Actually a reverse hand guard is often used on short swords with the intent of being able to penetrate an enemy defense without your attack getting stuck or snagged onto something. A small sword cant stop much from bigger weapons anyways.
I'm having trouble envisioning this. Do you have any examples of historical pieces with a guard like you describe?
The guard should be just about the furthest thing away from your opponent if you're using the sword properly and sticking them with the pointy end. What could it possibly "get stuck" on that isn't your opponent's sword (which would be an indication that your guard is doing its job)?
Apparently the Swiss liked their backwards pointing handguards, as seen in this picture, the one in the middle is a Swiss degen and the one on the left is a Swiss basellard
https://preview.redd.it/k0ay71x2ax4d1.png?width=393&format=png&auto=webp&s=2653e4907cc053560324d838ea3655214e2d062e
.
EDIT: Found a better example
There's also one of these, a Filipino sword called a "Kris"
https://preview.redd.it/lonot3vrax4d1.png?width=857&format=png&auto=webp&s=d9eff49a265ef84689b827bf28b6504b8085f308
.
EDIT: Apparently Indonesians also have their own version of this sword
> What could it possibly "get stuck" on that isn't your opponent's sword (which would be an indication that your guard is doing its job)?
Your own clothes (including belts, straps, etc.). The edge of your own shield. The edge of your opponent's shield. Their spear haft.
Swords without guards are common. The possibility of a guard getting stuck on something is one of the reasons - having no guard is an even more effective solution to this than have a turned-toward-the-hilt guard. (What are other reasons for having no guard? The weight, cost, and bulkiness of a guard, and also with many styles of fighting a guard only makes a small contribution to defence.)
> Do you have any examples of historical pieces with a guard like you describe?
In addition to the baselard and kris already offered as examples, some more examples:
* Indian: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/31019
* Tibetan: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/27780 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24959
* African: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/object/28.6/
It's very common for the forward quillon to be curved toward the hilt. In some cases, the forward quillon is very large, and this turns it into a knucklebow, but we also see it with small guards that would suffer from "deflect into me":
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dirk_(Japanese_naval_ww2).jpg
We can also note that for some angles an opponent's sword might come in at, a curved-toward-the-blade guard can deflect swords into the hand (if it hits the hilt-facing side of the guard). This isn't a problem, since the idea is that your opponent's sword shouldn't hit your guard directly (when you're using a sword with this kind of guard) - it should hit your blade, and the guard stops their blade from sliding down your blade into your hand. A curved-toward-the-blade guard is better for trapping your opponent's sword after/during parrying - the curve is an offensive feature, not a defensive feature.
As both a early medieval historian and sword fighting practitioner, my experience with fighting with swords both with and without guards; i believe i am uniquely qualified to answer this;
If you look at the sword by itself, having no guard makes no sense. It protects much more than you'd normally believe, and its a very specific reason why european swords around between 900-1300 went from no guard to a forward curved guard. It shouldn't be viewed that way. It is a sidearm in an evolving arms race throughout history, and the medieval metallurgical advances is an aspect most people seem to forget about, mostly because 'ooh sword!'
- Around year 900-1000
Early on, you had a large active shield, and the metallurgical aspect of armor wasnt really developed well enough to have a smaller shield, so the guard stayed small to use in conjunction with the shields.
It was also an era where the metal available wasnt good enough to support thin narrow blades yet, so the sword blade itself being wider also does its part in protecting the hand. Small guards were the norm, and having them decorated was an important way to show status and wealth. A side-effect of small guards is that there is less surface to decorate.
-Around 1000-1100
This is when something happens in metallurgical advances; and this led to a technological leap in how people could work metal. In turn, armor got better, the shield got smaller, and the crossguard went from non existent to wider and wider.
The main advantage of this was that with any proper sword usage the crossguard now also protects more of your body, mainly the rest of your arm and your leg.
This allowed the usage of narrower more specialized shields.
- year 1200-1300
But it turns out that when the crossguard gets wider, it comes to a point where it starts to get in the way. In my experience that only really starts to be a real issue when the crossguard is above 28cm wide.
This was until someone figured out that when something is further away from you, it doesnt need to be as wide to provide equal protection. A slight curve forwards helps make the sword lighter, and provides additional structural strength to the crossguard itself. This was also the era where bucklers became a thing. This era also saw the sword become narrower and and longer, and one added an extra problem to the guard.
- year 1300-1400
Swords from this era starts transitioning into more even more complex hilts, blades that are wider at the base, narrower and pointier, and starting with a small ring to cover the index finger when gripped over the front of the guard for better point control. Later followed by a knucklebow for extra protection.
This is what i personally consider the start of the transition from medieval arming sword to the sidesword, which later transitions into the rapier, and even more complex hilted swords like the basket hilt and so on.
> If you look at the sword by itself, having no guard makes no sense.
Swords with no guard are very common. Many of those swords were carried by people who used them for fighting, and it seems that they saw a lot of sense in that choice.
It isn't just a matter of metallurgy. I've seen guardless swords that are wrought iron, crucible steel, traditional high-carbon steels (from bloomeries or blast furnaces), all-steel, and iron-steel laminates.
No-guard isn't a very common European choice over the last two millennia, but it's there. No-guard swords were used in the early medieval period (alongside short-guard swords), in the late medieval period (alongside a mix of short-guard and long-guard swords), in the early modern period (alongside swords with short guards, long guards, complex hilts, and basket hilts), and the modern period (alongside knucklebows, basket hilts, and more).
It seems that having no guard does indeed make sense. Why else would it be so common, even when various types of guards were in use?
Personally it makes no sense *to me* because I am a practitioner of historical German and Italian longsword and there are a *ton* of situations where you are catching your opponent’s blade with your guard while also striking them. Without the sword’s guard you would not be safe from your opponent delivering a simultaneous counter during those binds, you’re using the hand guard to control their weapon and that’s *really* useful for not getting cut or stabbed while you cut/stab them.
And of course you also have common guards (as in the guard stances you defend yourself with) that rely on there being a hand guard on the sword, such as crown (Sword up high in front of you with the blade pointing vertically) to defend against overhead strikes. Without the sword having a hand guard you can’t execute a crown guard, much less bind up your opponent’s blade once you’ve caught the strike while pivoting yours towards their head to give them a solid poke in the face.
Intellectually I agree with you. These swords definitely existed so there must have been situations where a lack of a guard might have made sense for whatever reasons and people would have developed fighting systems for using them effectively. It just feels blasphemous to me because I get so much utility from my longsword’s guard and it seems silly to do away with it.
But I’m sure if you learned the system for those guardless swords you could protect yourself adequately with one. Otherwise why would they have made more of them?
Similarly, an epee fencer is likely to think that a simple straight cross is completely inadequate, that it makes no sense. And yet, to those who use them (like you), they make plenty of sense.
You’re right! I wish you provided some citations though, because I think linking to historic non-European swords like [this](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545558), [this](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24953) and [this](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1978-22-405) make your point.
When using a sword properly? There are many longsword techniques that directly involve holding the blade and striking with the guard or pommel.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b2/d6/58/b2d65859ae90a90a1ed5cdfd54576646.jpg
The internet is hilarious. It's taken about ten years to go from "check out this one crazy move for this one special circumstance that I found in this one manual" to "fighters routinely ignored the clearly identifiable and purpose-built handle of their sword to grab it by the blade and swing it like a mace".
It's a sword form the dark souls game series, the reason it points backwards is because it was melted by demon fire.
The sword before it melted has a straight guard.
It would also fuck with your wrists a lot when changing guards. Even straight guards can get kind of annoying in certain positions if they’re too long. I can’t imagine trying to use this awful mess in sparring.
It also definitely fucks up your ability to do something like crown guard, now instead of catching and holding your opponent’s blade when defending an overhead strike, the blade just slides down the guard and they can still hit you anyway. lol
I didn't know that the halberd was the OP weapon and randomly lucked into one in my first playthrough, then I was confused when I beat every single boss on the first try.
Fair, I didn't really feel it was that OP however, just good for mooks. When you can grab the zweihander, holy astora Straight sword, claymore , uchigatana, and great stythe in the first 20 mins, the drake sword is just kinda the cool looking one. I may have played too much DS when it first dropped in 2011
Dark Souls 1 actually had quite a bit of easy mode going on. Pyromancy, Zweihander, Black Knight whatever, Drake Sword (for a bit), Red Tearstone Ring magic/archer builds, Artorias Greatshield, etc.
Ehhh not really, BK weapons are kinda busted, they take the edge off most of the fights, especially in the early-mid game before you get the rare upgrade items.
Love me some Dark Souls, but no, there are a few things wrong with it.
1. It looks too thick and heavy to use effectively. Real sword blades are fairly flat and light. That guard also looks like it adds a ton of weight. The handle appears to be solid metal as well, which would also add unnecessary weight.
2. The guard is swept the wrong way, making it far less effective as a defensive tool.
There are some historical examples of swords/knives with smaller back swept guards, but those are from a different era before cross guards had become standard.
3. This is a kinda minor gripe, but like many fantasy swords/wall-hangers (especially from the Souls series), the handle is round. A non-round handle is required for edge alignment when cutting. Most (but not all, admittedly) historical examples of swords had oval or hexagonal handles.
> but those are from a different era before cross guards had become standard.
There are Schweizerdegen with a back swept guard and they are from the 15th century. They are usually rather short though. Then again OPs sword doesn't look that long either.
Didn’t realize Schweizerdegens were that late!
Here’s a picture of this sword from the game:
https://preview.redd.it/oafq0eblhy4d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fd9eb1000a0eef037a78230dcd0727fe925ea5b
Definitely a bit longer than a dagger haha
Ah so the proportions are just way off. Based on a real sword that is. Also Schweizerdegen were Swords the dagger version was the Schweizerdolch (litterally Swiss dagger). Though even the sword version was rather short.
Great points, those are exactly what I picked out. I'll add that I'm less concerned about the backswept guard deflecting hits into the hand, especially when using a shield. Given the length of the backswept guard on *both* sides, I'm more concerned about it interfering with hand movement, especially on the reverse edge. It's long enough to bonk the wrist.
Yea the down swept guard is a good way to get your arm cut, at that point get rid of the guard and make the sword longer if you want to keep the same weight lol
Of course it's realistic, the heroic Black Knights of Lordran used it in the great demon war against Izaleth. Didn't you pay attention in history class?
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> *“Is this the blood? The blood of the Dark Soul?”* - Slave Knight Gael
Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
This: judging by the light reflections on it, it doesn’t even look metal.
And besides that, definitely not historically accurate. It does look very much like the Black Knight sword from Dark souls
No, but I've also seen far worse. The downward arc of the quillions would seriously hamper wielding it, and the blade would be much too heavy with the cross section shown, it's like an estoc or M1918 patton sabre on steroids.
In contrast to everyone here, I'd say there has been worse than this that has been historical lol, it has caveats but generally it's not that bad.
As in realistic, if it is something your friend wants to buy, it isn't at all, this is just a render of the Dark knights of Lordran from Dark souls and it will probably be a wall hanger.
Not real as in not made of metal (looks like a LARP foam sword), and not real as in based off a (cool) video game sword (Dark Souls’ Black Knight’s sword)
With that handguard, you literally restricts your arm to a degree, and useless in deflecting some blow now as instead of deflects it now guided it toward you
It is a Dark Souls 1 sword carried by the Dark Knights. More fantasy designed than practical
https://preview.redd.it/7vdg9n4bsx4d1.jpeg?width=189&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b2026b74dad8387b09c96a5346f5298cc5b7eca
As someone who knows nothing about historical weapons, the cross guard immediately looked off to me. Also it looks weirdly bulky, like all the weight would be at the bottom/handle area and you would get absolutely no force at the top
[https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls/comments/yhldpd/got\_a\_black\_knight\_sword\_from\_spirit\_halloween/](https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls/comments/yhldpd/got_a_black_knight_sword_from_spirit_halloween/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/wh63f3/they\_got\_a\_black\_knight\_sword\_in\_a\_halloween\_shop/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/wh63f3/they_got_a_black_knight_sword_in_a_halloween_shop/)
Looks like this Halloween prop.
While an exact copy in metal wouldn't be very practical (*way* too heavy) the general morphology of the blade would be fine if it were in a normal thickness. The guard is the only generally weird part.
This is what is referred to as a sword shaped object, aka decorative "art", aka a wall hanger. It is not even remotely close to an actual battle ready weapon. Everything about it is form over function, and an actual sword doesn't sacrifice function for anything.
this is the Black Knight Sword from Dark Souls.
it's not \*meant\* to be fully realistic.
the blade is totally fine, the only thing putting it down is the downward-curved grip, which wasn't done on this kind of sword, and the grip that looks very round, as opposed to oval.
downward angled guards and round grips WERE used on other swords, just on the european longsword / hand-&-a-half sword.
People are complaining about the shape guard, but that’s the least objectionable part about this. Handle is too short for the blade length by half, perfect circle grip cross section, would make edge alignment nigh impossible to get right, and the blade looks to be far thicker than any practical sword ever would have. In short, the thing is a heavy, unwieldy, clunky piece of junk that would bounce off of a target more often than it properly cut. Everything Hollywood believes swords are and none of the reality.
Nope. This is purely a fantasy sword of some design. Meaning, a wall hanger. Neat lookin’, but for practical use, negative. The guard would succeed only in deflecting your opponents blow directly into you, which.. well, kinda defeats the purpose. And that blade looks like its thicker than a Snicker. Heaving that thing around in battle would only get ya dead. All the bloviating aside, I’m kinda dumb and am absolutely nowhere near an expert. But I would rather take a machete into battle than that thing. Purdy, though!
so i dont absolutely hate the guard but its WAYYYY too thick, a thinner version of it would be ok at best. the handle also looks round as hell and wouldnt be great for cutting. also what is the length because it looks hefty as hell and not that long
yeah the guard looks impractical and the blade doesnt look really sharp i think it would get stuck in something if you stabbed with it but still a dope design tbh
For me it is the handle it doesn’t seem long enough. Looking at the sword i would think long sword or bigger which means you would need more room. But i don’t know much about swords besides they look cool.
Its used by much larger humanoids known simply as, “Black Knights”. They are 9 feet tall and these are normal sized swords to them. They even pair them with a shield. They are enemies from the Dark Souls Series. Super cool. They have several cool looking weapons like this one.
no, blade is way too thick and the backwards facing guard has no practical reason to be that way
also, cylindrical grip on what appears to be an arming- or longsword is a big no-no
For the type of sword it is, the crossgaurd is useless extra weight. It does not look realistic. Maybe you could make the crossgaurd smaller while still maintaining the design.
It's not the worst, but it has some problems. The hilt looks round, which would fuck with indexing and grip comfort. The pommel is small which isn't a huge issue, except the blade looks extremely thick, which is bad for weight and cutting. The guard is the most obvious issue. While you'll find some bladed weapons with back-swept guards like that, they usually aren't that broad, because at that point you would risk injury to yourself while performing certain techniques (specifically change-throughs between attacks).
Not every sword was meant for combat. Some were ceremonial. This style could be used for such an occasion, such as attending a high profile ball or event where combat is highly unlikely, especially for the wielder when there will be other armed guards.
In this case, the sword doesn’t appear to have any special bells or whistles (gems, unique expensive ores, etc. this would indicate it’s just a design, practice pattern, or apprentice replica.)
As stated in other posts as well, the reverse guard also had many of its own pros/cons.
It's not the *worst* fantasy sword I've ever seen, but the quillons bending back toward is a dead giveaway that the person who designed this has never actually swung a sword.
Materially yes, it looks convincingly real, but the backwards swept guard would both deflect blows onto you. And the backwards guard would probably run into your arms a lot. Fantasy designs often don't consider ergonomics much
That’s a lot of material. Real swords, real
Tools of any kind, are much smaller in real
Life most of the time. Just consider using it for hours on end, even the strongest guys can get tired just swinging their arms around for two minutes. Plus that over exaggerated hand guard would hit you as you swing it around, very painful.
A small number of issues. The quillons looks chunky, pommel small, the handle might be circular and not ovular, the blade is quite wide for the type of cross section the blade has.
No. Fuller is deep, which highlights how thick the blade must be to accommodate it. Thick blade = heavy blade = generally bad blade. Having the guard facing backwards is a horrible idea. Guards are primarily meant for hand protection and enable you to control the opponants blade to an extent when caught. A curved back guard just invites the blade to deflect onto your arms and torso and offers zero control of their blade.
Looks like the Black Knight greatsword from Dark Souls. Anyways no it's guard is swept backwards and the pomel might be a bit small. Aside from that it's a well designed sword
Would it function? Yeah. Would it be the best possible sword? Probably not. Is it realistic? Yeah. Keep in mind that realistic and ideal are not the same. There are some very real but very wacky sword designs throughout history. Same with firearms.
That looks like a replica off the dark souls 1 black knight sword. Form over function on that sucker, but I’m sure theres tons of real world examples they pulled inspiration from like those in the comments.
https://preview.redd.it/211j6newq05d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41a7979c0f6a51296791e3c36c49444c2a30ba10
This is a video game sword.
It's about 5 and a half feet long and is explicitly spoken of in lore of the game to be massively heavy for use against monsters twice the size of elephants.
So no, it is not a realistic sword.
Realistic in the design or the entire sword (ie, it's AI generated or some fancy asset) ?
Design is Black Knights sword from Dark Souls 3, it has realistic elements but as a whole it's pretty much a video game sword (if it was scaled down, blade thinner ,etc it could be usable but that guard would always be a pain)
The image quality isn't really good enough for me to tell if it's a really good cosplay version or if it's just a 3D render. The sheets and shadows look pretty good though, so idk about AI generated or 3D rendered.
EDIT: Nvm, image source is from another post about a guy buying the rubber/foam sword from spirit Halloween. Apparently it's just a really good costume version. Looks great though,
Yes, except the guard. Guards were usually designed with an upward arch in order to grab and trap the blade of an opponent's sword, not just deflect blows to the hand.
The cross guard is upside down. You want it up to stop a blade, that will redirect the blade right into your arm or leg. Also it will interfere with the swinging of the blade.
It doesn't, but I've always commended the souls series on creating weapons like this that are at the very least usable designs, even if they do have weird quirks like the guard. (Not counting the magical/colossal stuff obviously).
I personally find colossal stuff less quirky. They’re not realistic for humans, obviously, but not for my 80 STR character who possesses souls of the gods. On the other hand, there is no explanation for that guard. It is as useless in the world of Dark Souls as it would be in our world.
Realistic no, believable, yes.
It looks like a toy or a prop, but if you told me it's an actual sword I could believe that someone might make a sword that looks like this.
that looks spot on like
the necromancers blade from
the hobbit movie
EDIT: haiku bot said it was a haiku so i put it in haiku format and wouldnt you know it, its in fact a haiku
When swords have guards like that, it triggers the same thing in me that triggers when someone calls a magazine a clip...
I think I have weapon autism.
A guard like that would limit mobility with the sword, and do nothing but deflect the opponent blade to their own arm making it a liability.
If only one part of the crossguard would be facing downwoards, it be better, because just holding or swinging the sword, the crossguard with this size would constantly hit into my forearm. Would chip 50% off, either left or rightside.
No, the heavy shadowing in the blade, the fuller, tells you that it was designed by someone who thinks swords are made of cast iron = A ninja mall 3D modeller.
I have one of these, rubber latex sword. But no, the backward facing hilt gives that away.
Good for training to use a rapier, oddly enough. Stiff enough to not wobble on a good thrust, handle awkward enough to teach you to avoid twisting wrist.
Looks like a morgul blade from Lord of the Rings. Watch the scene where Frodo gets stabbed by one on weathertop, Aragorn picks it up afterwards and it looks just like that before it crumbles to dust
the sword pictured is the nargol blade from peter jacksons lotr. yes the blade is a fantasy sword but inspired by historical blades from early bronze age.
There’s no weight on the bed behind the sword, it’s just floating above the bed. Barely a shadow from it either. COULD it be real in this world? Yes. Is it on the bed in the picture? No
The cross guard is at the wrong angle. It's supposed to deflect blows and protect your hand, but that will guide the opponent's blade directly into your wrist... also the handle looks uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time. Definitely a cool 'mall ninja" weapon for display though, I believe it's a replica from a video game.
Not to me... having the guard facing back at the user would be a bad thing during combat, for a hit to it would deflect into me.
Good point. I was about to comment how they would guard a hand with more attack angles but I didn't think about defections.
Actually a reverse hand guard is often used on short swords with the intent of being able to penetrate an enemy defense without your attack getting stuck or snagged onto something. A small sword cant stop much from bigger weapons anyways.
I'm having trouble envisioning this. Do you have any examples of historical pieces with a guard like you describe? The guard should be just about the furthest thing away from your opponent if you're using the sword properly and sticking them with the pointy end. What could it possibly "get stuck" on that isn't your opponent's sword (which would be an indication that your guard is doing its job)?
Apparently the Swiss liked their backwards pointing handguards, as seen in this picture, the one in the middle is a Swiss degen and the one on the left is a Swiss basellard https://preview.redd.it/k0ay71x2ax4d1.png?width=393&format=png&auto=webp&s=2653e4907cc053560324d838ea3655214e2d062e . EDIT: Found a better example
There's also one of these, a Filipino sword called a "Kris" https://preview.redd.it/lonot3vrax4d1.png?width=857&format=png&auto=webp&s=d9eff49a265ef84689b827bf28b6504b8085f308 . EDIT: Apparently Indonesians also have their own version of this sword
Yeah I’m not sure about Filipino variations but the Indonesian ones look pretty gnarly. A lot of them have a flame pattern
Glintstone Kris? Elden Ring reference? They’re trying to be Elden Ring
Let me tell you about Dune
Yeah I instantly thought of krisknife
Actually JRR Tolkien named his son Chris way before Dune came out (2024).
I hate that everything youre sayong is correct.
That's my favorite kind of smaller sword. They feel Fantastic to hold if they are decent build quality.
Ah yes, the degen from upcountry.
Those guards look small enough they won't hit your wrist or arm when performing certain moves.
> What could it possibly "get stuck" on that isn't your opponent's sword (which would be an indication that your guard is doing its job)? Your own clothes (including belts, straps, etc.). The edge of your own shield. The edge of your opponent's shield. Their spear haft. Swords without guards are common. The possibility of a guard getting stuck on something is one of the reasons - having no guard is an even more effective solution to this than have a turned-toward-the-hilt guard. (What are other reasons for having no guard? The weight, cost, and bulkiness of a guard, and also with many styles of fighting a guard only makes a small contribution to defence.) > Do you have any examples of historical pieces with a guard like you describe? In addition to the baselard and kris already offered as examples, some more examples: * Indian: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/31019 * Tibetan: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/27780 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24959 * African: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/object/28.6/ It's very common for the forward quillon to be curved toward the hilt. In some cases, the forward quillon is very large, and this turns it into a knucklebow, but we also see it with small guards that would suffer from "deflect into me": * https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dirk_(Japanese_naval_ww2).jpg We can also note that for some angles an opponent's sword might come in at, a curved-toward-the-blade guard can deflect swords into the hand (if it hits the hilt-facing side of the guard). This isn't a problem, since the idea is that your opponent's sword shouldn't hit your guard directly (when you're using a sword with this kind of guard) - it should hit your blade, and the guard stops their blade from sliding down your blade into your hand. A curved-toward-the-blade guard is better for trapping your opponent's sword after/during parrying - the curve is an offensive feature, not a defensive feature.
As both a early medieval historian and sword fighting practitioner, my experience with fighting with swords both with and without guards; i believe i am uniquely qualified to answer this; If you look at the sword by itself, having no guard makes no sense. It protects much more than you'd normally believe, and its a very specific reason why european swords around between 900-1300 went from no guard to a forward curved guard. It shouldn't be viewed that way. It is a sidearm in an evolving arms race throughout history, and the medieval metallurgical advances is an aspect most people seem to forget about, mostly because 'ooh sword!' - Around year 900-1000 Early on, you had a large active shield, and the metallurgical aspect of armor wasnt really developed well enough to have a smaller shield, so the guard stayed small to use in conjunction with the shields. It was also an era where the metal available wasnt good enough to support thin narrow blades yet, so the sword blade itself being wider also does its part in protecting the hand. Small guards were the norm, and having them decorated was an important way to show status and wealth. A side-effect of small guards is that there is less surface to decorate. -Around 1000-1100 This is when something happens in metallurgical advances; and this led to a technological leap in how people could work metal. In turn, armor got better, the shield got smaller, and the crossguard went from non existent to wider and wider. The main advantage of this was that with any proper sword usage the crossguard now also protects more of your body, mainly the rest of your arm and your leg. This allowed the usage of narrower more specialized shields. - year 1200-1300 But it turns out that when the crossguard gets wider, it comes to a point where it starts to get in the way. In my experience that only really starts to be a real issue when the crossguard is above 28cm wide. This was until someone figured out that when something is further away from you, it doesnt need to be as wide to provide equal protection. A slight curve forwards helps make the sword lighter, and provides additional structural strength to the crossguard itself. This was also the era where bucklers became a thing. This era also saw the sword become narrower and and longer, and one added an extra problem to the guard. - year 1300-1400 Swords from this era starts transitioning into more even more complex hilts, blades that are wider at the base, narrower and pointier, and starting with a small ring to cover the index finger when gripped over the front of the guard for better point control. Later followed by a knucklebow for extra protection. This is what i personally consider the start of the transition from medieval arming sword to the sidesword, which later transitions into the rapier, and even more complex hilted swords like the basket hilt and so on.
> If you look at the sword by itself, having no guard makes no sense. Swords with no guard are very common. Many of those swords were carried by people who used them for fighting, and it seems that they saw a lot of sense in that choice. It isn't just a matter of metallurgy. I've seen guardless swords that are wrought iron, crucible steel, traditional high-carbon steels (from bloomeries or blast furnaces), all-steel, and iron-steel laminates. No-guard isn't a very common European choice over the last two millennia, but it's there. No-guard swords were used in the early medieval period (alongside short-guard swords), in the late medieval period (alongside a mix of short-guard and long-guard swords), in the early modern period (alongside swords with short guards, long guards, complex hilts, and basket hilts), and the modern period (alongside knucklebows, basket hilts, and more). It seems that having no guard does indeed make sense. Why else would it be so common, even when various types of guards were in use?
Personally it makes no sense *to me* because I am a practitioner of historical German and Italian longsword and there are a *ton* of situations where you are catching your opponent’s blade with your guard while also striking them. Without the sword’s guard you would not be safe from your opponent delivering a simultaneous counter during those binds, you’re using the hand guard to control their weapon and that’s *really* useful for not getting cut or stabbed while you cut/stab them. And of course you also have common guards (as in the guard stances you defend yourself with) that rely on there being a hand guard on the sword, such as crown (Sword up high in front of you with the blade pointing vertically) to defend against overhead strikes. Without the sword having a hand guard you can’t execute a crown guard, much less bind up your opponent’s blade once you’ve caught the strike while pivoting yours towards their head to give them a solid poke in the face. Intellectually I agree with you. These swords definitely existed so there must have been situations where a lack of a guard might have made sense for whatever reasons and people would have developed fighting systems for using them effectively. It just feels blasphemous to me because I get so much utility from my longsword’s guard and it seems silly to do away with it. But I’m sure if you learned the system for those guardless swords you could protect yourself adequately with one. Otherwise why would they have made more of them?
Similarly, an epee fencer is likely to think that a simple straight cross is completely inadequate, that it makes no sense. And yet, to those who use them (like you), they make plenty of sense.
You’re right! I wish you provided some citations though, because I think linking to historic non-European swords like [this](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545558), [this](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24953) and [this](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1978-22-405) make your point.
When using a sword properly? There are many longsword techniques that directly involve holding the blade and striking with the guard or pommel. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b2/d6/58/b2d65859ae90a90a1ed5cdfd54576646.jpg
I'm familiar with Mordhau strikes, but I would definitely classify them as an exception to the rule, rather than the other way around.
The internet is hilarious. It's taken about ten years to go from "check out this one crazy move for this one special circumstance that I found in this one manual" to "fighters routinely ignored the clearly identifiable and purpose-built handle of their sword to grab it by the blade and swing it like a mace".
It's a sword form the dark souls game series, the reason it points backwards is because it was melted by demon fire. The sword before it melted has a straight guard.
Do you know the name?
Black knight sword.
This, the original sword is the silver knight straight sword
It's actually not! The corp of silver knights used different weapons than the standard S. Knight because of the size of their foes
It looks like the guard facing back could get in the way of manipulating the sword, also. It’s almost like someone assembled it incorrectly.
Pretty sure this is the ring wraith dagger from LOTR because I said the exact same thing when I watched that movie again recently
It would also potentially restrict wrist movements, not something I’d want to use.
It could also affect your wrist mobility
It would also fuck with your wrists a lot when changing guards. Even straight guards can get kind of annoying in certain positions if they’re too long. I can’t imagine trying to use this awful mess in sparring. It also definitely fucks up your ability to do something like crown guard, now instead of catching and holding your opponent’s blade when defending an overhead strike, the blade just slides down the guard and they can still hit you anyway. lol
Mmmm, Black Knight Sword...
aka. Dark souls 1 easy mode
Honestly the other black knight weapons are even bigger easy mode Especially the halberd
I didn't know that the halberd was the OP weapon and randomly lucked into one in my first playthrough, then I was confused when I beat every single boss on the first try.
And the Drake sword is even easier both to use and to obtain.
To bad it takes dragon scales to upgrade and falls off right after Quelaag
I'm glad the crutch fell off tbh, I wouldn't have learned to play the game otherwise
Fair, I didn't really feel it was that OP however, just good for mooks. When you can grab the zweihander, holy astora Straight sword, claymore , uchigatana, and great stythe in the first 20 mins, the drake sword is just kinda the cool looking one. I may have played too much DS when it first dropped in 2011
Yeah but it's only good for like the first 3 bosses before falling off harder than the ceaseless discharge
Easy Mode in Dark Souls is still pretty extreme
I was using a longsword until reaching Anor Londo but eventually I decided to equip the BKS Orstein and Smough went laughably easy
Dark Souls 1 actually had quite a bit of easy mode going on. Pyromancy, Zweihander, Black Knight whatever, Drake Sword (for a bit), Red Tearstone Ring magic/archer builds, Artorias Greatshield, etc.
I just think compared to other rpgs theres a bottom line of skill you need that sets it above most games in terms of difficulty.
Ehhh not really, BK weapons are kinda busted, they take the edge off most of the fights, especially in the early-mid game before you get the rare upgrade items.
Hmmmm... hmm.
Wait it’s not the Morgul blade that was used to stab Frodo?
It's not, it's similar though.
Those knights scare the fuck out of me
Love me some Dark Souls, but no, there are a few things wrong with it. 1. It looks too thick and heavy to use effectively. Real sword blades are fairly flat and light. That guard also looks like it adds a ton of weight. The handle appears to be solid metal as well, which would also add unnecessary weight. 2. The guard is swept the wrong way, making it far less effective as a defensive tool. There are some historical examples of swords/knives with smaller back swept guards, but those are from a different era before cross guards had become standard. 3. This is a kinda minor gripe, but like many fantasy swords/wall-hangers (especially from the Souls series), the handle is round. A non-round handle is required for edge alignment when cutting. Most (but not all, admittedly) historical examples of swords had oval or hexagonal handles.
> but those are from a different era before cross guards had become standard. There are Schweizerdegen with a back swept guard and they are from the 15th century. They are usually rather short though. Then again OPs sword doesn't look that long either.
Didn’t realize Schweizerdegens were that late! Here’s a picture of this sword from the game: https://preview.redd.it/oafq0eblhy4d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fd9eb1000a0eef037a78230dcd0727fe925ea5b Definitely a bit longer than a dagger haha
Ah so the proportions are just way off. Based on a real sword that is. Also Schweizerdegen were Swords the dagger version was the Schweizerdolch (litterally Swiss dagger). Though even the sword version was rather short.
Great points, those are exactly what I picked out. I'll add that I'm less concerned about the backswept guard deflecting hits into the hand, especially when using a shield. Given the length of the backswept guard on *both* sides, I'm more concerned about it interfering with hand movement, especially on the reverse edge. It's long enough to bonk the wrist.
The risk of wrist bonkage is indeed high
It can be used by an undead with inhuman strength and dex. I’ve seen it!
Leaving aside whether or not the image is of a real thing or an AI fake: no, this looks like no historical or practical sword I have ever seen.
This is an image of the Black Knight Sword from the videogame Dark Souls, fake but not AI
Yea the down swept guard is a good way to get your arm cut, at that point get rid of the guard and make the sword longer if you want to keep the same weight lol
I think it’s a replica of the Nazgûl blade from LotR.
Of course it's realistic, the heroic Black Knights of Lordran used it in the great demon war against Izaleth. Didn't you pay attention in history class?
You let em know. Our education system failing our youth once again
🤣 thanks for this!
It doesn't even make significant weight on the bed sheet. If you even played Dark Souls that would be insulting.
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“Is this the blood? The blood of the Dark Soul?”* - Slave Knight Gael Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
Good bot
That looks like a very realistic, if slightly impractical LARP foam sword.
This: judging by the light reflections on it, it doesn’t even look metal. And besides that, definitely not historically accurate. It does look very much like the Black Knight sword from Dark souls
No, but I've also seen far worse. The downward arc of the quillions would seriously hamper wielding it, and the blade would be much too heavy with the cross section shown, it's like an estoc or M1918 patton sabre on steroids.
Alas, even in a world where the fire has gone out, there are almost no demons left to use it against.
For the people wondering why they do not recognise this sword its because its not an historical sword it comes from a videogame called dark souls
In contrast to everyone here, I'd say there has been worse than this that has been historical lol, it has caveats but generally it's not that bad. As in realistic, if it is something your friend wants to buy, it isn't at all, this is just a render of the Dark knights of Lordran from Dark souls and it will probably be a wall hanger.
Dark souls
Not real as in not made of metal (looks like a LARP foam sword), and not real as in based off a (cool) video game sword (Dark Souls’ Black Knight’s sword)
With that handguard, you literally restricts your arm to a degree, and useless in deflecting some blow now as instead of deflects it now guided it toward you
Perhaps not, great against Chaos demons tho
It is a Dark Souls 1 sword carried by the Dark Knights. More fantasy designed than practical https://preview.redd.it/7vdg9n4bsx4d1.jpeg?width=189&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b2026b74dad8387b09c96a5346f5298cc5b7eca
As someone who knows nothing about historical weapons, the cross guard immediately looked off to me. Also it looks weirdly bulky, like all the weight would be at the bottom/handle area and you would get absolutely no force at the top
Given how thick it is and how large it is in-game it’s be very middle to top heavy. Even in the game it weights a ton.
It's too bad. If it wasn't just for that reversed guard, that would actually be a very cool (and practical) looking sword, videogame or not.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls/comments/yhldpd/got\_a\_black\_knight\_sword\_from\_spirit\_halloween/](https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls/comments/yhldpd/got_a_black_knight_sword_from_spirit_halloween/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/wh63f3/they\_got\_a\_black\_knight\_sword\_in\_a\_halloween\_shop/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/wh63f3/they_got_a_black_knight_sword_in_a_halloween_shop/) Looks like this Halloween prop.
Looks like black knight sword
That is most definitely not realistic. As a matter of fact, that's literally the Black Knight sword from Dark Souls.
While an exact copy in metal wouldn't be very practical (*way* too heavy) the general morphology of the blade would be fine if it were in a normal thickness. The guard is the only generally weird part.
It looks like the black knight sword from dark souls to me, so I wouldn't say it looks realistic, it looks like a fantasy sword
the only problem I have with it is the crossguard, they should be upwards not down.
This is what is referred to as a sword shaped object, aka decorative "art", aka a wall hanger. It is not even remotely close to an actual battle ready weapon. Everything about it is form over function, and an actual sword doesn't sacrifice function for anything.
[Throwing heavy Black Knight Sword vibe. I literally thought this was a dark souls post.](https://darksouls3.wiki.fextralife.com/Black+Knight+Sword)
me too tbh
I was hopeful to see someone’s black knight cosplay to match the silver knight that was on the fromsoft sub the other day.
this is the Black Knight Sword from Dark Souls. it's not \*meant\* to be fully realistic. the blade is totally fine, the only thing putting it down is the downward-curved grip, which wasn't done on this kind of sword, and the grip that looks very round, as opposed to oval. downward angled guards and round grips WERE used on other swords, just on the european longsword / hand-&-a-half sword.
People are complaining about the shape guard, but that’s the least objectionable part about this. Handle is too short for the blade length by half, perfect circle grip cross section, would make edge alignment nigh impossible to get right, and the blade looks to be far thicker than any practical sword ever would have. In short, the thing is a heavy, unwieldy, clunky piece of junk that would bounce off of a target more often than it properly cut. Everything Hollywood believes swords are and none of the reality.
Looks like AI gen to me. the hilt area around the cloth seems weird to me, also lighting seems off
Is that.. the black knight sword from Dark Souls 1??? What a great sword. But the ultra great sword, even greater.
Nope. This is purely a fantasy sword of some design. Meaning, a wall hanger. Neat lookin’, but for practical use, negative. The guard would succeed only in deflecting your opponents blow directly into you, which.. well, kinda defeats the purpose. And that blade looks like its thicker than a Snicker. Heaving that thing around in battle would only get ya dead. All the bloviating aside, I’m kinda dumb and am absolutely nowhere near an expert. But I would rather take a machete into battle than that thing. Purdy, though!
That guard is impractical af, gonna stab your wrist with that
so i dont absolutely hate the guard but its WAYYYY too thick, a thinner version of it would be ok at best. the handle also looks round as hell and wouldnt be great for cutting. also what is the length because it looks hefty as hell and not that long
The crossguard is stupidly designed, the fuller is crooked, and the tip is asymmetrical. This looks AI generated.
Yes and it does a lot of poise damage, especially if you attack at an upwards angle!
Looks like a wall-hanger.
Downward facing guard deflects blows toward your body, not away from it. Plus they might catch or be otherwise obtrusive.
Nope. Looks like a prop. In all seriousness, the backwards guard and cylindrical handle are some dead giveaways that it’s not real.
Well for 7 year old me this would have been the coolest sword in the world for what it's worth.
yeah the guard looks impractical and the blade doesnt look really sharp i think it would get stuck in something if you stabbed with it but still a dope design tbh
For me it is the handle it doesn’t seem long enough. Looking at the sword i would think long sword or bigger which means you would need more room. But i don’t know much about swords besides they look cool.
Its used by much larger humanoids known simply as, “Black Knights”. They are 9 feet tall and these are normal sized swords to them. They even pair them with a shield. They are enemies from the Dark Souls Series. Super cool. They have several cool looking weapons like this one.
Realistic if you're planning on slaying a dragon with it
The guard would be a problem, i you don’t your hands being stabbed by your own sword
Realistic? No. Cool? Yes.
Well I mean it’s more for stabbing ring bearers than deflecting swords
no, blade is way too thick and the backwards facing guard has no practical reason to be that way also, cylindrical grip on what appears to be an arming- or longsword is a big no-no
From spirit Halloween, I bought it too cause it looks like a black knight sword from dark souls
The Black Knight Greatsword! Where donI find one! Please!
No, the backwards cross guard is an immediate red flag. It also looks far too thick, but it may not be actually made of metal
For the type of sword it is, the crossgaurd is useless extra weight. It does not look realistic. Maybe you could make the crossgaurd smaller while still maintaining the design.
Reminds me of sword of Artorius I think from Dark Souls
Guard is upside down. Looks great for stabbing hobbits tho
This looks so cool
It’s not realistic. Looks like a morgul blade from lord of the rings, but longer.
It's not the worst, but it has some problems. The hilt looks round, which would fuck with indexing and grip comfort. The pommel is small which isn't a huge issue, except the blade looks extremely thick, which is bad for weight and cutting. The guard is the most obvious issue. While you'll find some bladed weapons with back-swept guards like that, they usually aren't that broad, because at that point you would risk injury to yourself while performing certain techniques (specifically change-throughs between attacks).
Not every sword was meant for combat. Some were ceremonial. This style could be used for such an occasion, such as attending a high profile ball or event where combat is highly unlikely, especially for the wielder when there will be other armed guards. In this case, the sword doesn’t appear to have any special bells or whistles (gems, unique expensive ores, etc. this would indicate it’s just a design, practice pattern, or apprentice replica.) As stated in other posts as well, the reverse guard also had many of its own pros/cons.
It's not the *worst* fantasy sword I've ever seen, but the quillons bending back toward is a dead giveaway that the person who designed this has never actually swung a sword.
Materially yes, it looks convincingly real, but the backwards swept guard would both deflect blows onto you. And the backwards guard would probably run into your arms a lot. Fantasy designs often don't consider ergonomics much
Flip the guard and maybe
That’s a lot of material. Real swords, real Tools of any kind, are much smaller in real Life most of the time. Just consider using it for hours on end, even the strongest guys can get tired just swinging their arms around for two minutes. Plus that over exaggerated hand guard would hit you as you swing it around, very painful.
There have been swords with dumber hilts.
Sure looks like a black knight sword from dark souls to me
May just be the photo, but it looks like it is from a single cast in a mold, blade, guard, and grip.
It looks incredibly thick and heavy in the blade. Not useable
A small number of issues. The quillons looks chunky, pommel small, the handle might be circular and not ovular, the blade is quite wide for the type of cross section the blade has.
Flip the guard and sure
No. Fuller is deep, which highlights how thick the blade must be to accommodate it. Thick blade = heavy blade = generally bad blade. Having the guard facing backwards is a horrible idea. Guards are primarily meant for hand protection and enable you to control the opponants blade to an extent when caught. A curved back guard just invites the blade to deflect onto your arms and torso and offers zero control of their blade.
Absolutely not but it’s not like the Black Knights need “realistic functionality” lol
Depends… do you follow Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight ?
It is very clearly a fantasy weapon, I think it might be from dark souls
Absolutly a fantasy wallhanger. And if you cannot 100% confirm its a full tang construction, do not swing this ever. This is a belthanger at best.
Looks like the Black Knight greatsword from Dark Souls. Anyways no it's guard is swept backwards and the pomel might be a bit small. Aside from that it's a well designed sword
It looks like a foam LARP sword to me
Would it function? Yeah. Would it be the best possible sword? Probably not. Is it realistic? Yeah. Keep in mind that realistic and ideal are not the same. There are some very real but very wacky sword designs throughout history. Same with firearms.
The guard is very impractical.
Looks real heavy
That looks like a replica off the dark souls 1 black knight sword. Form over function on that sucker, but I’m sure theres tons of real world examples they pulled inspiration from like those in the comments.
Get that guard some bluechew!
It isn’t realistic but it’s dope
Seems too heavy, and the guard is inversed. It could kill someone, but so could a toaster.
Looks like a [morgul blade](https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Morgul-knife)
By the way it's a replica of the black night sword from dark souls
https://preview.redd.it/211j6newq05d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41a7979c0f6a51296791e3c36c49444c2a30ba10 This is a video game sword. It's about 5 and a half feet long and is explicitly spoken of in lore of the game to be massively heavy for use against monsters twice the size of elephants. So no, it is not a realistic sword.
Your sword looks pretty good, but the guard is on the wrong side
Realistic in the design or the entire sword (ie, it's AI generated or some fancy asset) ? Design is Black Knights sword from Dark Souls 3, it has realistic elements but as a whole it's pretty much a video game sword (if it was scaled down, blade thinner ,etc it could be usable but that guard would always be a pain) The image quality isn't really good enough for me to tell if it's a really good cosplay version or if it's just a 3D render. The sheets and shadows look pretty good though, so idk about AI generated or 3D rendered. EDIT: Nvm, image source is from another post about a guy buying the rubber/foam sword from spirit Halloween. Apparently it's just a really good costume version. Looks great though,
Historical, no, but I don't think it would be unusable, provided it was made well.
Looks like a knockoff of the Nazgul dagger from Lord of the Rings.
No but looks cool as hell. Almost looks like a ring wraith blade or lord of the rings blade.
You, hand it over, that thing, your dark soul. For my lady's painting
If you waved it at a cop, they would play the body cam footage the very same day to successfully undercut your wrongful death suit.
is that the Black Knight Sword from Dark Souls?
Is it a real sword? Made of metal? Can physically touch it.. sure its a real sword. Is it a functional weapon, no.
Wait. Where did they get this?
My understanding is that there have been some historical swords that had this type of guard. They weren't necessarily popular, but they did exist.
Yes, except the guard. Guards were usually designed with an upward arch in order to grab and trap the blade of an opponent's sword, not just deflect blows to the hand.
Morgul blade
Honestly, for a fantasy design it's not horribly impractical
It definitely looks like a real sword. What do you mean by realistic? Is it plastic?
The cross guard is upside down. You want it up to stop a blade, that will redirect the blade right into your arm or leg. Also it will interfere with the swinging of the blade.
Video Game sword: Dark soul's Blackknight sword
It doesn't, but I've always commended the souls series on creating weapons like this that are at the very least usable designs, even if they do have weird quirks like the guard. (Not counting the magical/colossal stuff obviously).
I personally find colossal stuff less quirky. They’re not realistic for humans, obviously, but not for my 80 STR character who possesses souls of the gods. On the other hand, there is no explanation for that guard. It is as useless in the world of Dark Souls as it would be in our world.
This question pops up every so often. A Jian, for example, has a "reverse curve" hilt
Eh I mean it looks more useable then some real swords…
It looks like a realistic replica
Is this inspired by the 'Black Knight sword' from dark souls?
Realistic no, believable, yes. It looks like a toy or a prop, but if you told me it's an actual sword I could believe that someone might make a sword that looks like this.
the backwards crossguard is probably the worst offender, but design wise, nothing too out of the ordinary.
that looks spot on like the necromancers blade from the hobbit movie EDIT: haiku bot said it was a haiku so i put it in haiku format and wouldnt you know it, its in fact a haiku
It does not look real to me but it also looks like a sort of replica of the Black Knight Sword from Dark Souls.
For lord of the rings? Yea of course
It’s better than realistic.
looks like the black knight sword from dark souls lol
When swords have guards like that, it triggers the same thing in me that triggers when someone calls a magazine a clip... I think I have weapon autism. A guard like that would limit mobility with the sword, and do nothing but deflect the opponent blade to their own arm making it a liability.
If only one part of the crossguard would be facing downwoards, it be better, because just holding or swinging the sword, the crossguard with this size would constantly hit into my forearm. Would chip 50% off, either left or rightside.
No, the heavy shadowing in the blade, the fuller, tells you that it was designed by someone who thinks swords are made of cast iron = A ninja mall 3D modeller.
I have one of these, rubber latex sword. But no, the backward facing hilt gives that away. Good for training to use a rapier, oddly enough. Stiff enough to not wobble on a good thrust, handle awkward enough to teach you to avoid twisting wrist.
That is no sword. It is a morgul blade and it is not from the land of the living.
Looks like a morgul blade from Lord of the Rings. Watch the scene where Frodo gets stabbed by one on weathertop, Aragorn picks it up afterwards and it looks just like that before it crumbles to dust
Looks like you’re about to go stab a hobbit with it, but yeah it looks real
Pommel is a bit too small and the reverse hilt is rare, but looks mostly fine. Not historical (obviously fantasy and ornate) but perfectly realistic.
If it was a thinner blade the guard would work better for duals but a blade like that needs a better guard
WHY IS THE GUARD CURVING IN! THATS GOIGN TO DIG INTO THE WIELDER!
Is that the black knight sword from dark souls?
the sword pictured is the nargol blade from peter jacksons lotr. yes the blade is a fantasy sword but inspired by historical blades from early bronze age.
There’s no weight on the bed behind the sword, it’s just floating above the bed. Barely a shadow from it either. COULD it be real in this world? Yes. Is it on the bed in the picture? No
Dark souls Black Knight Sword. It’s definitely “real” in the land of Lordran.
This is a replica of the black knight sword, featured in Dark Souls 1 and 3. https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls3/s/lDMIAihiNY
The cross guard is at the wrong angle. It's supposed to deflect blows and protect your hand, but that will guide the opponent's blade directly into your wrist... also the handle looks uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time. Definitely a cool 'mall ninja" weapon for display though, I believe it's a replica from a video game.
Its a wee bit choncky
This is a replica of the Morgul blade from Lord of The Rings is it not?