Swords, Knives, & Weapons

Viking sword with beautiful decorations. 

Ornately decorated Indian thega, circa 1900.

Don Quijote’s Sword

Don Quijote is a fictional character born from the pen of Miguel de Cervantes, in the 16th century. The character is also known as Don Alonso Quixote (Quijano), or Don Quixote de La Mancha.

Knight of a high sense of duty and honor beyond the limits of reality, Don Quixote swung his sword against windmills believing them to be giants, herds of sheep, as an enemy army, wineskins as ghosts, and many other things.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Conan the Barbarian” Atlantean Sword (from Conan the Barbarian)

The two most prominent swords in the movie Conan the Barbarian (CTB) were the “Father’s Sword”, which was the sword made by Conan’s father in the beginning of the film, and the “Atlantean Sword” sword, which Conan found in a cave and used throughout the movie.

The swords were designed by Ron Cobb, and he presented full-scale drawings of the weapons for the sword makers to use as blueprints. Mr. Cobb was at one time a cartoonist for the LA Free Press, but is now an art designer for the entertainment industry. He worked as the Production Designer for the movie Conan the Barbarian.

According to Mr. Jody Samson, the master sword maker who made the swords for Conan the Barbarian, four of the Atlantean swords and four of the Father’s swords were made for the movie. The Atlantean sword was a collaborative project. Tim Huchthausen carved the handle for the Atlantean sword, and Mr. Samson ground the blades to give them a fine shape, edge, and polish. The swords for Conan the Barbarian were very exaggerated.

The Atlantean sword’s blade was 27" long, and including the handle reached 36.5 inches in length. The handle extends about 6.5 inches up along the blade above the guard, which is a very unusual design for a sword. The idea was to make a sword so that someone could reach forward and hold the blade above the guard, but a real sword that was meant for fighting would have just had a longer handle.

In any case, the design gives a unique and very interesting look to the sword and makes one wonder whether it really was designed by the inhabitants of ancient Atlantis. This sword also has runic hieroglyphs carved along its blade, but according to Mr. Samson they are meaningless markings in a made up script. The real sword, that was used in the movie is now sold and costs between $10,000 and $12,000.

Source & Copyright: The Barbarian Keep

Dagger with Hilt of Leafy Plants

Dated: circa 1640

Culture: Mughal

Place of Origin: India

Medium: Hilt: Nephrite Blade: Watered steel

Measurements: Max length with handle: 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm) Length of the Handle: 4 13/16 in. (12.2 cm) Length of the Blade: 9 11/16 in. (24.6 cm) Width of bottom of the handle: 2 in. (5.1 cm)

Often tucked into a sash or horseman’s boot, daggers in Mughal India displayed the wealth and power of their owners. The white jade hilt of this dagger is carved with flowers arranged in a formal pattern.

A long serrated leaf runs the length of the hilt, following its curve; this curved shape, called a pistol grip, originated in the Deccan and first appeared in Mughal paintings during the reign of Shah Jahan, around the time in which this dagger was made.

Handmade Swords - Wardhllokur (Spirit Song)

Maker & Copyright: Jake Powning

Measurements: overall length 86.4 cm; weight: 1,275 kg

A pattern-welded Viking sword made in 2009. It feature a bog-oak grip while the scabbard if yellow bitch with Mammen style ornamentation. The hilt is bronze with silver & copper wire accents.

Sidenotes:

Mammen Style is a phase of Viking art in the period from the 960s-c. 1000/1025, the name deriving from finds recovered from a chamber tomb in Mammen on Jutland, Denmark.

Among these finds was an axe decorated with designs in inlaid silver of which one side shows a markedly stylized animal with long appendages braided along the body.

There are animal representations that can have a more realistic style, like one of the lions on the Jelling stones. During this style there was an introduction of plant motifs.