LongswordGeometry

[@peterjohnsson557]

Also important to realize is that you must already have a clear idea of functional properties of the sword: what it is supposed to do and how it is supposed to behave in motion, before you set out to define its proportions. It is actually another strength with the method as you can adjust not only the size but also the weight and balance of the sword according to the wishes of a customer, while keeping the harmonic proportions intact.

[@peterjohnsson557]

Exactly! What happens in the third dimension is another thing entirely. That allows you to adjust the design to suit the situation at hand. You can scale a proportion design to make swords of different size. When you do that you have to adjust thickness and distal taper accordingly. To use this method for design, you have to know how to work with the function and dynamic properties of a sword. This is a key to why the medieval sword looks the way it does, not why it functions the way it does.

[@DerakosZrux]

Cool! Requiered viewing for new students at the Black Falcon School of Arms in Colorado Springs!

[@peterjohnsson557]

That geometry was used to design medieval swords is a hypothesis I have been working on these past three years. You can read some short introductions to the topic on my site (address at end of video). The methods I use are known to have been used by medieval architects, engineers and artisans. These ideas are an established part of studies in the history of medieval art. No one has applied these principles in the study of the medieval sword before. Please visit my site for more information!

[@peterjohnsson557]

You can design any form of hilt using this method. Scent stopper pommels are beautifully suited to be defined by geometry :-) I will show various examples over time.

[@peterjohnsson557]

Hi! The thing is: I am *not* a maths person :-) It is spacial and visual. There is no calculation involved. A logic structure, but it is all in what you see. Best Peter

[@RoyStuartsurf]

At the very least, this method gives the designer useful reference points.

[@peterjohnsson557]

Hi Grailchaser, this method is inspired by studies of original medieval swords. Not every sword will conform to geometric proportions. That would be strange. Surprisingly many do however. Please visit my site for more detail on this method for design and how I think it was used in ancient times. Note the proportions are not the same as dimension. You can scale a design to fit a precise size, while keeping the proportions unchanged. That is a strength with this method.

[@peterjohnsson557]

Thank you! I hope you will find the method to be a good support in defining proportions and shapes. A structure like this can really set you free as it creates known boundaries. Within these you can follow your intuition. I find it to be helpful in clarifying the essential forms of the work.

[@ravenswatch]

Great video Peter. Very useful for enthusiasts and those trying to learn the swordsmithing craft like me.

[@laineporwit4202]

Thank you, Peter! This was a great help, as I've been struggling when drawing and designing different types of swords.

[@VicariousReality7]

Now i really want a disc or ball pommel sword

[@brgardner897]

Do you have a book? I would love a link, thank you for your impressive work.

[@peterjohnsson557]

Thank you for kind words. The most detailed publication of this theory is in articles and examples in the catalogue for the 2015 exhibition at the Deutsches Klingenmuseum: "The Sword - Form and Thought". It can be bought in Europe at: shop.histofakt.de/product_info.php?products_id=64 Or in the States at: www.woodenswords.com/The_Sword_Form_and_Thought_p/book-sch01.htm I was co-curator for this exhibition that had the geometry of the sword as one of its main themes. To date, this is the est publication of these ideas. Kind regards Peter

[@grailchaser]

Interesting. But do these geometric principles hold true for every sword, or just an imagined sword? An ideal longsword comes up to the breastbone of the wielder. And the pommel size is determined by the weight of the blade in order to balance it. Thus the density of the pommel material will also effect its size. The scent-stopper pommels, which I find are by far the easiest to use, will not follow this geometry either, I'd wager.

[@andrewhull7296]

What is the circumference of the first circle? Is there a set size? I'm lost Reason for asking is I build l 1:1 scale swords from wood, I believe this would help me in NY builds

[@peterjohnsson557]

@@andrewhull7296 you start out with a general idea of the overall proportions and size of your sword. Consider what the proportion you want between hilt and blade. If the blade is four times longer than the hilt and you want a blade that is 84 cm you now know that the hilt must be 21cm long. The diameter of your first circle is therefore 21 cm. Always begin with the overall and general and work yourself toward the details. When you become more used to thinking in proportion instead of dimension you can start without any firm idea about final dimension and draw the geometric design in any scale that is practical. Perhaps at around one quarter scale. When you are happy with the design you can scale it up to whatever dimension you want. Scaling a drawing can be done without calculations or math. There are ways to do this with ruler and compass. I guess I need to put together a handbook on these methods. It is complicated to describe in text but easy to show with images.

[@peterjohnsson557]

Good point Denís! If you make the geometry complex enough you can prove that a phone booth is instead an instrument for astronomical observations ;-) It is important to think about the practical consequences of geometric design. Not all swords follow geometric definitions of their proportions. I am working on the question of coincidental results in this kind of analysis, but this must be presented in a full article, not in a post on KZbin :-) Please visit my site for more information.

[@volarion]

and why would you say that? it seems pretty straight forward to me, it seems pretty accurate as well. maybe not for ALL because personal preferences will differ.

[@DinizCabreira]

Peter, this is a very interesting thesis (I also read your article in «Fashion and Fencing in Renaissance Europe») and as a graphic designer, I'm fascinated by it. As a physicist, though (that's my original background) I can't help but to have a tiny voice nagging in the back of my head: «Are really european swords designed as per these geometric proportions, or any sword you encounter can be reduced to geometric designs if you make these complex enough?»

[@thedarklorde]

Amazing, and inspiring. Really lovely. Question for you: is this a set of personal decisions, or a method from earlier times?

[@thedarklorde]

Roger that. On your site, and digging! :)

[@piratesting]

Elegant beauty

[@vidensodoacer]

One part is a little difficult for me to follow. What is the ratio for the diameters of the 1/7th circle for the guard and the pommel diameter?

[@peterjohnsson557]

+Qorhtomh The diameter of the pommel and the width of the guard are defined by a geometric construction. Two quarter circles are drawn with their mid points in the upper and lower left hand corners of the square. Tangent to these two quarter circles are two other arcs constructed. These two arcs define the width of the guard and the mid point of the circle that defines the pommel. There is no direct correlation between the division of seven that establishes the blade width and the definition of the pommel diameter and the guard width. This is not very easy to express in words in a post like this. I hope this answered your question.

[@trodai9607]

This is genius.

[@peterjohnsson557]

I am glad to hear you find it inspiring. :-)

[@paolomairati278]

thank you ,very good video ,thank you again Peter!!

[@gibrannicholau3447]

Peter, don't ever show this to ancient astronaut theorists! I bet they'll come up with crazy and absurd things!

[@peterjohnsson557]

Ha! I know :-) The danger is always trying to find The One Truth that explains *Everything*. It is absolutely possible to design a sword based on the relations between the planetary orbits or some such. -Could be a fun exercise.

[@michaelam9063]

+Gibran Papadimitriou I can just see it now: "Ancient astronaut theorists believe...that the longsword MAY have been designed...according to the celestial bodies, themselves..."

[@peterjohnsson557]

+TimeTraveling Peep : Why it is all so much fun to spin such a tale, knowing it would actually be believed. :-) Without making any claims of extraterrestrial origin, I think it could be an interesting exercise to loo at the ratios of periods of orbit, distances and repetitions of the planets of our solar system as a source of inspiration.

[@gibrannicholau3447]

Lollolololol

[@HamsterPants522]

This video covers the profile of the sword, but what about the distal geometry?

[@bensevrywere]

this video alone will tell you if youre a math person or not just based on if you "get" it

[@muchadesign]

Genius! Thank you Peter.

[@autisticsoda3256]

are you sure medieval blacksmiths did all of this? it looks cool and all, but also like a lot of work

[@peterjohnsson557]

We might think that artisans that lived many hundred years ago had less developed understanding of their craft that we do today. I think that is a mistake. It is also worth noting that swords were really never made by blacksmiths. A blacksmith works mostly with iron, making every day tools and objects. Swords were made by groups of specialist craftsmen, each responsible for very specific parts and stage of the making. A sword, being made as a cooperation between perhaps half a dozen or a dozen specialists and is built by parts made in different workshops, obviouslyy need to follow some sort of plan or common description. In a time when standards for dimensions could vary between provinces and kingdoms (unmounted blades were often exported long distances from centres of manufacture) and literacy was not common, other principles for describing and outlining work is very useful. We know that modular and geometric principles were commonly used in other types of medieval crafts. It is therefore not so far fetched to see the medieval sword being the result of such principles of design. If you are interested to see more of my thoughts on the subject, please visit: www.peterjhohnsson.com If you are *really* interested, my hypothesis on the geometry of the European medieval sword was the focus of an exhibition at the Deutsches Klingenmuseum. The catalogue is still available: shop.histofakt.de/product_info.php?products_id=64&language=en

[@autisticsoda3256]

@@peterjohnsson557 wow what an answer o my god thank you