Viking sword carry question?

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Greg
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Greg »

Just to throw this out there...I still haven't yet encountered a suspension system that doesn't require the user to hold the sword when running. Close-held attachments like the one Kortoso just posted as well as the two-point attachments that hang down from the belt both swing, though some more or less than others, and each in a different direction. They still require some attention when running. Scabbards just aren't meant for it.

If you want to run with your sword comfortably, put it on your back. If you want it to be useful, carry it on your hip. If you want both...may I suggest a new hobby?
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Kortoso »

Haha, welcome to the world of Experimental Archaeology! :mrgreen:
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Kortoso »

Le-Loup wrote:
Laothain wrote:I've got a Viking sword with a button on the scabbard and I was wondering how best to carry it on my belt. Any thoughts?
These are the two methods I have used for my swords, They are fairly simple & work well for me. I hope this is of some help.
Regards, Keith.

....snip...
Image
I just want to say, that's a gorgeous short sword!
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Laothain »

That truly is a beautiful blade. Haha thank you Greg for those rousing words of encouragement but I think that I'll keep this hobby besides my goal is to be able to use as much of my ranger kit as possible for bow hunting
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Greg »

Laothain wrote:I think that I'll keep this hobby...
Correct answer!
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Manveruon
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Manveruon »

OKAY!

So it's been a long darned time, but I am finally getting around to answering this - sorry guys! Elleth especially, I know, wanted to know more about my scabbard rig, but this applies to the other questions here as well.

The method Taurinor posted about earlier in this thread is extremely similar to the method I use - as far as I can see, only the method of wrapping the scabbard is different, and not even THAT different, really. If you are interested in trying this method, these pictures show it to you step-by-step:

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Image

That being said, I felt this style of wrapping was a little... I dunno... chunky? Taking a look at Strider's sword in the Lord of the Rings films, I decided I liked his better, but it took a bit of figuring out to get it wrapped properly. This method definitely took a little more engineering than the method above, in that one really needs to both stitch and probably glue the straps in a couple of places to ensure the whole rig is secure. Below is a picture of a couple different versions of Strider's scabbard rig from the Weta website.

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And here is a picture of my sword with a rig that's as close as I could get it to Strider's in the films. Then, underneath that I have included a quick drawing and explanation of how I wrapped it up.


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Image


Then it's just a matter of hanging two straps from you belt with holes punched for adjustment. As has been previously mentioned, this method allows you to alter the angle at which the sword hangs very easily, as well as sliding it to different positions on the belt, if necessary. Personally, I left the rear buckle strap a bit longer than the front strap, so as to force it to hang lower there. but you could leave them both the same length and just buckle it lower - it's up to you. One thing I will say is that I had to glue the straps to the scabbard itself so they would not slide around - but this could also be because I did not use a heavy enough leather and it has stretched somewhat.

Anyway, I hope that helps! Please let me know if you guys have any more questions! This is by far my favorite method of sword-conveyance, other than the baldrics that I use with my pirate stuff (which work very, very well, but I don't feel are very "rangery").
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Taurinor »

Wow! Nice job reverse-engineering from those Weta pics! Great diagram, too.
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Greg »

Weta pic on the far right totally screwed with my head. Different sword, same scabbard. Some pesky intern didn't know what they were doing...*chuckle*

The last pic has Faramir's sword in Strider's scabbard.
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Elleth »

Oh that's nicely done - how elegant!
Thank you for posting the how to - very clever!

edit - forgot to ask. The straps on your belt - are they sewn or riveted in place? Or are they just loops going over the belt?
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Manveruon »

Hah! Greg, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed that!

And Elleth - the straps hanging from the belt are literally just two long strips of leather that have been folded over and sewn to themselves to create belt-loops. You can see someone's reproduction of the setup here:

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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Elleth »

hunh- cool. Do you need to tack them in place to keep the sword from shifting too much as you move, or does that not matter?

also.... odd faux weathering job from that artist. It raises a question... I came to the Ranger world via stitch-counting historical reenactment, so its odd to see cosplay / con folks recreate traditional items in modern materials. I understand- for instance- foam being cheaper than leather for a full suit of armor, or not being able to carry real weapons, but why on earth would someone replicate a wooden shield in fiberglass, as I think I've seen done? I just dont get how it's cheaper, easier, or even necessarily lighter. Is it just a familiarity thing?
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Manveruon »

Elleth wrote:hunh- cool. Do you need to tack them in place to keep the sword from shifting too much as you move, or does that not matter?

also.... odd faux weathering job from that artist. It raises a question... I came to the Ranger world via stitch-counting historical reenactment, so its odd to see cosplay / con folks recreate traditional items in modern materials. I understand- for instance- foam being cheaper than leather for a full suit of armor, or not being able to carry real weapons, but why on earth would someone replicate a wooden shield in fiberglass, as I think I've seen done? I just dont get how it's cheaper, easier, or even necessarily lighter. Is it just a familiarity thing?
It's interesting... I come at this from both sides, actually. I've done both "cosplay" as well as historical costuming over the years, and I see merits to both sides. Certainly, building armor out of foam and things of that nature is a good way to get around paying thousands upon thousands of dollars to have real armor made, and it has the advantage of being lightweight, relatively durable, etc. For some, as you say, I think it does come down to familiarity. There are people I know who would absolutely be more comfortable working in fiberglass than in wood, simply because they have the experience of working with fiberglass, but no experience with, say, oak. And sometimes it's because of lack of proper equipment - as is often the case with me. I feel the same about weathering, really. I don't deliberately weather my ranger gear much or at all, because I know it's going to get naturally weathered the more I wear it out into the field. I DO, however, weather most of my other costumes, if they call for an aged look, because I don't have the time for them to break down naturally with use. So it's all kind of situational.

When it comes to stuff that's actually going to be used for its intended purpose however, I generally try to avoid cheats and take the more "authentic" approach - except insofar as things like historical dyes, tanning techniques, and to a certain extent, fiber content are concerned. I break the "rules" sometimes, but I have my reasons, and generally speaking when I cheat, I try to make it something that mimics the "authentic" item or material as closely as possible. That said, the sharpening stone is a good example in the picture above. This is made of polymer clay, I believe, but it was made specifically to imitate the whetstone on Strider's screen-used belt as closely as possible. I have always found it to be an odd sort of whetstone, and an odd way to carry one, but that's just how they decided they wanted it in the movie, apparently. If I was making a screen-accurate movie-replica of Aragorn's costume (and as it turns out, I think I am actually going to try doing that again here in the near future), I would try to make it look as close as possible to that, whether it was functional or not - hence, something like the polymer clay version you see here. However, for actually going out into the wild, I would, without a doubt, pack a totally different kind of whetstone, and carry it in a totally different manner.

Anyway, as for the straps (back on topic, woohoo! :P ), they're loose on the belt - they just slip over it. I've never found the need to attach them to the belt in a more permanent way. I actually really like the fact that they can be adjusted back and forth, because it allows for a number of different carriage options, in different situations.
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Greg
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Greg »

That whetstone always bugged me. Viggo asked the prop designers what Aragorn was supposed to sharpen his sword with. It would've been easy for WETA to stick a rock in his bedroll and call that good enough, but since he was being nitpicky, of course, it had to be something visible. Ergo, we get the modern pistol holster for yon poorly shaped whetstone. Granted, I could ask a dozen and more questions about other, REAL lacks in function seen in his kit...but sharpening our sword is what's most important, right?

...right?
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by Elleth »

Hunh - it always did seem out of place, but I hadn't realized it was at Viggo's request. Actors, man. :)

I still really admire WETAs work, even (eek) coming up on 20 years later, most of it is holding up quite well.
Though there are times I think before actors *or* concept artists get to work on the big iconic period-ish projects, they should spend a week or three in a sort of "boot camp" sleeping in the rain with real accurate-to-the-period gear to get handle on what problems their characters are trying to solve. Harder to do with magical elves or aliens I guess, but it would add a nice dose of verisimilitude.
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Re: Viking sword carry question?

Post by caedmon »

Elleth wrote:Hunh - it always did seem out of place, but I hadn't realized it was at Viggo's request. Actors, man. :)

I still really admire WETAs work, even (eek) coming up on 20 years later, most of it is holding up quite well.
Though there are times I think before actors *or* concept artists get to work on the big iconic period-ish projects, they should spend a week or three in a sort of "boot camp" sleeping in the rain with real accurate-to-the-period gear to get handle on what problems their characters are trying to solve. Harder to do with magical elves or aliens I guess, but it would add a nice dose of verisimilitude.
If you look at the pre-John Howe sketches, it's really amazing how much he whipped WETA into shape. He brought his own armour, and requiring that material culture prototypes be constructed in period manners. I don't think he could have got them to do much more. Although of any of the actors, I think Viggo would have be the most up for a boot camp.
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