Experimentation With Sharp Weapons

Swords, by definition, are sharp. They are lethal weapons designed to maim and kill people. This is what they were made for, and this is what they are good at. An uneasy thought, often cast aside when we marvel at the elegant shape and perfect manufacture of swords.

Today, the practice of historical swordsmanship is usually carried out with blunt weapons and protective equipment, for obvious safety considerations. However, blunt weapons distort the physical interactions of historical arms. Today I would like to point out to you a couple of videos of experiments with sharp weapons that yielded some interesting insights.

I hope you will find it as enlightening as I did.

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Sharp Sword Interaction With The Viking Shield

At the recent Trelleborg Bouts, we ran a number of experiments with sharp spears and swords. We did test cutting and thrusting at a suspended dead pig, and various dynamic combat simulations. From previous training with sharp swords, we were already aware of the clear pressure feedback of blades crossing, and the ability of a sharp edge to grip and manipulate an opposing weapon – a quality that makes it considerably easier to replicate historical fight book technique. The sharper an edge, the better it works.

Jenni Engelsted kindly recorded some of our demos. In the video, my fellow researcher and instructor Mikkel Mønsted and myself share some of our insights regarding the interaction of a sharp sword with one's own shield and that of your opponent.

At the end of the video, you see Mikkel and myself fencing with sharps. This is a great and educating exercise. However, because of the inherent danger of fatal injury, I would like to point out that the both of us have decades of practice under our belts.

“Why you should train with sharp swords, and how to go about it without killing anyone” is the title of a great article by my friend Guy Windsor. You can find it in his book ”Swordfighting, for Writers, Game Designers, and Martial Artists”, or read it online here.

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Cutting Into Shields

Of all historical military items, the shield is probably the most misconceived one. It is commonly assumed that shields were mainly used to block an incoming blow, and thus the thicker, the better. However, when we take a look at surviving shield boards, Germanic and Viking ones in particular, they are surprisingly thin, with their composite edges (hide plus wood) ranging around 5 mm thickness only. So what is the logic behind a relatively light and delicate shield made from organic materials? Apparently, a lightweight construction makes for a more agile shield. Yes, it can be destroyed more easily. However, shield damages recorded by archaeology are less dramatic than we would expect. Some shields from the Illerup bog finds show repairs in the form of small patches of copper alloy sheet metal. Ingo Petri and myself discovered a couple of superficial cuts on the remains of a 12th century kite shield from Szczecin (see images here). This suggests that perfect sense of measure was no less important in fighting with a shield than without one.

My friends of the Finnish group Hirdmenn have conducted a number of experiments, exposing their valuable equipment to harsh treatment. They have compiled a video playlist showing what happens when measure is disregarded, and a weapon is forcefully struck into a shield.

In a combat context, a sword or axe that is firmly embedded in a shield makes for a poor weapon. As you have seen in Mikkel’s and my experimentation above, swords may well have been used to manipulate an opposing shield. Thus, the round but sharp points of earlier swords may have been purposefully designed to reduce the risk of getting stuck. Note that this shape does not reduce thrusting capability, as is often claimed. In fact, a wide but sharp point stabbed at an unarmoured opponent will cause an equally wide and gaping wound.

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Spear & Shield

In combat displays with Late Roman gear, Hirdmenn demonstrate that it could well make sense to thrust a spear at an opposing shield, in order to press the shield down or aside to create an opening. This works well with sharp spears, alas, it requires a subsequent shield-strike to free the spear, and keep pinning the adversary. Note that this works best from the so-called overarm ward, which is the most common position of spear men in historical depictions from antiquity onwards.

See a video demonstration in their blog post.

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How sharp were original swords?

The edge is the finest part of a sword, and it is the first to be lost to corrosion. However, cross sections of historical swords reveal that their design allowed for making them extremely sharp. But how sharp does a sword have to be? A very fine edge is also quite delicate, and a relatively blunt sword could still inflict severe injury. Archaeology has recorded terrible traumata on skeletal remains: skulls cut open, severed thigh bones, clean cuts even through teeth. Such injury can only have been inflicted by very sharp weapons.

A not so obvious reason for a historical warrior to constantly keep his sword’s edges as sharp as possible is related to weapon interaction. In our recent experimentation, the swords were constantly subject to blade binds. Later in the day, edges were no longer razor sharp. Weapon contact had dulled them. They would still have been capable of inflicting serious injury, I guess. However, they no longer provided crystal clear pressure feedback, and the ability of ‘gripping’ an opposing sword or a spear shaft was notably reduced. They had lost their ‘bite’.

This reminded me of a passage from Olaf Tryggvason’s Saga. During the sea battle of Svolder, the king shouted:

‘Are ye wielding your swords carelessly since, as I see, they do not cut?’ One of the men made answer: ‘Our swords are blunt and very much notched.’ Then went the King down into the fore-hold, and setting up the lid of the high-seat took from out of the chest beneath many sharp swords and gave them out to his men.

Some surviving original swords do indeed show traces of re-sharpening, occasionally having gradually changed the shape of the blade. I will definitely look out for such detail again when I examine more original swords this coming Friday, together with Cornelius Berthold. (At this point I would like to express my gratitude to all my patrons who fund my excursions. Thank you very much, it really makes a difference.)

Speaking of Cornelius, you can watch our brief demo of fencing with sharp sword & buckler in a video.

All the best, and keep your blade well honed!

Roland

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