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Comments
And this is coming from a guy who's barely 5'3''.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjT4JepA-Vc&list=FLKIm-JOSw4r2X7KsrRNGMzA&index=54
Have some longsword/greatsword video.
It's perfect!
Something exotic, please.
The humble Saxon single-hander is a pre-Migration Period version of the transitional single-handers and, eventually, the arming swords of the true Medieval period. So it seems kind of lame, but it's not. Consider its context; it was a long-bladed steel sword in an era where even the Romans generally used iron weapons rather than true steel. What steel the Romans used was actually imported from what is today Austrian territory, from Germanic tribes. Yep, that's right. When the Romans were still using iron, the Germanics (and Celts) were already using complex steel forging techniques to create some of the best swords history has ever known. Essentially? These are the first true steel swords; the Roman gladius' design was based on the limitations of iron, ensuring its short length.
Also, Germanic migrationy-era swords inspired the designs for the swords of the Rohirrim, which is way cool.
This is the kriegsmesser. It is the closest thing the Europeans ever had to a katana, except it's larger and hardier. Descended from the single-handed messer, which is in turn descended from the seax, this is something like longsword-meets-sabre. It seems the Germans in particular had a fondness for swords, and their variations, as there was no other place in Europe that saw such diversity in design. Happily, we have this weapon to attest to that, for when a messer doesn't quite cut it and a longsword is too namby-pamby. Keep in mind the near lack of pommel and the thinness of the crossguard, however. If the longsword is about versatility, this weapon is katana-like in its optimisation for the cut.
^ Yeah, it's got a pretty decent taper for such an early sword form. Most early swords were generally cutting weapons, but it was Germanic initiatives in design that eventually allowed the later Medieval thrusting swords to flourish.
Carry on, then.