Yes, Giant Swords Existed, BUT...
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2024
- Part 2: Greatswords vs. pikes in battle:
• Video
You can find some astonishingly huge swords in museums, and even a few that look like they came straight out of Monster Hunter or some other fantasy game. Were they made for exceptionally tall and strong warriors, or did they serve another purpose, outside of the battlefield?
Let's delve into a few examples to get an idea of just how humongous the biggest ones are. This video also contains a brief look at the historical origin of the greatsword / zweihander / montante / spadone, and what distinguishes it from a longsword.
[Update] Correction for 13:53: Apparently it's not a Naga sword but a "Waitlam" or "Waitsum" from the Khasi & Jaintia tribes of Meghalaya, North East India.
Time stamps:
00:00 - 00:46 Intro
00:46 - 02:57 Terminology and history
02:57 - 03:43 Flamberge style wavy edges
03:43 - 04:58 Sawfish blades!
04:58 - 05:52 Other bearing / processional swords
05:52 - 08:23 The legendary Grutte Pier
08:23 - 09:58 Weight & functionality
09:58 - 11:19 The Norimitsu Odachi
11:19 - 13:20 Real-life gigantism
13:20 - 15:15 Conclusion
15:15 - 15:32 Outro
Various ceremonial greatswords for display of wealth and status:
nms.scran.ac.uk/database/recor...
collections.royalarmouries.or...
www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Fully functional examples of zweihander:
www.metmuseum.org/search-resu...
florianfortner.com/portfolio/...
Kiribati weapon with sawfish teeth at the Brooklyn museum:
www.brooklynmuseum.org/openco...
Museum Mythbusting: No, this is not "The Sword of Grutte Pier"
imgur.com/gallery/rmXsPUG
military.wikia.org/wiki/Pier_...
collectie.friesmuseum.nl/?diw...
The Weighty Issue of Two-Handed Greatswords
www.thearma.org/essays/2HGS.ht...
The Norimitsu odachi, possibly the largest sword ever made:
www.ancient-origins.net/artif...
A great source for medieval depictions:
manuscriptminiatures.com/tags
The reproductions shown in this video:
www.kultofathena.com/product/...
www.kultofathena.com/product/...
** Music **
Intro song:
"Illuminate" by Vindsvept
vindsvept.bandcamp.com/track/...
Used with artist's permission
Outtakes:
"Little People At Work" by Horrorpen
opengameart.org/content/littl...
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)
Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
theslantedroom.github.io/stev...
Used with artist's permission
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If you haven't seen the follow-up video about two-handed swords against pike formations on the battlefield: ua-cam.com/video/ZhEkF9FV6AU/v-deo.html
[ultra greatsword] "you need magic or an exosuit" = dragon slayer, BKGS, Buster Sword
[greatsword] "only viable in 2h, unless you're a giant" = flamberge, zweihander, odachi
[longsword] "good for 2h but still viable in 1" = spadone, nodachi, estoc, messer, bastard
[sword] "ideally 1h" = uchigatana, tachi, jian, falchion, dadao, khopesh, spatha
[shortsword] "small sword" = gladius, dao, kopis
[dagger] "too short to be any sword" = stiletto, kukri, Rondel, dirk
its actually pretty simple
[edit] - moved spadone down thanks to "ua-cam.com/video/w9MXgUI4eVs/v-deo.html"
I've read that the "waves" on the flamberge style zweihanders were for blocking and deflecting spears and pikes, but you probably already covered that in the follow-up video.
@@lemoncobra6485 if anything that's secondary, increasing cutting surface is the main purpose
13:53 That is not a Naga sword, that is a "Waitlam" or "Waitsum" used by the Khasi & Jaintia tribe of Meghalaya, (formerly part of Assam) North East India. I know because I'm from North East India.
And I think I have messaged you on your previous facebook page, regarding these "waitlam" and how they are mistaken as Naga Daos. You asked for my email and I told you that I would send one of these khasi swords to you.
The Nagas used a "Dao" a short broadsword usualy 2ft long
Come to your facebook page, I'll show you a Naga "Dao" and a Khasi "waitlam"
You could have done more research on this one Kindly rectify the error
@@maiholiaw4927 Pretty sure you never send me anything about that, I have not seen a message about a "waitlam". The only info I was able to find about the picture claimed that it belonged to the Naga people. That's all I had to go by unfortunately.
"It looks like something from Monster Hunter. ... It was made with the nose of a sawfish."
So it IS from Monster Hunter.
lol
Or rather it made its way into Monster Hunter.
@@dawsVEVO Across space *and* time.
Large fish parts being used in a weapon ? *Laughs in Gobul Spike*
I clicked because the serrated thumbnail sword reminded me of the Tailblade Parallel, the Dalamadur Longsword.
If you put a ceremonial sword in a temple: Just make it too big to steal. Good solution eventually. xD
Then a warrior with giantism comes in, takes it and goes to war
@@reyix9490 And finds out he has a blunt, badly balanced, and probably fragile sword that'll be good for a single swing and break upon contact.
@@Vlad_Tepes_III Sure, but sometimes all you need is intimidation to make your enemies chose targets other than yourself because nobody is stupid enough to fight a giant in melee range. And then you get pelted by arrows because big slow target is an easy target.
@@Vlad_Tepes_III says the man who was Impaling bare people. Can't have been purely practical.
@@reyix9490 xD
I get your points about the odachi being too big to be used "effectively", but I can imagine a feudal warlord giving one of his tallest peasants the biggest sword he could find for shits and giggles.
Well, in the Sengoku period, the Asakura clan had once employed a pair of giant samurai, father and son, who wielded huge odachis, the former wielding such a huge one that Sephiroth would even blush. The sword at 13:01 is actually his sword, though the measurement only included the blade itself, so for the handle around 2 feet should be added, give or take a couple of inches.
@@kuronoch.1441 Facts. Thank you. :D
That odachi is mentioned on several lists. Also regarding it on the lists is the fact it was made for a temple and has spent most of it's life as a temple sword, never being used in combat
The fact is, japanese peasants have never been in good fighting condition, but some samurai were strong and bulky enough to be compared with oni - demons. And they prefered to use a great club - kanabo, as it was more effective to utilize the giant's strength.
@@kuronoch.1441 they sound like a Sekiro boss
If there are two 7 feet swords from that time, that must mean Grutte Pier dual-wielded them!
With no clothes on-Wait. What?
Lmaoo
"Swords are cool, right?"
that's...why I'm here.
i was playing tf2 as a demoknight yesterday and this came up on my recommendation
Hello there
sup
@@Nova-oc2ry no, did you?
i've always liked, how in Berserk, the Dragonslayer sword was made as flex by a blacksmith, with no intention of it being used by anyone, and everybody acknowledges Guts as crazy for using something like that
Also we are given the explanation that guts used big 2 handed swords as a child so he habitually used much bigger and heavier swords since
@@cliffbooth1620 Indeed. He still has superhuman strength, of course, but it's a neatly explained fact, not said with words but obvious to the observant.
Although Miura could attribute a magical lineage to Guts which would explain the pointy ears and superhuman strength and endurance, it would convince more than saying that he has used thick weapons since he was little, that the child was born malnourished from a corpse and started using disproportionate sword. Here comes Miura in a novel of the origin of Grunbed who simply carries a giant sledgehammer without having used large weapons during childhood.
@@giulyanoviniciussanssilva2947 the grunbeld novel is not miuras he just made some illustrations
"It was too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. Indeed, it was a heap of raw iron."
A dragon is something no man can kill. So what do you call a man who kills dragons?
Imagine forging a sword for a god and having people hundreds of years later argue if a man could have used it or not.
Pure blasphemy, I like it.
i could
Good idea for a story.
Copied.
That sounds like something Pratchett would write...
I blame those cringey weebs for this
If the giant Odachi were often gifted to temples and linked with protecting samurai or other warriors, then I can only presume that they were designed and created in a way they believed 'only the gods themselves' could wield them.
this sounds like an awesome anime
Honestly as cool as giant swords are, the idea of a really big dude with a halberd is actually a little more intimidating to me.
Absolutely; a good plate harness is probably capable of keeping one of these swords from killing you, but a halberd will still do you in
Lubu
Even in the Bible when talking about David and Goliath, the giant, it is true that the writers gave more attention to detail on Goliath's spear rather than his sword. In fact, very little detail is given about his sword but his spear is given the size, weight, the metal that it made from, etc.
@@CosmicG777 yep and the bible also goes into detail about creatures with hundreds of eyes 😐
When i started hema i learn the dynamics w/ longsword, but with experience i became mainly a spear user and with time i could keep it up with my mentor on a sparring session, but when he wore his main weapon, a halberd.... BOI... Even with a spear in one hand and a side sword he beat the shit out of me as i was a 4 yo trying to beat Tyson. Good times... I learned to respect halberd and definitely is the most versatile, unpredictable and mean weapon.
Ye olde compensating
🤏🦴
😂😂😂😂 I laughed hard when I saw this as the top comment
If you're on horse it's handy.
That's what she said Jacob
420th like
A point you didn't mention.
Making bigger swords requires a higher skill of the maker. Making these big ceremonial swords is also advertising the skill of the maker.
I suspect some of them were actual masterpieces. By that, I mean, swords that were made by an aspiring blade-smith to receive the recognition to become a master blade-smith.
Awesome to see Grutte Pier get a shoutout. There's still legends of the guy over here, including beers and places named after him.
yhea and was really surprise the sword was a fake
The guy who was said to have decapitated several soldiers with single blows of his sword? Iirc there's a statue of him in his home town of Kimswell.
It isnt fake. Theres a new study proving it was used and period accurate
@@uncledoctor6920 I've never heard of Kimswell, I'm talking about the Frisian guy
"Kracht in de nacht" 11,5 procent bier, slaat in als zijn zwaard.👌🏻
"Katanas are cool, right?"
"So what even cooler?"
"BIG KATANAS"
Sir Alonne
i searched for a dark souls comment, and there it is
Don't forget the nicely waxed floors
Sudoku
@@chadthegiga6235 what ?
@@frozezone2947 Sir Alonne's floor is nice and shiny
“It looks like something from _Monster Hunter”_
Given it was made with the parts of a sawtooth shark, it isn’t that far off.
You have good taste in channels, Dr. Bright
Nah, if it was from MH the fish would be the blade. If you don't believe me, Frozen Speartuna.
Yeah an actual bone weapon LOL
@@rcb5432 ah, like in Terraria
@@Pihsrosnec no, like the weapon from Monster Hunter called the Frozen Speartuna
I know that giant swords just aren’t useable but I still like to imagine someone strong enough to pick one up using more of a one shot kill strategy, you don’t need to recover and manoeuvre it if your opponent dies on the first swing
Problem is the durability of the sword then x)
That's why you should use siege weapons for self defense
I think at some point you'd just want to swing a blunt weapon down, flesh is easy to cut even with a dull blade, but if they are in armor, a blunt weapon would just crush internals.
Try out Berserk then.
@@madjackgamingandfitness498 ouch.
@@madjackgamingandfitness498 blunt weapons are heavier, also considered less honorable of a weapon.
In Scotland we had Claymores.
We’re generally taught that they were made only for cavalry and that nobody was actually swinging the sword, rather, the ‘swinging’ was done by the galloping of the horse you were upon.
The word Claymore just means 'long sword' as Tramore means 'long beach'.
Funny enough, a claymore was one of the last swords used in a major war, wielded by officer "Mad Jack" Churchill in World War II with no horses in sight.
@@LendriMujina claymore has two translations/meanings though - the two handed claymore that we find in video games and that is being discussed here isnt the one churchill used. Churchills claymore was a baskethilted broadsword ( its other translation/meaning )
also it was ww1 that mad jack was taking heads and bagpiping like a madlad ... sorry to be pedantic
@@hennerzz3460 If you're gonna be pedantic at least be correct.
>John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar (16 September 1906 - 8 March 1996) was a British Army officer. Nicknamed "Fighting Jack Churchill" and "Mad Jack", he fought in the Second World War with a longbow, a basket-hilted Scottish broadsword, and a set of bagpipes.
- Wikipedia
As soon as the video starts I see a message saying “you don’t have the stats to wield this weapon correctly”
You can still use it, but it’s not as effective lol
You are...overburdened.
Just two-hand it lol
Put your stats points in faith they said, it will be useful in late game they said.
@@soluciones11s.a.s81 LIGHTNING BABY
So monster hunter is realistic and Sephiroth is real. Got it.
Obviously those were tongue-in-cheek comments. There is more to take away from this if you don't insist on being contrary at the first opportunity.
@@DavidSmith-vr1nb you're taking his comment way too seriously.
@@DavidSmith-vr1nb you're the type of person that see's molecules when the teacher hands you the microscope to look for microorganisms
@@DavidSmith-vr1nb Did you watch the whole video? He said Monster Hunter weapons are plausible and Sephiroth actually existed at 15:33. The man who founded Square Enix is actually related to Sephiroth which is where he got the idea for the character.
Aerith died for real, Got it
Saw fish "saws" are actually very very hard, feels like bone and is heavy, not as brittle as you think, but they def had to add a hardening agent to it for it to be able to take blows from another sword, but yeah, dried out saw fish "saws" are a really good go to for "nature forged" sword.
I physically have seen and held a dried saw fish "saw" so thats why im putting input btw.
I used have a dried saw fish tip when I was little. they can actually hold for while. they're just not for brute use. is like with japanese sword. you can't just use them vs armor. they are meant for cutting meat. try for force on an armor and if your angle is off. you would easily break the blade. saw fish peaks are like that. you can't just be rough with it all the time.
I not sure if Pier translates to this but the idea of a dude named Big Peter rolling around just wrecking dudes with a massive sword is great.
The giant Odachie were created by smiths to show off their skill, as the blades were extremely difficult to make as they were composite blades made of two metals they would easily snap in the forging process if even 1 step was done improperly. if the smith could forge that thing they could make a normal-sized blade of good quality
Depends. Some were also made as weapons some were made as shrine offerings and to show skill.
Some that seem a little too big but not full blown huge size might have been intended against horses and used by two people. Long handle. Basically just let the horse run into the blade and take its legs. Comes from China originally.
I 100% agree with you the longer it is the more prone jewel steel will fail in most of the smithing process the longer it is the more time it would take and the more expensive it would be hence why it was given to the shrine as an offering to the gods I don't think the gods would be happy if you gave them a $5 sword lmao
@@DatBoiOrly a 5 dollar sword from party city 😀
@@bmxriderforlife1234 what Chinese sword does it come from? From what I’ve seen, the Odachi was the one to influenced the Miao Dao following the Imjin war.
Do you mean Ōdachi ? They are only a little longer than katana , but there are some historical examples that are oversize collectors peices for display only. Tell me what are the 2 metals you think they used though , that parts news to me . If one metal was carbon steel, what was the other?
I'd imagine most warriors with gigantism probably just uses slightly above average weapons. When you're that big and strong and already have reach, you probably don't need much more weight to be effective.
Why swing around a huge sword at the same speed as everyone else when you could just swing a slight above normal sword with your gorilla arms FASTER than everyone else?
Just give him a spear and a giant bow and call him Ballista.
@@TheMalitias give em a big sling and call em david
I can't imagine somebody with gigantism actually fighting. Presumably such people would be in high demand as a ceremonial guard, and then a huge sword makes a lot of sense. Or they would make an impressive servant.
@@quintoblanco8746 Although with their large size just give them a Giant Metal Club or Two-Handed Warhammer balanced in weight and they could just smash through people.
@@morrigankasa570 That would be less ceremonial :-)
Sooo dope. That 12 foot japanese sword would be my first pick on the battlefield. I'm 5'8 so it'll work fine
Weeb
Lol
Pretty sure in the video he describes how theres no way to successfully wield it
@@tylerberube5668 it was cleary a joke
@@samuelgenerette8906 westaboo lol
Experts: "Giant swords are silly!"
History: "Oh, we love silly!"
I love thin long big swords
tHaTs wHaT sHe sAiD XDXDXDDDXXD
Name checks out
I prefer width 😉
I love thick short small swords
Sephiroth wants to know your location
I actually do know of a historical example from my area, Skall:
Peter Francisco, the Virginia Giant or the Virginia Hercules was a Revolutionary War hero who was almost 7 feet tall and known for being incredibly strong, enough so he was able to carry a cannon at one point and there's artwork depicting him reaching up and throwing a British soldier off his horse with one hand. He was known as being one of the best soldiers on the American side to the point George Washington himself said “Without him, we would have lost two crucial battles, perhaps the war, and with it our freedom. He was truly a one-man army.” It is believed he had Gigantism, though unconfirmed.
Washington held Francisco so highly he commissioned a custom broadsword for him that was around six feet long, longer than most people of the time were tall, which he did wield as a traditional broadsword rather than a great sword. He did use it in actual combat, very effectively I might add, and is recorded as once having killed eleven British soldiers in a single battle with it. Not all that surprising given his size combined with the six foot sword would give him a huge reach advantage over most men of the time and his sheer strength combined with the weapon's heft would make it rather difficult to defend against him in close quarters. His descendant, Travis Bowman, sometimes portrays him in reenactments. Bowman is roughly equal in size and is capable of using a replica of the broadsword.
Unfortunately, the broadsword itself is lost. Years after his death it was presented to the Virginia Historical Society by his daughter, but it's since disappeared.
While he was historically incredibly strong. Peter Francisco didn't carry a cannon. Modern strongmen even tried this and there is no way. As well as him throwing an entire person one-handed. Maybe pushed him off so take the cannon carry with a massive grain of salt.
7 feet doesnt sound like gigantisism to me, it’s tall but not super uncommon (although I’m a dutchman so might have a skewered idea of it).
I have a friend who already was 7 feet when he was 16, and although not common, it wasn’t that unheard of.
Maybe he did carry a cannon it must have been a very small one. Cause there is just no way
@@chopstick1671 it's not gignatism. but the dude was massive for his time. Maybe he did have the condition of gigantism but maybe not only the sheer height but maybe the width paired with him being 7ft
Oh I read over this part, but broadsword? Do you mean greatsword? Because a 6 foot basket hilted broadsword, no way.
Considering that Andre The Giant was in so much pain, do to gigantism, and could hardly move without help like crutches, etc., I would suspect that a person with gigantism in the medieval period wouldn't be so mobile as to use a sword effectively.
Maybe nutrition plays a part too. Also the frysians are one of the largest peoples in the world, without gigantisism. I see people of 2 meters tall on a daily basis. But who knows...he could have been in pain. Actually he was in a great deal of pain because his family was murdered, but that's a different story.
@@bobloerakker7010 I mean considering just a quick search of Andre shows that he did have gigantism. And nothing shows up about his family being murdered.
@@bobloerakker7010 6'5 is extremely different from 7'4. Just look at the NBA. Almost everyone above 7'2 retires due to back and knee injuries.
I started with searching for a colosal sword build in elden ring and ended up here. Not disappointed at all.
"The blade is actually part of a sawfish."
So... Monster Hunter is historically accurate?
yes, because they didn't cut the tail
Neanderthals already made animal bone tools
Wait, you can make tools and weapons out of raw materials? Who would have thought?
@@elpolloloco3827 but, not big and thick.
Grutte Pier: "I'm just built different."
Fake natty daddy? Let's discuss...
He's from Friesland and I'm to so that's kinda cool I guess
@@CAARaeed i see you are a man of culture
Wow, it's just now dawning on me, thanks to the giant Odachi, that the method of displaying the swords is representative of Shinto shrines.
Completely makes sense, just not sure why I hadn't explicitly notice or heard it mentioned before.
The sawfish one blew my mind. Not because someone made a weapon from one, but because I had no idea swordfish were so huge!
Swordfish/Sailfish/Marlins are not the same as sawfish.
Sawfish are related to manta/stingrays/sharks
"That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron."
- Yuuki Asuna
Yuuki Asuna ? but Isn't that quote from Berserk ?
@ woosh
That's what she said.
@@ambience273 Saying woosh should lead to an instant ban from commenting on youtube ever again
@@ep6600 why?
Wall hangers, existing to impress people since swordsmithing became an art.
Well at least the Norimitsu Odachi is forged and tempered well.
Still useless in combat though.
I’ve always wondered if making huge swords could have been a show of skill for a blacksmith in some places or periods.
Something to really wow the people and the nobles and drum up business
I don’t know much about black smithing, but it seems like working a gigantic odachi without anything going wrong or breaking somewhere would take a lot of experience to pull off.
“A long sword is two to three hands” me who has two: 😳
the tribal sword shown at the end would go under the "pole-sword" category. Shad has a video on how great they are
Of course he does. It’s basically a Stick+
That's what I was thinking, that actually looks usable.
@@greganderson6371 A sword is also basically a stick, so it's a stick on a stick! Even better!
So the Mountain that Rides was Dutch, not Icelandic.
Look op The Dutch giant (Olivier Richters) standing next to the Mountain.
He would probably have preferred to be called Frisian, but yeah.
@@Fuzz82 he’s a few inches taller but over 100 pounds lighter than Haffthor...
As mentioned by someone else, not Dutch, Frisian :) He is known/seen as a symbol for Frisian independence, as that is what he fought for. I always love when he's brought up as I'm Frisian myself, even though I'm sure much of what is said about him is more mythology than truth.
'Biggest man' is 'biggest man' no matter what culture produced him.
One giant sword I’d be very interested to see if there is any knowledge of, is the sword wielded by King David. Goliath was a giant, not sure we know what size, but after killing him David wielded Goliath’s sword in many battles using it like a symbol of strength. Apparently he was still very proficient in its use.
Just searched up the NIV to read the relevant passages (1 Samuel 17).
The Bible doesn't say anything particular about Goliath's sword, despite being VERY particular about the size of the guy himself, his armour and his spear. (Apparently different texts give different numbers, though?)
Regardless, the sword (and javelin) carried by Goliath aren't given nearly as much importance as the guy's armour, spear, and his sheer size. Possibly indicating that they're just "normal" weapons?
The spear, on the other hand, was allegedly MASSIVE. Someone's made a replica based on the biblical description, and it's kinda terrifying. Too big for a human to ever use, honestly, so presumably the biblical description has been exaggerated from the "real" history.
@@Ninjat126 Goliath's spear is roughly 12ft long making it, not quite double to double a normal spear length. That generally would mean goliath was about double the size of a normal man, which isn't unheard of.
There is also a race of giants mentioned as the sons of Anak (Numbers 13:33). The Israelites didn't want to fight them and so exaggerated their size here, saying "we were like grasshoppers to them." Standing next to someone double your size would make you feel like a grasshopper I reckon lol.
The main text I know of about Goliaths sword is 1 Samuel 21:8-9. Where David asks for a weapon and says there is no other sword like Goliaths. It must have been small enough for a normal sized human to wield though since David could.
I just wonder if there is any other material other then the bible that talks about it, since there are other documents recording Jewish history outside of the bible.
@@Ninjat126 The earliest versions of the story of David and Goliath all agree on his height being 4 cubits and a span (Around 6'9"), whereas the later Masoretic Texts that most modern Protestant bibles used for the Old Testament give him a height of 6 cubits and a span (About 9'10"). Its likely that his height was increased at some point to make him sound more intimidating and David's defeat of him more impressive.
Either way, he was certainly tall for his time especially if you bear in mind ancient people were way shorter then modern people, where 6'9" would be tall today it would have been gigantic back then (and he was a warrior so likely fair large and hefty, so having a big spear makes sense), however, most swords in the levant and surrounding areas at that time were single handed swords, the spear was your main weapon so having a smaller sword that you can have on your hip just in case makes a lot of sense, so it also stands to reason that Goliath's sword was probably a regular, if very well made, sword for the time, so of course David too could wield it. This also goes for javelins were increasing their size isn't super important and they are generally a one handed thing so they wouldn't need to grow as much for a giant user.
well, the problem is biblical measurements are not always accurately translated and there is a debate about goliath's height so we'd be hard pressed to know the size of his sword, maybe it was longer than usual
@@TjarkoTarnen there were giant spearheads and chainmail found in that area, and they had marks that showed they had been used in combat.
i found the video! ua-cam.com/video/dlUJxNFyRBM/v-deo.html
I was told by a sword and armor historian and appraiser In Tokyo that the Odachi was given to monks living in monasteries and shrines to defend from Cavalry. The Odachi that was shown to me was also different looking because had a much longer handle that went along with the blade. the explanation he gave me is that it was meant for two people wield it together to take out horses or dismount riders. He noted that there where Ceremonial versions of Odachi much like the more elaborate Katanas he showed me and that the example before me was the type that actually had been used and found in bulk.
I thought pieces like that Norimitsu odachi were practical ads. "Omg this smith is skilled enough to make blades THIS HUGE without twists, cracks, etc."
Was that not a thing? Ceremony and decoration are the only reasons I've thought of that make sense. :\
Wouldn't surprise me.
It would make sense. And maybe they would keep it in the shrine, so people who would want a sword would see it and ask questions about who built it
Yes, and probably they would put it in a shrine because they just didn't know what to do with it lol
@@archersterling6726 they put it in the shrine in hopes the big ass samurai god gets interested
Maybe they were made as an offering, after all, a god would like to have a huge grand sword right?
What if Grutte Pier war actually 14ft and there are three of these „Grutte Pier Swords“ because he dual wielded them and had another as backup?
He dual wielded and held the third one in his mouth. He had very strong teeth.
@@gmann215 i think he went by the name of Lorenor Zorro or something like that.
Im not trying to be rude, but is this a joke or not? 14ft is like 5 meters
@@dawsVEVO ok cool i see
@@mietek3921 I like how you quickly learned the sarcasm. Way to catch up
Norimitsu Odachi looks like something that could be made as showcase of swordsmith's skills. I'm pretty sure that making sword this big and still making sure that it's quality is top tier is massive achievement and art on its own.
Just the forge and amount of men needed to move the hot metal quickly...wowzers!
Well, as a practicioner of one of the largest swordsmith schools (in this case Bizen Osafune), he certainly had to.
Swinging a sword large enough to be considered a show of power all by itself would be an impressive feat
This Odachi is clearly “look I can forge so huge pure metal”.
It was forged for the emperor.
Emperor or not is always part “I give something impressive” and part “look what I can done”.
I'm sure it was for one of those giants whose skeletons were discovered as seen in pictures that were totally not photoshopped
That swordfish sword probably was just a result of autocracy:
"Sire, we cought this fish"
"Make me a sword out of it."
"But mylord, it has no practical use in combat"
"I'm the King, you do as I say! And I want a sword out of this!"
sawfish not swordfish
it is a result of fashion and style
he was not a kin, and you don't need autocrtacy to commission stupid things
@@mareksicinski3726 jesus you must be fun at parties...
There were a bunch of sawfish blades in the Qing dynasty imperial collection.
There are still tons of antique Chinese sawfish swords floating around in general.
Although in China they were used as ritual implements, mainly by spirit mediums. They are considered one of the five sacred tools of the Tangki spirit mediums in southern China. All five of the tools including the sawfish sword are meant for ritual mortification of the body as a blood offering via self flagellation.
There are tons of videos on youtube if you know where to look.
They were also used by one of the five divisions of barbarian spirit troops in traditional Chinese religious beliefs.
@@sub23DaRkNeSS saying dumb shit doesn’t make you fun at parties.
One of the oodachi displayed in the atsuta shrine were actually rumoured to be used by Makara Naotaka (真柄直隆) during the sengoku period, some records said that he lost to Honda Tadakatsu during the war of anegawa, who wielded one of the most famous spear in Japan called tonbogiri (蜻蛉切). After his death, somehow his swords ended up in the shrine.
Also take note that the sword, in 13:00, was on the lighter side of odachi weights. Typically, that kind of weight meant that it was a weapon meant for war, as typical odachi shrine offerings are on the heavier side.
Out of all the strange greatswords in fiction, I never would have thought the Loathsome Dung Eater's had a real life counterpart.
Giant swords existed. Giant Dad - The Legend Never Dies.
Praise the sun! Y
BECOME UNSTOPPABLE
And dont forget the pose lol
Wot rings u got?
WHAT R U, A CASUL?
As a Frisian I appreciate the look at Grutte Pier. He really is what one could call a folk hero. He really existed and he really did some remarkable things, at the same time his legend has been embellished.
fucking friesland
Mooooo
I always thought the wavy edged swords were a way to give a "wider/larger" blade while keeping down weight and material.
I just popped in to say I last watched Skalla many years ago, and it’s good to see that he’s just aged into Saruman
I remember a giant sword in Japanese history that was designed to "butcher the enemy general alongside with his horse" but for some reason nobody could use it
Weight.
@@boxtank5288 *gasp* who would've thought
I hate sharpening flamberge blades and trying to wield a tree branch should be enough of an example towards not using the massive swords.
This is a kind of old video, but I think that some of these massive swords were made to show how skillful is the blacksmith. Imagine how much work went into making 3.8m long blade in XV century.
Everyone knows that's a warriors coolness is indicative of their weapon size.
Also it's funny to see that even in the far past the people also wanted bigger and better weapons haha.
*Actually, the sword housed at Atsura shrine (tarotachi) is believed by historians to have been used on the battlefield. It is constructed for combat and there are fine scratches and other indications of field use on the blade.*
It belonged to Makara Naotaka, supposedly a giant of a man who (along with his son Naomoto) fought a valiant rearguard at the Battle of Anegawa on the side of the Azai clan. The father and son challenged samurai from the opposing army to a series of duels which became such a spectacle that it tricked the Oda/Tokugawa forces into slowing their pursuit of the fleeing Azai. Naotaka and Naomoto killed many in the duels before finally falling in combat and the Azai army was allowed to withdraw in good order.
To my knowledge, it is the longest sword known (so far, in recorded history) to be used in actual combat. You can find some quick info on the sword on Japanese Wikipedia if you search for 太郎太刀 (tarotachi) and use a better translator than Google (like Yandex).
Was always told the impractically sized odachi were basically intended as a test for the craftsman.
Until you enter Shinto, and realizes that there are mythical giant humans bigger than 7.34.
Or maybe also a test for the worthy swordsman who could wield such a weapon. Guts wants to know their location.
That was one of my immediate thoughts too. Those things took a lot of work and skill o make as it was, a giant one could definitely be the smith testing himself/showing off. Then donate it to a shrine where they show off your work to even more people.
Yes, absolutely. Making such a large and especially long blade is very difficult... Easy to have it warp or crack during the heat treatment.
If those odachis were made only as wall hangers, I don't think the blacksmith has done all the same process as with a real sword, like a nodachi.
I remember while being temporarily in Japan, visiting some castles in Iwakuni and Hiroshima. One of them had in a display one of those huge ceremonial swords. Blew me away that something like that was commissioned to be made.
"ok I'll be in ur swordfighting manual just make sure my junk looks huge"
7 feet is not exactly outside of the realm of possibility in the Netherlands.
unless youre unusually short like that one person i know, you guys tend to be GIANT!
I'm Austrian and almost that tall. My great grandfather was 6.5ft and I'm a few inches taller.
@@edi9892 jeez
and here i am, the below average german
(1.76m or 5'9'' is my height, actually shorter since when they measured me at the office they didnt asked me to remove my shoes, which made me taller a bit)
I remember reading about the Potsdam giants in Prussia, do you think you guys are naturally taller because of the influx of people with gigantism around the 17 hundreds?
@@firebladeentertainment5739 do you know Air Berlin? I had once the misfortune of flying with them. I couldn't put my legs in the way it was intended, but had to put them with the knees near my head and I was still squeezed in with the front seat pressing against my legs.
I called a stewardess and could convince her to let me resettle to the seat at the emergency exit (which I wanted to book, but they didn't let me).
The bedends of hotels, the fact that I can't get a single trousers in any shop in all of Basel or Zürich. That I can't put my arm straight up in my own flat without banging it against the ceiling... I wrecked a few chairs just by my mass and hip size. I broke a steel table by sitting on it.
I hate mass production and an normed hight of 180cm and weight of 80 kg.
Bearing swords are still being made and used today by the U.S. Air Force *for ceremonial purposes.* They also tend to look even more like they came from an anime.
I can't wait for a marine to steal one. Then we'll find out if practicality is required for lethality.
Also this is my favorite thing I've learned today. Thanks.
Love your video, very informative. From someone with a SCA/foam fighting background I really enjoy your content. A few years ago I traveled to London for fun and explored any museums with armor or weapons. In the tower of London is a suite of armor for someone with gigantism, I'm 6,4 and it was built for someone much larger then me. I was also able to find Iron 2 handed swords used in battles and weighed over 30lbs, used for breaking/getting stuck in shields during an initial rush and smaller weapons were employed in close quarters combat.
Most giant swords are either meant to be display pieces or as in the case of the Odachi a test of a smith's skills. The ones that saw combat had VERY niche rolls to fill that could also be done by pole arms and as it was difficult and time consuming to produce the metal and pound it into the appropriate shape most giant swords were eventually broken up/cut into pieces and used to make smaller swords. Like the Odachis which were often times turned into 3-5 Katanas, 5-7 Wakasashis, 12-16 Tantos (rough guess here) or any combo there of plus maybe a few Naginatas. It was just simply easier to take a chisel, slice an Odachis into thirds, and finish them into Katanas than it was to go out, correct the iron sand, smelt it until blooms, pound them into ingots, measure the ingots for hardness and durability, then pound them out into bars while working those bars into a better quality through a kneading process known as folding before pounding it into shape.
I now have the strange urge to put my grasses on before watching any video on giant swords.
Tell me why, tell me why
@@Cormano980 Tell me what you say
Don't know why. Don't know why
That big dude in fluted armor from brunswick be like: " *nice* "
Love your videos bud. Thanks for all the work you put into them!!
I do not know why u came up in my recommended, but I enjoy it. Your voice and passion is great, keep up the good work!
3:47 I mean Bloody Hell just the Fear factor alone is More than Practical, the Thing Looks like a damn One Piece weapon!
Are you saying you don't want to get wacked by a bunch of teeth??? What could go wrong, a little bit of acupuncture hasn't hurt anyone lol
@@kyle18934 they are going to drag the blade through your skin after they stap you a thousand times it would sever everything and you'd bleed to death oh and it'd hurt like hell
@@arthurmorgan7645 I was being sarcastic 😉
@@kyle18934 ok i feel kinda dumb
Big giant sword exists but.....
Are you GigaChad enough?
We found him, everybody can stop commenting now. The top comment is right here.
Best comment here🤣
Another thing to consider is that the larger great swords, those ranging from 6 to 8 feet, might not be all that good against human opponents, but much better suited for mounted opponents. Particularly good for removing the legs of the horses being ridden into combat. Once you've dismounted a rider thus, you can switch to a more wieldly long-sword and attack them.
That was wonderful. Very informative
Japanese: We don't have enough steel.. Also Japanese: Lets make a large unusable sword.
That is a myth at this time, Japan did not have a problem with steel.
@@eagle162 Not the problem making steel, but sourcing steel, thanks to iron source quality.
@@eagle162 Yeah. Thats why they didnt make spring steel, and kept to the shitty mild steel that didnt allow for a thin blade to support itself, or full plate harness to support its weight, or bulletproof platr of any kind...
No. Japan didnt have proper steel until the second half of the 1800s.
@@ineednochannelyoutube5384 oh boy you can read the link, there's there's evidence Japan knew and even made Spring Steel as well as other cultures like what is now China but it went in a different direction it's a pros-and-cons thing heck the Ming Dynasty and other Asian countries adopted Japanese swords, they made thin blade particularly in older periods again read the link and also I would also recommend the 2 part article: japanese sword " myth busting" on Gunbai:Japanese Warfare.
That website also have articles that talks about plate armor, the weight of the armor and yes bullet resistant armor, that was all made in Japan.
@@eagle162 You linked a quora page, not a peer reviewed article. I have heared other assert that japan could produce spring steel, and have so far not seen anyone present compelling evidence. But if there is a respectable paper pointing to it, I will read it.
As for it being a choice, just no.
There is absolutely no advantage to a katana style blade over a traditional one, and china most definitely did not adopt it.
My personal opinion on flamberge blades is that, because they were harder and more expensive to make, they were status pieces intended to show the wealth, and by extension, the skill of the wielder.
Yes there may be some advantages, but are they enough to warrant the extra expense?
Idk, I always thought that the waves work like a breadknife
Honestly for many people that blade could even be good for moral reasons, imagine the fear of fighting a blade like that, in a geometric scale, the ones with with many waves would make a "saw" effect, not sure if it would help on the cut but the ones with a lighter wave would make more area for a slice in less time, tho the area is real small so no big advantage there
I thought those two little spines on them acted as secondary guards for half swording
Well, if you flash enough cash on the battlefield, you're probably more likely to have the enemy want to capture rather then kill you. If you're rich enough to afford fancy weapons and armor, you're rich enough to afford a good ransom. But the enemies who capture you can only ransom you if you're still alive.
So the question then becomes, how much extra expense on your combat kit is your life worth?
Always seen them associated with mercenaries, and I would imagine that freelance fighters who don't have to always be prepared to go to war (and that get paid double when they do) have the time and money to spare for one to be forged.
Also I just realized that I guess the same could apply to anyone else. Its not like they can't just have a regular sword while they wait for their fancy one.
I'm here because Shad kept name dropping you. Not disappointed AT ALL. Can't wait to binge all your content
I love being awake at 3 am so that I can see videos like this, it not what I usually watch but I Hofmann enjoyed this
The Odachi actually needed two people to unsheath and use.
They actually did have use in battlefields beyond "Regal use".
It's been catalogued that Oda Nobunaga used such a Sword in his Battles, with a Retainer taking the Sheath off it whenever he was going to start swinging.
So frankly, a Samurai _With_ Gigantisim could use such massive swords... But they need someone else to help them remove the Sheath first.
Skal said they used Odachi, but rather that these massive, 10 foot long Odachi weren't used. I don't believe for a second that a 4-6 foot tall man is going to swing that with any effectiveness, considering basic physics and all that lol.
@@HandOfThemis I specifically stated that the Larger ones would _Need_ someone with Gigantism.
The smaller ones still needed two people to unsheath it. (Oda Nobunaga didn't have Gigantisism.)
Skall said that "Odachis were used more like Flags", which is rather wrong to say.
@@Victor-056 Again, he was referring to these massive Odachi in terms of ceremonial or ritual use; this wouldn't be out of the question if the sword was considereda blessed artifact or gift. We see plenty of these types of inspirational items wheeled out to important battles.
There is no way one person is swinging that around with any effect. A normal sized Odachi, sure. But those are already getting towards the end of practicality in terms of size and weight.
I've no proof, but I've heard of this 10ft guy named Goliath.
There are places in the world where you can find people as tall and taller than Goliath was.
I've always had a suspicion the enormous swords we find were used by such people.
If Goliath actually existed - which is an _if,_ as the bible mixes real history and bogus mythology in the same breath - but if he was real, he would have been more like 6-7’ tall. The bible claims he was “four cubits and a span” which may just be words chosen to sound pretty, like describing a long distance as “a million miles”, or a long stretch of time as “forty days and forty nights”, but if meant to be his actual measurement, which I doubt, would make him 6’9”.
And bronze-age metalworking wasn’t refined enough to make a big ol’ twohander anyway, even if somebody decided that was a good idea. Steel was rare and knowledge of how to forge it was basic, with the only known steel swords of that era being very much like their bronze colleagues, as bronze is too soft to support the long, thin blades of the late medieval style without bending and shearing under pressure or being made too heavy to wield efficiently.
So no, Goliath, _if_ he existed, wasn’t that big, wouldn’t have been able to get an oversized greatsword, and wouldn’t do well with it if he did.
@@maddockemerson4603 giants did exist. they were called Nephilim. children of angels and humans. there are skeletons of them that have been found.
@@maddockemerson4603 6'9" isn't impossible for biblical times. Highly unlikely, yes. But one man in a nation? Sure, that's believable.
Also, look at how much detail is given to Goliath's equipment. His sword is basically mentioned in passing, as in 'yes, he carried a sword', but his spear gets all the detail.
@@ScottKenny1978 - The Bible contradicts itself or at least trips over its own dick trying too hard to talk up its heroes when it says Dawviyd killed the giant Goljyath with such and such description in one book, and then turns around and says that Elkhanan killed the giant Goljyath, with the exact same description. So who really killed him? Were there then TWO giants named Goljyath?
Some later redactor scribes attempted to cover this up by adding the phrase "Lakhmi brother of", so that Elkhanan killed Lakhmi brother of the giant Goljyath, with the exact same description. This then made at least two identical, named giants, and at least two named giant-slayers.
I guess in the end, there can NOT be only one...
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elhanan,_son_of_Jair
so much stuff about the netherlands i did not know really awesome man keep up the great work!
Instant sub. This is great stuff
As a larger dude myself, I would say that a standard sized sword would be a better option than a special one thats made larger or to “scale”. Mainly because it would be easier to use and because it’s technically lighter it could be swung faster and with more force.
maybe ever so slightly larger so you have an even bigger reach advantage (also, don't underestimate the intimidation factor)
I'd always thought the flamberge was for binding
Judging from the relatively gentle serrations on my pocket knife (a Victorinox Swiss Soldier's Knife if you wanna look it up) I tend to agree with the idea that it could cut better than a flat edge. It has served me admirable in cutting all sorts of material.
Great video!
When I was a kid my father acquired a swordfish sword and had a grip made for it out of solid brass. In the time that it existed in our house I occasionally would play with it and found that after about 5 or 10 years it was so brittle that I was afraid to touch it anymore.
That's proof Bayern (Bavaria) even was nuts back in the day.
How is Bavaria crazy today? I'm from there and maybe I'm just blind to it😅😅
Been watching skallagrim for years and I've come to the conclusion that he escaped valhalla somehow and has been wandering the world for thousands of years. He's too casually knowledgeable, like as if he was there when people used these old weapons.
This was a fun video. Thanks for the discussion!
loved this, subbed :)
Coolness aside can we appreciate how nice Skall’s cut was in that short clip in the beginning
I wouldn't want to see a person who could figth with this thing imagen a 4 meter something warrior with such a sword just cleaving away the enemy's in front of him
At just under 2 meters (6'1") I can use a 4' blade freely, and a nodachi of up to 8' if I use techniques similar to those used with pole arms.
For the ones that aren't wall-hangers, think of those oversized swords as something more like a short handled pole arm than a typical sword.
Like guts???
@@DemonPrinceofHell Guts had an advantage, when he was a child he always practiced with adult sized blades.
@@DemonPrinceofHell No, I'd never get his monstrosity off the ground, and if I did, that blade would swing me instead of the other way around.
I'm talking the two handed swords you see in tapestries that are 1-3 heads "taller" than the user, and using actual naginata techniques with an 8 foot "sephiroth sword" wall hanger. (I was honestly surprised the tang didn't break on the 1st cut - that's a crazy amount of torque to put right behind the tsuba)
*Julien Mack*
So you delegate a squad to take him down first. 4-5 guys with big shields blocking, the rest attacking him.
You take that huge mother down..morale alone makes it worth it. The boost on you side and the consternation on the enemy.
Big dudes are not good for pitched battles. Not in formation against formation. Now a runt...he has room to move.
Filipino here. A lot of our one-handed swords have the same philosophy of these European greatswords. The idea is a "chop" over a "cut" like say... a katana with it's outwardly curved profile. There's a particular Filipino sword called the Kris which also has a wavy flamberge style edge. The reason for that is that it's though that a wavy edge is easier to withdraw from the flesh and bone of an opponent you've successfully chopped.
Most of our swords evolved from timber felling instruments. That's why they're all "choppers" and they tend to be more top-heavy and seemingly too heavy for one-hand. But humans are unlike trees. They're wet and squishy on the inside and getting your sword stuck in them is bad when they might have their mates nearby upset that you chopped them.
I can easily imagine a flamberge burying itself into it's victim far beyond the force of the man wielding it. His chop was augmented by centrifugal force that comes with swinging suck a heavy sword. Now he needs comparative strength to pull it out of the bone and sinew of his felled opponent. At least a wavy edge means that some parts of the blade aren't buried in as deep as the others and less strength is needed to release the vacuum formed from the victim's blood.
We should remember a particular thing about Japanese swords, the tachi-odachi type were intended for cavalry unit use, so the bigger size makes sense in that regard, although sure, even those aren't "Giant" swords, but at least there's a clear functional purpose for making a sword longer than the typical infantry counterpart.
I am totally adding that big odachi into a comic I'm writing, tnx for bringing it up!
There's actually a size cap on people. Some of the bigger people with gigantism are noted as having a tingling sensation in their hands and feet and have little sensitivity there because the nervous system isn't designed to go over 8 ft long. Not only is the Norimistus odachi too big for most people, it's literally too big for any person that could theoretically exist
Size cap on most mammals, actually. A blue whale may be big by design, however, it can take a couple of seconds to actually feel something touching their skin. Not only such person would have little sensitivity, but also would be very slow in overall reaction time.
@@zakazany1945 Depends. Different types of neurons have different consuctivity speeds. Gamma, the slowest, pain sensors are as slow as 40cm/s, whilst alpha motor neurons can go up to I believe 20m/s (this might be exaggerated, its been five years since I actually learned this).
well not a size cap it is just gigantism can lead to health issues, they'd need to be different in other ways too
@@ineednochannelyoutube5384 Take what I said with a grain of salt, I studied it 10+ years ago, so I may be dead wrong.
Ajax was like 12 feet tall or something crazy
2 other things to consider: I also heard the theory that the Flamberge was there to to jar/rattle the opponent's arm as their blade made contact with the wavy part of the blade. Also in a similar vein, that the Flamberge blade also slowed down and degraded the strength of incoming cuts by breaking up the straight path of the cut. I'm simply adding a couple plausible, at least to me, reasons for going to the trouble to make Flamberge blades to add to the other reasons already mentioned here and elsewhere. These are just 2 that I hear far less Frequently in videos and other media on the topic.
Thank you. I don't think it's just a theory. It's in old books on the topic. It's only a theory to modern people that disbelieve what the people of the time wrote down over and over again. It gave you a huge advantage over an opponent with a straight blade, as you explain nicely, as well as cutting deeper. I'm pretty sure the Germans got the idea from the Middle East, and then perfected it, rather than coming up with it on their own. The history of their wars and trade and who from the ancienter world they thought was the ish point in that direction.
The image of Cloud Strife and Sephiroth both side by side, noses pressed into the window of a blacksmith, staring longingly is such a cute image.
Mighty cojones is the last thing i had expected to hear when i clicked the video.
Great content!
Of course, I could be very wrong, but didn't people with gigantism have health problems that, in theory, would prevent them from using giant swords effectively?