Originally posted by Dr. Tachyon
I can\'t believe there isn\'t a Spatha, as that very sword was used by Celts and Rome, evolving into the Vikingsverd and eventually ended up as the ancestor of the Medieval Norman longsword
OT but... I\'m not sure if we should really consider the typical Northern European broadsword from the 8th-10th centuries as truly a lineal descendant of the spatha. Apart from the huge gulf in time, during the Migration period designs went in all sorts of directions. It\'s a stretch but it\'s kind of like saying a horse-drawn coach is the ancestor of the Jeep.
Once we get to the recognisable \'Viking blade\' style they\'re quite different forms and are in fact swords of a completely different type: long, slim and parallel-sided v. much broader and tapering. And then of course there\'s the fuller, which is such a significant feature of the Northern European blade of the early-mediaeval period, contrasting with the form of Celtic & Roman long swords which were flat (?) or diamond in section.
Originally posted by Dr. Tachyon
Obviously more successful than the Katana/Wakazashi/No Dachi...
I don\'t think it\'s obvious - more successful in what way? There are numerous ways of defining that and I\'m not sure I\'d agree with any of them
I have to say, many a sword buff, European and Japanese, think the classic Shinto blade form is a pinnacle of aesthetics married to functionality.
Einion