I like this sword!

Triton

Triton

Gold Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2000
Messages
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Never been a big fan of leaf blades until I got to work on this one. Custom leafblade by Al Massey:

leafunsheath.jpg
 
Your're right, that's gorgeous. Do becareful when ordering from Al Massey, apparantly you need to specify you want a pretty sword, otherwise he'll make you a poorly finished piece at a very low price. Al makes his stuff tough but dislikes fine working.
 
Looks like the old medieval boar hunting swords, with that swell in the blade.

Keith
En Ferro Veritas
 
Hmm hadn't thought of that, true enough though. I think typically those swords had a hole in them to put a cross member through though. Here's my review:

Al Massey Custom Leafblade

Overall length: 40 inches
Blade Length: 28.5 inches
Point of Balance: 5.5 inches from cross
Center of Percussion: 17.75 inches from cross
Weight: 2.7 lbs
Pommel: Type T
Cross: Untyped
Bladetype: Leaf shaped

Performance Review: This was a customer's sword however he allowed me to do some light test cutting. This sword handled very well in both cutting and thrusting against light targets. It tracked well, cut cleanly and returned no vibration to the user. A very nicely handling sword. Balance and harmonics all seem to be well done.

Appearance: This is an very attractive sword. The birds eye maple grip and the long leaf shape are very pleasing to the eye. On the downside the fittings (pommel and cross) were rather rough although mechanically sound. There were also some noticeable hammer marks on the blade, the centerline was not completely straight and the blade may have a slight twist although that might be an optical illusion.
 
Funny, I just watched a history channel documentary on the Berserkers and this sword came to mind. These guys were a Viking Clan that drugged themselves up, dressed only in animal furs and howled like wolves to wip themselves into a crazed frenzy for the battle.
 
They actually said that Berserkers "drugged themselves up"? Give me a break! According to most of the sources that I have seen and read, the Berserkers were most likely victims of some sort of neurological condition in which they could switch on a pathological rage. During such a rage , they could not feel pain and possessed seemingly superhuman strength, probably as a result of vastly increased adrenalin output. As to dressing in animal furs, well, they did so at times, but they also frequntly dressed in pretty much the same clothing and armor as the other Norse warriors. There is as set of walrus ivory chessmen from the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides off of the northwestern coast of Scotland that has some lovely figures of Berserks, dressed as regular troopies in conical spangenhelms and, IIRC, mail hauberks, carrying kite shields. The only indication of their status is that they are very clearly biting the metal shield rims! You can see their teeth clamped over the rims!
 
The drug they used was one that they learned about from the Finns and Lapps. It was Fly Agaric, a psychotropic and hallucingenic. It is most likely the reason that they had a PCP- or Metamphetamine-type rage, as it increased heart rate, released endorphins and adrenaline, and gave them the superhuman strength and toughness. Due to constriction of the blood vessels, they did not appear to bleed much when cut, adding to their superhuman appearsnace.

In addition to the Berserks (Bear-shirts) there were other clans of warrior/shamans called Ulfhednar, or Wolf Coats. same deal, different animal. These warriors were thought to be shape-shifters, and (as with other circumpolar shamnistic traditions) gained the powers of the animal they represent. The Aztecs had Jaguar warriors who were pretty much the same class as Berserks.

"Berserkers were most likely victims of some sort of neurological condition"--That my be, but that is the older interpretation. There were other fighters who could work themselves into a rage who were not berserks. some berserks wore no armor, or nothing at all, much like greek and celtic warrior units.

Keith
En Ferro Veritas
 
Keith, from an essay on the taxonomy of the fly agaric or amanita mushroom by Stephen G. Saupe, Ph.D.; Biology Department, College of St. Benedict/St. John's University, Collegeville, MN 56321; ssaupe@csbsju.edu

Approximately 20 minutes after ingestion of Fly agaric, most people fall into a deep, vision-filled sleep. During this period, the intoxicated individual may receive divine revelations from 'Mukhomor spirits', which are described as small (elves?) people. (As an aside, after awaking, the inebriated person reportedly feels elated and capable of exaggerated physical feats. It has been suggested, although it is most likely incorrect, that the Viking berserkers were inebriated with Fly agaric when they went on their barbaric raids.)
Click to expand...

Also, from [SpruceRoots Magazine], an article, "SOMA: STORM CLOUD FULL OF LIFE", by Ian Lordon, contained this paragraph.

There are also controversial claims that the legendary Norse Berserkers would consume heavy doses of A. muscaria before engaging in battle to take advantage of the rush of energy which accompanies the initial stages of intoxication. As their longships sailed toward their unfortunate targets, the Viking warriors would allegedly hand out and eat the mushrooms just prior to arrival. By the time the boat hit the beach, they would storm ashore wielding sword and shield effortlessly, and with luck cut down their enemies before the later stages of A. muscaria's influence set in. The blind fury and endurance of these maritime marauders in hand-to-hand combat often drew no distinction between friend or foe. They fought as though possessed by madness, earning their demented epithet: Berserkers.
Click to expand...
(Actually, this was not quite true, as I understand it. You could point the berserker at the foe you wanted him to fight, and he would do so. You had to stay out of his way, that was all. He would not go looking for you to fight you.)

I will say that I have heard of the drugged Berserk, as well as his brother, the wolf man, but I have never seen it claimed as more than a possibility by any truly serious student of the Norse culture, especially one from that part of the world. One of the problems with History Channel is that it tends to take popular stories and give them as absolute, unchallenged fact when they are really only possibilities, and remote ones frequently, when you dig into the reality. How many times have you seen stories on TV about Atlantis?
 
...I guess we'll never really know the truth on that one. Hel, some folks drink beer and fly into a rage. Some even say they "feel no pain" when drinking heavily.

Remember that the Vikings were traders and journeyers, so they might have gotten hold of any number of drugs from around the world. The Scythians were users of hemp, and Asians and Indians had all sorts of medical and recreational drugs. The Hashishins (Assassins) were takers of Hash oils, distillates from Cannabis.

Modern militaries have experimented with combat drugs as well.

Have you read the book "Ancient Inventions?" it has a great section on food, drink and drugs. Very informative on drug use in the ancient world.

Even woad, the celtic dye for tattoos and body paints, is rumored to have some drug-like effect on the user.

Sorry, drifted a bit off topic there.

Keith
En Ferro Veritas
 
Keith, your comment on their believing that they were shape-shifters and could assume the attributes as well as the form of the beasts whom they imitated indicates to me some form of sympathetic magic which is the sort of thing that induces psychosomatic physical changes such as those that you ascribe to the drugs. Such changes have been observed in American Indians who were known not to have taken any drugs and in various combat troops over many armies and many years. I guess that they can be caused by fear and/or religious fervor as well as belief in sympathetic magic, but it is the sympathetic magic that is the most likely.
 
Proves that perceptions are 9/10ths of reality. However one makes the switches in the brain flip, be it aided by drugs or ritual, thwe effect is the same--the person 'believes' that they have undergons some change, and therefore they have. like mind over matter.

There was a study the gov't did on shamanism in the congo, in which witch doctors whipped up powerful spells to help warriors in battle. The effect of these charms was that the congolese fought without fear, and were nearly unstoppable, high morale, etc. The government was looking into counter-magic against them, so that the congolese would have fear that their powerful magical charms might fail in the face of countermagic. Interesting stuff.

I'll try to dig up the link on it...

Keith
En Ferro Veritas
 
Neato...I was at St. John's on Tuesday, shame I haven't been in the biology dep't.

Sorry for going off-topic ;)

Robert.
 
hweeheehe! I think we're all a bit off-topic!
I blame it on TWG, he brought up the berserker thing. I wholeheartedly skipped, ran, jumped, somersaulted across the line after that...

Keith
En Ferro Veritas
 
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