Swords on the back - Historical or Fantasy?
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2015
- We often see characters of films and videogames carry their swords on the back and draw them swiftly when getting ready for combat. Is this entirely fictional? Or is there at least a minimum base of history in this practice?
A sword is a long bladed weapon intended for slashing or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration. A sword consists of a long blade attached to a hilt. The blade can be straight or curved. Thrusting swords have a pointed tip on the blade, and tend to be straighter; slashing swords have sharpened cutting edge on one or both sides of the blade, and are more likely to be curved. Many swords are designed for both thrusting and slashing.
Historically, the sword developed in the Bronze Age, evolving from the dagger; the earliest specimens date to about 1600 BC. The later Iron Age sword remained fairly short and without a crossguard. The spatha, as it developed in the Late Roman army, became the predecessor of the European sword of the Middle Ages, at first adopted as the Migration period sword, and only in the High Middle Ages, developed into the classical arming sword with crossguard. The word sword continues the Old English, sweord.
During the Middle Ages sword technology improved, and the sword became a very advanced weapon. It was frequently used by men in battle, particularly during an attack. The spatha type remained popular throughout the Migration period and well into the Middle Ages. Vendel Age spathas were decorated with Germanic artwork (not unlike the Germanic bracteates fashioned after Roman coins). The Viking Age saw again a more standardized production, but the basic design remained indebted to the spatha.
Around the 10th century, the use of properly quenched hardened and tempered steel started to become much more common than in previous periods. The Frankish 'Ulfberht' blades (the name of the maker inlaid in the blade) were of particularly consistent high quality. Charles the Bald tried to prohibit the export of these swords, as they were used by Vikings in raids against the Franks.
Wootz steel which is also known as Damascus steel was a unique and highly prized steel developed on the Indian subcontinent as early as the 5th century BC. Its properties were unique due to the special smelting and reworking of the steel creating networks of iron carbides described as a globular cementite in a matrix of pearlite. The use of Damascus steel in swords became extremely popular in the 16th and 17th centuries.
It was only from the 11th century that Norman swords began to develop the crossguard (quillons). During the Crusades of the 12th to 13th century, this cruciform type of arming sword remained essentially stable, with variations mainly concerning the shape of the pommel. These swords were designed as cutting weapons, although effective points were becoming common to counter improvements in armour, especially the 14th-century change from mail to plate armour.
It was during the 14th century, with the growing use of more advanced armour, that the hand and a half sword, also known as a "bastard sword", came into being. It had an extended grip that meant it could be used with either one or two hands. Though these swords did not provide a full two-hand grip they allowed their wielders to hold a shield or parrying dagger in their off hand, or to use it as a two-handed sword for a more powerful blow. The names given to many swords in mythology, literature, and history reflected the high prestige of the weapon and the wealth of the owner.
The Oakeshott typology was created by historian and illustrator Ewart Oakeshott as a way to define and catalogue the medieval sword based on physical form. It categorizes the swords of the European Middle Ages (roughly 11th to 15th centuries) into 13 main types labelled X to XXII. Oakeshott introduced it in his treatise The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry in 1960.
The system is a continuation of Jan Petersen's typology of the Viking sword, introduced in De Norske Vikingsverd ("The Norwegian Viking Swords", 1919), modified in 1927 by R. E. M. Wheeler into a typology of nine types labelled I to IX.
In Witcher III you can randomly hear some NPCs saying "why does he carry his swords on the back?". Spot on. There's a movement Geralt makes when sheathing his sword though: he tips the scabbard slightly and simultaneously sheathes the sword. Muscle reflex stuff. It may just be a reference to his mastership but that's pure speculation. Still not practical I have to admit. :)
what geralt does is he knocks his scabbord up a little to draw his sword
nvm lol
even in the books of witcher people think it is strange that he caries his weapon on the back
its not speculation its exoplained quite clearly in the books. witchers were known with their habit ti strngely carry sword on the back and that was from a reason that witchers carried two longswords. one for monsters and one for humans. In the tv series the sword for konsters was actually looking like katana while thenone for humans had rsgular crossguard.
Also witcher swords are one-handed short swords. In the game they look too long, but they're actually supposed to be quite a bit shorter than your average longsword.
On the Witcher's defense the book describes Geralt's practice of carrying a sword in the back (he never carries 2 in the books) as very anormal, probably only done by him and other wichers. There are even characters that recognize him by this practice and others that mock him because it's so weird.
+Pinkaugust Well he visibly lifts the scabbard in 3.
+LordVader1094 Though he must also magically teleport the tip of the blade through the walls of the scabbard (or in reality the animation scales to resolve the conflict of length).
jezzbanger It's quite obvious that the sword actually does that with the animation, for me at least.
Also, afair in the books it is mentioned once or twice that Geralt kneels a bit on one knee or bows to unsheath the blade, so I guess maybe this quick motion was to propel the sword upwards and into his hand.
+Gabriel Gama If you pay close attention in the Witcher 3, you can see that the sword clips through the scabbard a bit when he's drawing it :P
If you play the Witcher 3 watch Geralt sheath his sword in slow motion. . . .his sword glitches through the sheath. lol
It's a half scabbard open at the top portion in one side and he tilts it as well
Aniket roy it’s not a half scabbard you are thinking of shadow of Mordor and shadow of war, Talion’s long sword is in a special half scabbard. Geralts sword clips through his scabbard, however the devs did mask it a little with the way that the scabbard is attached to his back it pivots across is shoulder blade and looks realistic. However slow down a screen recording of it the sword very clearly clips through his scabbard. You are correct that he does tilt the scabbard when he sheathes his sword however, which is a nice touch
Like Genji's ult in Overwatch, watch the one highlight for POTG.
3:33 "The swords became rela... relat... quite longer" I laughed xD
Shadiversity actually made a scabbard that allows you to sheath and unsheathed a sword.
It's not exactly a proper scabbard though is it its a bunch of plywood with a huge slab to help guide the blade in, I don't know how secure it would hold the sword compared to an actual scabbard on horseback or other rough situations its more a show piece then anything someone would actually use
@@mrclaw4715 It's clear you didn't actually watch the video. The sword was shown to be really secure in the scabbard. Even jumping around couldn't loosen the sword out.
@@TheSteam02 I did watch the video it's clear you didn't read my comment because I said riding a horse or other rough situation, hopping around isn't a rough situation I'm taking your horse gets spooked/injured and bucks you off/you fall off or any other thing that happens to you involuntarily that's the type of situation I was talking about but it doesn't matter either way as shad's is homemade so I wouldn't expect it to be super Hardy it's a prototype at best
The main purpose of a scabbard is holding a blade tight (inside of it it was oiled cloth or leather) and protecting it from all types of damage, such as liquid, dust and so on. Swords used to be hell of expensive
@@Lucius_MILFoy1254 what I meant was a sheath on the back.
+Valdis Lee Hi there Valdis,
As part of my personal policy as a youtuber I always thank people for their comments, so thank you for your time, but It is despicable you don't use reason but use insult to prove your points.
In the video you showed me (which was actually interesting) the person only mentions the names "ninjato (忍者刀) and shinobigatana (忍刀)" but by the way you write I understand you probably don't speak Japanese, because shinobigatana means the "katana of a shinobi", because the character you read "gatana" (刀) is the same character you use to write "katana" (刀) and same thing with ninjato which mean the katana of a ninja, the first in lon yomi and the second in kunyomi, so telling me that I am wrong because they didn't use a katana they used a shinobigatana it's like saying "you are not eating a pizza you are eating a margherita" but they are both the same concept.
Often in Japanese a character original pronunciation is modified by the character preceeding it, and this results in a modification of the pronunciation of the first consonant in this case "k" becomes "g" but the word is still the same as far as the semantics are concerned.
you look like what Jesus would have looked like historically back then.
Patrick Vincent Thank you ^^
+Metatron That may have been the best response I've seen on RUclips yet :)
+Metatron I have to say it;...This is getting very annoying. I don't want to pick on you particularly, but RUclips is absolutely packed with people that put a longsword over their *right* shoulder and then try to draw it with their *right* hand - And then claim it can't be done. Why does it never occur to any self-appointed "expert" that if you mount that same longsword on your right hip _you still won't be able to draw it with your right hand_? Seriously, may I suggest that you try placing the hilt over your *Left* shoulder?
+XR40 I just tried it. It's even more awkward if I try to go behind my head. if I try to go in front of my head, it's not quite as awkward, but I have to cover up my eyes.
2:52
You: "On Page 94"
*The sound of 490,012 pages turning*
xD
+Metatron you forgot about the ninjas they wore shorts on their back when they did their missions a sword on the side will get in the way planking against a wall or getting hooked up on bushes be a ninja sword is called a Toba like your today's Swiss Army knife the used it to dig holes to make booby traps and tripwires and snares is sometimes used it as a grappling hook you look at the end of tobas there is a loop to place a rope
***** have you heard of ashida Kim or Steven K Hayes how about Frank Dux
***** the si is built to fight against swords it was used against a single edged Chinese broadsword si was invented in China check out this book called Vagabond ninjas if it's still in print
Am I the only one who doesn't hear pages turning?
I like how you mentioned people would carry great swords by hand or cart when traveling long distances. I feel like it would have been relatively common for people to travel for longer distances with swords on their back, more as a means of storage in a situation when they wouldn't need to draw quickly.
I'm not a History fanatic but a writer. I found this video very helpful, as I want my fantasy book to be as "realistic" as possible. Thank you!
Watch some Skallagrim videos. His were more precise and acurate(btw Anduril is not a zweihander but a claimor). For instance Metatron(I've seen only this vid) seems tk be hesitant to grasp a sword by the blade, which actually was a commonly used technique.
well as realistic as adding new laws to the universe as you cab get
were can I get one of your bookd
+Aimee Barrett As a fellow writer - for realism - maybe somewhat deeper research is neeeded? Period warfare is like ... huge ...
whynottalklikeapirat I'm writing an epic fantasy (with some sci fi thrown in) book, so a lot of the research will be pretty minimal.
I didn't know I cared about this until now
11:00 All my life I thought drawing real swords didn't go "shing".
Although there are ways to draw a sword from your back using a modified scabbard (or sheath) quite effectively,would be funny seeing someone draw a massive great sword from his back that exceeds the user own height.
Berserk be like
Interesting. In the original Conan film, he cradles the sword and carries it, or he carries it on his back-- but when he drew it, he would shift the sheath to his waist first.
+Vern Etzel Conan is very well researched
Quite a charming presentation. I enjoyed seeing more about this.
There are already two more videos about swords on the back on my channel! :)
I love how no italian can pronounce ''question'' properly 00:57 :3 No offense, luv ya
Check out my recent content, I've learnt it :) (I think)
George Radu non ha una idea, ragazzo. Parli molto bene!
MsG
i do know how to say question , but i ain't italian , i just live here ahahah
what's even more interesting, is an Italian speaking with British accent :)
Well - "Zweihänder" he´s saying perfectly ;-)
Is this historical
Or is this just fantasy
Caught in a video game
No escape from the back carry
I'm just a poor sword
Nothing really matters to meeeee
I'm just a poor sword
I need no sympathy
Easy gain, easy drop, higher stat, lower drop
It is more comfy to have a sword at the back for traveling.
+Anthony Tarik Yeah, comfortable. Then enemy will show and you won't be able to react fast enough. And after battle if you somehow managed to survive, try to put it back...
+T4kehiko i guess he refer to when a group large enough is traveling in a secure route
rene silva exactly
Hear! Hear! The Scottish claymore was often carried on the back, but the sword was removed before battle and the scabbard was just left on the ground and did not remain on the back during combat. I'm sure other great swords were treated the same.
when i wear my swords........i usually end up in jail =(, and it doesn't matter if on back or side.
yea, those pesky cops hate the second amendment! arms doesn't refer just to guns. Lord knows I've had my share of trouble with the law pertaining to carrying some steel!
Dsmian Blanchard amen brother amen!
+Dsmian Blanchard
have they never heard of deus vult!
+Happy Farmer
I just recalled when I bought mine... I was on foot and needed to go to the bank as well, I leaved it with my pal at the Blockbuster and ended my errands then took a cab home, the face on the cabbie X)
No one was going to fuck with me that day... well maybe the cops
LeeroyFan101 I'm white(ish) so I could probably get away with that!
Excellently and graphically illustrated, thanks very much for a great video! You also mentioned Mongols and I was wondering if on horseback, the lower part of your body and especially the legs moved too much for a comfortable position of the sword - it would bounce insanely. Therefore it would be possible and make sense to carry a short - as you showed - sword on the back. On the other hand, I'm sure attaching it to a saddle (as was also done) could have been more practical.
This is an excellent video with practical demonstration. I can't believe I hadn't considered this before.
The sole reason you'd wear a shield or large sword on your back would be for transport; if you actually intended to use it it'd not leave your hands.
Soldiers would travel with a sword either in their hands or hanging from their back, but always entered the battlefield _holding_ their two-handed swords.
sexc bonnie yes I would definitely hold my sword where I could easilty take it
sexc bonnie It's also theorized that Japanese *"ninjas"* utilizing shorter, curved wakizashi could and would be carried/drawn from the back when sneaking through an urban environment. A sword sticking out or around the waist can risk bumping into things or giving away position compared to being "tighter" to the body on the back, and drawn over the shoulder while in a crouch. A theory, and something that works within the theory, but again rare.
But if you test it yourself with the scabbard curved against your back and vertical with it rather than flat and across, you can actually pull the sword quickly enough to strike in the initial draw in this manner.
Hence I typed: *"ninjas"* and used the word "theory".
Technically, any samurai who didn't fight face-to-face with a close combat weapon [honorable] was technically labelled a "ninja".
UnrealVoicebox Samurai were expert archers and nobody called them ninja.
Why does everyone argueung for swords on the back not consider the type of sheath the sword its in.....
Because any other type than "the useful one" is moot point?
+Mu Not that I agree with back sheaths just never see a counter argument that is legitimate...
Zeivon Bradshaw What do you mean? There are sheaths that are designed for back-drawing, but they all completely defeat the point of having a scabbard in the first place.
+Mu Peoples ideas suck though Use a Velcro sheath.. It has to be a modern sheath as back sheaths only existed to carry back then.
+Zeivon Bradshaw (SpicedGaming) Imma go to bed can't type right.
Could you comment on the Katana carried by Michonne from Walking Dead? She wears it on her back and draws it. But she wears it at a very extreme angle. Thanks!
After watching a few draws, I think she can draw it because the Katana is not firmly attached to her back, but rather is on a strap carried like a telescope case, which allows her to pull down on the scabbard with her opposite hand as she draws with her dominant hand.
The scabbards for katanas are made of wood for the very specific purpose of being able to be drawn quickly from the belt level. The length of the sword is such that one can both draw and strike within two seconds.
That's silly. You can draw and strike with just about _any_ sword in under two seconds. Two seconds is quite a long time in combat.
She often grabs the hilt and sort or throws it up and grabs below the guard to get more reach
Drawing from the back would also be a massive "telegraph" or tell of intent with a large movement.
And simultaneously exposes the armpit as well as possibly exposed to getting jammed up by a grapple with your arm in the air.
Really enjoy your work.
Thank you.
Lmfao I think he ripped his shirt during this video
+Corvektus Kaminka No I didn't, that's a gambeson O.O
i didnt know thats how they were made c:
Corvektus Kaminka ;)
+Metatron there were short sleeved gambesons? oO
+Riccardo Moglia the sleeves are rolled up
I imagine for most cultures it was akin to keeping a gun in an ankle holster today. It's just a way to carry it so it's out of the way, but if you know you are going into a combat situation, you get it ready and position it so you can get to it quickly if you need to.
A knight in full armor on his horse facing an opposing army, for instance, would not have it on his back. But a trader trotting down a countryside road probably would.
Though to be sure, varying cultures and time periods need to be taken into consideration as well, because they are going to have different styles of weapons (Greek Xiphos vs. Scottish Claymore, for instance), but that's beyond the scope of of this comment and video.
+JACCO20082012 Agreed, it might not have been a common occurrence or even taught by any swordsman, but i can bet my ass somebody did it at some point.
Love your videos brother! Very educational and easy to understand. Keep up the great work.
+Metatron Thank you for covering all bases in this video. It was very informative (especially regarding the difference in sword lengths between cultures and ages), and your practical demonstrations made clear of the possibilities and limitations. Point well made :)
It's very interesting to know that back-sheathed swords are a work of fiction, but fiction has actually given a way to make it more possible.
There are some movies and one-or-two video games that have a slit running partially down the side of the scabbard, measured so then the blade can be pivoted out when the arm unsheathing it is close to a full extension. Although it means that the wielder would have to take extra care not to allow the sword to slide out of this slit naturally (although the unslitted portion would mostly hold the sword in-place towards the tip of the blade), it does make the act of unsheathing from the back possible.
There's also an [un-confirmed, mostly theoretical] idea that some swords- especially the more exaggerated zweihander swords (i.e.: FFVII's Buster Sword)- are held in place by strong hooks or magnets.
It was not about the possibility of making a sheath on a back but speed, the faster you can unsheath, the better. and zweihanders were most commonly lugged around while being unsheathed and resting on one's shoulder.
I'm really glad this was recommended to me, and I really appreciate that you addressed this issue, because I've had this debate with a few people but never really had a way to illustrate my point other than in some games where a sword on someone's back will just clip through the top of the sheath.
Thanks for the very informative video. That quite interesting to watch. You really put a lot of time and effort into your work and it shows. :)
Subscribed! Watched a ton of your videos and I really like your channel.
Solution: Pull the sword out and bash someone's head in with the scabbard still on. Also doubles as an establishing character moment.
+Joshua Madoc Troper?
ElodieHiras
Maybe?
Come on, where other than on TV Tropes would you have e=heard of an Establishing Character Moment? :P
+ElodieHiras I think he means "Making an Entrance"
+Lord DemonsBlight I don't know, but Hollywood need to hire this guy!
well... in braveheart, they showed wallace drawing the claymore from his back since it was merely strapped to his back and didn't have a sheath.. and he didn't draw it over his shoulder but rather just rolled it off and around. i could see that being somewhat accurate with that kind of a weapon.
+darcraven01
and dangerous
errantcoyote05 idk, in the situation shown within the movie it didn't look that dangerous. i could understand it being more dangerous if they were closer to the fight when he drew it but he had plenty of time and drew it decently slowly..
to sheath their back swords with the Hollywood haste ought to be dangerous.
+darcraven01 Same as guts in Berserk, it wasnt a scabbard, but more like a strap. That would be more plausible.
errantcoyote05 but it wasn't sheathed, thats the thing. it was just an open blade (to which, claymores weren't the sharpest sword) held on the back by the strap. and wallace in braveheart didn't draw the blade with haste, it was a decently slow roll of his shoulder. thats what i was saying. that makes sense
Loved this. Subbed! great for making my writing more historically accurate :D
Perhaps having the scabbard attached to a block on rails with a lock/ unlock mechanic at the bottom. You draw the sword with your right hand and draw the scabbard across the railing simultaneous with your left hand, giving you a few extra inches of potential sword length. Pull the scabbard down again to unlock it's position and release to place it in it's original position.
if you look carefully geralt from witcher knocks his scabbard up a little to draw his sword I'm not sure if it helps but it's a small detail
The swords in the witcher are shorter than normal long swords, and in the game itself they made them too long, so the tip of the sword clips through the scabbard when Geralt pulls it out. In the books it's also mentioned that the scabbards are modified, when Geralt pulls the sword, the arm movement unpins some lock system and the top part of the scabbard falls off
If you look carefully, you also see that the sword in fact clips through the sheath, somewhat.
If you look closely, you'll notice that The Witcher is a video game, and thus not reality.
but its a video game
Christoph Brinkmann the sheathing in the original witcher us perfect possible
In skyrim you only wear a great sword on your back.
All two-handers*
I was talking in terms of swords smart one. Like y'know, what the whole subject of the video is about?
+Cheeco Bean Greatsword is a synonym for two handed sword.
Historically, 2h weapons were generally carried on the shoulder when on foot, so not that far from accurate.
***** Yes, it is. Greatsword, spadone, montante, and zweihander are all synonyms for two handed sword.
Hello *@Metatron*, thank you for your informative videos. I have a question: what if the sheath was mounted as low on your back as your hand can reach, and you pulled the sword out _not_ by the handle but _by the hand-guard?_ It seems to me that the hand-guard comfortably sticking out at 90° could probably be used as an easy catch to pull the sword out from behind, dramatically extending the reach of your hand (especially so in case of a longsword). Or would it still be not enough?
Great video! It has helped me a lot to understand the difference. Thanks for explaining :). I had to subscribed :D
There's an interesting example actually in Shadow of Mordor. Main character's sword sheath is open in the top half, so he only has to clear it half way up, then basically can swing it forward after that. Would something like that work?
+scyx That's what I was thinking. I LARP, and there's actually a few people using 2-handers while carrying them on their backs. And they use the same scabbard. Only the first 10~20 cm of the bottom is closed, the rest is open, and then there's a ball-and-hole strap on the top. Which you can easily flick open with your thumb while grabbing the sword. So I'd say it's totally possible to carry a large sword on your back. In fact, it's a better place to keep it than on your side or carrying it around in your hands all the time. You just need a slightly different scabbard to carry it.
+scyx Yeah I was thinking of that game too, I'm not sure if it's better or not than having it on the side but the sheaths intended for the back are usually like in that game, it's more like one track/rail with a tip similar to an common sheath. Certainly it's possible but you need a specific sheath like you said but would be something limited to a lonely warrior that does not have a squire to carry it or anything.
+scyx Well the problem of putting it back would still remain.
+Michael Tichý Practice. The sheathe makes it physically possible, so now, get good, as they say. :)
+Michael Tichý Not an expert by any means but I figure your not sheathing the sword til your done with it, so doesn't matter too much how long it takes.
It does seem that those blades which are curved to follow the arc of the arm's travel, as in the Indian scimitar and similar such blades would be quite effective mounted dorsally, as the curvature of the blade would follow the curvature of the natural unsheathing motion. Still, sheathing the blade would have to be done blind, so really this only makes sense if the sheath had a prominent guide for the blade as well.
u say "Zweihänder" very good ;)
very well
He's speaking English though, he should have just said two handed or greatsword.
Zweihänder is the correct term not just in German but in English too.
No it's not. Do you say langschwert instead of longsword in English? No, because they're the same thing. The only people who think zweihander is the correct English term are morons who think it sounds fancier when you say two handed sword in German. No English person in the 16th Century ever called them zweihanders.
@@EvidensInsania But it's a longsword, not a greatsword
Thanks for making this - came here for fact checking! So helpful!
great video mate, you always have to give your hats off to someone whos trying to teach something on youtube. Kudos.
+species True. :-)
In Witcher 3, Geralt tilts the bottom of his sheath over his shoulder as he pulls, FYI. He doesn't just pull up with one hand.
***** Yeah, they did an amazing job with the game's details. There's even a point where Geralt says to bar all doors and put salt in front of people's homes, to protect them during a quest. And you can see salt lining the front of the doors, rather then them just being locked.
Nice video. Main problem with grabbing blade while unshealting, finishing move, than grabing handle is that it takes time. Even at full speed opponent would have ages to attack.
I think main reason bookwritters/game designers/movie directors want swords on back is that it seems to be more comfortable and more badass-looking to transport them on back in their opinon.
you have a great channel bro, subbed
with the scabbard tilted couldnt they put a slit on the top end a third the way down?
Bending over will not give you any benefit, but angling the scabbard near a 90 degree angle to your back would allow you to unsheath a long sword.
+George Cataloni And then you're probably not going to be able to fit through too many doorways.
JeepWranglerIslander I didn't mean all the time. I mean you pull the sheath to that angle when you're drawing the sword. Kinda like what Metatron was doing, except without bending over.
The one thing I can think of where it may work on the back for a longer sword is if that sword has a rather prominent curve to it, more than the katana you showed (though I know of few swords with that much of a curve at that length, possibly a Scimitar-type?). The circular curve of the blade could be enough that while you draw it, instead of your arm having to go straight you could start moving it down in a more circular motion to get enough movement to free the blade.
what if you make the top of the scabbard as heigh as your shoulder so the scabbard can tip over your shoulder?
That's a nice looking gambeson! Where did you find it?
kritonas dionysiou That is my favorite type of armor
I'm caught between Lamellar and Plate
kritonas dionysiou plate is the overall superior my biggest gripe on it is weight which is why I think I prefer Saxon and Viking swords
Aren't those types of swords heavier and plate has it's advantages but their are techniques to defeat it (and no not using a katana because one cannot slice through plate) but a polearm to grab at the joints or perhaps a mace to bash the body inside, unless that man is wearing a gambeson
kritonas dionysiou they only way about 1 kilo or 2 and a half pounds which is a little lighter then arming swords and a lot lighter then 2 handed swords
Even if you took today's modern weaponry into consideration do you carry a weapon on your back with the hope to quickly draw it and use it effectively? No. It's either placed on you side or on a sling where you hold it in front of you. Samurai wouldn't wear it on their back since it doesn't help promote iado, or the quick draw technique, they used. Even short sword were worn on the hip for the same reason, and if they wanted a small blade hidden on the back it was on their lower back for and easier reverse grip draw. Whether it's possible or not wearing it on the back was just for transportation and not for combat. This was a great look into that.
Awesome video i love when you do video who compare fantasy/movies/games and history =)
Thank you for this video! It was pretty thorough and answered a lot of my questions.
For your future reference, it would be easier to see you drawing the sword if the camera were angled a little lower.
For big swords, could you not simply devise a scabbard that has an opening down one side so it could be unsheathed from the back by tilting the handle, therefore eliminating the need for the pulling motion which otherwise makes it impossible?
+Saturn666 You're still open to attacks while stuck doing the motions required to unsheathe it and bring it to the front. In contrast, if you have it on your side or, in the case of big swords, outside already (some soldiers carried them on their shoulders, like you would a rifle), you can react much faster to an attacker.
In the Witcher 3 Garelt seems to have the top of his scabbard over his shoulder, than he pulls it down so he pulls his sword out horizontally, is this possible?
still not possible...to be able to draw your sword from the back the length of the blade MUST be shorter than the length of your arm
rafas telos oh, ok.
Look closely at the animations, you'll see Geralt's swords clip through his scabbards quite clearly. :)
GundamSentinel didn't see that but it doesn't seem natural when you look at it.
Witcher sword not that long. Blade alone was 40,5 inches, part where you held the sword was 27 1/4 inches long. SO it is possible
I have a fairly large arming sword and im at a loss on how to carry it and was wondering if you may be able to help me i have pictuers and measurments of the sword and the belt and frog i have(which i think are not going to work) my previous set up was too lose for my taste
Musketeer on the back :)) - this was the best part of the video.
I still would like to watch you sheet the long sword on your back; that would be a great video to laugh at :D
Keep up your work man, i see you're doing better and better.
Longer swords(longer then that Tolkien fantasy one) could be carried on the back. But they wouldn't be unsheathed in one move of the arm like one carried on the side. You would actually had to remove the sheath with the sword from the back to unsheathe it(probably tossing it anywhere), which could be done fast enough with training and with someone with the necessary physical constitution.
Why not have the scabbard have a sling like a rifle? You could swing it off your body and unsheath it very quickly (most modern and active soldiers and hunters can do it swiftly, there's no reason someone from the "olden times" couldn't), just dropping or tossing the scabbard to be picked up later if you survive.
Everyone assumes that the scabbard has to be permanently affixed to your armor or clothes, really a rifle on a sling is no different than sword in a baldric.
He did say that but a great deal of people don't even seem to consider it.
With a quick release on the over the chest strap/lashing, or left waist area you can release the sword w/sheath, then you can drop it down the left side of the back, guided by your left hand, or yank it across the right shoulder and unsheath.
new subscriber, I love your videos mate
You've mentioned Skyrim here. Hav you noticed that Greatswords there never have sheathes? I mean, just bare blade, hanging on their back.
+The Elder Troll V - Gandalf just hope that sheatheless sword doesn't move much.
Would hate to lose something back there
+nodot17 and rust must suck...
+The Elder Troll V - Gandalf the idea was that they had a simple clip or hanging cord to hang the thing on.
+Nicholas Vaters I guess so
The Elder Troll V - Gandalf yeah seeing the Scottish had that setup along with the vikings using bows and other weapons slung on ther backs or wtvr setup....
Greatswords just basically can't be sheathed
I literally love the way you say question. Very pleasant accent.
"Goodnes Grace, I'm not holding a katana by the blade to unseath it" made my day
I hate to agree with you on this. I love seeing swords on the back, but what you says makes plenty of sense. Even the short sword you did manage to unsheathe would have been a pain to put back.
Out of curiosity though would a curved sword be easier to unsheathe? If we assume that you are not in a tight formation and arc it out to the side.
That's why Celtic claymores weren't sheathed. It was held on with a strap.
Can you point me towards a video about how to make a back-hanging sword baldric? I've been looking for one on RUclips and the closest I've come is one about tying a sais and that's not good enough for my purposes.
Hey, just found your channel and I absolutely love it, this may have already been done but I’d like to know would it be possible for a sword to be worn across the lower back with the hand guards coming from the side, you typically see this in some movies and games with things like dual swords a good game to see this style in is Nioh and it’s worn a bit like an arrows quiver when some cultures would wear it this way
"Two Schools of Thought:
Those who dont know anything about history and only watch movies who think its real
and those who study history and say its not"
So.,...video over? Did he just answer the question already there? LOL
What katanas are good? Do you have to pay much for good quality? what training and safety is needed?
Who pissed in your coffee? The katana is one of the most deadly melee weapons made by man. Like it or not facts are facts
Cheap katanas range from $100- about $900. If you want a true katana, you'll need to sink around $1,500-$2,000. Not sure about proper training
By the way, you should go back and finish high school, your grammar is cringe-worthy.
If memory serves, you slash and rip with a karambit, not stab. Stabbing speed isn't solely dependent on the weapon, rather mostly determined by the wielders strength.
The katana has a longer range, can slash and stab, and can be used both offensively and defensively. You can fight someone from five feet away with a katana, the same can't be said about a karambit unless you're really good at throwing knives.
Also, can you go one comment without insulting me? The only thing you're doing is expressing your lack of common sense and intelligence by trying to cover up said lackings with petty insults and frankly, you're really bad at it.
What if the thing that holds the sword can move? I mean if you can draw the sword in a horizontal way, you can definitely do it even with a long sword, not only horizontal but the thing that holds the sword should move a little more and have some kind of cut at the top so you don't need to take out the whole sword.
Well done! This video teaches a lot!
Very accurate video! I love your videos. That sword-on-back thing, is one of the most ridiculous things ever been - DURING FIGHT. You can, of course, carry your sword (long, medium or short) on the back, during TRAVELING (as they did with their SHIELDS) - but during fight? NO. The best position is ACROSS YOUR MAIN hand (if you are left-hand, on the right. If you are right-hand, on your left side).
(That's why I never used in SKYRIM mods that placing on the back the swords - or animations. So ridiculous).
YOU CAN DRAW a sword (long or not) from the back, only if you have NO SCABBARD with it - if you have it "naked" (blade visible) and attached some-how with a hook or something - but yet, is not a GOOD position. The LACEDAIMONIANS (Spartans), had even better position of their VERY SHORT blade - they had modified their (Greek) round shield and they had a place in the INTERIOR side of the shield and they had attached their swords there. So, imagine after they had their spear broken, they could EASILY draw the blade from a chest-height position right in front their empty hands.
You do realize how ridiculous you sound?
what about curved swords
Thats what i was curious about.
A Red Guard could unsheath their BIG "Curved Swords."
with the Right technique Katanas for example are working Pretty goodi can draw them from the back almost as fast as from the side..
Have you seen those warriors from hammerfell? They’ve got curved swords. Curved, swords.
Like a KHOPESH
Thank you for your interesting videos!
This is great! So helpful, thanks.
pull the handle down, which tips the scabbard up, pulling more forward than up, just an idea. IMHO film likes it cause it looks better on the back than on the hip, very long swords are awkward on the hip.
i always thought you would carry a large (heavy) sword on the back, only if you walk for a long time, for transportation only. Simply because it is easier. In a fight it is obviously dumb, no question. But if i would be a soldier and had to march all day long i wouldn't think about carrying my two handed longsword any other way than on my back :D
Or better yet, on a supply wagon
It took Kingdom Come Deliveramces release but mna I'm so glax I've found this channel. I love the low amount of editing it exemplifies your knowledge when it's information relayed like this. Plus your general nature is really watchable in large sittings which is also refreshing
I'm glad to hear that and welcome among the noble ones
+Metatron I just found your channel and I wanted to say, that I absolutly love your very polite language and that you give the sources to your information. You got some amazing content. I hope you will make youtube videos for a very long time. I really enjoy your videos :3
I do think that there is a plausible scenario for carrying a long blade, like a longsword for example, on your back. That is, when you are travelling and don't need your sword to be battle ready for the draw in an instant.
Let's say you are a European Knight who doesn't count among the most wealthy, or maybe you are just a traveller or merchant who favors the long blade. Carrying your sword on your back makes perfect sense, because of comfort and ease. If you get attacked by bandits, you probably would have enough time to detach the rig from your back, draw it from the scabbard, drop the scabbard and then you would be good to go. That would only take a few seconds.
I don't think that people would go into a proper battle like that, but for travelling purposes it seems fine.
+Hans-Christian Bauer That exactly the point I was about to make. You put my thoughts into words.
+Hans-Christian Bauer not to mention wearing the ultra heavy metal armor knight wear , makes it impossible to draw swords from the back lol
Fred Lakota
Plate armor ususally wasn't worn outside of a battlefield. Certainly not during travel. You can't even put it on or off without help.
+Hans-Christian Bauer i'm pretty sure that he have mentioned that while travelling it can be done
With the witcher series of books and games the belt and scabbard holding the sword (Just one. Two swords are the game's doing) is designed from scratch to be worn over the shoulder and drawn as such so the sword is already raised for a strike.
I think if it were built with being held on the back and drawn over the shoulder in mind, it is quite possible. Sheathing it, like you said, would be a problem but still doable if you are not in a rush.
Jul .xin well, when you unsheath a swor from a scabbard on your left hip, there is nothing stopping you from continuing that same motion into a diagonal upwards cut.
Jul .xin If you watch in the Wild Hunt game, Geralt flicks the bottom of the scabbard out so the top of the scabbard is pointing towards his shoulder, so he can place the tip of the sword in the scabbard and then gravity carries it down
+Redvig Co you are missing the point though his swords are to long for that to even matter. it cannot be done with long swords unless you do what this guy did and grab a bit of the blade itself. Even this guy did the push method on the scabbord to bring it down near his shoulder and he even bent down and still nothing. Those style of swords you cannot do it...only short swords.
guitarman0365 I never said it's feasible in real life, but the game developers at least tried to make it somewhat believable. It's better than most where weapons are stuck to your back by magnets?
if you look closely in the games his swords clip thru the scabbard when unsheathing it, same with sheathin
I really enjoy your work.
i almost had to check if short swords could be drawn from the back thanks dude
Ninja-tos didn't exist but ko-katanas did, which are essentially what Hollywood was trying to mimic, but without the curve. :)
From all the images I've ever seen, it seems that in medieval times war troops only carried swords on their backs while traveling long distances. Never in battle.
There were no specialty straps, only their belts slung over with scabbards. Or more traditionally, the handle was held while the blade (sometimes in scabbard) was laid flat against the shoulder to rest.
As you demonstrated in your video, it was not practical to keep a sword behind oneself, esp when that would lead to an opening for the enemy. It's simply done in games to look cool, and probably to avoid graphic clipping with objects, horses, etc.
Btw, how good are you with identifying swords? I've seen one that I cannot place the date of & absolutely cannot find anything on it other than it existed.
*****
I think it's more about what was common, not custom made.
I'm sure there were plenty of unique weapons made over time, but unique usually means only a handful of people knew how to use it to its full potential. Which means the weapons usually didn't survive to modern time due to lack of care, inexperience in repairing, or little desire to re-make in its style.
so geralt of rivia lied to us T_T
sadly yes
we've been axii'd
he leveled it up to 3
Read the books twats, he has a thing in sheat the pops the sword up
no he didn't, he just uses magic to make it work
could there be an opening slit halfway up the sheath on one side so you can pull and tilt the blade out
+metatron I hope you answer I think the long sword could work if there was no sheath but a magnet on the back you could attach and detach the sword no?
Why is nobody holster pistols on the back? Even in games and movies, it isn't done.
But they do with swords.
ö. . , John McCLane did. Well, he just taped it there, but that still counts, right?
+ö. . , You've got a point!
+ö. . , you do though
+ö. . , i think i've seen revolvers on the back of the hip somewhere, if that counts.
+ö. . , There are gun holsters for the lower back.
Sheaths for wearing greatswords on the back could've been different, you can make an open sheathe in form of a C, when u draw your sword up a little bit, the thickness of the sword would be less than the sheathe, so u can just slide it out through the thing :)
+Dante Frost wrong. "Greatsword"s (zweihandr, montante, etc.) were not carried by individuals - they were simply too large and inconvenient. when used on the battlefield, they were transported by carts and used on-site.
+Senak Risthfon Mercenarys often used Greatsword's, and they did carry them alone
+Sgt Vince cite your source. where would a mercenary have acquired a greatsword? also, what time period and area are you referring to? what defines a "mercenary" - because what im thinking of as a mercenary wasnt very common in western Europe throughout the 12-17 centuries.
Thank you for showing and explaining this. I always thought that claymores and Zweihänder were transported on ones back.
Could the scabbard be partially open on the top, like 15-20 cm to give free movement to the blade (there should still be plenty of sheath to hold the sword securely)?
Or maybe don't have the scabbard "locked" on the back so it can fall back on the unsheating giving more room?
i wouldnt want to be in combat with a big sword on my back, but i would carry it on my back if traveling long distances. might seem reasonable.
+Adrian Teply Same here ^^
Back scabbard alert! (Lindybeige reference) :P
Prehaps cutting the side of the top of the scabbard and installing a clip to keep it falling out when not in use may work better for drawing and sheathing.
i like the way berserk has a way of explaining a way for guts to carry his sword on his back due to a chain on the sword that unlatches when he pulls it off of his back and i've always thought of carrying a magnet on the back of your armor or back that would allow you to just pull of the sword with ease