# Swords carried on the back? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 15, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847 "2010-07-15T23:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SeaCanary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SeaCanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaCanary)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/41 "2010-07-17T18:51:17Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Who the heck carries a six foot long sword? Or even five-footer? While there are swords whose total length is over six feet long, these were almost always ceremonial weapons. A 16th century [Landsknecht](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsknecht) [Doppelsöldner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppels%C3%B6ldner) (a very big German mercenary) might carry a [Zweihänder](http://www.thearma.org/essays/2HGS.html). These swords were intended for combat and _could be_ [six feet long](http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Zweihnder/id/1950806) from the base of the handle to the tip of the blade. (The closer they got to six feet the greater the likelihood they were ceremonial swords.) On a more personal note the [Wallace Sword](http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/Wallace_Sword), said to belong to William Wallace of Braveheart fame, has a total length of five foot, four inches long. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/42 "2010-07-18T00:49:34Z")
That sword is almost certainly not a medieval longsword, specially of that period. It’s very likely that it’s a renaissance piece, possibly ceremonial. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/43 "2010-07-18T02:16:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [I snapped a photo of my sword](http://www.flickr.com/photos/27492458@N05/4802258398/). > > I haven’t pulled it out in quite a long time, and the damp environment up here has caused a little surface rust on the crosspiece. I’ll attend to that shortly. “Greatsword” would be a better description of that weapon. A broadsword is any sword with a straight, two-bladed edge, and usually describes swords smaller than yours. I’m not sure what samurai would have frequently carried a six-foot long sword. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/44 "2010-07-18T02:31:15Z")
What is a typical length of a broadsword, then? (As I said, my blade is three feet.) The Japanese had six-foot swords? I know the _tachi_ was ‘long’, but only about 4" longer than a _katana_. Thhe _nodachi_ had a blade about four feet long. The _naginata_ was six or seven feet long, but it was more like a _katana_ mounted on the end of a pole. **Roderick Femm** : Musashi’s weapon was a _bokken_ – a wooden sword. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/45 "2010-07-18T03:35:43Z")
I was talking to someone once about the Scottish Claymore (which they carried on their back) and asked how they managed to draw such a thing. They showed that the claymore didn’t have a scabbard as such. Instead, there was a strap with a metal ring at the bottom and an open ring (sort of like a hook) at the top. The sword was held by these two points. To draw the sword, one reached up, pulled the hilt down and around to free it from the hook then pulled it to the side, freeing it from the ring. This was at a highlands festival so I’m not sure how historically accurate it was, but it did seem to work in their demonstration. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/46 "2010-07-18T04:22:41Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > “Greatsword” would be a better description of that weapon. > > A broadsword is any sword with a straight, two-bladed edge, and usually describes swords smaller than yours. > > I’m not sure what samurai would have frequently carried a six-foot long sword. Longsword would fit it better, using medieval/renaissance terminology. It looks to be two-handed. I can’t tell much with a low Rez photo, but it seems to be lacking on the profile tapering, gives it a fatasysh look. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/47 "2010-07-18T04:26:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > What is a typical length of a broadsword, then? (As I said, my blade is three feet.) > > . Broadsword like most sword terms, are vague. Blades of around that size, maybe a bit smaller and with a grip for a single hand would have been called an arming sword, or simply sword. A blade of that size or bait bigger with a grip that accommodated two hands would be a longsword. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/48 "2010-07-18T04:30:37Z")
Sorry about the photo. I need a better camera. It’s two-handed, with caveats. Two hands would be a tight fit with gloves on – though people of shorter stature might have smaller hands. There is no profile taper. The cross-section is a ‘long diamond’. (i.e., it tapers from the longitudinal axis to the edges – like a dagger.) You can see that the crosspiece is simple, and there is a 2" steel pommel (probably a ball bearing). I wanted a very plain sword, and that’s what I got. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847/49 "2010-07-18T06:20:23Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > The first movie I can remember noticing back-carried swords was _Conan the Barbarian_ Me too. But the strongest image in my mind is [this](http://www.robin-of-loxley.de/nasir.htm). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-carried-on-the-back/546847.md?page=2)