Main > The Armoury
13th and 14th c. Kits
Aiden of Oreland:
Scott, I know exactly the type of belt your talking about. I would LOVE to make my own, but that'd have to wait a bit, probably half way through the summer. My goal is to make and finish my kit by the end of the summer. I will probably work on a soft kit in between which I certainly would enjoy making a nice belt for. That too will have to be in the summer for I don't have the time during the school year. Plus, I am regetfully admiting I am yet to own an actual sword (besides from my Aragorn sword). Which I should have by the summer time. So the double wrap will have to wait until such time. I would like to say this conversation is more of a note taking. So I am prepared. That helps me out a lot, thanks :)
If you want for now, would you mind sharing some basic tools needed to make these belts and supplies so I am prepared to make a belt when the time comes?
Question, you said that the German surcoat looked different than the English one. In what way?
scott2978:
Yes, there is no difference between civilian and martial belts until the 14th century. If you plan to wear the belt interchangably just remember you'll need to place the holes in the right places.
No problem about just taking notes. Being mentally prepared for things you're going to undertake is important if you want to do it right. The more time you spend thinking about it the better IMHO.
I'll re-post the whole belt making tutorial in a new thread.
You've probably handled a real sword by now, but if not you're in for a real treat! I wish I could be there the first time someone handles a real sword. People's minds have been unconsciously conditioned by movies and TV to think certain things about swords. When you feel one in your hand the first time your world will never be the same.
But even those who do handle them don't always appreciate the full depth of symmetrical and aesthetic beauty of a true sword. Sometimes people talk about the center of percussion of the blade or the pivot and balance points, but that's really just skin deep into the beauty of a real sword. Watch this video, and see if it changes how you think about swords.
Now, if you feel like it, research a bit further and watch Peter Johnsson's speech at Arctic Fire 2012. See if it changes how you think about medieval people.
(That's the thing that keeps me fascinated with medieval studies - one fascinating thing reveals another, and another until you're learning more than just about medieval things, you're learning about yourself and your world, and how much different they are from their medieval counterparts, and how much the same they still are.)
But however you appreciate it, the first time you hold a real sword in your hand is a magic moment. In the blink of an eye and without a single word a host of information is instantly communicated. All your preconceptions vanish, your socially programmed ignorance is washed away, and the truest beauty of the sword is made crystal clear right there in your hand. Once you've held a real sword, you'll understand why I refer to anything less as merely an "SLO" (Sword-Like-Object). It's true, you can pick up any long and pointy piece of metal and it'll kill people just as dead. But so can a crowbar. The true quality of a sword is it's design as a weapon, a tool for one specific purpose. When you hold it, you know the terrible power that you now wield. You feel the weight of responsibility to wield it responsibly. And you yearn to wield it with utter proficiency. You can use a piece of lead to draw with, but it's not a calligraphy pen. Neither is any long and pointy piece of metal a sword.
Incidentally, my feelings about the power and responsibility of carrying a sword and by extension any weapon, are reflected in the motto tooled into my sword's scabbard. "MENS CONSCIA RECTI". It's latin. Translated, it means "A mind conscious of what is right." I find it a profoundly poignant motto.
Scott
scott2978:
Almost forgot to post about the surcoats.
Take a look at this with the inverted V shape cut in the front, an English style from around 1300.
And my favorite, the Cyclas, from 1350 or so. A Cyclas style surcoat is one that's shorter in front than the back.
Aiden of Oreland:
I held a "SLO" when I was 10 and that probably got me hooked. It was like $30 but still. Then that got my brother into swords. Just holding one for the first time in my life, I felt a surge throughout my whole body. Breathless. I couldn't take my eyes off it, as if I was looking into its soul. Almost the same experience when I got my first piece of armor (but could not compare). I am really excited to get that feeling all over again when I have a REAL sword to call my own. The sentimental value of it.
That was a cool video! I had no idea swords were crafted like that. They are trully the perfect weapon.
Now having a sword custom made for thy self is probably even better than just buying a sword. In fact having anything personally made for you probably is a more awesome feeling than something premade.
Ah, so German ones are just regular straight cuts. Personally, I am more of a Jupon kind of person for 14th century. But they all look pretty cool to me :) except the really late ones that are strictly above the waist
Sir William:
It would be cool if all swords were crafted like that, to that level of attention to detail, but a great many aren't. As far as production swords go, Albion is at or near the top. I remember the first Albion I ever held...it was their Arn sword from their filmswords.com website. If you forget the aesthetics (fit, finish, fittings, etc) and just go with the aspect of how it handles, it is still worlds apart, imo. I know Arms and Armor make swords that are lauded in the sword-loving community but I've never handled one. Angus Trim made swords that have gone over big in the backyard cutting community, but his are all modern appliances with removable hilt components which make customization on the part of the owner easier, but is not historically accurate (to my knowledge). Still, he makes beastly cutters and there's definitely a market for that as well as other types of swords; SLO or wallhangers as well as decent or average look-a-likes (I call them that because they have the general look but none of the attention to detail like you'd expect from Albion or A&A) to museum-specific pieces like what Albion does and of course, the custom market. I've yet to handle a true custom- but I'm quite fine with what I currently have. Well...I always want more but who doesn't right?
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