Thank you Malik.
What about a rapier or small sword?
Assume:
1. top quality forging appropriate to their era of fashionability.
2. Point of impact of the stomp being, say an inch from the hilt.
So, I have diagnosed Asperger Syndrome with swords as my special interest. What this essentially means is that I'm obsessed with swords, to the point of them being my default thing to think about, and I have spent years assimilating sword-related trivia.
Since swords are a staple of fantasy fiction, I thought I'd offer my expertise to the benefit of the community. I don't claim to know everything on the subject, but if anyone of you have a question regarding swords I'd be happy to try to answer it. Frankly, if you have a question about swords I can't answer, it's probably something I'll end up researching on my own anyway.
Oh, and I've also had some training as a blacksmith and know the basics of bladesmithing, so I may be able to offer advice in that area as well.
The only issue I see is that the estoc and the falcata are designed for use against heavy armor, and the rapier is designed for use against a lightly-armored or unarmored opponent. Around the end of the popularity of the estoc, late 16th / early 17th Century, is when we saw the rapier really come into vogue, so the idea of them coexisting is no big deal. As long as the princess doesn't, you know, slice through plate armor with her rapier, I think you're pretty good.
Pretty much any heavy glove can grab a blade; it was common practice in swordsmanship, particularly in the armored combat of the estoc/falcata period (there are texts for training knights and soldiers that show them holding the sword by the blade and using the crossbar like a hammer, bare-handed)--
--so he wouldn't need any kind of special heavy gauntlet for it. Sword blades used in armored combat aren't sharp in the way that we generally think of sharpness, today. They generally had an appleseed-shaped bevel and a dense cross section that allowed them to function more or less like a splitting maul; not to slice through armor, but to damage it and injure the person underneath. (Way more on this on my piece about greatsword combat right here on this very site.)
Super-sharp edges are delicate, and not for battlefield use as much as Hollywood would want us to believe it. Driven into iron plate or even mail, razor-sharp blades get dull really fast. I talk about this in my piece about greatswords, but dropping a straight razor into a marble or granite sink can destroy it.
So, yeah. Solid choices from here. Thumbs up.
are estoc considered short or long swords?
The defining feature of a sword isn't its length but its purpose, which is why bastard swords (hand and a half swords) are separate from longswords, and both are separate from greatswords, even though they all have roughly the same overall lengths. They may look similar at a glance, but the blades, edge geometry, handles/grips, and points of balance are all different, and they all require individualized study to make the most of their wildly different capabilities.
An estoc is its own animal. They ran the gamut in length from smaller weapons comparable to single-hand arming swords to two-handed estocs the length of greatswords that could double as a lance in a pinch. But they're not longswords per se; the longsword is a cut and thrust weapon, while the estoc has no edges. Estoc literally means "thrusting" in French.
So, again: size-wise, they could be anywhere from arming-sword length to greatsword length, but an estoc is a completely different weapon than a longsword.
The defining feature of a sword isn't its length but its purpose, which is why bastard swords (hand and a half swords) are separate from longswords, and both are separate from greatswords, even though they all have roughly the same overall lengths. They may look similar at a glance, but the blades, edge geometry, handles/grips, and points of balance are all different, and they all require individualized study to make the most of their wildly different capabilities.
An estoc is its own animal. They ran the gamut in length from smaller weapons comparable to single-hand arming swords to two-handed estocs the length of greatswords that could double as a lance in a pinch. But they're not longswords per se; the longsword is a cut and thrust weapon, while the estoc has no edges. Estoc literally means "thrusting" in French.
So, again: size-wise, they could be anywhere from arming-sword length to greatsword length, but an estoc is a completely different weapon than a longsword.
thanksThe defining feature of a sword isn't its length but its purpose, which is why bastard swords (hand and a half swords) are separate from longswords, and both are separate from greatswords, even though they all have roughly the same overall lengths. They may look similar at a glance, but the blades, edge geometry, handles/grips, and points of balance are all different, and they all require individualized study to make the most of their wildly different capabilities.
An estoc is its own animal. They ran the gamut in length from smaller weapons comparable to single-hand arming swords to two-handed estocs the length of greatswords that could double as a lance in a pinch. But they're not longswords per se; the longsword is a cut and thrust weapon, while the estoc has no edges. Estoc literally means "thrusting" in French.
So, again: size-wise, they could be anywhere from arming-sword length to greatsword length, but an estoc is a completely different weapon than a longsword.
What is the purpose of a bastard sword?The defining feature of a sword isn't its length but its purpose, which is why bastard swords (hand and a half swords) are separate from longswords, and both are separate from greatswords, even though they all have roughly the same overall lengths. They may look similar at a glance, but the blades, edge geometry, handles/grips, and points of balance are all different, and they all require individualized study to make the most of their wildly different capabilities.
An estoc is its own animal. They ran the gamut in length from smaller weapons comparable to single-hand arming swords to two-handed estocs the length of greatswords that could double as a lance in a pinch. But they're not longswords per se; the longsword is a cut and thrust weapon, while the estoc has no edges. Estoc literally means "thrusting" in French.
So, again: size-wise, they could be anywhere from arming-sword length to greatsword length, but an estoc is a completely different weapon than a longsword.
Very helpful Malik - thank you.
So, I have diagnosed Asperger Syndrome with swords as my special interest. What this essentially means is that I'm obsessed with swords, to the point of them being my default thing to think about, and I have spent years assimilating sword-related trivia.
Since swords are a staple of fantasy fiction, I thought I'd offer my expertise to the benefit of the community. I don't claim to know everything on the subject, but if anyone of you have a question regarding swords I'd be happy to try to answer it. Frankly, if you have a question about swords I can't answer, it's probably something I'll end up researching on my own anyway.
Oh, and I've also had some training as a blacksmith and know the basics of bladesmithing, so I may be able to offer advice in that area as well.
Hi! I am writing a story in which someone learns how to use a rapier alone, then picks up the Florentine style with a rapier and a dagger. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on what sword his opponent could use?