Medieval Swords & Replica   Looking for Cool Replica Swords?

When it comes to Viking swords, they were, above all things, what represent the warriors of the Viking age. One can call it a mark of these warriors, and it was a rare and valuable mark at that, considering that these swords were not a common thing to warriors. They were, at that time, one of the most expensive things that could be owned by a person. They were so valuable that they were treated as valuable family heirlooms, being passed from one generation to another, usually from the male ascendants to their male descendants.

Viking swords & weapons also varied in appearance from that of the conventional sword. Viking swords were characterized to be double edged, which means that both edges of the blade were sharp. The swords were also held with a single hand, since the other hand would be holding a shield. Initially, the blades of these swords averaged at around 70 cm long, but later on increased in length up to 100 cm in the late Viking era. As for the width, the blade was about 4-6 cm wide. Adding the weight of the pommel and hilt which helped balance the blade, a typical Viking sword would weigh about 1-2 kilos.

Aside from the Cold Steel Viking sword, which was a modern reproduction of the traditional Viking sword, many have also sought replicas of particular Viking swords that gained fame because of who used them. An example of which would be the Beowulf sword replica, which resembled the prop that was used in the movie Beowulf, which was based off a very old epic poem. Another literary based replica would be the Historical Excalibur Sword, based off the classic story of King Arthur.

Other Viking swords were based off famous historical battles such as the Sticklestad Viking Sword, made after the historical Battle of Stiklestad which took place in a village municipality of Verdal, Norway.

And then there are also generic variations of the Viking sword such as the Swedish Viking sword, an apparent variation of the sword that originated from Sweden, but still very much a Viking sword in general.

If you have any intention of becoming an expert sword collector, there is one expert you should really try to learn from. His name? Ewart Oakeshott.

Mr Oakeshott died in 2002 but there is a vast array of books written by this master to help you learn more about medieval swords and weapons. Here are some you might want to read:

1. Records of Medieval Sword
2. The Sword in the Age of Chivalry
3. Sword in Hand:: A history of the Medieval sword
4. The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the age of Chivalry
5. Swords of the Viking Age
6. The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England: Its Archaeology and Literature

Other books from the Oakeshott’s “Knight” Series:

1. A Knight and His Weapons
2. A Knight in Battle
3. A knight and His Armor
4. A Knight and His Castle
5. A Knight and His Horse

Later Period Sword books:

1. European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the industrial revolution

Of course, Mr Oakeshott is not the only author that wrote books about Medieval weapons, but he is by far one of the most prestigious. I feel reading these books will have you on the right track to become an expert.

P.S.: All of these books can be purchased at Amazon.com

When the word “Medieval” is heard, thoughts of kings, castles, knights and chivalry come to mind. These are concepts and practices that revolved around the lifestyles of those who lived during the middle ages, which lasted for over a millennium, roughly between the 5th and 16th centuries, which is a very long time indeed.

This is probably why the medieval weapons have become a very popular idea that went on even after the Middle Ages have elapsed simply because they have played a role too significant to world history to be ignored. In fact, one can even say that many cultures and practices in the modern world evolved directly from ideas first thought of during the middle ages.

When it came to weaponry, medieval weapons were generally meant to be heavy and sturdy such as heavy cavalries and knights wearing heavy suits of armor. While there were many variations to this due to varying cultures and resources, the idea was all the same. For instance, while the Damascus Viking Sword seemed much larger than the English Two-Hand Sword, the two were generally based off the Classic Medieval Sword having been forged with strong steel and built to match its heavily armored users.

Medieval weapons were also popularized in famous stories that were set in the middle ages, such as that of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table along with the Historical Excalibur Sword. Other classics that were recently depicted in films were Beowulf, featuring the Beowulf Sword.

Finally, the Medieval Swords also came in a wide variety of versions. Whether you are thinking about the Vikings, the Scottish or the British, at some point in time all parts of the world were able to make their own version of the medieval weaponry, which they used to their advantage in their own wars and military actions, which all went down to their own histories.

Because of all this, the medieval weapons have become a category of their own, and a highly sought after category at that by people from all walks of life such as collectors all the way down to the common reader.