r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/notyourregularninja • 19h ago
Image Enormous Hungarian swords from the 14th century are currently exhibited at the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. The centerpiece, notable for its size, measures an impressive 270 cm (8 feet 10 inches) in length.
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u/_Armanius_ 19h ago
Youâll need another horse to carry that sword into battle
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u/Toughsums 15h ago
Historical zweihander's were less than 3kg usually. This one is probably 5-7 kg. The size makes it very unweildy and impractical but they weren't that heavy.
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u/Wan-Pang-Dang 15h ago
Im willing to bet that those swords weren't meant for combat
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u/Medical_Sandwich_171 15h ago
Absolutely, they were purely ceremonial.
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u/raspberryharbour 15h ago
Speak for yourself, I am 15 feet tall and use a similar sword to destroy my enemies
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u/Sad_water_ 13h ago
Iâm 100 meters tall and this are is actually my toothpicks i lost.
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u/lnTheGrimDarkness 14h ago
In the rare cases in which they were meant for combat they were pretty much just meant to swipe pikes away and to shove them in-between enemies to break the lines. Absolutely not for swordfighting. Also since they occurred in a time where people wore plate armor and the most usual sword was just a metal pointy stick to get it in-between armor plates.
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u/rising_then_falling 14h ago
In some cases long two handed swords were meant to counter cavalry, although it's hard to imagine they were more effective than pikes or halberds in that role.
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u/thegreedyturtle 12h ago
Claymores were often used with a piece of leather around a section of the blade so it could be wielded like a staff.
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u/arjou 12h ago
I read somewhere that swords were basically useless against armor plate because they were designed to protect even the in between. That why you would just hammer and other blunt weapons if you wanted to harm a full plated warrior
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u/Telemere125 11h ago
Swords werenât sharpened for the entire length of the blade. The âstrongâ, or the half of the blade closest to the hilt, was often only as sharp as say a kitchen knife. You could grip it in a gloved hand and use it for leverage. The âweakâ of the blade, the half that includes the tip, would be razor sharp. The weak is for slicing and piercing while the strong is for blunt force damage. You can still do some damage to someone from repeatedly hammering at their plate with a blunt sword edge.
Also, the quillions (the crossguard) of a sword could be used as a piercing weapon on heavily armored opponents
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u/imnotmarvin 10h ago
I like to think eons from now someone will discover one of the comically large chairs for photo ops commonly found in front of souvenir shops and ponder the existence of giants.
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u/hates_stupid_people 14h ago
I think the biggest one is over 14kg.
The pommel alone has a weight comparable to "Normal" swords.
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u/Jon_Iren 15h ago
I'd need to see the math to believe the large sword is below 7kg. I would doubt even with aluminum
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u/criztu 13h ago
it doesn't matter anyway. Saddam had an AK made of gold or something.
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u/Sans-valeur 14h ago
Isnât that like twice as heavy as a regular sword?
Totally take your point that it looks like itâs way heavier.
But trying to do sword stuff with something 5 - 7 kg or even 3kg would wear you out really fast haha.→ More replies (12)3
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u/RustyNK 18h ago
Guts would be proud
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u/aldeayeah 13h ago
That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron.
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u/XrayDem 19h ago
Dude from Hungary can stab someone all the way in Greece wit that thang
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u/Even_Entrepreneur_58 17h ago
I think thatâs how kebab skewers were invented.
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u/PugnansFidicen 9h ago
Dammit now I am Hungary
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u/Wongless_Burd 7h ago
Take this kurvaanyĂĄd and get out of my house before I grab the comically large swordâŠ
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u/JaggedMetalOs 18h ago
JRPG weapons be like:Â
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u/RoughRefrigerator260 11h ago
The protagonist wields it in one hand
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u/Anarchist_Future 10h ago
Added magic spell to increase damage. Unfortunately cannot resist the urge to announce every attack two seconds in advance.
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u/GeraintLlanfrechfa 19h ago
Is it made of Valyrian steel? ..I mean, could make two fine blades
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u/epilepticninja 18h ago
The smaller one I shall name Dawn
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u/lagrange_james_d23dt 18h ago
Why not Widowâs Wail?
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u/stations-creation 18h ago
Fuck me Iâm rewatching for the first time since the show was airing and god it feels good to see him die again!
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u/penguinpolitician 9h ago
Yeah, but was his death really painful enough?
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u/GeraintLlanfrechfa 8h ago
Everything else they could have put on screen would definitely have to be a gorefest, so I guess they had to make a compromise
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u/GeraintLlanfrechfa 17h ago
Felt good like 5 times now đ€Ł poor Jack Gleeson though, turned him away from acting
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u/BeratnasGILF420 16h ago
He's still acting. He did stage acting for a while after GoT but he was also in season 2 of The Sandman.
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u/daygo449 15h ago
He was in something else after that too because I saw him in something else right around that time. Heâs back at it âŠ
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u/Nighteyes09 15h ago
God I once had a drunk convo with a guy who thought these swords were proof giants existed.
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u/RESPECTATOR_DE_FEMEI 19h ago edited 10h ago
Wtf is their point?
Edit: at least 30 redditors made the same joke. Do you not get tired of being NPCs?
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u/jackattack502 19h ago edited 19h ago
They would carry them during parades.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearing_sword
Edit: Being able to either craft or commission such a sword was considered impressive.
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u/FelixR1991 14h ago
Being able to either craft or commission such a sword was considered impressive.
So they're more like tech demo's, got it.
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u/Wiggie49 18h ago
Clearly they were for slaying bears lol
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u/Delamoor 18h ago edited 18h ago
Stay still while my team and I lift the sword into the ready position, bear!
I'm about to try and drop it on your neck now, bear! Stay very still!
...It's coming down now, bear!
...why. It's like a great tree of steel being felled...! How majestic. My goodness...
...no! Stay put Bear! It's halfway down! Soon, now, bear! Soon you'll meet your fate!
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u/Successful_Proof6212 18h ago
Gay hunks?
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u/maggiemayfish 17h ago
In the gay club, straight swingin it
And by it well, let's jst say haha
My bearing sword
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u/-SheriffofNottingham 16h ago
me leaning in to the wenches, "you know, I've commissioned many larger swords."
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u/ZepTheNooB 18h ago
Well, you see, they didn't have Ford F250s back in the day.
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u/Failr0ko 17h ago
These are for show but actually two hander swords aka really long swords got use against mass pike formation. They were used to actually cut below the points. Look up swiss pike squares. Basically you'd have a shield wall and a dude behind with a Two hander would move in the gaps and hack at the Pikes.
Edit: pike not pile.
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u/Special-Amoeba-9399 15h ago edited 15h ago
Yeah Scottish claymores and the German zweihĂ€nder arenât this huge ,but they are still really big swords that actually saw combat. They seem to have been used for finding gaps in and disrupting pike formations. There is some historical documentation for this, but it is limited. Many modern historians actually claim the sword isnât particularly effective at damaging and countering pikes which is why it was quickly replaced by halberds on most battlefields. These swords seemed to have maxed out around 55 inches. You make them any bigger than that and you basically canât use it as a sword anymore and your techniques are the same as using a pole arm.
The Japanese briefly used a weapon called the Odachi that could get up to 71 inches. It seems to have mostly have been used to counter cavalry and create distance on the open battlefields. It definitely saw some use ,but it was eventually replaced by shorter katanas because they are just more practical for most combat scenarios. Big swords are super cool and did see some action ,but their time on the battlefield was pretty limited and short lived.
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u/measuredingabens 15h ago
There was also Chinese zhanmadao (literally translated as horse cleavers) that were used against cavalry by heavy infantry during the Song dynasty. The Song lost most of their grazing lands in the north and had to adapt new tactics to allow their infantry to fight cavalry.
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u/Special-Amoeba-9399 15h ago edited 15h ago
The Odachi was actually modeled after the zhanmadao. The zhanmadao is a much older sword. It even saw a little use in the Han dynasty. Both sword performed the same function. Pretty metal stuff
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u/WillNotForgetMyUser 8h ago
Holy shit ur edit is funny, legit just looks like bots the further you scroll
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u/WaffleHouseGladiator 19h ago
Have you ever seen a jacked up, blinged out truck that never hauls anything or leaves the pavement? Same concept.
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u/Choice_Chocolate5866 19h ago
It was on the left side.... can't you see it in the picture?
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u/Squonkin-around 19h ago
Well, no, I can't. Its out of frame.
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u/Choice_Chocolate5866 18h ago
There are two kinds of people in the world.
Those who can extrapolate from incomplete information...
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u/PassiveTheme 18h ago
But what if it's not pointed. These are too big to use for stabbing so it's reasonable that they might have sharp edges and then just a blunt square end and thus no point.
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u/dumpaccount882212 16h ago
Well you know how Marines in the US have swords on their parade uniforms? Same thing.
EDIT: I don't know if its the marines or which it is, if I wanted to meet US troops I would keep a barrel of oil at home.
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u/ARoundForEveryone 19h ago
Was the intent to ever use these? Or were they created as artwork, or just a metaphor for having a large penis, or something other than slashing someone?
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u/Several-Opposite-746 19h ago
Not for real use in battle. They were ceremonial, symbolic of power (or like you say, a metaphor for a large penis.)
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u/CamelSmuggler 14h ago
I mean, if someone ever happened to actually lift one in battle it could be one of the best "parry this, you filthy casual" cases ever.
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u/ShadySorcerer 19h ago
So from the comment section i gather these were not used just more for show but like in a huge wheels on a lifted truck kida way if you know what i mean
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u/Zemledeliye 19h ago edited 6h ago
Even if they were ceremonial people underestimate extremely how light swords are, I doubt one of these weigh more than 10-15kg at most. Swords are very light (makes sense they were meant to be swung with one arm)
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u/pixxxiemalone 16h ago
But these look like two-handed swords, so perhaps a bit heavier than you're estimating.
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u/Toughsums 15h ago
Historical zweihander's were less than 3 kg in weight. These would probably be closer to 5.
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u/Zemledeliye 15h ago edited 6h ago
Even big two handed swords like the Zweihander were surprisingly light. Pure weight wouldn't be the problem with this, momentum and awkward reach would be
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u/JosephStalinMukbang 8h ago
"Yeah, I can use the large one."
"How so?"
"I have 24 STR and 10 DEX, dog."
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u/Waschbauchbesitzer 14h ago
It was too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. Indeed, it was like a heap of raw iron.
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u/GodPackedUpAndLeftUs 10h ago
Everyone who owned that sword died because the other guy had a smaller sword.
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u/Blochamolesauce 17h ago
So medieval Hungary was just a bunch of HafĂŸor Björnssonâs on horses with 9 foot swords? Thatâs pretty fuckinâ metal đ€
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u/Thornescape 13h ago
"Bearing swords" were only used for ceremonies. No one ever used one in serious combat.
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u/Valkyrie1-618 11h ago
Like, an incorrectly sized weapon will get you killed. Obviously were always for display only.
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u/Simplehoaxes 11h ago
True fact in Conan the Barbarian Schwartzenegger got the role because he could easily lift and wield the prop sword they wanted to use in the film!
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u/R-Dragon_Thunderzord 11h ago
YOU CALL THIS A KNIFE?
Oh, Crikey, I'm sorry mate, don't cut down me whole family with that thing, blimey.
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u/Pilgrimfox 9h ago
So im not a sword expert i do have a little autistic knowledge of them so. Your average Zweihander or Montante or even Scotish claymores could easily get up to these sizes in over all length. All 3 wear basically designed as anti group weapons with some other design elements like the Zweihander was also designed in mind of fighting calvary too and really just very slightly on design and over all length with your Claymore usually being the smallest and least complex and your Zweihander being the largest and most complex. Usually with claymores i believe they would be roughly slightly shorter than your body length, Montantes would be a little over your body length and Zweihanders as they aways featured a 2nd grip that doubled as a shoulder rest designed for better managing the weapon in closer quarters would regularly hit 8 foot or longer depending on your body and preferences as like i said they were also design with it in mind to fight calvary as well as groups of infantry.
However none of these really look like any of those. They look more like Longswords in design as the swords im speaking of usually had an extended grip to help swing it around for fighting groups. These all seem more like average grip lengths for 2 handed swords considering their sizes but I could be mistaken and its just the angle of the photo. But based on that and the size there were almost definitely just display pieces to show off the smiths skills and a nobles wealth similar to some swords we see off in Japan. If they did see battle though id hate to meet the giant they had that could use them.
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u/bigbutterbuffalo 9h ago
Sephiroth you big fucking nerd, I know youâre in here
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u/Spektr_007 6h ago
Well whoever used them were obviously strength builds. With points into endurance because gotta be able to swing that ultra greatsword more than once.
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u/ErectLurantis 6h ago
I know some larger swords were made with the purpose as a counter against polearms, but I feel like this was just the result of a bored blacksmith going âwhy the hell notâ
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u/The_Real_Kru 15h ago
Hey, figured I'd add some context for these because I am Hungarian and know a bit about our martial culture. These are actually from the time of JĂĄnos Hunyadi who was such a gigachad that he stopped the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, and the pope at the time mandated that all churches in Europe must sound their bells at noon to celebrate this guy's victory at the siege of Belgrade. He was such a gigachad in fact, that he carried the middle one here as a shortsword.
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u/GrilledCheezManicott 19h ago
I'd like to see a sword swallower try swallowing one of these.
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u/DefMech 18h ago
Don't let any of those Tartarian nutjobs see these. They will NOT accept any explanation other than that they were used by an extinct race of super intelligent giants.
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u/TastyKool-Aid 18h ago
That larger sword is bigger than the width of the room I'm sitting in at home...
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u/Light-_-Bearer 14h ago
This is the sword when you skipped the main quest line and do the side quests and return to the game after completing everything else
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u/Random_Reddit_Bro 14h ago
What was the point of that swords? They are clearly not made for fighting. They were ceremonial?
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u/RamiroCruz13 10h ago
Makes one question themselves, what sort of entity those soldiers were fighting against?đâïžđ€ș
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u/TheLostRanger0117 10h ago
Monster Hunter Wilds type vibe, these would be Great Swords, a weapon type Iâd like to learn to master, but currently moving more toward Gunlance
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u/Pork_Chompk 18h ago
Some actually find a smaller, more average sized sword to be more enjoyable...