The swords in Lord of the Rings - Would they be practical in real life?

Many people have asked for a video about LotR swords, so here it finally is. There is not all that much to say, and definitely nothing for me to rant about.
The designers did a good job of making these weapons look convincing. They are all well proportioned and neither overly thick nor afflicted by hand-slaying grips of discomfort, as opposed to many other fantasy swords. Many of them are somewhat reminiscent or even pretty similar to original swords from Antiquity, the Middle Ages or the Renaissance.
So... let's see how many pointless "it's just a movie" and "nobody cares about realism" comments there will be this time.
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[@MrWarlord396]

The Orc swords being ugly but entirely functional fits right into LOTR lore. "The orcs made few beautiful things, but many clever ones."

[@EmilReiko]

Raises the question, what beautifull things did they make?

[@newbie6377]

R3ika uhm... Barad-dur?

[@EmilReiko]

I do not think our aesthetics are compatible...

[@newbie6377]

R3ika well, barad dur is beautifully built by a race that lives on caves and tents

[@balazszsigmond826]

Beautiful things? Lets see... An army worth if beautiful shields, armor, swords... Beautiful spears and siege engines... You know...

[@DoctorProph3t]

“He (hobbit) should be carrying a buckler or shield.” Lol, frying pan.

[@coppertopv365]

A Shield Vs a man like a Viking.. breaks the Shield and Arm..

[@DoctorProph3t]

Coppertop V because that was clearly the context of the point.

[@PoochMG]

@@coppertopv365 as opposed to just getting completely cleaved through the arm and torso lol

[@coppertopv365]

@@PoochMG have you tried something similar Before... Extremely Difficult

[@PoochMG]

@@coppertopv365 more so if there's a buckler

[@peterahl6807]

Though this is sort of apologetics for the film design, I personally like the idea of the witch king's weapon being utterly impractical. It makes sense to me that he would choose a weapon which was so large and unwieldy that it any normal mortal simply couldn't use it, just for the intimidation factor of his enemies seeing him swing an anvil-sized chunk of steel around. The dude seemed to enjoy fear tactics, but that's just my take. Awesome video!

[@Blacklightprince]

Aye but if we think of it a bodybuilder could (in theory ) weld the witch kings frail Edit : I realize the flaws of my thought process so let me rephrase it : theoretically a man who is as strong as the limits say can be able to lift the witch king’s mace albeit not the greatest, but still able to carry it.

[@Ganon999]

In the behind the scenes Peter Jackson would see the flail design but every time would just say "can we make it bigger?" lol that happened a handful of times before they went with that you see in the film lol even the big guy they had as the Witch King could barely lift it effectively but the Witch King in the film is of course unnaturally strong so I think it works in that context.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

Correct. Historical war gear could be impractical. In XVIth and early XVIIth century, Polish combat and not parade horse tacks could be so heavily filled with gold and jewels it became dangerous and special laws had to be introduced that limited use of gold and jewels. Also historians cannot agree if wings of Polish hussars had any practical function. Some argue they gave some protection against being caught by Tatar lasso, some that they were only there for cool factor, same as tiger and leopard skins. It is however certain that in late XVIIth century they were used to scare the enemy by presence of Husaria, and different formations would use them to pretend that they were more dangerous than they actually were. For example you had only a hundred Hussars or none at all, but from distance it looked like there were thousands because of the wings.

[@Ganon999]

@@piotrmalewski8178 That's very interesting. I've played a lot of Age of Empires and the Hussars do looks awesome lol

[@piotrmalewski8178]

@@Ganon999 Too bad AoE doesn't have mechanics to implement most of their attacks, but it was never an important unit in the game. You can use their tactics though, loose formation and most bullets from the muskets will miss. That's what they did in real life. Loose chessboard-like array to dodge bullets, and 100 to 60 meters before ramming when enemy musketeers would be running to hide behind pikemen and not firing anymore, coordinated tightening of the array to wipe out infantry with kopias.

[@shadowjezzter]

Imagine a army of hobbits but armed as Spartans.

[@williamcasey1927]

all those crotch and gut level points. ow.

[@macehilmatecilof4140]

Haha ok

[@DrakeKnight99]

I watched a guy called Shadiversity and he mentioned dwarves with Kite Shields would be a very hard thing to deal with due to size

[@catnium]

and im all out of bubble gum

[@PinguinCrazy]

sounds cute lol

[@ThrillaWhale]

You see those elves from Rivendell? They’ve got curved swords. CURVED. SWORDS.

[@sketep1117]

Curved p*nises. Curved. P*nises.

[@janiellawinchestra1838]

That's for d*mn sure

[@noahjohnson2074]

What's your point

[@janiellawinchestra1838]

@@noahjohnson2074 it's a reference from a parody in skyrim

[@noahjohnson2074]

Janiella Winchestra ,oh

[@Mikeanglo]

A hobbit wielding a claymore. Holy fuck that would be cool.

[@METALGEARMATRIX]

Had a Halfling Paladin in my DnD ground once that did this. ... No calf was safe

[@RowanBuchananroabie]

I'm just curious on how they'd do that, lol. Halfings and hobbits are described as being around 2-3 feet tall. Whatever works; works, I suppose =P

[@josephcole8102]

basically those tiny goblin guys in darksouls 3 that have a broad sword

[@BEZERKSTUDIOS718]

"it's simply not feasible"

[@Mikeanglo]

Frank Bowman Neither are dragons...or Cloud's ridiculous buster sword. But those are still awesome.

[@penguin1011986]

You missed your opportunity to call your video Swords of the Rings.

[@enterchannelnamehere2922]

Apologize to Tolkien, NOW!!!1111!!!

[@syngos98]

Lord of the Swords

[@mrhalfwit972]

@@syngos98 thats just worse

[@BigMac4459]

@@syngos98 swords of the lords

[@gt42636]

What about: Blades of Middle Earth?

[@Dean444ful]

“Yes, that works” “Yes that works” “Yes that works” “No guard” “Half guard” “Weird guard” This video essentially

[@DoctorProph3t]

“I’m boring.” “I’m boring.” “I’m incredibly boring.” “Why did I even click on a video made for entertainment.” “I’m such a boring fuck.” “But I think I’m better than everyone.” This comment essentially

[@lorddunsparce9425]

@@DoctorProph3t he didn’t say the video was bad

[@Dean444ful]

@@DoctorProph3t bitch the highlight of your day is painting your nails and microwaving shit

[@DoctorProph3t]

@@lorddunsparce9425 I didn’t say he said it was. Don’t conflate what isn’t there.

[@Dean444ful]

@@DoctorProph3t “Don’t conflate what isn’t there” take your own advice

[@Arimil1234512345]

I think the only reason they gave the witchking that absurd mace was just to reinforce the point that he wasn't human, and that he was absurdly strong.

[@KDErkisi]

+Ian Roper (Arimil75) True. I can see that such a huge flail could be effective if the user is many times stronger than a normal man.

[@aidanallen1976]

+Ian Roper (Arimil75) Peter Jackson just kept on saying, bigger, no even bigger, till it got ridiculous.

[@chancepaladin]

+Ian Roper (Arimil75) I don't know. It reminds me of Leoric's gigantic flange mace which would actually send people flinging in every direction... but that flange + chain thing... err... yea just, yeah. :P

[@wolframite3657]

+Chance Paladin Well if you know the physics behind a flail, then you would know that it's actually very practical, assuming it's made out of a material light enough for it to not swing you around in return, let's say best case scenario, it weighs the same as your average flail, good then it's extremely practical, worst case is that it weighs some ridiculous amount and you have to wear extremely heavy armour just to not get thrown each time you swing the damn thing, then practicality is out the window.

[@Landibert]

It was pretty much just meant to look really impressive and intimidating. That's all there is to it, yes.

[@drago2021]

"You wouldn't expect orcs to take proper care of their weapons." Skallagrim is racist against orcs. Wow. Who am I even subscribed to?

[@Kartissa]

Well to be fair, orcs aren't really that concerned about their blades, so long as they have enough of an edge to kill what they're swinging into. Plus, if the blades are dirty, that just means more chance of the wounds getting infected should the target manage to survive the orc's attack....

[@drago2021]

+Kartissa I... I was joking...

[@Kartissa]

drago2021 Sorry. I have difficulty reading sarcasm when I'm tired....

[@prufenful]

Orcs are love

[@simonwatts8338]

The one thing I would expect an Orc to look after would be his blade. In the books, Uglûk, Shagrat and Gorbag, the only Orcs who actually speak very much, all sound like course British army NCOs, something the film misses out. And as NCOs they keep discipline which would mean care of weapons. Interesting facts on Orcs. They are immortal. Unless killed by violence, they don't die or age. This is because basically, they are ruined, mutated Elves.

[@BoofPack69]

Other people: Dressing based on trends and living normally Skallagrim:

[@Justicsgenie]

hey emperor palpatine has style

[@HOMIOI1]

living “normally” is debatable

[@SeRgEaNt_RaNdOm]

I'm really surprised an axe guy like Skall didn't talk about Gimili's Battle Axe

[@marcelina6211]

well the title is about the swords. maybe we will have another video about Gimli's and other axes :)

[@pfclex6737]

He talked about a flail

[@ivanperez2705]

I suspect he would have said, "yes, it works."

[@ejayh.8360]

It looks a bit fancier than what you would normally find in the field. But given the proportions of that thing, it looks functional. Plus mystic dwarven forging so...

[@efeguller6022]

I think it looks a bit heavy with its thick and double edged head and thick handle compared to a dane axe so it could be a bit hard to move fast with it but if dwarves are stronger than normal people in the lore which im not so sure it can be practical for them

[@maj.peppers3332]

"This video is gonna be boring" 1.116 million views...

[@Skallagrim]

I don't get it either.

[@maj.peppers3332]

***** Didn't expect a response. But, just want to say thank you! You've been my first impression and entrance into HEMA and weaponry. Keep up the good work!

[@yolkonut6851]

it's all the LOTR fans trying to show everyone how cool LOTR is

[@ihateyoutubehandlesxX]

that cloak fly as shit my nigga

[@1337fraggzb00N]

Same with cats. You buy a cat tree for 500 bucks and the cat prefers the packaging XD

[@alexandermatheson8312]

The spike on the Uruk-hai murder weapon was literally designed to pull riders off of horses, and be simple and quick to manufacture.

[@kivilife]

Went through lots of comments looking for this. Almost every weapon that came out of Isengard had the intend to either dismount Rohirrim or straight up kill them on horseback.

[@JC130676]

But having the spike at a 90 degree angle isn't the most effective. It makes it hard to pull the weapon out again so there's a very real probability that it will be pulled out of the users hands instead. Putting the spike at a 60 to 70 degree angle will still allow you to hook it behind something or smash it into something or someone but makes it much easier to pull out.

[@allennyros1527]

Good call!

[@nathanhursey6779]

JC130676 I don’t think orcs know geometry.

[@spirit959ful]

@@nathanhursey6779 Saruman definately did though so he could (and most definately would) have told them how to create the weapon.

[@cytorakdemon]

Always liked Theoden's sword, Herugrim. It's like a Gladius or Spatha, and the guard being two horses forming a heart is a nice detail.

[@guil7290]

Reminds me of Norse weapons

[@adrianaslund8605]

I guess its supposed to look like a Viking sword. Like an Ulfbehrt sword. Which was technically like a nordic spatha.

[@ericlayton8888]

Herugrim is my all-time favourite sword design

[@cal2127]

its more vendel era than viking

[@user-qx4fc1up8y]

Now let's ask if the armour of lord of the rings is practical

[@NateB]

"Yes."

[@user-qx4fc1up8y]

Well sh-

[@klausolekristiansen2960]

John Howe, one of the two conceptual designers, is an expert on armor and was always pestering the people designing the armor about details that were not realistic.

[@gershomtan5879]

What armor?

[@user-qx4fc1up8y]

That one they use in the movies

[@stephenross5586]

Hobbit with a big ass sword: YOUR THROAT WILL HANG! Hobbit with a short sword: YOUR ANKLES ARE MINE!!!!

[@ChinChin-tj5dn]

Me in Dark Souls 3 against Giants:

[@edusc6893]

Rather like Hobbits with a short sword: YOU ARE FEMALE NOWW!!!!

[@MrDibara]

@@edusc6893 My inner TFS is screaming at this. Integra: FUCK HIM IN THE VAGINA! Alucard: >laughs< ALRIGHT! *But I'm gonna have to **_make one._*

[@eleabell7607]

I mean, tbh, try to do jack shit in a fight without ankles. Not a good position to be in.

[@Nob911]

@@eleabell7607 I mean without anything below the knee haha they will rename you sir stubs of halfstackia

[@KingNefiiria]

From what I remember, wasn't Sting basically a long dagger? Because Bilbo is so small , a dagger looks like a short sword in his hands.

[@professionalmemeenthusiast2117]

Yes it was an elvish dagger

[@juan8777]

Greek Xiphos design

[@SAGERUNE]

basing it off the xiphos is actually kinda smart if you consider the third age to be the fantasy equivalent of medieval europe, and the first age to be bronze, it was forged in gondolin and gondolin could be considered the equal of greece.

[@randallcase1009]

I thought it was a letter opener! ; ) kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5a8XmZnfNJ5oa8

[@bermby]

It's a short sword yeah

[@frankenstein6677]

I feel like the Orcish sword from Skyrim was inspired by the Uruk-hai blade, but some developer just thought "hurr durr, orc blades pointy, they stoopid" and forgot that orcs are supposed to be the best smiths in Tamriel.

[@wisemankugelmemicus1701]

Never thought about that tbh. Funny thing is Skyrim's worldbuilding is actually pretty good.

[@Spyrocrab]

Uruks were mass produced to overcome more experienced warriors with numbers and tactical maneuvering, yeah. They were expected to die frequently, but wear down their opponents with armored numbers, with a single enemy facing several well-drilled uruks. They were likely trained to re-sharpen the blades between every fight, with most of their battles being short, brutal blitzes that commit everything in one attack.

[@RelativelyBest]

I actually kinda liked the Skyrim orc swords. Unlike the Uruk-hai swords I found the Orsimer blades weirdly elegant despite the brutish style - they remind me a bit of some Filipino weapons. The orcish dagger is one of my favorites in that game, design-wise, since I think it looks sorta like a fantasy combat knife. The serrations along the edges are a bit weird, sure, but oddball stuff like that isn't completely unheard of in historical weapons (just look at Skall's examples) and it sorta make sense that the best smiths around would go for a complex style that matches their cultural aesthetic.

[@pinkfloydguy7781]

Skyrim’s Orcish weapon and armor design is horrible compared to the designs in Morrowind and Oblivion

[@TextiX887]

I have always thought that the Witch king's morning star to be a good design for him, seeing as he is an undead with inhuman strength. I don't think you should judge that weapon according to a human standard.

[@Lukashoffmann94]

Even Sauron was more conservative with his mace.

[@bighatastrea]

Can someone explain to me why he called the morningstar "obviously ridiculous"? I don't really get it, weren't flails and morningstars decent weapons? I can see them being more effective than actual swords in many situations, especially against armor. Better than "stiff" morningstars since the range is bigger and you can swing it around, I would rather try that with full speed than trying to stab someone with a sword - it's not easy to get the right grip and do so, and it's incredibly hard to kill someone with a medieval sword while the flail crushes bones

[@Zorro9129]

It looks like if it were swung fast enough, the chain would break and go flying.

[@SultanFilm]

@@bighatastrea would be too heavy to use with one hand and control. Would have to need supernatural strength and ability to properly use. Even with two hands one would have to spin around in a circle to get the head of it off the ground. Actual morning stars the ball itself isn't really all that big compared to the handle.

[@nevermore7285]

Kiko-chan The problem is how massive the Morningstar part is. If you tried to swing it and actually managed to get it off the ground, it would take you with it.

[@fromolwyoming]

One scene not shown in Return of the King, was Aragorn taking the pommel off his legendary sword, and threw it at the Eye of Sauron, ending him rightly!

[@FoddyFogHorn]

I think that's in the extended edition but I'm not sure :/

[@bbdawise]

+FoddyFogHorn ! No, you're thinking of the extra super extended edition.

[@alexavery311]

+fromolwyoming Yeah, you're missing the ultra super extended (super duper) edition.

[@FoddyFogHorn]

Thanks, ill be sure to pick it up next time I'm out

[@paavokokko]

+alex Avery I'm guessing much of the extended footage is Aragorn taking his time to unscrew the pommel.

[@fayd-yt4526]

old video, but the morgul dagger probably has its guard facing backwards because its made to deflect a blade that is trying to block it. ring wraiths wouldnt care if somebody hits them with a sword, what they would care about is having their blow blocked. if they went in for a stab that design would guide a blade away from the dagger and allow it to continue forwards.

[@deejay9474]

Fayd-YT... Thats... Actually... Genius!

[@fayd-yt4526]

thanks :P, i doubt that the workshop actually considered that. im sure the design was purely for aesthetic purposes, but finding ways to justify an artists aesthetic choices can be fun :P.

[@DenverHarward]

This is actually an interesting point (no pun intended)

[@HHLucifer666]

I think it’s more of a ceremonial peice for sacrifices to bolster dark magic. I mean, think about where it was found, Dol Guldur, a place of black magic and probably where humans sacrificed elves and hobbits and other beings to achieve their ends. It was probably made to be held with the arm parallel to the flat and was designed with intimidation in mind

[@DarkValorWolf]

@@HHLucifer666 That theory doesn't hold up, Dol Guldur was built by sauron (a Maiar) and the area it's in is completely surrounded by elves. It was only shortly occupied by "humans" when the Nazgul reigned over it. But none of that even comes into play as Morgul-Blades are described as blades forged in the wraith world designed to have the tip break off at the taste of flesh and everything except the tip in the victim will turn to dust, said tip will slowly work its way to the heart where it will turn the victim into a wraith. So yeah, it's meant for one time use, and unless they really wanted some more wraiths they wouldn't use it non ceremonially. edit: wording

[@darthsidious6753]

All the sword designs in LOTR films would work in real life even the completely fictional designs like the elf swords.

[@ashisunblade]

I imagine that is because, unlike all the weird video game swords, these were actually made and were functional in real life by Weta.

[@nubreed13]

Helps that every single one was hand forged by real blade smiths.

[@sailor5853]

A well placed stone would kill in real life

[@EpizodBG]

Why completely fictional? Except for the lack of a guard, the shape of the Elven sword is a perfectly normal sabre. But the small spikes whose purpose is to serve this role maybe?

[@Halinspark]

@@EpizodBG Most of the examples given were elf blades, and I don't see a problem with any of them. Even the ones he didn't mention from the opening battle that are about half handle are still perfectly servicable designs.

[@eyecontactleadsto]

How excellent is that Uruk Hai makeup and costuming? I'm not even particularly a fan of the LOTR movies but what a great job by the makeup department. How well they look and hold up today, even in close ups and still images.

[@shiezer682]

Peter Jackson and his team were amazing. Even the battle scenes, makeup and design for every single fantasy creature was great. For the Uruk-hai makeup, I think resin and plaster would have been used? Resin is easy to work with and is strong, same with plaster. I don't know though

[@Trapsarentgay133]

One thing I really noticed was how jacked the actors were like they must have been hitting the gym for months before

[@vincentlinsin6549]

@@Trapsarentgay133 The films were shot in new zealand, and a lot of the extras for the bigger guys were local polynesians, samoans, etc. big tough indigenous dudes who could play the warrior culture act very well

[@vincentlinsin6549]

@Darklord Samoht I remember reading that the punches/headbutts in that scene are (painfully) full force for the same reason, that they guy couldn't see jack from the makeup. Honestly, it's a miracle nobody died or got crippled filming these.

[@AceWolf456]

I don't know, man. I know you're not huge on the "is this weapon practical" type questions but as someone who is a fan of swords, but doesn't know all too much about them, I am a big fan of hearing you talk about designs that are abnormal but still work practically.

[@eanaz79]

I would like to hear more about those weird looking historical swords.

[@dim_reapa8977]

+DHG x Ace Wolf Agreed. I know Skallagrim says he feels he made a boring video, but it's nice to see the contrast between the fantasy/film swords he slates and ones that are good. It gives him a chance to talk about good design, which I find just as interesting. Sure, it's fun poking holes in stuff, but either way it's always educational. I think that is broadly what attracts most of his audience anyway. I'll add a +1 to eanaz79 as well. I too would like to hear more about odd historical designs.

[@konialis45]

+Ant Loughlin Same here. Personally i would really like to hear about flamberges. Most notably i would like to know whether it's pronounced as "flamberg" or "flamberj" :)

[@mumfol4791]

+konialis45 Probably flamberg, it's from switzerland, where they speak german.

[@Seegras]

+Mumfol Dingzzzda Yes, and in german it's actually "Flammberge" with two "m"s, and it comes with a pronounced "e" at the end (even in english). But the origin could also be french.

[@tavsultra9458]

Skall you look like a Sith Lord .

[@elliotadams7463]

+LORD TAVISH darth Skall does sound like a badass sith lords name

[@crankstonshnord6591]

Much more intimidating than Kylo Ren for sure haha

[@Crawfishness]

+Elliot Adams Darth Skall, anyone?

[@sartanko]

+Crawfishness Darth Grim?

[@dustinkunish377]

Darth beard

[@Cyberdemon1542]

The spike on the sword would also be great for unseating horsemen.

[@toonsis]

it could not be sheathed and be a bigger danger to the wearer when carried

[@godlygamer2466]

Or disarming

[@sassythesasquatch1571]

Punching through armour

[@quynlanvuorensyrja5484]

Or hooking limbs and shields.

[@MaximumOvercricket]

Historically, many swords weren't kept in a formal scabbard. Many types of swords just weren't able to be held or retrieved from one conveniently. People would often just use a simple loop to carry them around, and wrap them in an animal skin to keep them safe from the elements during travel.

[@LuxCirilo]

I like how this man is honest with his content he basically did it for the viewers but never tricked us into believing it was worth the time

[@samsowden]

Tolkien described the uruk-hai as wielding scimitars. They went for a different design in the movies.

[@MrSheckstr]

Sam Sowden García I think because they wanted to portray the orcs as crude and brutish as possible with zero grace or finesse

[@Corey-dk3xi]

+

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

Sam Sowden García both are awesome designs

[@pickle2636]

read brutish as british

[@BigBWolf90]

well if you look at the Orcs, not the Uruk-hai, the do wield large Scimitar-esque looking blades. If I had to compare it to something it would be like a slightly trimmed down, more brutish & more fantasy designed version of that over sized Scimitar from Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark

[@yunix2396]

The sword in thumbnail is pratical. I mean you never know when you need to scratch your back in battle.

[@jubbus]

Don’t mind the blood!

[@hmkhgx8068]

If you scratch your back once with the sword you'll never have to do it again. Best back scratcher ever.

[@xanxv1246]

@@hmkhgx8068 consider this swords are made for orcs and not milk drinkers, that sword just hits the perfect spot in an orc's back, right in to the bone

[@Haliconable]

You got this wrong... it's for the orc prostate

[@nancyabsalon9436]

I think it's also made to dismount horseriders. Like you see some dude on a horse and you just spin your sword and slam the spike into their armor then yank them to the ground

[@mitromney]

The Witchking dagger's guard makes perfect sense if you think about what the weapon is used for. It's a cursed, poisonous dagger that's used for stabbing an opponent through armor. It's not made for dueling, it's not meant to parry a sword. It's purpose is to stab, reach opponent's flesh and make a wound as deep as possible, leave some of the dagger's fragile blade inside the body of the enemy, and let then let them go - afterwards, they would transform into undead themselves because of the dagger's power. This is why the guard is backwards. Because a regular guard, by pointing upwards, limits your ability to stab your target. As you dip your blade in the body, points in your guard would stop the blade from going deeper. By bending the guard downwards, you allow the blade to go extra inch inside the body, down to the very handle. This guard allows for maximum penetration, that's why it's shaped that way. You could say - well, why make a guard at all then? Guard makes sure you also don't stab TOO deep. It stops penetration at the very moment the blade ends, and allows you to easily pull it back. So yeah, the guard is both practical, and useful that way. A dagger this fragile, and used specifically to create poisonous stabbing wounds, was obviously not Witchking's dueling weapon. He had his sword, and his mace for that.

[@larsf478]

So why not put no guard at all there?

[@ravenrenalius7684]

@@larsf478 you are not the smartest in the room, arent you?

[@larsf478]

@@ravenrenalius7684 yeah probably. You have no manners, don't you?

[@ravenrenalius7684]

@@larsf478 yeah probably

[@stan5794]

@@larsf478 he says it in the comment.

[@SailorBarsoom]

Here is why this video you have made is useful: it shows that you can make beautiful, exotic swords for a fantasy movie and they don't have to be nonsense. Movie-makers, you don't have to choose between cool and practical. The LOTR movies show that you can have both. And that, Skallagrim, means that you have done a good thing. Thank you.

[@Blacklightprince]

Lad myth can be… well let’s just say bizarre

[@SailorBarsoom]

@@Blacklightprince Lad myth?

[@Blacklightprince]

@@SailorBarsoom I am not sure if I understand?

[@SailorBarsoom]

@@Blacklightprince You commented "Lad myth can be… well let’s just say bizarre" which I'm sure would make perfect sense to me if I knew what "lad myth" was. So I guess I'm pleading ignorance.

[@Blacklightprince]

@@SailorBarsoom perhaps ya heard of sentences like “dude myth is my favorite” all sentences can start with “you” “they” or “he” or even like man or lad but ya probably never heard of lad haven’t thou?

[@mermaidman961]

Fun fact, Jackson actually wanted the witch King’s flail to be bigger than that.

[@toonbat]

Epic flail?

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

Extra fact: The flail is named Damn Heavy.

[@cameronmccoy5051]

toonbat very nice, I literally laughed out loud.

[@isitnotwrittenthat1680]

Holy crap

[@TheMHB199]

@@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm surprised it wasn't called Hugh Mungus...But then every snowflake would get triggered...

[@thepraetorian6057]

Lotr is one of those fantasy’s that have realistic swords

[@allennyros1527]

Castles are based off realistic design as well, right?

[@Robert_Douglass]

I had a chance to hold a replica of Hadhafang in a store at Baybrook Mall in Houston, man....that thing felt so right. The right weight, the right balance, down to the last gram. You know....now that I think about it....I wonder if that might not have been the REAL Hadhafang? (j/k...still, a Man can dream, right?)

[@danbell3827]

And not just realistic, but each suits the style of the character using it, or who made it, perfectly. Small, fast blades for the elves, broadswords or longswords for humans, the shortswords as a defensive weapon for hobbits, etc

[@Dracomandriuthus]

PJ tried to keep things mostly grounded

[@sailor5853]

One of the serious ones yes

[@bretthines1020]

The Uruk-Hai sword is like an AK47: requires less formal training, rugged, works every time. The barb could be useful for unhorsing a rider. Great channel!

[@gaiuscaligula2229]

The Uruk-hai cleavers seem quite reasonable weapons to me, with the cleaver side for chopping through flesh and the point on the reverse for piercing armour.

[@h0m3st4r]

One more thing to love about The Lord of the Rings: most of the weapons are not only awesome but also practical.

[@brodericksiz625]

I always thought that Anduril and Glamdring look beautiful

[@404killer]

+h0m3st4r No, they're not.

[@SkurtavusGrodolfus]

It goes to show that a functional blade is always easier on the eyes than a ridiculously over-designed piece of scrap.

[@_Fornad]

+Gustav Hagberg Agreed. The swords from the LotR movies are pieces of art.

[@pandaphil]

That's why I have so much respect for the folks over at Wetta.

[@jamesmccomb9525]

Skallgrim: I shouldn't make the video, it won't be- Skallgrim to skallgrim: Do it

[@etunimisukunimi702]

ayyy i got it

[@etunimisukunimi702]

lmao

[@alvarmallo7167]

dewit

[@SuperDhsm]

i'm laughing so hard right now lmao

[@flameconvoy7424]

James McComb let your logic flow through you

[@madslybk377]

Its a Morgul Blade wielded by a Nazgul that wouldnt need such "protection"

[@antonioenglish8732]

Ok but, why having a hand guard at all then?

[@silviafox78]

@@antonioenglish8732 - It was a cursed dagger used by a wraith, which cannot be killed with conventional weapons (unless you are a bearer of the vagene). It's weapons are physical and can be blocked, so in order to inflict damage (it is a one-time use weapon, as the blade disappears after stabbing) you would need to avoid anything that catches or interrupts its traversal towards the intended target as it would hinder it's effectiveness. The backwards hilt allows defendants weapon to glance/slide off of it, maybe scraping the wraith (which is not a big deal when someone uses a non-magical sword or whatever on an undead half-ethereal being) but still allowing to strike the target. Besides this weapon was designed to turn mortals into wraiths, so it didn't need any potential countermeasures as a back weapon for defense, be it as a sword breaker, parrying dagger and etc. But if it wasn't a magical poison device for turning someone undead by a ghost-like phantom, it would certainly suck and be uncomfortable to wield as balls.

[@antonioenglish8732]

@@silviafox78 Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain it. It makes sense now.

[@silviafox78]

@@antonioenglish8732 ~You're Welcome!~

[@zebymtojawiedzia6724]

@@antonioenglish8732 they didnt use this daggers in combat, they have swords Its something like poisoned dagger

[@Soul93Taker]

In the words of the man portraying the Witch King about his weapon: "Some people called it a mace, others a flail. I called it what it was, which was damn heavy." There's even a video of Peter Jackson trying to lift it and he almost falls ON the thing because he couldn't hold it properly. So yes, it's impractical for a human being, which is why the Witch King was so fearsome as his strength was enough to wield it without much problem in the movie.

[@teabearchurchill5600]

Just gonna say, that was Manu Bennett.

[@VengefulMaverick]

Well, the witch king is an undead being with magic and the magic imbued ring given to him by Sauron. So I'd imagine he'd be pretty strong...

[@Altar360]

They generally work in a practical sense because one of the conceptual artists, John Howe, is a hardcore ancient weaponry and armor enthusiast. He was very anal in having the weapons and armor seem efficient and practical. The guys at Weta Workshop have anecdotes on how he changed their views on armor and weapons completely. The first bits of concept art before John Howe's involvement were very Dungeons and Dragons-ish

[@joshuaclare4860]

Altar360 This is a very well organised and well structured comment! But still hehe you said anal

[@tximistarissole]

That's really cool!

[@apachebeard952]

Anal. Hahahaha.

[@apachebeard952]

Just childish humour, pls don't hate

[@codypettigrew9972]

It was 4 sentences and you praise it for being well structured? Lmao how stupid are you to think one paragraph is tantamount to perfection?

[@Sparks52]

What would be the best weapon to defend against dozens of dwarves suddenly invading your home unannounced, uninvited and ravenously consuming all your food?

[@undertakernumberone1]

let them continue and try to convince them to sing you a nice song

[@austinjalbert]

jlind52 a dragon XD

[@CataStudies]

jlind52 free beer

[@Peteru69]

A good study lock.

[@alienplatypus7712]

jlind52 I assume you mean which medieval weapon? Otherwise I doubt an AK-47 would have any problems.

[@coops3600]

Isn’t the witch king’s mace not a mace but a flail? Lol

[@ChickSage]

Yep

[@ChickSage]

@Axel Genereux It would definitely be impractical for me. Seems to work okay for the witch king, though.

[@nelly5954]

the terms are fairly interchangeable

[@coops3600]

@Axel Genereux It's impractical because of how much it would weigh. If you had the godlike strength to actually lift and swing the thing like the witch king does it'd be practical as fuck lmao

[@ChickSage]

@@nelly5954 I think a flail has a chain, while a mace does not.

[@Unknown-eg5xz]

I just found out in my Norwegian class that Skallagrim was a legendary chieftain in ancient times

[@themiller3940]

Orks respect their choppas. Wait wrong thing

[@AstrumG2V]

DAKKADAKKADAKKADAKKADAKwaitwut?

[@javiermartinez664]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhhh

[@Julius55555]

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH

[@zero5496]

Ya gitz not fancy da choppaz aye? I rekkin ya neez sum gud choppin! Waaaaagh!

[@joeyawiki3315]

@Roboute Guilliman YA, blue git umie won't stand a chance against OUR WAAAAAAAAGH

[@halafradrimx]

Happy holidays? Fuck that, just say Merry Christmas.

[@CopernicoTube]

Skall doesn't have just christian followers.

[@Skallagrim]

+halafradrimx I say whatever I want. :p

[@halafradrimx]

***** Other than Christmas, what holiday happens during December 25th? Since you are a logical fellow, I presume you will present me a valid point to why not rather say Merry Christmas instead.

[@Skallagrim]

+halafradrimx Would you also try to argue that an axe should not be called a tool? Seriously, this is silly. It's a holiday season and not everyone celebrates christmas, while many people with other religions have other festivities during this time, so saying happy holidays makes perfect sense.

[@halafradrimx]

***** Tell me one religious event, other than the celebration of christ, that happens during 25th. P.S : I am a pagan.

[@G1NZOU]

I think my favourite sword is Aragorn's Ranger sword, it looks incredibly practical, well taken care of, and has a nice practical utility blade in the sheath too for eating, skinning animals and food prep.

[@darrianz639]

Skallagrim: "No one would really find this interesting..." At least 85K other people: "Hmm... Interesting."

[@HyuLilium]

The witch king's flail looked awesome as fuck though

[@jorgenschroen5440]

+dragonrasp very practical? in the movie he still doesnt wield it very well with super strenght.

[@Gabu_]

+Jorgen Schroen Maybe because it's a human actor?

[@balduran.]

+dragonrasp no matter how strong you are, focusing the force into smaller head would be more practical and did more damage

[@kalinmir]

+dragonrasp you will not fool gravity with superhuman strenght

[@BillRoyMcBill]

+celroid532 It looks like a jagged steel chandelier...nobody walks away from having that drop on you.

[@ms9404]

I think the witch king's weapon was purely for his pleasure because no man could kill him thus defeating the need for a practical weapon. He probably also didn't expect to find any expert swordswomen either. It is a ridiculous weapon though

[@Unseenarchivist]

I can see that "I don't have to try so i'm gonna swing a giant death ball around to illustrate the sheer lack of any fucks i give for your oh so noble swordsmanship"

[@ms9404]

+TheAlbion 😂😂 you just perfected what I was trying to say!

[@imperialityofserbia5138]

Well you know ... when you are thousands and thousand of years old - you have a lot of time to train .

[@ms9404]

+IMPERIALITY of Serbia true haha but I still like to think it's because since he's almost completely invincible (lethally allergic to shield-maidens) he's just using it for fun ;)

[@andyappleton3353]

And a ridiculous end for him too. "I'm not a man". Proceeds to kill him easily. So awful.

[@McGrewer]

The dagger one kind of makes sense a little. The backwards guard helps you push the dagger in deeper for more fatal stabbing. Which is nice for a usually stabbing weapon. But yes, a normal guard for parrying would be nicer for the layman.

[@K.Adler1120]

I own Hadhafang, and it so far has been the easiest sword to control for me personally and still looks beautiful

[@TheArzonite]

If I'm not mistaken, the backspike of Uruk-Hai swords was to grab onto horsemen so they would fall off their horses.

[@timothymclean]

+TheArzonite Not the most practical use of the spike.

[@billwithers7457]

+Timothy McLean Yeah, that would make more sense if it were a hook, but a triangular spike is going to do just over nil for hooking a horseman off his horse. It makes infinitely more sense as an anti-armor design, especially given their use of pikes for countering cavalry.

[@elgostine]

+bill withers it was meant for armour ( i read it in a book produced by the studio, written by the weta workshop guys where they go through the designs of the armour and weapons and their intended purposes

[@KainYusanagi]

+bill withers Not if you think of it as slamming the spike into the rider and using it to then yank the rider off their horse.

[@billwithers7457]

***** Except that a triangular profile spike is still going to be complete shit at that, since they generally come out most easily. More over, if you're hitting them hard enough to provide that level of pull, you're probably just going to kill them anyway. Plus it makes zero sense to send swordsmen against cavalry when you have shit tons of pikes right there...

[@AndyRoidEU]

00:39: "Frankly, I think its not gonna be all that good." You're very right, just 2.5+ million views, man, nothing extraordinary.

[@phillipmele8533]

By time of my writing this reply, the video has passed just over three million views. People like Lord of the Rings. :D

[@omokok1877]

over the course of 3 years for you

[@SZRLM]

View don't mean quality content. Basically the motto of KZbin.

[@AndyRoidEU]

@@SZRLM It means money though (if owned by the user)

[@Mrm3t21]

I think we all learned a lesson here

[@Judge_Jon]

Anduril is a beautiful sword. Only think I'd change is it would be nice to have the leather wrap down further.

[@Possum880]

I always loved the design of the Uruk-hai machete, always stood out to me

[@kamilszadkowski8864]

Ok, someone has to say it: The Witcher weapons scrutinized?

[@kamilszadkowski8864]

***** Yes, I know, but in these videos I'm more interested in Skall analysis and comparison to historical weapons. It's just fun

[@StirbMensch]

+Kamil Szadkowski Well first off someone would have to point out that the "silver swords" were not actually forged out of silver, but coated in it - because who the hell would actually want a sword made completely out of silver? Furthermore, as FuckYouGoogle already stated, they're mostly historical designs. What would be more interesting would be for Skallagrim to look both at TW1/TW2/TW3 gameplay AND cinematics and comment a bit on the Witcher fighting style (although I recall he already did bash the whole "pirhouette, spinning and dancing" part)

[@Grendich]

+Kamil Szadkowski oh please yes, i would love to watch that. witcher 2 had some really cool looking weapons

[@prospero768]

+StirbMensch Well, to the fighting style, I rather suspect they were trying to be faithful to the book. In which Sapowski, by his own admission, just took random terms out of a fencing glossary and strung them together into a description.

[@GamePhysics]

+Kamil Szadkowski Same thing for The Witcher. The swords are nice and practical, just like these.

[@JCSalomon]

The orcish sword is called a scimitar because Tolkien called it that: it’s the sword designers that chose an un-scimitar-ish pattern. The hobbit’s swords were not made for them: Sting was found in a troll-hoard and the other blades in a dead king’s barrow. They’re making do with what they can find that fits their hands, which means repurposing what to a Man would be a knife.

[@gabrielrangel956]

It's also mainly for defence, a hobbit is not supposed to fight.

[@MyMagicCookie6]

+Gabriel Rangel it would definitely be hard to be a thief with a giant shield and pole arm in hand

[@azuredragneal1685]

They look nothing like a scimitar xD like scall said there basicly machetes xD

[@BenniBodinJagell]

Knife in this case=long dagger

[@Alex_Fahey]

+Azure Wrath Those images came from the directors head (or whoever is in charge of their props). They are probably not what the author intended the scimitar to look like.

[@acorgiwithacrown467]

That orc sword is kind of genius, they don't take care of their weapons but it doesn't matter because if it blunts then they can just use the back spike until they get a chance to sharpen it.

[@artdent9871]

The Uruk Hai machetes with the 90° spike at the end struck me as very useful. The spike could pull shields out of position or pierce plate armour. Shields needed with no hand guard tho, agreed.

[@EuphoricDan]

The Witch King's morning star is pretty obviously absurdly effective *if* you are strong enough to swing the 100-150lb ball around. Obviously no actual person (other than Chuck Norris) would be capable of fighting with it; however assuming enough strength (Can we assume that the Witch King didn't have normal human constraints on strength?) you could easily mow people down with it and there is virtually no armor or fighting technique that could save you from a 150lb spiked ball of steel on a chain being whipped at you.

[@9limpen6]

Only a shield made of wood.

[@jbartnik1918]

IDK, with a chain that long, anything short of helicoptering at super-high, nearly uncontrollable speeds would leave you exposed. Also probably huge risk of killing yourself with it.

[@notalive5479]

That's why he has the sword, which balances it out. If you stay out of reach of the sword, he can use the star, if you try to get close, he can use the sword. Being swarmed by a group? Swing the 150 lb ball of death and decimate the entire group.

[@jwenting]

Correct. The weight of the thing isn't the problem per se, given that here we have a guy with super human characteristics. It's the physics that make it not work. For a weight that large you need a much longer chain to control its momentum effectively, and that makes it much harder to control (you need to slowly increase and decrease the speed of the swing to keep the chain more or less straight, or you end up with an uncontrollable spiky ball of steel whipping through the air in every which direction, most likely directly at your own head or legs).

[@kylecoucke943]

CaptainDuckman well, I think the point is he uses that weapon because he can't die basically. Unless the ring is destroyed he'll just be banished for a lil bit until he comes back. So since he's this ghost in a black cloak riding a dragon with an army of orcs at his back, he could probably assume that most people won't be challenging HIM to many duels. And he does have a sword. And since he was once a king you could assume he's probably fairly skilled. I'm sure he wasn't finessing people with his chain ball, it's a weapon that suits the character really,

[@impaeratorae6766]

The Morgul Blade isn't meant for sword fighting, the Nazgul has a longsword for that. It is simply to inflict the wound that transforms the victim into one of them. Also, I think the little spikes on the 2 could actually catch another weapon...

[@impaeratorae6766]

I mean on the blade and Evenstar's sword.

[@asayospacegoat6384]

By that logic, though, the Morgul blade shouldn't bother with a guard. If it's going to have one, it may as well have a proper deflecting guard--or, perhaps if we're going by the whole transformation thing, maybe the guard should be designed to trap the blade in some way. Besides, after all the yes's, I think there needed to be something to fill the criticism gap.

[@SantomPh]

+AsayoSpaceGoat the guard is just there so the Witch King can stab his prey and keep the blade well inside. a guardless dagger is not very firm

[@climbscience4813]

I think they made the guard point down to allow for the whole blade to enter the body. I mean, it's a magical weapon turning someone into a wraith by means of having the blade remain in the body. So, maybe for large foes it's important that the entire blade can enter the body. So, given the fact that it's a double edged dagger and that on the side to the front it has an advantage to have a guard, they at least wanted to have some kind of guard while not defeating the purpose of the dagger.

[@FirstLast-lr3ht]

+ClimbingCalisthenics still doesn't make sense as to why the gaird was facing the wrong way though

[@Zanshin001]

dang Skal you are awesome. You should do some tours for events or something. Would be cool to meet you!

[@rodache7200]

I love your vids, they are interesting and entertaining, and they help me to sleep

[@AnnaMarianne]

Arwen's sword is designed to be used on horseback. It's inspired by the Shaska, the sword of the Cossacks, among others.

[@randyslobojan5763]

Anna Marianne I'm a cossack descendent. Havent seen much mention of the blades. Odd the he doesnt mention much about the handle to blade angle. I feel that it implies a slightly different style of combat emphasizing using the end of the blade in an almost strictly slashing fashion. On horseback it would devasting. Even on light armor the blade almost hooks into the target.

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

im mortal This isn't Russia so whether this word has an extra "h" has little importance

[@phony1551]

Yes hs are very muc not important, tey are a useless letter that can be stricken from the alpabet as all words would still be very understandable wit out tem. Your argument is sound and very well tought out. I agree one undred percent

[@ArgentumEmperio]

im mortal I thought I should mention this: my girlfriend is learning swedish and called me a whore accidentally. I laughed it off but I suspect that you would go ballistic. Think about that for a bit.

[@phony1551]

I ope you know wat I am getting at by leaving h's out of my speec, letters are very important in modern langauge as tey can make a whole paragrap unreadable wit out tem Do you get it now?

[@genepozniak]

The Witch King's chain flail wouldn't work for a human, but a super-strong magical being could wield it just fine. :-)

[@s.k.8263]

I think there is still a problem with the handle being too small for the enormous head, but otherwise you're right. I think there are a few people in the world who could master it just fine.

[@aduboo29]

The ridiculous element more comes from it being... well, totally unnecessary. It doesn't need to be that big to kill anything the Witch King would fight. 'Tis literally a tool for dick measuring, regardless of whether his fancy magic super strength lets him use it.

[@OperationZulu506]

+aduboo29 there's no point in it being smaller than necessary. Blunt force weapons inflict damage based on the force used to swing. The heavier the striking section the more momentum and centripedal force you can generate. So make it as heavy as you can handle and being 9ft tall demon monster he can handle it. So just like Sauron's mace it can smash through dozens of soldiers at once, shatter shields and like stone as well.

[@Cemtexify]

I reckon there's a guy who could wield that in real life, if you don't know who I mean let's just say he raped her and killed her children

[@genepozniak]

Turtles No idea. I was thinking the winner of the world's strongest man contest, but he's nice.

[@ladyattis]

Arwen's sword reminds me of a rose twig with the two small spikes really looking like thorns. I think that's the aesthetic they wanted to go with along with it invoking perhaps the idea of a cavalry officer's sword with the smooth arc in it.

[@jaksantio1441]

For what it amounts to i am still appreciative that you took the time to make this video for your veiwers. Thanks!

[@gauvainmalefant9873]

Urukaï sword is often called "scimitar" because Orcs and Uruks actually use scimitars in the books, and not those machetes - probably created in the show just to get along with the Uruk style of armor

[@TheBudderWizard]

Gauvain Maléfant exactly. Whatever the weapon is called is usually because of the name in the book. With the exception being (maybe) hadhafang.

[@TheMagusOfTheMagnaCarta]

I think the correct term for that kind of weapon is a "falchion"

[@KyleCorbeau]

Last Gunfighter It definitely looks like it based off a falchion but the hooked tip definitely throws the base design a curve ball.

[@BigBWolf90]

well if you look at the Orcs, not the Uruk-hai, the do wield large Scimitar-esque looking blades. If I had to compare it to something it would be like a slightly trimmed down, more brutish & more fantasy designed version of that over sized Scimitar from Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark

[@BarryMichaels]

ozh Alex It wasn't that anti-asian, the easterlings were even said to be the greatest opponent, fighting to the last man

[@weeamood9615]

Bloodborne weapons scrutinized? Would be hilarious.

[@filthydaemonspawn1206]

Would be, except for Ludwigs Holy Blade... It could work, wouldn't be very practical unless your a hunter.

[@khaorix2667]

+Rage Angel I don't even think of Ludwig's blade as practical. The small sword in this and the Kirkhammer are the only weapons from the game I would use in an actual fight. Maybe the Moolight Greatsword from the DLC as well? But it's awesome as fuck, though. Excellent game, cool stuff.

[@QwertyBoredom122]

+T. Mood Pretty sure thats a conclusive not any chance in hell, only weapons coming close would be the sword part of the Kirk Hammer and Ludwig's.

[@kalinmir]

+QwertyBoredom122 riflespear too...?

[@QwertyBoredom122]

Kalinmir Too many moving parts, also the spear head would be at risk of breaking off, same with the Reiterpallasch. Chikage would probably be practical now that I think about it since its basically just a Katana.

[@nunyaasher7402]

As far as the dagger is concerned, there's a good way to optimize the inverted hilt. Use the opposite hand of your opponent, and go in for a strike. If they try to deflect your sword, you let it go down the outer edge, past the guard, and the dagger at that point is in your target's gut.

[@LawNerdClips]

Thank you for this video 🙏❤️ One of the lawyers I know is nicknamed Lawgolas for his hair and I wanted to make sure I got an elf or Orc 🗡 accurate for an edit ❤️😂 Subscribed because I am a Nerd Nerd not just a Law Nerd 😅.

[@bronynexgen]

but could you throw the pommel, thus ending the Nazgûl rightly?

[@garrythomas492]

Unfunny

[@bladewolfvii6383]

Garry Thomas The comment was made when the meme was still fresh. cut him some slack. I never liked it to beginn with, but I don't laugh about many things in general.

[@wheelslifts851]

Wild animal molester like the dude before said. He did this when it was not old yet. Maybe he really thought it was funny.. one could argue that you have no space to talk to him about bieng unoriginal or overuse of a bad joke, but look at your name. If it was intended to be funny, it's not. You have no room to insult people with that shit.

[@kurozarus8096]

Shut up? They're not speaking, my good sir Simon, they're typing.

[@markamanic]

If you throw Stings pommel you would only end him slightly

[@robertshein7744]

The back spike on the Ork machete is designed to hook riders off their horses

[@arcticshocked]

it doesn't matter, skall mentioning a potential use for the spike doesn't automatically throw away all other potential uses for it.

[@FirstLast-lr3ht]

that doesn't mean it's all it can be used for

[@MrDavidKord]

The sword should honestly be a little bigger to be taking riders off of horses, but I do understand the concept.

[@Stripedbottom]

I highly doubt it. The weapon is one-handed and simply does not have enough reach. Compare to the japanese no-dachi (a massive sword-shaped club, if you like) for example, which is a sword meant, among other uses, for de-horsing an opponent. All other spiked de-horsing weapons, such as the halberd, always have distinctly long shafts for this purpose. Did you know BTW, that the spike in medieval times was not really meant for killing or incapacitating a mounted opponent, but rather for pulling a heavily armoured knight from his mount (or even to grapple & pull him down as he was standing on the ground) so that he could then be disarmed, taken prisoner and ransomed after the battle? Nobody wants to kill a goose that lays golden eggs... I think this is simply conjecture from the fact that the machete in question does have a spike and that some other weapons with such a spike were used for de-horsing an opponent. But my bet is that the spike was meant for the other mentioned purpose (armour penetration when fighting heavily armoured opponents) or even as a tool for some other completely different purpose.

[@MrDavidKord]

Stripedbottom Ever heard of a trench spike? That's what this reminds me of. Made for piercing helmets and other heavily armored spots. I agree with your assessment, that's what I meant by bigger. The larger swords some of the huge Uruk-hai had would function better for that purpose.

[@alexdukec.7551]

5:51 i could FEEL the pain in his voice. This man loves his guards

[@freddiemiranda5366]

I definitely enjoy your content keep it up.

[@Ottuln]

You obviously didn't watch the documentary portion of the Extended Editions; they would have been the best resource for you on this. The swords in the Lord of the Rings are all functional swords made by Peter Lyon, a swordsmith and armorer, and each culture has a different real-world cultural basis for their designs. Sstaff would take some of the swords he made for the film out into the parking lot and do HEMA practice with them. Finely balanced, and beautifully crafted, they were really impressive weapons, not just as props.

[@ethandonnelly1973]

He was answering numerous requests about the weapons in the series that he already knew the answer to. He just elaborated for the sake of the people that wanted a vid about this.

[@zeldafan3135]

YOU obviously didn't watch the video, for the majority of the swords he says they were well designed and practical. He even notices some possible inspirations they had.

[@RowanBuchananroabie]

He literally said these were all practical swords and had real world inspirations.

[@RowanBuchananroabie]

***** The swords were all practical.

[@RowanBuchananroabie]

***** Yeah he made a remark about it at the end.

[@marielleforgotmylastname8282]

The mace would actually make sense. It was made for the wraith dudes, who were probably pretty damn strong.

[@sterlingmuse5808]

The problem is, a flail that large and heavy would generate WAY more force than you'd expect when you swung it. Skal and others cover this more when they talk about why super-strong individuals wouldn't need massive swords, but because of how momentum works, a body that could resist being torn in half from the force of all that mass swinging would be able to both A. Utilize a normally-sized weapon with even MORE force and B. Take hits from mountain-sized comets falling from the sky without flinching.

[@joshpittman3176]

@@sterlingmuse5808 he's a ghost bro a demonic mage at that really anything is fine it's a flail you flail it around hit random shit he's fine.

[@sterlingmuse5808]

@@joshpittman3176 That is a good point

[@matthewmcnamara2306]

@@sterlingmuse5808 couple of issues with that. But the main thing is. Let's just say you are right. I can wave a giant ass flail around at the same speed as the average man can use a normal flail. Theoretically if I lift a normal flail its reduced point of contact and increased speed would make it more dangerous to use. But the issue may in fact be this, would a standard flail be able to handle travelling at the much increased speeds? Especially a flail made by the orcs who's work was functional but not exactly the highest caliber. The chain links would most likely snap. So then the chain must be thickened. That damages the balance. So the ball must be made heavier. And so on and so forth until you find a flail that can handle the strength you put into it and moves at the highest speed possible without breaking. For all we know. The flail TWK uses is his compromise between speed and power.

[@sterlingmuse5808]

Matthew Mcnamara A heavier flail would have even more mass though - and thus, even MORE force applied directly to the handle and chain, meaning it would break MORE easily. Making the chain thicker only works for so long; eventually the weight of the ball and the associated force would overcome any benefit a thicker chain would give you. AND, all that force would also be applied on the person HOLDING the flail as well. Hence needed to be very durable to wield it, almost durable enough that you could just run around punching people and get a similar effect. There's also a thing called the square/cube law. When you make an object larger, it's mass doesn't get squared, like width times length. It gets cubed - width times length times height. Say you have a 2 pound block. If you make the block twice as big, it doesn't become a 4 pound block, it becomes an 8 pound block. *Because of that, increasing the size also increases the weight and force on the wielder exponentially.*

[@stevenwilson5556]

What made this video work is that you went over all the different named blades in the film and described each one with some detailed explanations and examples. Not boring at all to me. As of Aug 2019, there's 69k up, 2k down votes, and 2.8 million views. I'd say this video was both well recieved and popular. Your fans were right to ask you to do it.

[@gentlemanjaxx]

Would’ve been interesting if we got a look into the Easterlings weapons. They were the ones to use scimitars for sure, along with halberds and axes. On top of that, gave both the Elves and Numenoreans a run for their money in battle.

[@dradamov]

7:14 I think despite the very spot-on criticism, the design of this dagger seems to be exactly right for its intended use. It was a cursed dagger used by a wraith, which cannot be killed with conventional weapons (unless you are a bearer of the vagene). It's weapons are physical, can be blocked, so in order to inflict damage (it is a one-time use weapon, as the blade disappears after stabbing) anything that catches, interrupts its traversal towards intended target would hinder it's effectiveness. Backwards hilt allows defendants weapon to glance/slide off of it, maybe scraping the wraith (which is not a big deal when someone uses a non-magical sword or whatever on an undead half-ethereal being) but still allowing to strike the target. Besides this weapon was designed to turn mortals into wraiths, so it didn't need any potential countermeasures as a back weapon for defense (be it as a sword breaker, parrying dagger or sth). But if it wasn't a magical poison device for turning someone undead by a ghost-like phantom, it would certainly suck and be uncomfortable to wield as balls.

[@youngwarrior1985]

dradamov good analysis, it’s definitely designed with a specific purpose in mind that’s in line with the lore surrounding it.

[@possemis]

eowyn was not able to kill the WK because of her vagene but because merry stabbed him in the leg with a magical blade that was made to kill/harm the WK which was given to the hobbits by tom bombadil who had found them in the barrows when they where captured by a barrow wight in the first books.

[@willemboele2079]

@@possemis learn to make proper scentences. your comment is unreadable.

[@possemis]

@@willemboele2079 LEarN tO mAKe pRoPer SCenTenCes mmUUUHHHH.... this is youtube so i am not even going to bother to check my spelling. maybe you should learn to stop being a grammar nazi, nobody likes grammar nazi's. have a good day.

[@willemboele2079]

@@possemis "i'm not going to bother to check my spelling" good luck getting a job.

[@stolenname94]

is souls level 120 with a strength build good enough to wield sarouns mace?

[@dondonnysson4973]

+James Somogyi I reckon you'd need at least 50 strength to wield that

[@stolenname94]

Fucking sweet dude thanks

[@mr420quickscops2]

+James Somogyi You'd need a maximum of 8 intelligence also, because, well, yeah

[@thegamesforreal1673]

+James Somogyi dark souls 3 actually has a nice mace that looks a lot like saurons... Try farming the large knights in the Cathedral of the Deep with the mace weapons. It's not a very good weapon though, it's probably one of the worst greatmaces.

[@stolenname94]

Im all about the demon great axe that thing is a monster perfect for destroying clusters of summons with it weapon art

[@amazoniancustodian]

Dude, I’m happy I found your channel

[@BAsgeirr]

Good, it is always good to hear more opinions on things it helps us with enriching our perspective on the world around us and on how different people think and reach their conclusions. Edit: grammar.

[@abyssalknight4081]

The Hobbits are going to Isenguard

[@alfatazer_8991]

They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard! To Isengard! To Isengard! To Isengard...Gard..Gard...Gard!

[@Edd360]

BOIL THEM MASH THEM OR STICK THEM INTO A STEW

[@outfit5103]

+Pan kurczak the hobbits are talking with isengard

[@KnightofRome01]

+Pan kurczak Isengard...

[@filipkikoa9141]

+Pan kurczak No, the Hobbits are going to Isengard. WITH TREES.

[@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies]

Well, I'm not going to read all 4,272 comments, so if someone's already covered this, please forgive me. When the Orc blade is called a "Scimitar" it's likely from someone remembering that normally, most orcs used a scimitar, and it was only Saruman's Uruk-Hai who used the short, straight blades. Hadhafang was a movie-only blade, in the books Arwen was not a warrior and she had no sword we know of. They did create some back-story for the blade we never got from the films, it was said to be the sword of Idril, daughter of Turgon, King of Gondolin and High King of the Elves after the death of Fingon, his brother. By the way, Gandalf's sword, Glamdring, used to be King Turgon's before the fall of Gondolin. In Tolkien's LOTR, the only woman we really hear about fighting is Eowyn, niece of King Théoden. As Théoden and his people were supposed to have wandered down from the far North, they show some Viking-like tendencies. Eowyn proudly proclaims her self to be a shieldmaiden longing for a glorious death in battle. The elves certainly would have had great skill in making weapons, if for no other reason than their age: By the time Frodo came into the story, Elrond was over 6,000 years old, and Gandalf, one of the beings who helped create the earth, came to Middle-Earth as a wizard with unknown thousands of years of knowledge and experience. Sorry, I ramble when it comes to the Tolkien Legendarium. I'm an elvish-speaking Middle-Earth expert.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

The Rohirrim weren't based on Vikings; they were Anglo-Saxons with a twist (specifically, what would the early English have been like if they'd had a horse-based culture).

[@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies]

Andrew Gwilliam The Rohirrim were people who had once dwelt in the far North but came south to settle new lands, displacing some who were there and settling with others. The Vikings came from the North and conquered and displaced some on the British Isles and in France, and settled with others who were there (including some Anglo-Saxons, and also some French.) Seems somewhat likely.

[@EagleScoutmano]

Vikings and Saxons share common ancestry as two of the various Germanic tribes; in fact Saxons were known for their raiding behavior in their (the Roman's) day, much like the Norse vikings of five centuries later. In that sense, then, it's somewhat ironic that both Saxons and Norse invaded (and somewhat colonized/mixed into) England; a double-dose if you will of the same breeding stock, centuries apart.

[@amitabhakusari2304]

Glorfindel's role was replaced and clubbed with Arwen's in the films.I wish I had seen that guy,he was quite awesome in the books.

[@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies]

@@amitabhakusari2304 Awesome? Oh yeah. He was easily the greatest warrior in Middle-earth from his resurrection in the Second Age until he went back to Aman. It was said he was nearly on par with a Maia in terms of power (Gandalf, Saruman, and Sauron were all Maia, as were the balrogs.) I'd say in the whole legendarium, Glorfindel has to be one of the very best 4 or 5 warriors who ever lived. I'd say Fingolfin was likely the very best, how can you argue against the guy who gave Morgoth himself seven very serious wounds. No doubt Fëanor was great, but he was greater in mind and spirit. He was likely an incredibly skilled warrior, but his true greatness lay in other areas. Finglofin, Glorfindel, Ecthelion, and then probably Eärendil.

[@Herowebcomics]

While you said you cold make the video shorter, I'm glad you didn't! This was a fun talk about some awesome weapons!

[@krovek]

IIRC Sting was described as being a long knife when in the hands of a human

[@UndeadGhostGirl]

Never thought I'd be subscribing to a guy who talks about swords. Life is funny sometimes.

[@boshvasara1868]

Kyotis Nigel Man at arms is a great channel to watch my friend

[@bladewolfvii6383]

james 331 Not really. Much like cold steel they don't know a lot about practical weaponry.

[@boshvasara1868]

bladewolf VII They do Actually! The only reason why it looks that way is because they do alot of fantasy and anime weapons

[@gastonbell108]

Now you gotta buy one.

[@binozia-old-2031]

some guy named jamie james shadvirsty is the best

[@offsimon]

Anduril and Glamdring are clearly long swords, elvish swords look like Chinese swords (dao?) and Orchrist is basically a falchion (some falchions only had a half guard as well). Nothing unusual. Uruk-hai swords are probably designed to be used mostly against cavalry (rohhirim) and the lack of guard is not that significant. Also the design is supposed to be simplistic, since they were supposed to be finished quickly and easily. Also Orks don't care that much about defensive capabilities and they usually don't even wear armor (apart from Uruk-hai, but still). Again makes perfect sense.

[@christianskjutare6350]

+Simon Željko I agree Orchristis basically a elven take on the early clever type Falchion. As for hobbits having to short swords. Well sting was made by elves for elves as a dagger. A halfling has got to use what he can find.

[@BenniBodinJagell]

At least the orcs (and goblins) of Moria had armor, and some of them had a lot of it in fact. I don't know about the orcs of Mordor because I haven't seen the last movie yet.

[@CopernicoTube]

+Benni Bodin Jagell Moria goblins benefits from metal and riches stolen from dwarves. Orcs of Mordor mostly use chainmail armor. Outside Moria, just Uruk-Hai and Saruman regular orcs wear breastplates.

[@offsimon]

CopernicoTube When Orcs are independent (without a master) they tend to go without armor. Tolkien's vision of Orcs on their own is savage creatures, pillaging and destroying what they can. When they are controlled by a master (Melkor, Sauron and Saruman) they become an army. They are more disciplined and also better equipped in terms of both weapons as well as armor. The point is they don't wear armor by themselves, because they don't do anything by themselves. Even to their masters they are completely dispensable. They (masters) provide weapons and armor, but as little as possible. No armor would make them too inefficient in war.

[@CopernicoTube]

Simon Željko I see your point, but Moria goblins are a remarkable exception. Even when the Sauron was just a feeble shadow, they defeated the dwarves and take his riches to themselves. They choose a king and organize armies. In general, Tolkien describe Orcs not entirelly foolish, skilled underground engineers, and even almost decent blacksmiths. Enough to dwarves hates them. So, I think that is just a matter of opportunity.

[@UyFrankito]

Super interesting; thanks for making this

[@trailerparkwerewolf910]

Sting I heard was actually based on a long dagger that many British troops used in the trenches of WW1 that had a leaf like blade. Tolkien of course would’ve had first hand experience. The Uruk Hai sword gets called a scimitar because in the books the Uruk were said to have carried scimitars

[@AE-dh6zj]

Buht skall, is just moovei, an nobady caers aboet reelism.

[@404killer]

+Wehrmacht Lyle But, to be honest, I actually don't care if their swords work. They look cool.

[@Lurker101Gaming]

+HeavenHammer At the same time, it's nice to know that a cool looking sword is fit for purpose.

[@andrewterry1345]

You need a hilt to the face

[@salvatore9600]

+codassassian gaming he needs a pommel thrown at him!

[@Niidea1986]

+Wehrmacht Lyle àctually, if he made the video is because people do care about it.

[@Vikingr4Jesus5919]

Why is Sting included? It's barely a sword, more like a letter opener really. LOL, sorry, couldn't resist xD

[@Robert_Douglass]

Plus it wasn't always named Sting. It certainly wasn't called anything like that in the days of Gondolin. I'd like to read the tale that tells how these weapons survived the War of Wrath and found their way into Eriador.

[@1101millie97]

To an elf or a dunedain, sure. But like the guy says, to a hobbit it’s not unlike Greek or Roman sword of the ancients, which makes sense given they were originally forged by the Eldar in the First Age in Beleriand.

[@LazyYes]

Makes more sense than a flail/mace haha

[@strider04]

@@Robert_Douglass they were capture by hill trolls that took them to where they are now. That is the only explanation given

[@Vikingr4Jesus5919]

@Wraith Gaming Heh, thanks.

[@bestyoueverhad100]

One of your best videos lol looks like it did pretty well

[@juttley]

This was the first Skall video I ever watched all those years ago. Just showed up in my feed again.

[@AlluidTheGamer]

Given the Hobbit's proportions, wouldn't a shortsword be like a longsword to them?

[@flyingsodwai1382]

Yep, its mentioned in the literature if not in the movies.

[@Real_MisterSir]

I think that a longer sword would simply compromise the hobbits' only natural strength, their agaility. Of course, if you are a hobbit soldier in an army and yu have to hold the line against someone, then a longer sword would be moer fitting, but the hobbits in the movies are hardly warriors nor do they seem to have the required physique to actually wield a longsword and carry it on their journeys. The way I see it, the small blades like Sting are just there to give them some form of protection as self defense should they encounter enemies, but not for direct offense.

[@insertname1667]

+Daniel Kemnitz I think hobbits are actually stronger than what we assume but you're right about how something like a longsword would be completely impractical for them to use because of the size alone, since hobbits are roughly the size of young human children.

[@SantomPh]

Aragorn and Denethor both comment that the Barrow blades they use as swords would be dirks or short swords for normal Men. However it is also noted that the eastern Hobbits of Buckland and Tookland have swords of their own and know how to use them.

[@magma2680]

+Daniel Kemnitz they're never fighters anyways, they're only ever supposed to be archers or reconnaissance

[@boredsoimakevideos12]

im getting a Christopher Walken accent going on with your voice lol

[@AdolfHitler-uq8ec]

RIP

[@roxoco8470]

Rip?

[@AdolfHitler-uq8ec]

+Ryan Mahaffey rest in peace since I'm pretty sure he's ded

[@roxoco8470]

+Adolf Hitler No Christopher Walken is alive, I think you are thinking of Christopher lee who died recently

[@StoneyWoney]

Cant unhear it now! :O

[@johnmontalbano6027]

It makes sense to call the uruk-hai weapon a "machete" because the back spike makes it tip-heavy, like a kukri, kora, or a bill hook.

[@mediocreman6323]

As others have already pointed out, there is nothing wrong with the Morgul blade. “This is not from the world of the living”, wraiths (“ghosts”) have different priorities in combat than living beings, it's not that they could die of blood loss. So, no, the Morgul blade is just fine. Also, having the hilt indeed in the other direction emphasizes the fact that they are indeed not from this world, giving the blades something that just feels wrong and uncomfortable. Perfect!