Vsauce!
Kevin here.
The Ulfberht was a type of viking sword made for a short period of time and considered
one of the greatest swords ever made.
Created from 800-1000 AD using high-quality crucible steel from Central Asia - they were
so much stronger and more flexible than any sword in their time they were inlayed with
the word Ulfbert to set them apart although no one today knows the meaning behind the
name.
We do know this sword was so famous it was copied in its day and out of the 171 found
only a handful are authentic Ulfberhts and there are no other instances of this high-quality
steel technology in Europe for almost a thousand years.
What the FAK.
The facts and knowledge on Legendary Swords.
Excalibur was the sword of the King Arthur and arguably the most famous sword of all
time.
There are two different accounts of how he became the owner of Excalibur.
One popularized version is that Excalibur is also the sword in the stone and young Arthur
was the only one able to pull the sword that was held magically by the stone.
Doing this proved he was the true king of Britain.
The other account states that he was given the sword by the lady of the lake.
After he was mortally wounded in battle he ordered one of his knights of the round table
to return the sword to the lake, where an arm rose and caught it.
The Honjo Masamune is considered one of the finest Japanese swords ever made and was created
by the man often recognized as Japan's greatest swordsmith - Masamune.
Legend states the blade is so perfectly balanced and aligned that it splits light rendering
its wielder invisible.
Unfortunately the sword went missing in 1946 but Final Fantasy fans will recognize a Masamune
sword carried by Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7.
In 1965 the Sword Of Goujian was discovered inside a casket with a human skeleton along
the Zhang River amongst more than fifty ancient tombs.
Even though it had been buried for over 2000 years, the sword remained sharp with very
little tarnish.
Script on the sword was still legible and read "Belonging to King Goujijan of Yue, made
for his personal use."
The blade was analyzed to understand why it held up so well over the centuries and it
was likely the combination of elements in the sword and the air tight scabbard were
responsible for its incredible preservation.
A claymore is a Scottish Variant of the late medieval two handed longsword and it is the
same kind of sword believed to have been carried by William Wallace.
Wallace was a Scottish Knight famous for leading a resistance against the English during the
Wars of Scottish Independence.
The sword is 5 ft 6 inches (168 cm) including the hilt and weighs 6 pounds (2.7 kg).
Legend states the original scabbard, hilt, and belt were made from the skin of one of
the English Commanders at the Battle of Sterling Bridge.
Rapiers were specifically designed for thrusting and featured complex hilts to protect the
hand of the swordsman.
The hilts were designed with many variations including the swept hilt in Italy, the Pappenheimer
in Germany or The Taza Cup Hilt style of Spain.
And the Rapier was made famous in pop culture by the Three Musketeers, The Princess Bride
and video games like the Fire Emblem series.
To trap and defend against swords there were trident daggers.
Carried in the swordsman's off-hand they were designed to defend and parry swords - opening
up the opponent for a strike.
Sword breakers were designed to catch, and then eventually break an enemy's sword.
I'm gonna leave you with this legendary replica sword made by Tony from Man At Arms.
What style is it and what famous historical figure used it?
Before we go here's last video's winner.
I want to thank Tony from Man At Arms - this place is amazing.
Check out his channel - make sure you subscribe.
And as always - thanks for watching.