soldiers using cruel weapons such as wavy bladed weapons and certain types of daggers. Overall the two handed sword with wavy blades were considered as military weapons and were often purchased for military arsenal and often in direct response of incoming wars. Maybe you find this useful.
For greatswords, besides those parade ones, my take is that it was done to prevent pikes and poles from polearms to slide along the blade and disengage when fighting against a pile wall or formation.
One other thing is that wavy swords tend to be less prone to chipping than straight swords, as all those small curves will slightly distribute sword-to-sword clash impact. But difficult and expensive to make. Prestige for nobles and their ilk, not a common production item for regular infantry.
I'd love some tests with wavy blades, just to figure stuff out. The binding, but also how well they cut. I would bet they do really well against tatami mats, because the undulations look kinda like a sickle, or a falx, that inverted curve is great for cutting straight poles.
At Castlerock museum in Wisconsin, there is a two handed sword with a wavy blade, almost like Cresent shaped ridges running the length of the blade, with the peaks alternating from side to side.
My speculation would be that wavy blade helps create messy hard to mend wounds. Here in Indonesia we have kris too, only our variants are shorter, straight and pointy (dagger like made for stabbing). One thing to keep note, combat within different part of the world is usually different due to circumstances, here in south East Asia our padded armor aren’t really as thick as for example gambeson(the temperatures here makes armor like that not preferred) mostly anyway, and metal armor isn’t as common, those who have them usually bought them from Portuguese, Middle East and Chinese Trader, and those of which made locally usually take the shape of chainmail with plates connected to it, which i think was inspired by Middle East chainmail design(correct me if I’m wrong). Due to these circumstances weapons above are very much usable and can do damage in combat.
you get a set of concave and convex blades on each side, both of which can and do cut with unique properties, like a sickle vs. a sabre. They both cut well, but they both cut differently(i.e. pulling vs. pushing cuts).
So the good part about this is that: Relative to a flat sword, they are more forgiving with blows. A flat sword can lose its entire edge with one blow, and the whole thing can be made dull in one strike. At least with a 2 edged sword, you can use the back. But the ripples mean that you have indetations that will cut flesh even if the outer edges are dull.
On the ancient battlefields, having sweet drip was more than just a sign of prestige, it could have also been a sign of skill. A warrior who was swagged out with the fancy armor and the garish plumes and the wavy blade could have been saying, "Come at me, bro! I've made enough coin fighting for my lord that I can afford all of this sweet stuff." Of course it can also be rich people having showy things made just because they can.
How the hell? I was *just* looking up flamberge blades just to stare at them because they're pretty. Then I went on RUclips and see this video recommended. Magic.
It's always funny to see discussion in these topics, as it pertains to the many different situations you might find yourself using a weapon, specific designs for hunting seem to make a lot of sense
I can say that the wavy blade is very tricky to make, and sharpen. I did try a couple. One I used as a breadknife and it did work reasonably well. My roommate took it when they left.
Cool to see you guys together in one place. Good vid. I saw a couple of those Sweihanders with wavy blades when the Styrian armoury exhibition was in my town. I think they said they were used against shield walls, but maybe I'm remembering wrong as the use against pikes seeems more likely.
Sawback bayonet's was banned in ww1 because they caused unnecessary pain (and Brits and Frenchmen was known to torture any German's who brought a sawback to the battlefield) So the pain idea seems very possible
Kris is a dagger as i understand for every day carry. It's shorter than sword but long as a dagger. You can thrust with it in close. But if you want to cut or even chop it's too short especially when you don't have place or time for a swing. You just pulling dagger from scubbard can cut down up. And more easy for cuts with flameberg kris. Especially some vital places with close on surface arterias. Summary it's just tryimg to increase cutting capacity of short dagger.
My grandfather owned a kris dagger. It was kept in a drawer, in my grandfather's library. They were well off as children. My father and his sister (the two youngest) swear they heard that drawer rattle, due to that kris being possessed, when left there alone one night, as children. Don't know what happened to it, as neither my father, nor aunt, wanted anything to do with it !
If it was Indonesian it might be a "Keris Pusaka". which means a heritage with spiritual meanings to a family or clan. They should be honoured and feed. Our family owns four Kerisses, taken home by ouf familymembers when se4rving in the KNIL. One, weirdly a straight-bladed one , had a habit of falling from the wall no matter how it was hung up. When asked, an Indonesian friend told my grandfather that the handle we tought to be a beautifully carved ivory animal was in fact human bone and a deity. We needed to offer it rice and water with lemonjuice to ease it. Just to be sure he made a nice glass-lid casing for it too.
If it was used by a Moro Juramentado during the Moro Insurrection during the Philippine American War, it might be cursed/haunted. Swordsman would have met a brave though very violent end.
To apply Bleed, duh 🙄
adds enchantment damage +10
Not to mention life steal 🙄
Good one! :)
The wounds from flambergs turns your flesh into a sliced mess and basically makes it nearly impossible to heal
came down here to make sure someone made the darksouls reference
I'm a chef and I can tell you that the worst accidental cuts come from a serrated knife
I'd say the worst ones come from the knife you are, at the time, using to cut those tiny chili peppers of which two are plenty for a whole big six-person pot of soup.
Can confirm @@Sableagle
I'm not a chef, but I have to agree with you. Unfortunately, it's from first hand experience. Over two decades, I have sliced more than one finger down to the bone. How do I know that the cuts actually made it to the bone, you might ask? The bone was the only thing that stopped the blade from cutting any further. Both times that this occurred, there was nothing/no one else to blame except myself. It was my own dam stupidity and impatience that caused my injuries. Don't think for a second that I wasn't aware of the consequences if things went south. Well, things did got south, and I might add, it did so very quickly and painfully. Both wounds took a long time to heal, but the last one ended up taking around 5 months. This hasn't affected my views negatively about serrated blades though, quite the opposite! Cheers
Spelling correction: *Go south, not got south*
Not a chef, but someone hungry enough to be cooking at 3 am and can confirm, smooth, sharp blades always leave easy to heal cuts, but those little serrated monsters? Nasty
This was such a nice day hanging out, great to see the video!
It sure was! Thanks for having us over, it was cool to see in person where the context is happening. :)
Couldn't another possible functional advantage of a wavy blade be that on thrusts they would create a larger wound without having the weight of a similar sized straight blade? That is to say: the wound resulting from the thrust of a wavy blade would have the size of the distance between the peaks of the edges. Equivalent to the wound of a blade with the width of said distance, but without its weight and with less friction during the thrust.
That makes sense to me intuitively, but I have no real knowledge or experience in swordsmanship, so I may be wrong.
@@DrownedCrew More a blocking aid I think. In martial arts bumps on kali/escrima sticks stop knuckles getting wrapped by providing audible warning when moving faster than the eye.
Further others not used to matching such are thrown off where you are used to your own weapon and how it handles. Could be as simple as a south paw boxer having an advantage while not having any numerical "stat" advantage.
You're a coward for how you treated Shad.
You're a stain on the entire community and why anyone listens to someone like you is utterly beyond me.
At least you haven't abandoned all your friends over superficial reasons.
Anti-grabbing and causing worse injuries sounds like a combination that some people could easily consider worth it.
Most definitely!
I would absolutely love to see these theories, hell, ALL the theories in this video put to the test!! 🤩👌
You generally don't grab by the edge you grab by the flats avoiding edge contact if possible. I don't think it would be enough of a difference to make a difference in that regard.
@@demomanchaos The key phrase there is "if possible," because it usually isn't. Gaining a secure hold without any edge contact requires precise timing and coordination between the arm, hand, and weapon. Achieving that level of precision is a very tall order when you're pumped full of adrenaline, doing something entirely different with your off-hand at the same time, and attempting to grab a weapon being moved rapidly and somewhat unpredictably by an opponent actively trying to hurt you.
especially if there's been a trend in your general vicinity's martial arts where people grabed their opponent's blades, and people get good at it purely for the flair of being "the guy who grabs his opponent's sword by the blade and beats them over the head with it" if nothing else, so it just becomes something you get the wiggly-sword to avoid your opponent doing
@MarkusMöttus-x7j Yeah, these are great theories, but unfortunately really unsafe/unethical to test. I promise if I ever become a post-apocalyptic warlord I will host a bloodgame in your honor to try them out though.
I don't know how well this logic would apply to swords, but spears have had wavy blades as well. If memory serves, a Grecian polearm with a wavy 'leaf-like' blade used wavy edges as a way to reduce friction when trying to dislodge the spear from being impaled in an enemy; because the rises in the design would come in contact with the flesh and/or bone, but not necessarily the dips, there'd be less chance on snagging when trying to pull the weapon out of the unlucky stiff you jabbed. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! I love learning with this channel.
I haven't stabbed enough hunks of meat with wavy spear blades to say with certainty, but it does seem like it would make the blade easier to withdraw by virtue of the "serrations" tending to cut through flesh and material on the way in and back out. (Think of it in terms of push cuts and draw cuts. But to somebody's innards...yikes.) It also should help indirectly, just by reducing the chance of the blade piercing a target deeply. Would it hit that sweet spot of hampering overpenetration without encouraging underpenetration though? Anyway, maybe that's another functional reason for blades that are only waved near the forte/medium if they're designed at all for thrusting. (Although the example in the video seems like the waves end too far from the point for that to be the primary intent.)
Chinese had the famous "SNAKE SPEAR" I actually know the form with it. Interesting, a LOT more cutting motions, not wide cuts like in Kwan Dao, but cutting slicing motion in it. Tells you how it was used. Those weapon forms, if ORIGINAL (not modern day acrobatic shit), tell you a LOT about how the weapons was used. Kwan do - very few thrusts, lots of hacks and slices. Spear - lots of thrusts, no hacks, some slices. Snake Spear - lots of thrusts, lots of slices, few hacking motion. Famous general of Three Kingdoms - Cheng Pu, had a Snake Spear.
Yep, this, also applies to slashing cuts. Far less likely to get stuck, much easier to get unstuck, very simple and kind of obvious mechanics to it.
Also I like how Matt's garage is so messy just off-frame 😂
For a long time I thought he had a dedicated, tidy armoury. Love it.
Sorry to spoil the illusion. :)
Now that you mention it... Huh.
Oh man, I feel bad about that! It was especially messy when Skall came, partly because I'm in the process of building some new shelving units, and everything is just piled up in the middle at the moment. But yeah... it's always quite messy in there anyway!
It's like in making-of's from movies where they first showing the normal scene and then change the viewpoint so you can see what's going on around the set
Now I notice it…
I remember loving flamberges when I was a teenager and saw them first in a warhammer rpg manual and I still love them 20 years later.
Same X)
For me it was an item in scribblenauts lol!
@@andrepalomaro353Nice to see another former scribblenauts player, those games were so fun to mess around with
US teens... european reality only in their teen fiction. Sad.
I first saw something like that in The secret of NIMH when I was eight .
MORE COLLAB CONTENT STILL???
My initial conception is that wavy blades are to textile as serrated blades are to naked flesh.
They cut really really well into dense textile without getting caught.
Edit: Ahhh, in hunting they are good for cutting into the tougher hide of animals, too. That's really cool!
Great discussion, guys! I'm really enjoying this collaberation that just keeps on giving!
What's the point of a wavy blade? Well, they look really cool!
The point is the end opposite the hilt.
You can make one and it works or (at the least it works enough to do the job) that's certainly most likely a part of it in addition to that.
@@Justanotherconsumer I've been looking for this comment
@@Justanotherconsumer Well done. Haha.
The point goes in the other man
I can say that having skinned many animals ,and taken advantage of trying out my various knives and such, a razor/straight edge has a really hard time slashing against fur/hair. An edge that offers more bite will often slice thru. Imo the "corrugated " would make an ugly slice
i think there are binding and slicing advantages with wavy blades while the corrugated ones have to be for ripping wounds.
For keris: in silat, the keris is used as stabbing weapon, the sharp point is used to slash (usually the keris is poisoned, thus any scratch can be fatal) and the waviness can rip a bigger wound on the way out (with wrist flick/technique).
One more hypothesis which I think was vaguely alluded to but not specifically mentioned: the undulating design increases the bladed surface area compared to a straight blade of the same length, which I think could be particularly effective with shorter blades dipped in poison, as it could transfer more poison into the wound.
Your point about, “it was better we’d see tools this way” really blew me away. Great insight!
Now look at a saw.
As for there being no practical tools of the era with ‘flamberge’ style blades, I would suggest it is because such blades are much harder (or at least take much longer) to make and sharpen.
In the modern era, we have the serrated knife.
My guess is that the primary advantage is improved draw cuts. It seems they were most popular in times and places where there were a good number of unarmoured opponents. (Morro islands, renaissance Europe, mogul India).
My guess is that any advantage is very minor and primarily it is done because it looks badass and fancy at the same time. The keris is believed to hold talismanic powers.
At least nowadays we do have serrated tools. E.g. to cut stone wool.
Wavy weapon isn't particular weapons for war, southeast Asia is particularly peaceful especially not landlocked one so this blade using for killing more brutally than effectively also is pair well with poison. It pretty intimidating for someone had it because well they had no big war that could make big hatred between territory.
Wavy isn't particular weapons for war, southeast Asia is particularly peaceful especially not landlocked one so this blade using for killing more brutally than effectively also is pair well with poison. It pretty intimidating for someone had it because well they had no big war that could hatred between territory.
@@1IGG Yes! Nobody else mentioned those, I do have a stanley wool cutting wavy sword😁
i love this crossover of two of my favourite youtubers
also this info and examples goes straight to my fantasy book idea
(not sure if its fantasy since magic isnt real, but the world is fictitious soooo...)
i decided to use this blades for a snake inspired faction years ago but seeing real examples helps better than what i could imagine by myself
i love this weird straight blade grinded in a wavey manner
is so unique it has to go to one of my characters
12:00 The Anti-Grapple thing makes a lot of sense, especially if it were bodyguards that had them.
I've really been enjoying seeing you and Matt collaborating! I hope we see more collabs between you two in the future. Keep up the great work, Skall!
matt is a woke virtue signaller
My old Arnis master said the waves were added to maximize wounds and bleeding. Also, with regards to Kris, they were typically used for slashing, but for killing blows, they used thrusts and the waves were meant to damage organs and muscles
Great discussion guys, and lovely collection of swords! I had not previously heard that the trainers used on the “pikes” showed the wavy blades improved binding. That’s interesting.
It just so happens I have a flamberge-katzbalger in sword daycare at the moment, and it’s quite sharp. I’ll see if I can get out video comparing the cutting performance against some targets…
German Sword Boy and Captain Context. This is truly the most ambitious crossover of all times!
PLEASE Skall put all the theories you both had in this video to the test!😱
I am 100% certain that I'm not alone in wanting this😌🙌
I don't know why, but seeing you and Matt together makes me feel like the Earth is healing. I love you both ❤
Definitely. Two of my favourite RUclipsrs. Always informative and both seem like really decent guys!
Indeed. I think that, at least partly, it's because usually they are both such calm people (at least in their youtube videos) that they have a calming influence on our souls.
I love these collab vids man. Thanks skal!
This is the first time I think I’ve ever seen Matt’s garage from a different angle.
Same here!
One point about serrations is that if you cut into a hard object you only blunt the top of the serrations, then when you strike a soft target it presses into the bottom of the serration where its still sharp, so if fighting someone with a shield and gambeson a serrated blade could strike the shield without losing it's ability to cut through the gambeson.
I love how much you (and we) got out of the dash across the pond!
An overseas trip is not cheap, so of course I was motivated to make the most of it. :)
What I learned at the now closed Higgins Armory that many wavy swords were good for cutting rope and were used in navies..
Wavy in the navy!
My father brought a kris back from Indonesia. It had a wavy blade and the base of the blade where it connected to the tang was so thin we thought it was deliberately designed to break after being thrust into the target. If you look at a picture of one from Indonesia you'll see what I mean.
Nice!
Cool collaboration guys!
Two of the best experts on swords together! ⚔️
matt is a woke virtue signaller
What a delight it has been seeing these collaboration videos. Thank you
Love the team ups, all 3 of you have amazing content :)
I'm from Singapore / Malaysia. The traditional ceremonial sword is a kris. These were usually wavy with a pistol grip optimised for thrusting. As kids, we were told the wavy blade was to facilitate disemboweling. Straight blades were rare enough to be specially mentioned in the legends.
When ShakyGrip the blacksmith lied to the nobles telling his "unique" sword was better at cutting he was probably unaware how much that statement will "make waves" on the history of swordsmanship
Thst was almost a dispsraging remark to my great⁷ uncle!!
Loving all the channel/content crossover guys!
I feel like I remember when you got a chip in a bauernwehr and suggested that maybe some wavy blades could have been modified as a result of damage. I’m excited to hear all about wavy blades in this video.
Love both your channels, and I have to say, to see you both in the same room together discussing what we all love to see you talk about is incredible.
Amazing green screen work, it's like you two are really there together. Amazing editing work!
I'm going to assume you're joking.
@@Skallagrim probably because the lighting looks so off in places it looks likr you are on a green screen loö
I'm writing a dnd game with the explicit desire for it to be very grounded, political, and based in historical accuracy. It's set in a period of time/technology level as the 15th and 16th centuries, and several major characters have wavy blades. This was invaluable, thanks Skall!
1:53 There are several tools with serated blades in modern times like bread, utilitary knives and hedge trimmers
Serrated and wavy aren't the same thing...
I’ve been watching both of you forever thank you for this interesting topic and bright conversation :)
"for all our bravado, we knew what it meant when Kain drew the Soul Reaver in anger........ it meant you're dead."
I've seen different kinds of Moro kris swords back in my hometown. Some are ornate, stylized and wavy, others are completely straight and practical.
Speaking of stylish swords from the same area, the "binuwaya" or crocodile type panabas also have ornate looking blades which look different from the standard ones. So yeah, probably a stylistic choice first just with added benefits. Good video!
Also, if anyone has played Bloodborne, Martyr Logarius' sword looks like a Moro kris.
These kinds of blades have always interested me, thanks for diving in on the topic!
The snake type of blades have there practical advantages оne of which is for cutting not chopping but specifically hard skin, muscles and for leather armor. It can also be used as a saw literally if you need to cut something wooden. If you're in a forest or jungle, killing might not be as high a priority. It is especially functional with knives. Stabbing with a wavy edge is much easier if you want to make a wider wound. The weight is reduced to some extent and there is no need for so much sharpening. Also like you said it's easier to jam the opponent's weapon.
The Victoria & Albert museum has an exceptional example of a serrated rapier that has to be a masters work. It lives rent free in my head.
Skall, Matt, and Todd all in the same frame. I can only imagine what their conversation over beers that night was like.
These collaborations have been most enjoyable.
Another possible reason for the wavy blades with more pronounced curves on two-handed swords: it might help focus the blow on a swing. Think about axe-head design: that curve might help focus the blow on a single point if it hits on a outer curve, or "catch" when in the inner curve, again helping transfer power and maybe even helping "control" a limb of a plate-armored person who was struck.
It's like having a hundred tiny kukri blades
love this trip you took! all my favs in one video!
That scalloping is beautiful
Yay, my two fav HEMA people! Actually, I haven't watched much Tod's but the fact they are with you two means that you can probably vouch so I'm gonna start watching Tod too.
I dont know why you haven't done this sooner. All these videos and collabs are amazing and seem to respark your creative side.
There is a good reason why I haven't done this sooner. Travelling from Canada to the UK is not cheap. :)
@@Skallagrim oh I know, and that was my initial guess, but you can see how you just light up and so do the other creators. Put out a gofundme or something or maybe raffle some items to patreon subscribers and make sure people know they are funding a trip for content. Not everyone can help but I promise you if people get wind of an amazing upcoming trip they will help, especially with itemized goals, especially if they get to hang out with you. They watch your content im sure people would be willing to help.
I really liked this collab, thank you!
Todd’s thoughts might be worth testing, it would definitely be interesting to see the cutting capacity of a wavy blade against cloth armor compared to that of a straight blade. But I think it would be interesting to see the cutting capacities of wavy and straight blades compared just in general, it’d be useful in trying to make sense of wavy blades and their purpose.
I've read in places that large 2 handers like those, during the late medieval or renaissance, were used to cut off the heads of pikes etc. A curve on the inside of the blade would maybe give an advantage in the sense it had less of a chance to slide or bounce off, but catch within the groove and allow for the cut.
Definitely sounds logical and practical 👍
I know first hand just how scary a blade-like object with wavy cutting edge. Once had an accident with tools and carving a wave pattern from a sheet of metal. It pierced the gap between my thumb and index finger. The thing literally turned my wound into ribbons and surgery was even more of a nightmare since the flesh had numerous strands of meat that was cut from it.
Love the collaboration, very interesting
Finally! I have wanted a video about this for ages.
I think a big piece of evidence for an advantage to the bind is that one Kris/Keris that is only wavy at the base, you know, a part of the blade that would almost exclusively be used in the bind.
Yes, although that doesn't rule out cultural / aesthetic reasons.
great collab! best swordtubers combo
Loving the collab content you have been pumping out lately!
Video games have conditioned me to see wavy blades as ceremonial, basically keys for puzzles, I wonder what ancient door those old ones unlock?
Great video and some very good points. I want to add two tidbits i found in sources.
The military manual of hans konrad lavater from 1644 who was a swiss officer in the thirty years war mentions wavy blades in the military law section. He writes about which kind of people you give quarter and which you should kill on the spot. He lists square bullets, glass bullets, sniper muskets (ones which had bore holes iirc) and wavy swords (geflammte Degen) as reasons to kill the one using them on the spot no quarter given.
Less reliable but there is a book from around the same time which contains a lots of preachings from a preacher from germany. The interesting part is him complaining about (christian) soldiers using cruel weapons such as wavy bladed weapons and certain types of daggers.
Overall the two handed sword with wavy blades were considered as military weapons and were often purchased for military arsenal and often in direct response of incoming wars.
Maybe you find this useful.
Very interesting, thanks 👍🙏!
@@superrobotmonkeyhyperteamf3194 awesome information!
For greatswords, besides those parade ones, my take is that it was done to prevent pikes and poles from polearms to slide along the blade and disengage when fighting against a pile wall or formation.
I could specifically listen/watch you two talk history nerd shit for a long loong time haha
So fun to see you two together!
I’ve really enjoyed the videos you and Matt have done
Thank you guys for the video. ❤❤❤❤❤
My two favorite swordtubers
Been waiting for a collab like this
Pain makes sense. One of the reasons paper cuts hurt so much is because of how paper twists and shifts as it cuts.
Good point. Cursed paper cuts...
One other thing is that wavy swords tend to be less prone to chipping than straight swords, as all those small curves will slightly distribute sword-to-sword clash impact. But difficult and expensive to make. Prestige for nobles and their ilk, not a common production item for regular infantry.
I'd love some tests with wavy blades, just to figure stuff out. The binding, but also how well they cut. I would bet they do really well against tatami mats, because the undulations look kinda like a sickle, or a falx, that inverted curve is great for cutting straight poles.
At Castlerock museum in Wisconsin, there is a two handed sword with a wavy blade, almost like Cresent shaped ridges running the length of the blade, with the peaks alternating from side to side.
My speculation would be that wavy blade helps create messy hard to mend wounds. Here in Indonesia we have kris too, only our variants are shorter, straight and pointy (dagger like made for stabbing). One thing to keep note, combat within different part of the world is usually different due to circumstances, here in south East Asia our padded armor aren’t really as thick as for example gambeson(the temperatures here makes armor like that not preferred) mostly anyway, and metal armor isn’t as common, those who have them usually bought them from Portuguese, Middle East and Chinese Trader, and those of which made locally usually take the shape of chainmail with plates connected to it, which i think was inspired by Middle East chainmail design(correct me if I’m wrong).
Due to these circumstances weapons above are very much usable and can do damage in combat.
you get a set of concave and convex blades on each side, both of which can and do cut with unique properties, like a sickle vs. a sabre. They both cut well, but they both cut differently(i.e. pulling vs. pushing cuts).
I feel like, regardless of cultural context or historical epoch, a compelling argument exists in the plain fact that it *looks so freaking badass.*
So the good part about this is that:
Relative to a flat sword, they are more forgiving with blows.
A flat sword can lose its entire edge with one blow, and the whole thing can be made dull in one strike. At least with a 2 edged sword, you can use the back.
But the ripples mean that you have indetations that will cut flesh even if the outer edges are dull.
On the ancient battlefields, having sweet drip was more than just a sign of prestige, it could have also been a sign of skill. A warrior who was swagged out with the fancy armor and the garish plumes and the wavy blade could have been saying, "Come at me, bro! I've made enough coin fighting for my lord that I can afford all of this sweet stuff." Of course it can also be rich people having showy things made just because they can.
Awesome to see both of you collaborating, great video.
That wavy rapier is amazing
Loving these collaborations.
I was once told the wave in the blade was to widen a thrust wound, so maybe the flanged slashers were constructed with a similar concept.
Love the collaboration. 2 of my favorite medieval weopons geeks! More, please!😊
Medieval blacksmiths: let's just confuse the hell out of future generations by making this cool edge
Because it's beautiful!
Rarely have I hit the like button so fast.
Thank You very much for this new video ! 😊
How the hell? I was *just* looking up flamberge blades just to stare at them because they're pretty. Then I went on RUclips and see this video recommended. Magic.
The O97533 rapier is pretty interesting.
The algorithm knows. 👁
I love these team up videos. Please continue
a wise ork once said "ta make it mo Killy"
and frankly, i agree
Words to live by
It's always funny to see discussion in these topics, as it pertains to the many different situations you might find yourself using a weapon, specific designs for hunting seem to make a lot of sense
What a collab! 😍
I can say that the wavy blade is very tricky to make, and sharpen. I did try a couple. One I used as a breadknife and it did work reasonably well. My roommate took it when they left.
Im not a sword person but the Kris has always tickled that tiny itch for some reason anyway my question is why does it have a wing on the right 1:33 ?
Cool to see you guys together in one place. Good vid. I saw a couple of those Sweihanders with wavy blades when the Styrian armoury exhibition was in my town. I think they said they were used against shield walls, but maybe I'm remembering wrong as the use against pikes seeems more likely.
Sawback bayonet's was banned in ww1 because they caused unnecessary pain
(and Brits and Frenchmen was known to torture any German's who brought a sawback to the battlefield)
So the pain idea seems very possible
Great ideias for weapon special quality in RPG! These series of colabs were fantastic!
Kris is a dagger as i understand for every day carry. It's shorter than sword but long as a dagger. You can thrust with it in close. But if you want to cut or even chop it's too short especially when you don't have place or time for a swing. You just pulling dagger from scubbard can cut down up. And more easy for cuts with flameberg kris. Especially some vital places with close on surface arterias. Summary it's just tryimg to increase cutting capacity of short dagger.
A question I've always wanted answered, this was a really interesting video!
My grandfather owned a kris dagger. It was kept in a drawer, in my grandfather's library. They were well off as children. My father and his sister (the two youngest) swear they heard that drawer rattle, due to that kris being possessed, when left there alone one night, as children. Don't know what happened to it, as neither my father, nor aunt, wanted anything to do with it !
If it was Indonesian it might be a "Keris Pusaka". which means a heritage with spiritual meanings to a family or clan. They should be honoured and feed. Our family owns four Kerisses, taken home by ouf familymembers when se4rving in the KNIL. One, weirdly a straight-bladed one , had a habit of falling from the wall no matter how it was hung up. When asked, an Indonesian friend told my grandfather that the handle we tought to be a beautifully carved ivory animal was in fact human bone and a deity. We needed to offer it rice and water with lemonjuice to ease it. Just to be sure he made a nice glass-lid casing for it too.
If it was used by a Moro Juramentado during the Moro Insurrection during the Philippine American War, it might be cursed/haunted. Swordsman would have met a brave though very violent end.