Thanks Nathan,
Cool pics Kirk cheers,
There was also some pics of the Charlemagne sabre over at SFI in the pub under,
Sabres,sabres,sabres,

Mathias,
I've always been fond of this fantasy rapier,
Six fingered rapier of The Princess Bride,

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OK, so there are fantasy rapiers, thanks

Hi there, yet another newcomer here...

For historical swords comparable to those in Conan the Barbarian and such films, one could do worse than look at Viking swords. A couple of examples:

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From the viking burial site of Kilmainham

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One of my all-time favorites, this beauty... from Lund, IIRC (note the locket stuck to the crossguard)

All in all, I think the main difference between the decoration on historical and fantasy swords is that, in historical examples it very rarely interferes with the sword's function, while in many fantasy designs the decorative elements would seem at the least distracting, and at worst downright dangerous, to the user - for example, the ever-popular horns/talons/fangs curving from the cross *towards the grip*, making it impossible to hold without having them dig into you hand, wrist, or arm; or the frequently impractical decoration on the grip itself, making it uncomfortable in the extreme to actually grip. Also, the fantasy decorative motifs and themes are usually quite easy to distinguish from historical ones - there's a certain, almost invariable, Hammer Gothic or Art Nouveau air to the modern fantasy variety.

Not that this necessarily makes the fantasy pieces unattractive, of course (I love Art Nouveau and Hammer horror films, too :)), but it does make them stand out from historical specimens. Which might be either good or bad, depending on your tastes and needs.

Does anyone have any additional information on the Teutonic sword that Lee O'Hagan posted? I am very interested in learning more about it--especially since it seems very well preserved for a 13th Century sword.

The two-handed sword of Mehmet the Conqueror, with the sultan's genealogy inlaid in gold along the blade, in the Topkapi collections:
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Yataghan of Suleiman I, also in Topkapi:
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Great thread, guys! I agree with Nathan's premise compeletely. While the simple, serious pieces hold their own allure for me, it is usually the ornate that gets my attention these days.

Here's one of my favorites:

Here are a couple I got to handle in Switzerland :p :

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Here are a few more beauties:

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more

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and more

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even more

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and done!

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I lied...a few more:

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Now I'm done...for now.

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We haven't had any posts in here for a while so here's a few to get us started again. Truth is again more fantastic than fantasy. :D

Nathan - I finally found the pic with Maximilian I's messer and longsword :cool: :D .

Cheers,

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Longsword: Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy - gold, pearls, rubies and Narwal horn. Hunting Sword: Maximilian, son-in-law of Charles - gold and ivory

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Feudal sword, hunting sword and hunting knife of Maximilian I

As someone who has played computer Fantasy Role playing games and posted on RPG forums I couldn't agree more. Many fantasy games designers and players idea of a beautiful sword are grotesque and totally impractical "Anime" style swords. There are a lot of exceptions to this of course and I have myself tried to influence people into admiring more elegant and simple designs such as 15th century European longswords, Persian shamshirs and Turkish yataghans, with decidedly mixed results.

My own contribution to the pictures are these two swords from the "Blessed Swords" collection in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul. These are swords attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and his companions while some of these are undoubtedly early Arab swords, others seem to be 15th century century Iranian swords. These two belong to the latter category.





Because of the Blessed Swords status as "sacred relics", many have been elaborately ornamented and decorated in later periods which makes dating them even more difficult.

That rapier is fantastic, Craig, thanks for sharing that! I love the nod to classical Greco-Roman art that was so prevalent in the Italian Renaissance.