Scandinavian Greatsword from Kult of Athena
Apr 14, 2019 21:22:36 GMT
Post by Aikidoka on Apr 14, 2019 21:22:36 GMT
Scandinavian Greatsword from Kult of Athena
Full Disclosure
I have no affiliation with Kult of Athena. I bought this sword at full price with my own money.
Statistics
Blade Length: 42.5 inches
Handle Length: 15.75 inches
Overall Length: 61.5 inches
Guard Width: 8.25 inches
POB (Point of Balance): 2.5 inches
Weight: 6 lbs
The Hilt
Handling Characteristics
One thing to keep in mind when discussing the handling of this weapon is that it is not an oversized longsword. It is a greatsword, and it handles like a typical greatsword. Its weight is about average. The length is in line with greatswords of its period, but is actually a bit short when compared to the later greatswords (montante and spadone). This sword's stiffness seems typical for a greatsword, perhaps slightly stiffer than most.
Test Cutting
Conclusions
Pros
- Excellent cutting performance
- Attractive sword design
- Very affordable
Cons
- Edge needed some final sharpening
- Ends of wire wrap needed to be cleaned up
- Scabbard is flimsy
I have always been interested in Oakeshott type XVIIIe swords, with their distinctive blades and hilts. When I saw that Kult of Athena had a reproduction of a Scandinavian Greatsword for $222 USD, I figured it was worth a shot. For such a low price (about 1/10th the cost of the Albion Dane), my expectations were not very high. As you will see in this review, the sword far exceeded my expectations!
Historical overview
Here is a description by Peter Johnsson of these types of Scandinavian greatswords:
"Oakeshott classified these and put them as subclass XVIIIe in the large and varied type XVIII group. They differ dramatically when compared to any other type XVIIIa, b, c or d, however.
The grip is typically very long in proportion to the blade. Grip length can be a third or more of the total length. Quite a few of these weapons have survived and now reside as excavated specimens in museum store rooms in Scandinavia.
Swords with extremely long grips were popular in Scandinavia and possibly northern Germany in the 15th C. Interestingly, swords of similar size and proportions were also made/used in Italy at the same time (one fine example is exhibited in Brescia).
These swords will show some variation within the family. I am not sure all can be comfortable classified as XVIIIe´s. Despite sharing the same general proportions, there is quite some variation to the blades of these weapons.
Sometimes the blade rather shares characteristics with type XIII, XV or even XX. All are obviously intended for two handed use. Most are large, but some have blade lengths more in scale with single handed swords. One subgroup have blades that are fairly broad at the base, tapering to a narrow spade shaped point. These are flexible, thin bladed cutting swords. Sometimes the blade has one or several fullers. There is no ricasso on these blades. The grip is sometimes very long. I have seen one example where the grip was almost equal in length to the blade. The guard is often wide and slightly curved. Pommel is often wedged shaped or spherical.
Others have blades of moderate width that seem to favor thrust and cut equally. They do not have a ricasso. Section can be diamond shaped or lenticular. Some have fullers and could be classified as type XX swords with extremely long grips. The guard can sometimes be C-shaped with both arms curving to the front side of the grip at right angles to the blade; like an S-curved guard gone wrong. Others have a pretzel shaped guard. Both these guard types seem to be locally favored in the Scandinavian countries. Pommels are commonly spherical or a small octagonal scent stoppers.
They stand out from the other long gripped swords because of the character of the blade, and that they all have a ricasso. The blade is usually not so broad but very thick and stout with a diamond shaped cross section. The point is strong and awl like. The proportion grip/blade length is often about 2:5.
The guard is normally curved towards the point, sometimes just a more or less straight bar. The pommel is almost always a scent stopper with octagonal section.
In many cases there are traces of a rather unique grip cover: it has short sections tightly wrapped with iron wire, serving as reinforcement and providing good gripping. The wood could be left plain or covered by leather under the wire binding. In some cases there could have been a leather rain guard covering the cross and the mount of the scabbard.
The feel of these weapons is special and quite apart from most any other type of sword. The thickness of the blade and ricasso is striking. When used in half swording, they could almost qualify as a kind of short pole arm: its thick, stiff blade and tremendous awl point would have been devastating when the swordsman put the full momentum of his body behind a thrust.
The length of grip and blade together provides long reach in both cut and thrust, while the balance provides surprising maneuverability. The point of balance is close to the guard, but the sword still has a positive blade presence because of its mass. They are massive weapons, but agile despite their size.
When seeing swords such as these up close it becomes obvious they were made to be strong thrusting swords. It is equally obvious that blades like these must have been developed to be able to deal and take blows in fighting between fully armoured opponents. Even if a sword cut can never really be expected to cleave armour, a blow from a blade with the mass and stiffness of these swords would still deal terrible damage, stunning or perhaps even killing. The point could conceivably penetrate the thinner parts of plate armour with a good hit, but thrusts would naturally be aimed at gaps and openings, where only mail and/or padding was the protection. To a less than completely armoured opponent the edge and point of these swords would be equally lethal.
They give a strong impression of being made for battlefield use. They have the mass, heft and agility to be reliable no nonsense killing tools. A trained swordsman in full armour equipped with a sword of this type must have been truly terrifying. Perhaps these swords could also have served well on horseback. The long grip, stout guard and strong ricasso makes it possible to couch the sword like a lance, resting the guard across the armpit and breastplate. The reach is not long, but in some situations this might have been a good thing. The use of swords as lances is described in some medieval texts.
A number of these swords has been found in the graves of Danish Noblemen dating to the third quarter of the 15th C. Quite a few has also been found as loose finds in other parts of Scandinavia. It is impossible to say whether these weapons saw a popularity among the fighting men from all parts of Scandinavia, or if the finds are remains of Danish knights and men-at-arms who fought and fell on foreign soil."
The grip is typically very long in proportion to the blade. Grip length can be a third or more of the total length. Quite a few of these weapons have survived and now reside as excavated specimens in museum store rooms in Scandinavia.
Swords with extremely long grips were popular in Scandinavia and possibly northern Germany in the 15th C. Interestingly, swords of similar size and proportions were also made/used in Italy at the same time (one fine example is exhibited in Brescia).
These swords will show some variation within the family. I am not sure all can be comfortable classified as XVIIIe´s. Despite sharing the same general proportions, there is quite some variation to the blades of these weapons.
Sometimes the blade rather shares characteristics with type XIII, XV or even XX. All are obviously intended for two handed use. Most are large, but some have blade lengths more in scale with single handed swords. One subgroup have blades that are fairly broad at the base, tapering to a narrow spade shaped point. These are flexible, thin bladed cutting swords. Sometimes the blade has one or several fullers. There is no ricasso on these blades. The grip is sometimes very long. I have seen one example where the grip was almost equal in length to the blade. The guard is often wide and slightly curved. Pommel is often wedged shaped or spherical.
Others have blades of moderate width that seem to favor thrust and cut equally. They do not have a ricasso. Section can be diamond shaped or lenticular. Some have fullers and could be classified as type XX swords with extremely long grips. The guard can sometimes be C-shaped with both arms curving to the front side of the grip at right angles to the blade; like an S-curved guard gone wrong. Others have a pretzel shaped guard. Both these guard types seem to be locally favored in the Scandinavian countries. Pommels are commonly spherical or a small octagonal scent stoppers.
They stand out from the other long gripped swords because of the character of the blade, and that they all have a ricasso. The blade is usually not so broad but very thick and stout with a diamond shaped cross section. The point is strong and awl like. The proportion grip/blade length is often about 2:5.
The guard is normally curved towards the point, sometimes just a more or less straight bar. The pommel is almost always a scent stopper with octagonal section.
In many cases there are traces of a rather unique grip cover: it has short sections tightly wrapped with iron wire, serving as reinforcement and providing good gripping. The wood could be left plain or covered by leather under the wire binding. In some cases there could have been a leather rain guard covering the cross and the mount of the scabbard.
The feel of these weapons is special and quite apart from most any other type of sword. The thickness of the blade and ricasso is striking. When used in half swording, they could almost qualify as a kind of short pole arm: its thick, stiff blade and tremendous awl point would have been devastating when the swordsman put the full momentum of his body behind a thrust.
The length of grip and blade together provides long reach in both cut and thrust, while the balance provides surprising maneuverability. The point of balance is close to the guard, but the sword still has a positive blade presence because of its mass. They are massive weapons, but agile despite their size.
When seeing swords such as these up close it becomes obvious they were made to be strong thrusting swords. It is equally obvious that blades like these must have been developed to be able to deal and take blows in fighting between fully armoured opponents. Even if a sword cut can never really be expected to cleave armour, a blow from a blade with the mass and stiffness of these swords would still deal terrible damage, stunning or perhaps even killing. The point could conceivably penetrate the thinner parts of plate armour with a good hit, but thrusts would naturally be aimed at gaps and openings, where only mail and/or padding was the protection. To a less than completely armoured opponent the edge and point of these swords would be equally lethal.
They give a strong impression of being made for battlefield use. They have the mass, heft and agility to be reliable no nonsense killing tools. A trained swordsman in full armour equipped with a sword of this type must have been truly terrifying. Perhaps these swords could also have served well on horseback. The long grip, stout guard and strong ricasso makes it possible to couch the sword like a lance, resting the guard across the armpit and breastplate. The reach is not long, but in some situations this might have been a good thing. The use of swords as lances is described in some medieval texts.
A number of these swords has been found in the graves of Danish Noblemen dating to the third quarter of the 15th C. Quite a few has also been found as loose finds in other parts of Scandinavia. It is impossible to say whether these weapons saw a popularity among the fighting men from all parts of Scandinavia, or if the finds are remains of Danish knights and men-at-arms who fought and fell on foreign soil."
Full Disclosure
I have no affiliation with Kult of Athena. I bought this sword at full price with my own money.
Statistics
Blade Length: 42.5 inches
Handle Length: 15.75 inches
Overall Length: 61.5 inches
Guard Width: 8.25 inches
POB (Point of Balance): 2.5 inches
Weight: 6 lbs
The Blade
The blade is an Oakeshott type XVIIIe, with the narrow ricasso and flattened diamond cross-section that is characteristic of the type. The ricasso is a little more than 8mm thick and the blade starts to taper once the diamond cross-section begins.
The Hilt
The grip of this long hilt is wood with 5 bands of wire wrap. The ends of the wire wraps were not completely tucked in on my sword, as can be seen on the right in the following photo. I had already tucked under the wire end on the left when this photo was taken. I felt doing this would reduce the likelihood of the wire snagging on my hand or clothing.
The pommel and guard are made of stainless steel, which I like as it reduces maintenance.The pommel is peened and the hilt remained solid after all of the test cutting. As can be seen in the photo above, there is virtually no gap where the blade emerges from the cross-guard. I found the grip to be reasonably comfortable while cutting.
The Scabbard
The scabbard is made of thin wood and seems flimsy. I am not sure how much abuse it will stand up to. At this price point, I don't consider this to be a big deal.
Handling Characteristics
One thing to keep in mind when discussing the handling of this weapon is that it is not an oversized longsword. It is a greatsword, and it handles like a typical greatsword. Its weight is about average. The length is in line with greatswords of its period, but is actually a bit short when compared to the later greatswords (montante and spadone). This sword's stiffness seems typical for a greatsword, perhaps slightly stiffer than most.
But where this sword really shines is in its cutting ability. It cuts mats better than most other greatswords that I have tried. The balance is very good. I wasn't sure if I would like the POB at 2.5 inches, but it works very well with this weapon.
Test Cutting
This weekend, I did some test cutting with the Scandinavian Greatsword from Kult of Athena. I tried a variety of different cuts and combinations, and found that this sword performs extremely well! It handles very nicely through both powerful cuts and quick cut combinations. The wood and wire grip is surprisingly comfortable.
Pros
- Excellent cutting performance
- Attractive sword design
- Very affordable
Cons
- Edge needed some final sharpening
- Ends of wire wrap needed to be cleaned up
- Scabbard is flimsy
The Bottom Line
This Scandinavian Greatsword from Kult of Athena is a well made sword that cuts very well. For about $222 plus shipping, it is an amazing value for anyone looking to practice cutting with a greatsword.
