I was smack in the middle of writing my novella Blood Silver when a sudden qualm attacked me. Had I gotten my protagonist’s weapon of choice wrong?
Oh, no!
I’ll admit that I hadn’t researched it ahead. I just knew that Tahaern wielded a hand-and-a-half sword. It felt so right to me that I’d never questioned it until after I started writing the sequence of battle scenes.
In preparing to write those battle scenes, I investigated plate armor thoroughly, in addition to researching long sword fighting techniques and how to “give point” on horseback.
But it wasn’t until the middle of the battles that I said to myself: “Wait a minute! I researched long sword techniques. But my protag wields a hand-and-a-half sword. Have I just made a huge mistake?”
I stopped everything and started digging.
The video below set me straight.
I found Skallagrim’s explanation of the differences between swords (arming swords), bastard swords, long swords, and great swords to be enlightening (as well as entertaining). And, of course, I was relieved that I had not erred. A bastard sword—or a hand-and-a-half sword—is a long sword. Whew!
Would I have revised my novella, if I’d proved to be wrong about my faie knight using long sword techniques while wielding a hand-and-a-half sword? Yes. I would have had to. Leaving in something I knew to be incorrect would have itched at my soul most uncomfortably!
As things turned out…I was in the clear!
But what Skallagrim implied about carrying great swords intrigued me. If the scabbard on the back, as depicted by Hollywood, was all wrong, how did the knights carry their great swords? And did my faie knight face similar difficulties with his hand-and-a-half sword?
I figured I’d better find out!
So I was safe again. Tahaern faced no extraordinary challenges in the carrying of his weapon. 😀
For more about Blood Silver, see:
Plate Armor, How It Works
Cross Strike, Squinting Strike, and Scalp Strike
The Book Title
The Crooked Strike
The Joust
Which Cover to Choose?
The Strike of Wrath
Rope Climbing and a Cliff
A Song of Peace
Wielding a Long Sword
Origin of the Story (The State of This Writer)
Thank you for this. Some fascinating information. I’ve now watched several very good videos and subscribed to a channel I’d never knew existed. Oh, and the book sounds interesting too.
That’s great, Mike. I’m happy to have introduced you to Skallagrim. I enjoy his presentations very much myself.
In the next few weeks, I plan to post more blogs about Blood Silver. One will feature a video by a living history buff who is expert at donning plate armor. Another will include a re-enactor who specializes in the joust. And so on.
I hope you’ll check back to enjoy the fun. 😀