OT a few comments on (Viking) fighting

[athanaric]

Thanks for sharing, Macilrille.

Well said, Sir. A samurai is from what I understand trained for one on one battle which the show is based on. I get a little disgusted with the broad generalizations they make but I must admit it is entertaining and exhilerating to see these weapons of antiquity decimate a pig or ballistics gel torso. I really care little for the outcome of the fake battle just the weapons demonstrations.

I'll second that.

[VIPERLORD]

Holy wall of text Batman, my eyes are bleeding. Worth the read though :)

[satalexton]

The whole idea of Samurai doing heroic charges and sending enemy 'lings flying/dying is just stupid. They weapons and armour's designed to resist the 'cowardly' arrows, and duel each other with a minimized risk of actually killing one other.

Let's not even go into the ridiculous myth about the Katana being able to own every material and weapon in existence. It's nothing more than a curved saber given the strength and speed of 2 arms instead of one.

[Hannibal Khan the Great]

The only reason the Samurai were ever so revered was the fact that they literally had no competition. Now if the Mongols had successfully invaded without that storm......

[Badass Buddha]

While I am not an expert by any means, if we are comparing the 11th century Vikings with 11th century Samurai, the relatively heavy Viking weapons would have shredded a Samurai's laquered wood armor.

[Macilrille]

BB, yes and no, Viking weapons are not actually as heavy as they look. I am an expert mostly on the swords as I have spent a lot of time with those in hand, 800- 1800 Gr. These fellows here have some fine articles on the misconception of the exaggerated weight of medieval swords. Two-handed though, but the same goes for our ideas about one-handers.

As I understand it they did not pit the 11th century Samurai against a Viking of the same time, the Katana being present rules that out as they were only invented in the 12th century; in the Viking Age, the Japanese fought largely with shorter stabbing swords. They pitted a 17th-18th century Samurai (who were largely ceremonial anyway which a Viking was definately not), against a Huscarl of the late 10th and first half of the 11th centuries.

Hannibal, European visitors of the 16th century were pretty impressed with them as well, and they would have been quite familiar with violently feuding nobles from their homes. Though of course, Vikings PWN anyone (TiC).

Thanks Viper, but I am a historian, we are well-known to be pretty wordy, if you searcyh my posts here you will see that about once every second month or so I drop a bombload of text.

Now I will go look at some 3rd Century BC belts and swords.

[Badass Buddha]

I said relatively. I know a Chokutō weighs around one lb/0.45 kilo, but I don't know about Viking weapons. I was under the impression they were around three lbs/1.36 kilos. Do you have any links about earlier weapons? All of that stuff is from the 14th century onward. Thanks.