Bejeweled Sword & Dagger Hilts
Examples of extreme ornamentation. By this point, these weapons are purely ceremonial or symbols of status. Were they to be used in combat, the precious stones could be easily lost. However, they are beautiful examples, nonetheless.
Some of these can be seen as ornamental (or ceremonial) (such as the 6th from the left, on the top row), as the metal would be too weak to support a strike, or even to balance the sword properly. This is further supported by some of the examples on the left of the bottom row, as they share common elements and themes with ceremonial helmets of the same era, such as in this example: http://image.forumcommunity.it/3/1/8/6/0/7/0/1256057480.jpg The examples to the right of the bottom row are perhaps some of the most functional designs in this set, as they appear to be capable of pommel strikes, as well as good balance.Evolution of the Celtic sword hilt
Different type of sword hilts
http://madartlab.com/2011/12/14/fantasy-armor-and-lady-bits/
Great article on women’s armour in media. Similar argument to my honours project: seeking a balance between practicality and aesthetics.
Here I looked at some swords from Oakeshott’s “Records of the Medieval Sword” and picked out the more bizarre/interesting elements: atypical pommels and crosses.
After a while, I have come across the revelation that, out of the melee weapons (or weapons based on historical designs), maces are the most versatile (though flanged maces seem to be an exception, and I will expand on this in a future update). As long as the top is heavy, there are few limitations to the form. This page explores this idea:
Finally, a short exploration of curved blades and crossguards. A lot of the blade shapes are based on falchions, which, put simply, are weaponized cleavers. They work differently to straight swords and are a sort of middle ground between swords and axes.
I will have to do some investigation on this, as well, to see their sources.
