10-04-2006, 12:01 PM
Quote:Quote:It could be, of course, but there are plenty of later swords with large pommels, so it is not really a distinctive marker, now is it?But are they almost spherical, or do they have an almost constant diameter all the way round? No matter the orientation of the sword you will always have the hand in a position to rest against it. How about the handgrip having deep grooves which very well suit a pulling action?
Plenty of norse swords, as well as many early and high medieval swords, have eye-shaped pommels, but few have circular ones. Then again, the gladii pommels I've seen are hardly entirely circular either. I sort of doubt it's that much of a problem anyway. I've fought in WMA training and gotten small but heavily bleeding rifts on my hands (typically knuckles), causing my gloves to fill up with blood without that impacting much on my handling of blades (or me noticing it before it started drippling down the arm ruining my shirt). It would truly take an impressively stuck weapon to demand extra grip like that...
You could be right, of course. I've usually fought with leathercovered wood grips - perhaps all-wooden grips more easily slips...
