We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Program...

So this week I wanted to do something a bit different. I don't want you guys to get burned out on The Story of Gladianima, and there may or may not still be a bit of writer's block to attend to. It's just so hard to focus when I have so much swirling around in my head!

Annnnyyyhooo, today I thought we could talk about swords! Since I love swords (I currently own 2 and a dagger) and the main focus of Gladianima, if I ever get there, will be the finding of the sword Gladianima, I thought I would share with y'all the things I learned about swords. These are the replicas I have:

Pretty cool, right??!!

So firstly, swords are heavy. I didn't realize it until I started picking one up and waving it around. My arm was sore the next day. I also didn't have any idea how to wield it. I practiced swinging it at my cat, but that doesn't seem like a viable way of fighting with someone. It didn't impress Dustin, either.

The thing about the sword was that it was only sharp along one edge and curved at the end. So when I imagined how I'd stab somebody with it, or parry an incoming blow, I was very confused. A single sharp edge wouldn't do much stabbing compared to a double-edged sword and I wouldn't have any idea of how to stop another blade.

So then I got to thinkin', how in the heck would I really use this if I had to??

Google and YouTube are awesome.

I learned that technically this sword is a scimitar. I say it like that because when you look up scimitars, they don't look like Thrandril's blade (but that's because it's from a fantasy movie!). They're much more curved and more Aladdin-esque.

Then there are the rapiers, which are fencing swords and the type of swords that were typically used by Anglos, such as broad swords.

These guys are totally different than scimitars in that they are sharp on both sides and made for stabbin'.

They were also made for long-distance combat and meant to be held at arms' length, whereas a scimitar is a close-quarters weapon.

TRIVIA TIME: Did you know that castle stairs were intentionally spiraled so that opposing forces would have to climb them with their left hands to the inside wall? This meant that they were limited in their ability to draw their weapons, since most were right handed and carried their swords on their left hip. It also meant that defending forces had the advantage coming down the stairs because their sword-hands were free.

Here's a History Channel video I found that explains scimitar vs rapier combat really well:

So that's what I discovered in my searching about swords. There's much more to learn too, like the types of swords (I learned the word seax, which is also written sex, but that could have been misconstrued as a typo), and many fighting styles still for me to discover, such as how samurais fought.

Thanks for reading and tune in next time for our continuation of Gladianima!