Sword Sunday: Bonus post

So, in celebration of my pending 20th post, I'm taking a moment to talk a little bit about all that we've covered here so far

#1 - Crossing a sword with a Guided Missile.

I kicked things off with an off the wall idea, that actually has a practical military application. 

#2 - Andrew Klavan, and a real dragon slayer.

As much as I wanted this to be apolitical, there are some levels of stupidity that are self evident, and when Andrew Klavan ran his mouth, I was honor bound to put my own take on the argument that  'women can't sword fight'.

#3 - Courts, combat, and katanas

I took the opportunity to use some legal foolery as a platform to talk about katanas, judicial combat, and honor duels. 

#4 - How did a Union cavalry saber wind up in Virginia?

This was just a good, old fashioned mystery with a cool story behind it. 

#5 - legal action and bad 'Samurai Swords'

This was more a tale about the person than the sword, but also highlighted how even replica swords have standards they can be held to. 

#6 - Lady Justice has dropped her sword! 

A architectural mishap was the perfect chance for me to talk about the the mythological figure, and the evolution of swords as a concept. 

#7 - A $39K Lost and found... in a garage.

A rusty word found in England offered a fascinating window into the culture of a Gaelic mercenary band from the later middle ages. 

#8 - The "knife" you brought to a sword fight.

This was my first serious study of a type of weapon, and I really enjoyed talking about this lesser known civilian's weapon. 

#9 - "A sword for Gideon" - The oldest known commando raid

Ironically, the battle in question didn't even involve swords, but this was my chance to go a secular breakdown of one of the oldest surprise military raids even hinted at in military history. 

#10 -Supply, Demand, and 'the sword of the Meth King'.

Again, I really like connecting things to the modern day, and this bit of costume goofyness on the part of a drug dealer was a good opportunity to talk about how men with money also help shape what swords are made. 

#11 -The Glaive: king of the killing field

I wanted to do this one ever since I started this project, and this was my opportunity. Part sword, part spear, all killing machine, I really enjoyed dong this technical and historical breakdown of my favorite pole-arm. 

#12 -The doctoral sword

In Finland, you get a sword when you get your doctorate... who knew?

#13 -The Pata (gauntlet sword)

This was another weapon's breakdown where I wanted to look for something a little different. This weapon from the Indian subcontinent left its mark in its time, and was respected by those who used it, and faced it. 

#14 -The Ethiopian Shotel

I honestly didn't know that much about Ethiopian weapons when I started researching this article, so the shotel was a fascinating discovery for me, as well as fun to write. 

#15 -The old sword of pharaoh's Army, the Khopesh

Just in time for Easter, I wanted to talk about the backbone of the Egyptian army.

#16 -The oldest sword ever found.

Really, I avoided this topic for a few weeks because I didn't think I could say much that the papers hadn't said already, but then I realized that putting the age of this weapon in context was eye opening in its own right. 

#17 - The Scimitar

The western name for one of the largest types of eastern swords, I really enjoyed putting this classic and iconic family of blades in context. 

#18 -Another attic, another old sword, and this is is just as awesome.

It looks like the Japanese have a few of their own keepsakes tucked away in old places, and this one offers a bookend to a fascinating piece of weapons history. 

#19 -Hitting things... for science.

When I saw this bit of news, I knew I had to write about it. Science simply can't get any cooler than when guys in lab coats make you bronze weapons and then tell you "hit things with this!"

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"