The Most Uncomfortable Looking Sword & Dagger Handles
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 07. 2024
- Looks can be deceiving, but these designs sure look unpleasant to hold in your hand. Most historical weapons of course were fitted with ergonomic grips, and the oddities are mostly court swords (status symbols) or other ceremonial items. A few of these were intended for actual use though, which makes you wonder how rough of an experience that would be (without gloves at least).
If you're a fan of the cinquedea, don't get too upset. It's just my opinion, bruh. :)
www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Ever wanted a rapier that you can grate cheese with?
www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Quite a pretty looking hunting sword, but most likely not designed for use:
www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
You can find the book "The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Knives, Swords, Spears & Daggers" as well as other personal recommendations here (affiliate links):
US - amzn.to/3iCoqjf
Canada - amzn.to/2Sgopqt
** Support the channel **
Help fund future videos, get bonus content and other rewards:
/ skallagrim
www.subscribestar.com/skallagrim
/ @skallagrim
Other ways to support the channel by shopping through affiliate links:
Kult of Athena, my favorite online store for reproductions of historical arms and armor, fantasy swords, etc:
www.kultofathena.com/?koa=259
Where to get HEMA gear and practice swords:
www.woodenswords.com/?Click=1799
** Social media & merch **
How to contact me (can't always reply, since I get too many messages):
/ skallagrimnilsson
See a list of my video uploads:
/ _skallagrim_
/ skallagrimyt
Channel-related shirts and other merch:
skallagrim.spreadshirt.com/
teespring.com/stores/skallagrim
** Music **
Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
theslantedroom.github.io/stev... - Zábava
Since the dawn of time, we have struggled with item stats vs looks
@Vicks VaporRub thats fair
@Vicks VaporRub Yeah, this is actually smart..
THIS IS MY ASS KICKING OUTFIT BITCH
Transmog didn't exist back then. What a sad time.
Ok good, I'm not the only one who willingly uses worse equipment cause it looks cooler.
The mistake is assuming that "wall-hangers" or "fantasy" swords are a modern invention
Kinda. Fancy historical swords tended to have fancy or even uncomfortable hilts while retaining the usual blade geometry. Same goes with historical wall hangers. I have no idea why that is, seeing as there are ways to play with blade geometry while still retaining function.
Exactly.
People have always, since the dawn of man, made things just cause they can and it looks cool. Not everything had a practical use or even a meaningful one. Religious or otherwise.
@@user-ky9ou5dz9q I'll be honest, when I saw a notification that you replied to my comment, it looked like you wrote "fuck you, exactly" which was confusing, until I went to the page and saw it was your user name.
@@Wyrdrock hahaha yeah. I made it when they were forcing people to use first and last names for your profiles, instead of usernames. Didn't think it would actually go through. But it did. And now I'm stuck with it.
@@Wyrdrock just read that and laughed my ass off lol, that's great
The Stiletto: 5000 years of knife and sword evolution to end up with "pointy stick kill you lol"...
haha pointy stab haha
Hey, it's hard to improve on the basics.
A pointy metal rod with diamond geometrical profile which requires a lot of fine work to produce.
Spears > Every melee weapon ever
@@weed1329 *Laughs in halberd*
Better title: Sword and Dagger Handles for Masochists
Or: Handles too Shabby to do a Stabby.
*Holds the knife that bites you*
Me: Ow! God damnit that hurt! 😖😫😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Or maybe Sword and Dagger Handles probably used for other things
There's an Anne Rice novel where that happens...
15:50 anything’s a butt plug if you’re brave enough.
Masochist berserkers seems to be a trope for weapon design
"ALL I FEEL IS RAGE! RAGE, AND MY PERFECT EDGE ALIGNMENT! THATS WHY I ONLY GET MY TOOLS OF SLAUGHTER FROM 'BLACK RAGE BLADES'!" _buynowandgetthreeforthepriceoftwo_
Mmmmmm It hurts so GOOD
@@anoninunen
Khorne worshipper?
I need help with my Blood sacrifizes.
Lol. accurate
Now I'm imagining guts berserk armour but it just jabs lego bricks into him
The deformed baby stiletto is weapons-grade nightmare fuel.
The spine-sword isn't much better.
And the jaw knife?
what about the scrotum shield
Mound Makers Covenant
@@Anino_Makata that just looks uncomfortable.
Fashion or Practicality? This dilemma seems to have been with us for a long time.
Fashion Souls in the before before *before* times.
Always go for Fashion Souls.
Form follows funktion. Once funktion is no longer needed, form becomes fashion and is expressed.
Real life endgame is fashion
Fashion is the only correct answer. Make the world a more beautiful place.
This is something that always stood out to me when looking at pictures of ancient swords (and other ancient weapons, for that matter).
I wonder how much of this is just because there's a survivorship bias towards ceremonial or decorative things by nature of them being treated more carefully and entombed with people and stuff, compared to actual useful weapons that tended to get passed down and used until broken, lost, discarded, seized by occupation, etc.
Great point!
That's definitely an issue.
It would be. I use my Casio watch every day, and it never fails me, yet I've got a pristine Swiss watch that cost $2000. That Swiss watch will probably be on this earth long after I'm gone, and that Casio will probably take another 30 years of hard wear. It won't survive time because it's a tool; the Swiss watch is more of a status symbol.
@@gregoryfilin8040 I've met people who do wear a nice watch (not a Rolex, but same price range) all the time.
I stopped wearing a watch when I kept smacking my wrist on the sub.
@@ScottKenny1978 I'm not made of money. I'm just a poor boy doing my best. I use the Casio specifically because it is so damned tough as nails.
Skall: let's look at uncomfortable swords
The Penitent One from Blasphemous: *laughs in silence*
Huzzah! A man of quality! Soon as I saw the title the Mea Culpa came to mind. Blasphemous. What a brilliant game it is.
Lol
For merciless and tortuous are the ways of the Miracle.
Well, Mea Culpa is supposed to be like that because the local religion is big on suffering agony as penitence.
When you reach the point where you just wanna grab the sword by the blade instead.
The origins of half-swording revealed?
The stilettos and hunting swords have an excuse: An uncomfortable handle doesn't matter that much when you're only gonna use that weapon for like 10 seconds before you sheath it again.
Skall became a weather forecaster. interesting.
"tomorrow - Swords."
"around 6 pm, ceremonial swords are expected"
@@sagagis "and at 8 pm there are expected to be clear until 10 pm where we think we'll see a heavy fall of principe's"
Stay indoors, mace storm expected. The weather department recommend you shelter in the nearest storm bunker
Now THAT is a premise for a D&D setting. A land where the sky occasionally rains swords.
It would explain the presence of so many dungeons. No one wants to live above ground.
@@Bluecho4 sounds metal as fuck
I'm not gonna lie, that spine sword would be really cool to see in a Souls-like.
It would fit perfectly into Bloodborne.
Like a weapon crafted for the Dead/Skeletons to wield, OR in a more sinister light a weapon crafted as a *trophy* for hunting the Dead/Skeletons. I mean, there're some sadistic fucks in Dark Souls, I wouldn't be surprised by someone doing that.
I imagine it's what Nito uses to spread butter on his toast.
The necromancer class starting dagger in elden ring
makes me think of the scythe from dante's inferno
The handle of the sword from Blasphemous would be extremely uncomfortable, yet it's used practically throughout the game
It’s not a bug. It’s a feature.
I think that that's the point of it though, because pretty much everything in that game seems really uncomfortable.
@Mojowuq9 Gingras and then it grows and you become more powerful from the pain
And it really fits the penitence theme of the game,the act of self inflicted pain to get forgiveness,the fact its uncomfortable its genius in my opinion
That's the point. It's supposed to not be nice to hold.
TBH, the Cinquedea blade shape just looks like perfect for cutting & serving pizza.
Please Italian people, don't get mad at me...
Yeah, seems like it
Italians are the inventors of Pizza, so...
There has been debate on this and a common held opinion is that they were influenced by fashion. The wide blade gives you a big surface for decoration, so you can show off to everyone with your fancy, gilded Cinquedea
@@weldonwin I wonder if it maybe had some connection to the roman gladius?
In Italian style belt sets i seen from this period there are sometimes a dagger that seem to be ment as a symmetric correspond to the swordhilt, and some dagger styles may be a part of local hochseit costume (i know in Spain, Russia, parts of Germany, etc So, most likly as well in Italy, a special dagger design are connected to the native representative cultural cloathing in certain areas, it's glittering jewelry for men... ;) ).
"Ultra callused hands" a technical term lol
We need more cave videos, gives a very nice atmosphere
like dungeon master
reminded me of the pirate cave from monkey island
The slight echo in the audio really sold it, too!
Maybe I am tripping here but some of these especially 9:05 would be perfect for dagger grip aka downward, where those “uncomfortable parts” would actually help you to get better grip on the weapon. Where it is more round where your palm would be and more gripping for the fingers… it even has a pommel that could work as quasi guard…
The problem with using a cinquedea in icepick grip is twofold. One, they tend to be on the longer end for daggers. The short ones are a foot long in the blade. That's about what's expected for rondels which are usually what we see in manuals that show icepick grip. The longer cinquedea are in the 24 to 28 inch range which is quite difficult to get a good angle with. Secondly, icepick is only truly practical for hooking and stabbing, not cutting. The cinquedea has a far more cut and thrust profile than a dedicated stabbing weapon. It's highly difficult to get the proper leverage and angle for a good cut from icepick grip. Does this mean no one was stupid enough to try and design their custom weapon with that in mind? Probably not, people are stupid. But I have my doubts about it catching on as anything approaching a trend in design.
YO HE ADDED THE ECHO
For those really early bronze swords, I'd bet that the thin hourglass handles were wrapped in something (leather or whatever). It still doesn't seem convenient or comfortable, but at least you wouldn't be slicing your fingers off?
maybe there were wooden handle scales put over than were then wrapped in something.
@@Kotoy1 ooh yeah that'd make a lot of sense
@@Kotoy1 what would the point be to decorate the metal under the wood? I was thinking what if they were specifically designed for throwing? Maybe hunting? And you could fit multiple in one sheath and surprise your opponent by not running out of swords. Lol.
If you look at the third one from the right, is that the tri-force? Is that the sword of time? Did we find Hyrule at long last?
That rapier doesn't actually look too bad since all the bumps are nicely rounded. It would be comfortable especially if you were wearing a glove.
These are inhuman swords. For holding by tentacles.
Came to learn about swords, stayed for the bloopers
I have a theory as to why the handle might be decorated and still meant to be wrapped in something. Perhaps the swords were sold this way but it's up to the customer to wrap the sword. Perhaps in their own traditional colors?
My thinking was that maybe there are different styles of wrap and some styles don't cover the whole handle. If the maker doesn't know what is going to be exposed they've gotta detail the whole thing.
I was thinking that thinner leather wraps might still preserve some of the pattern if it was bound tightly.
When you get home you take the dirty wrap off.
In regards to the file rapier and the stag knobs: I’m reminded of the stipling on my service guns. When holding it outright, they look and feel incredibly aggressive. But then, after firing hundreds of rounds in the desert heat, that aggressive grip really comes in handy. It’s almost necessary to maintain good grip position. So perhaps those ones weren’t so bad.
Interesting. It doesn’t look too rough either, almost like each file “knob” or segment is somewhat rounded. I doubt it would be a hindrance
Rapier is not all that aggressively knurled to call it a file, the handle would feel way comfier as it might look. Raw antler tho, you might get a knob just in the wrong spot.
@@demoncore5342 To be fair, I imagine the average person could and would fix that with like... a rock and a few minutes.
@@seigeengine Exactly, it changes owners couple of times and you end up with polished antler :)
while that sounds pertinant for an arming sword or some kind of highly dispensed military swords, rapiers were scarcely used in war due to fragility, expense and poor cutting ability. still, would make sense for an officer to sometimes carry one, so it could very easily apply there. thanks for the info, and thank you for your service.
"doesn't such an Patriotic American sword just make you wanna invade foreigb countries and liberate their oil"
As an American I approve this joke lol
Corn oil, maybe.
I mean we do put corn in everything, even our swords apparently!
"Their oil". "Our oil". What's the difference?
@@xL1GHTBR1NG3Rx you better watch it or they might mistake you for a commie
Mmmm oil... Delicious nutricious oil...
I'm thinking that if those first swords (the bronze and copper ones) are really that thin, perhaps the flatness was because they were meant to be wall hangers. If so, they are likely the oldest known examples. Still only sells for $50.
Wow, that... max "grippiness" rapier hilt. Some of these make me think that if swords were still viable weapons, hilts would wrapped in velcro...
8:48 Possible that this one could belong to a noble or wealthy person with a deformed hand/palm. Lots of causes come to mind but also battle or duel. A hand crushed in a fight and then healed to some degree may need a special type of handle to have a good grip for handling the sword firmly.
Not gonna lie, that Spine Sword looks like some kind of Long Sword weapon from a Monster Hunter.
I might be mad, but I actually really liked that spine sword, using the rest of the spine for the sheath was kinda badass. That thing is definitely showing up in a future anime
The bronze swords could have had some kind of wrapping around the hilt that just rotted off in time. Maybe. I'm not any kind of historian
Or wood inserts held in place by a wrap.
it more than likely was.
If those handles were meant to be wrapped, why would they have those colorful triangle and circle patterns on them? Nobody would be able to see them if the wrappings were on.
@Paweł Kozioł they could just be made by blacksmiths who don't like to cheap out on their work and decorate everything.
It really depends on the craftsman.
@@diakounknown1225 Useless features to crank up the price? Makes sense actually.
1:54 that's the real Link sword, it has the Triforce on it
I suppose wallhangers aren't just a modern thing.
Hi Skall, I really loved the production aspects of this video. The cave theme, audio echo, large pictures, clear pointing and expressing with your overlay background, etc. So very cool! It all was very cohesive.
The cave theme with the reverberation is perfect for watching this sitting on the toilet. Cheers
The first swords shown were held with three fingers around the hilt, with the thumb and forefinger pinching the flats of the blade. They were really thrust only as their construction wouldn't allow for effective cutting without snapping off the hilt.
"The first swords shown were held with three fingers around the hilt, with the thumb and forefinger pinching the flats of the blade" How would you know that? There is no direct evidence from the time, so it's just a guess.
@@Skallagrim I suppose it can be a guess, but it isn't MY guess. I remember that being a theory put forward by some scholars at the time (it's been so long ago I can't remember the source) yet it completely makes sense.
@@tasatort9778 Sure, and it's possible. I'm just saying there is no evidence to make any certain statements about it.
@@Skallagrim True; but it's still better than saying "It's ceremonial". 😆
@@tasatort9778 Heh, maybe. Although both are basically guesswork. :)
That backdrop feels nice and cool with the current heat
This video made me realized where Final Fantasy 14 got some of the names they give swords. I had never heard Cinquedea or Hanger used anywhere else.
Skall, I do love your outtakes, please keep them coming! XD
I think I generally prefer "decorative" instead of "ceremonial" when it comes to objects that clearly are impractical for performing the function that they seem to be supposed to. I feel like in most cases that's really what they're meant to be; just something nice to look at. And even if they were actually used in ceremonies or rituals, the term still applies, because they are made to look that way for decoration.
Ceremonial is a tongue in cheek joke in archeology... Means we have no idea what it was used for.
I think that first one could be an example of "knife money"
Depends on how big they are.
@@ScottKenny1978 well yes
It's wild to see how much variation there is in these handle shapes. Thanks for sharing!
i like how skallagrims just sitting in a semi flooded cave talking about random swords while his shoes and socks get absolutely soaked
I highly recommend saying "aguacate" (avocado in spanish) to unlock your tongue when you can't talk I find it quite effective
11:31
Fish Knife of the Fishy Abyss : finally, a worthy opponent ! our battle with be LEGENDARY
The catfish of doom was the first thing that came to my mind 🤣
I like the format of the video. The way you can point at the right parts in the background.
*”Hunting swords were used to save ammunition during the hunt”*
Laughs in ‘Texan-helicopter-hunting-boar-with-an-AR15’
Don't forget about the “Bollock” dagger.
That’s not uncomfortable
What do you mean, THE bollocks dagger??
They were ALL pretty much bollocks.😄
@@leoscotton7575 xDDD Dude you're implying things you might not want to imply
@@danielbarnett3672 that is the joke.
Looks perfectly comfortable tbh
Imagine one shotting yourself when you touch your sword handle...
14:53
Pfft! I immediately thought of Byleth's sword when you brought up that spine sword! 😆
I love how straight to the point and honest your thumbnails and titles are
Hmm i have a feeling that most of theese handles came with some wrappings which decay so it would not be as hard to use.
What if the really flat "swords" at the beginning had cord wrapped around them to give them some width. This would cut down on the metal used and would make them very easy to craft. Still would be quite uncomfortable, but a little better.
I think Skall should make wooden replicas to test once he access to a workshop again.
There also could have been handle scales under the wrapping of organic material like wood. Even though on those they would not have been riveted on it seems, but i guess with glue, and tight enough wrapping it could be possible
Even with wraps those handle would still be flat (and wider) and extremely short for human hand... well maybe they were designed for aliens with tiny hands and extremely long fingers...
I love your ability to cover a wide range of fantasy/history topics. Your channel is never stale.
I love that you took the time to add echo and reverb to the audio.
Cinquedea was literally the first thing that came to my mind. I've always wondered about why they were so pointy. I'll rather hold a file as a grip...
i mean i can imagine wielding the spine sword the sections look big enought for the individual fingers
Awesome video, off topic I really like the background and echo effects. Really cool video theme.
I just want to say that I both appreciate you editing the footage and the bloopers at the end. Creators that let all their fumbles stay in the video can be quite vexing.
Just my thoughs, really looking forward for your opinions.
1:30 This sword looks like it was a part of street ad. Like the one can put to hung over a doorstep to blacksmith's forge.
4:30 I believe Chinese craftsman actually would bother with making ornaments even on covered parts the sword.
13:06 Even today one can buy and use a knive with stag handles. I've seen by my own eyes mods to opinel knives, where wooden handle was replaced by deer stag handle.
14:41, 14:53 Definitely entertaining! Maybe it is from some 80. class-B sword and sorcery movie?
Thank for video!
No mention of the tri force on two of the swords starting at 1:45?
@@whitewolf3051 Yes, they maybe street ads as well. Especially considering soft type of metal they were made, if i understood correctly. And this white estetic symbols, similar to so called Sierpinski triangle.
Btw. Love your nickname :)
But Can you end them rightly with it ?
Dear Skall,
Thank you!
Great video overall.
It was fun.
It was entertaining.
The background is beautiful.
The cave sound is phenomenal!
And I like those jaw knives, you can use both end to attack!
i Simply adore the pixel art. Good vid as always mate
Nice to see sword handle designs I can neither wrap my head nor hands around.
I want a sword made from the iron in the blood of my enemies, and that spine hilt. Now THAT would be edgy
Ooh... move over Mia Culpo from blasphemous, there's an edgier blade in town
That would be an absolute pain in the arse to make....
That would be a *LOT* of dead enemies...
I could make an argument for a blade like that in a roleplaying game, though!
Don't forget to quench it in the tears of their widows and orphans
@@danielbickford3458 the lamentations of their women.
The bloopers at the end were straight gold. Just great.
Good moring yall. Allways good waking up to a new vid even with a hang over
Regarding the bronze swords: maybe there was a wooden handle around the bronze handle that rotted away?
The only problem with that is the decoration. If the swordmakers intended them to be wrapped in wood, then why did they inlay bone, or Lapis Lazuli?
even then, the proportions are still very strange and adding wood wouldn't change that it's too wide and short.
Tho now I think about it, there is a way to use those as swords: basically, if what we interpret as the handle is just ment to be slotted into a longer wooden handle then it might make sense to make it so short and wide. If not, then I can't believe they were using those as actual fighting tools.
@@dearcastiel4667 I have to ask this: What shape were people's hands 3,700 years ago? We can assume that Evolution is too slow for there to be a significant difference in the soft tissues, that would make that grip uncomfortable for us. Until we find a whole bunch of Copper Age Swords that our hands probably wouldn't grip effectively enough to use as swords. And yet, the Copper Age People made swords. This might be evidence to accept that either 1: they're not as bad as they look, or B: they might have subtle differences in the soft tissues that we don't have any more. Rather than assume Ω: They just didn't know how to make swords in the Copper Age.
Love the echo. No seriously I liked it!
Happy birthday Skall, i wish you all the best :D !!!
Okay, I'll say it: I loved the bloopers at the end! A little levity never goes amiss. :)
PS: As a character design artist, I know well the "form vs. function" dilemma, and I also enjoyed the walk through this hall of shame. :)
You added an echo to your audio. Nice attention to detail.
some ruler person a long time ago: I want fancy sword that i will never use that is not practical, lets increse the taxes all around the kingdom so i can afford it
I have that same book; I randomly picked it up at a service station a few years ago. Really interesting and a great introduction to various weapons. I did wonder how on earth you were really supposed to grip the Cinquedea.
The background and cave noises are a nice touch. Keep it up, Skall
Last time I was this early was when I was born.
Oh I know what shape handle you like 😉
I love the echo effect on the voice, nice little fun detail
Regarding the outtakes: Don't you just love how our brains work? Or don't, rather… still, well done. Thoroughly enjoyable video, showing me things I would not likely have ever seen without your work. So, thank you!
And I'll always have a deep appreciation for some old school pixel graphics tucked into the scene.
The ambient sounds of the cave sound EXACTLY like the ambient sounds of the game Sunless Sea!
(czcams.com/video/S0dldEfZ17w/video.html for those curious)
14:53
Weebos: "where's can I got that sword good sir?'
Honestly your bloopers are gold
Oh how I love the bleeps at the end
Great vid!
How do you even get the idea to design these? I guess they're really just for decoration, at least I hope so
Maybe ceremonial, decoration, a sing of status, etc
When you wanna give yourself arthritis but you also have a duel at 5
love the background and ambient!
Love the bloopers at the end!
How is your day.
My day is pretty great, thank you. How was yours?
Nice.
How about you?😃
@@SirenUniverse381 my day is going pretty good 😊
@@KingNedya mine was nice 🙂
Mehhh. Slept in too long and struggled to get work for uni going
That thumbnail made me want to vomit.
Whats even worse is that.. i know someone must've used those for... you now...
Love how you knew the spinous process of the vertebrae!
This is so weird, I needed something for a story...decided to distract myself...and found not one but TWO things I needed here!
The Echo is rather distracting and not worth the atmospheric effect in the video, in my opinion
It's a bit much, might work if less intense.
it was ok but I agree a little with you.
The word ‘regalia’ springs to mind. I’m reminded of things like Jean Vendome’s ‘philosophers sword’ made for Roger Caillois, as a modern example of a purely symbolic sword that is utterly unusable but beautifully crafted.
I love that cave background, my goodness!
He says Welcome to the cave. I hear a creative way to deal with echo in an open area.
The echo adds great ambiance to the cave Sir
Love the extra takes at the end
Celtic rapiers (Knollenknaufschwert) do look uncomfortable as well. And are apparently made out of surprisingly good steel.
In ancient times, these bizzare sword/dagger handles will no-clip in your hands and will feel like it's just a normal handgrip.