Vincent's Fantasy Blades - The Archive
Oct 7, 2011 8:53:03 GMT
Post by Vincent Dolan on Oct 7, 2011 8:53:03 GMT
Now, then, I figured since I did Zar'roc and Brisingr, why not do the other named swords from the Inheritance Cycle? Luckily there were only four. First up is Támerlein, a sword considered by Eragon to replace his stolen Zar'roc after trying (and breaking) a Dwarven falchion.
Támerlein is described as being about the same size as Zar'roc, but with a wider blade and more rounded tip meant for cutting and slashing as opposed to the elegant techniques taught to Eragon by Brom; the grip was noted to be too big for his hands. To me, these things add up to a Type XIII. Other than that the furniture is blued and the blade, grip, and scabbard are green, and that there's a large emerald in the pommel, no real description is given of the sword. I opted for a Type XIII with a 2.5" wide blade that is 30" long; the hilt is 8" long, so it adds up to the same size as Zar'roc. The grip is 6" and a little bulkier than either Zar'roc or Brisingr's. The pommel is a modified Type E that is basically hollowed out in a groove lengthwise to hold the large emerald and the guard is a bulky Style 1.
This is Arvindr; absolutely nothing other than it's name and location (too far for Eragon to bother) is mentioned, so I basically created this one from scratch. In Old Norse (the basis for much of the Ancient Language), vindr is translated as "wind" and ari means "eagle", so Wind Eagle would be an appropriate translation. With that, I chose a very pale gray-blue color for the blade and a slightly darker color for the scabbard and grip. The jewel in its J1 pommel is completely smooth. The guard is a Style 6, reused from Iomhair minus the crystal inserts. The blade is a Type XIV, which I felt appropriate for its name, which evokes being swift and flighty. Overall, Arvindr is 34" long with a 27" blade that is 3" wide at the base; the grip is 3.5" long.
This is Undbitr (Wound Biter), Brom's sword from when he was a Rider. As you can tell, it's based upon the Gaddhjalt by Albion, but with a few differences. Nothing is known of this sword aside from its blade being blue and its name being Undbitr (though Paolini has confirmed it'll make an appearance in Inheritance), so I chose something suitable. I wanted something that looked light and swift without being an XII, but would also reflect Brom's status as a Rider. What would be better than the cavalry sword, the Type XI? The guard is a slender Style 1 while the pommel is a petite Type B (as opposed to the Type A on the Gaddhjalt). Overall, Undbitr is 40" long with a 34.75" blade and 3.75" grip. I went with more of an azure for the color to really draw a contrast to Brisingr which is nearly a true sapphire color, especially because Rhunon, the character who forged all Rider swords, including Undbitr, said that the color of Saphira's scales would make a gorgeous blade; in other words, Brom's Saphira was probably a radically different shade of blue.
Lastly is Naegling, and lemme tell you what a pain in the ass this thing was. Except for the color and name, nothing of Naegling is described, even though it appears in two books! Talk about sloppy. Anyways, given Oromis' (its owner) infirmity and exceptional grace, I wanted a slender, dedicated cut-n-thruster, which means an XIX. I didn't want to use any forward curving guards, so I stuck with a simple Style 5 with a V1 pommel to hold the shield-shaped canary diamond embedded in it. Getting that XIX hexagonal cross-section right was a beast and I can tell I didn't do that great a job on it (not bad, but not great). The only thing I really splurged on as far as the sheath goes is the chape. Anyways, measurements: 36" overall with a 29.5" blade that is just under 1.5" wide. The grip is 4" long, though there's a little more real estate thanks to the pommel.
Támerlein is described as being about the same size as Zar'roc, but with a wider blade and more rounded tip meant for cutting and slashing as opposed to the elegant techniques taught to Eragon by Brom; the grip was noted to be too big for his hands. To me, these things add up to a Type XIII. Other than that the furniture is blued and the blade, grip, and scabbard are green, and that there's a large emerald in the pommel, no real description is given of the sword. I opted for a Type XIII with a 2.5" wide blade that is 30" long; the hilt is 8" long, so it adds up to the same size as Zar'roc. The grip is 6" and a little bulkier than either Zar'roc or Brisingr's. The pommel is a modified Type E that is basically hollowed out in a groove lengthwise to hold the large emerald and the guard is a bulky Style 1.
This is Arvindr; absolutely nothing other than it's name and location (too far for Eragon to bother) is mentioned, so I basically created this one from scratch. In Old Norse (the basis for much of the Ancient Language), vindr is translated as "wind" and ari means "eagle", so Wind Eagle would be an appropriate translation. With that, I chose a very pale gray-blue color for the blade and a slightly darker color for the scabbard and grip. The jewel in its J1 pommel is completely smooth. The guard is a Style 6, reused from Iomhair minus the crystal inserts. The blade is a Type XIV, which I felt appropriate for its name, which evokes being swift and flighty. Overall, Arvindr is 34" long with a 27" blade that is 3" wide at the base; the grip is 3.5" long.
This is Undbitr (Wound Biter), Brom's sword from when he was a Rider. As you can tell, it's based upon the Gaddhjalt by Albion, but with a few differences. Nothing is known of this sword aside from its blade being blue and its name being Undbitr (though Paolini has confirmed it'll make an appearance in Inheritance), so I chose something suitable. I wanted something that looked light and swift without being an XII, but would also reflect Brom's status as a Rider. What would be better than the cavalry sword, the Type XI? The guard is a slender Style 1 while the pommel is a petite Type B (as opposed to the Type A on the Gaddhjalt). Overall, Undbitr is 40" long with a 34.75" blade and 3.75" grip. I went with more of an azure for the color to really draw a contrast to Brisingr which is nearly a true sapphire color, especially because Rhunon, the character who forged all Rider swords, including Undbitr, said that the color of Saphira's scales would make a gorgeous blade; in other words, Brom's Saphira was probably a radically different shade of blue.
Lastly is Naegling, and lemme tell you what a pain in the ass this thing was. Except for the color and name, nothing of Naegling is described, even though it appears in two books! Talk about sloppy. Anyways, given Oromis' (its owner) infirmity and exceptional grace, I wanted a slender, dedicated cut-n-thruster, which means an XIX. I didn't want to use any forward curving guards, so I stuck with a simple Style 5 with a V1 pommel to hold the shield-shaped canary diamond embedded in it. Getting that XIX hexagonal cross-section right was a beast and I can tell I didn't do that great a job on it (not bad, but not great). The only thing I really splurged on as far as the sheath goes is the chape. Anyways, measurements: 36" overall with a 29.5" blade that is just under 1.5" wide. The grip is 4" long, though there's a little more real estate thanks to the pommel.