Do you think this is a basis for the Elven swords

[Finrod Felagund]

Doing research for a short story set in Middle Earth, First Age.

Based on Tolkien's descriptions, what would the Elvish "Long Knife" resemble, a Chinese sabre or the standard one handed longsword? or what
Thanks

[Gil-Galad]

Mabey a little shorter. Good job reserchng thoiugh. Mine is an educated quess

[Orc]

I would guess that it would be closer to a short sword, probably in the neighborhood of 12-24 inches long overall. Daggers typcially have both edges sharpened, while knives only have one.

[Pil]

I imagined legolas' knives to be bendy (not bendy as in floppy!), but that's just me! :embarras:

[Gil-Galad]

Like a fencing foil?

[Catz]

i always imagined the elvish knives to be about forearm length, blade and hilt (is the term hilt correct when discussing a knife?). any longer and it becomes harder and harder to weild as a knife and youre moving into sword territory....the whole point with a knife is its manouvreability (yes...i know...i cant spell:p lol ) in close quarters fighting....too much length and you lose that direct connection with the arm and hand of the user, if you get my drift....
:catz:

[Gil-Galad]

I like fighting with a one handed sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. Use the dagger to block blows or to throw and the sword to finish them off.

[Catz]

was it ever mentioned as to whether or not the elves fought with their knives in concert with other weapons?...like as you say Gil, a shield or sword...that would make a difference to the comfortable length.....if they were used in such a manner, they would not have needed to be so long, but if they were being used in pairs as Legolas uses his, they would probably be longer.....
:catz:

[Gil-Galad]

But remember they are mearly used to suplement his favorite weapon the bow. All elves like the bow more than any other weapon wich probaly means they are smarter than anyone. The farther you can be away from the fighting but still doing damage the better!

[PrinceImrahil]

I agree with you entirely Gil.
I wouldn't be to quick to say ALL elves choose the bow. Although it is the preferred weapon of wood elves, their were thousands and thousands in the Silmarillion that all fought in open battle with sword and shield. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think that all the named and famous weapons in ME are swords, knives, and spears(Aeglos, Glamdring, Ringil).

[Bonos-Girl]

I imagine elves to have kinda long knives rather than swords but thats just my opinion... they should be double-bladed as well and have an inscription in tengwar.

[Gil-Galad]

i still imagine that MOST elves favor the bow

[PrinceImrahil]

I agree Gil.
Whoa...I think thats the first thing I said in all of Dagorland that hasn't caused or been part of an arguement. YAY!

[Gil-Galad]

Want me to start another one...

/me winks

[Pil]

Not like a fencing foil, that would just be AMUSING! I think a better word would be curvy, not bendy! :embarras:

Plus... i love knives with inscriptions of flames running up the blade... is that just me? :flamer:

[Gil-Galad]

He he

[PrinceImrahil]

Fire pleases everyone, whether real or inscripted. Man is just short for pyroMANiac

[Gil-Galad]

thats not funny. I didnt laugh

[Pil]

I didn't laugh...cos i don't get it! :(

[Bonos-Girl]

i like fire...i don't see what that has to do with anything but fire is fun...unless you burn down your house or something (i guess...
never happened to me so...)

[Pil]

I have flame proof carpets...or so i am told... :evil: :naughty:

[Illuvatar]

Weren't we talking about a knife somewhere in here?

[Pil]

lol roflmao lol

[Bonos-Girl]

yeh i know...what happened to the subject????? i wondered aboutr that when we started talking about fire....

[Pil]

Knives......hmm... :mmmm:

[Bonos-Girl]

ok....that was vital to the thread!!!!

[Pil]

I have NOTHING to say! roflmao

Now THAT was useful! lol

[Illuvatar]

Here is the topic folks.....
Elvish Long Knife ???
Doing research for a short story set in Middle Earth, First Age.

Based on Tolkien's descriptions, what would the Elvish "Long Knife" resemble, a Chinese sabre or the standard one handed longsword? or what
Thanks

PS. If you have nothing to contribute to a particular thread, you are in no way obligated to post anything at all.

Thanks,
Illu

[Finrod Felagund]

http://www.medievaltymes.com/courtyard/images/maciejowski/leaf10/otm10va&bdetail4.gif

[Orc]

I think there is more of an asian, (particularly Japanese) influence on the elven weapons.

[Beulvar]

this looks sorta similar as well

http://armsofvalour.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AOVL&Product_Code=1557&Category_Code=WSC

Beulvar

[Finrod Felagund]

I believe the basis for that sword is came from the picture above

[Finrod Felagund]

Orc, do you think that it is a cut down glaive or is it a sword by design? There is a discussion on another board about it and other sword like weopons in drawings from old texts. Some are arguing what kind of sword they are and some are saying that they are cut down pole arms scavenged from battlefields. What say you?

[Orc]

Personally I think that they are swords by design rather than cut down glaives or other pole arms. I think that the elven swords were designed as they were to be elvish in nature. Both the blade and handle have a gentle flowing form to them that is suggestive of a nature theme (where there are no real straight lines). While they may have drawn concepts from our human history, I do not believe that the folk at WETA created the elven weapons to mimic or copy anything from our hisory. They inteded to create a completly elven weapon that was unlike anything in our history . This way the elves in the movie are truly elves rather than adapting a human cluture such as say, outfitting them with roman weapons and armour and sticking on pointy ears. By creating something that has inspired so much debate to describe based upon our human history, says to me, that they really have managed to create somthing different and new.

:Orc:

[Finrod Felagund]

I didn't mean to infer that the swords in the movie were cut down pole arms, I was refering to the ones in the picture I posted. I guess I was getting a little off topic and was asking you a question as someone who knows a great deal of non-gunpowder based weaponry

[Orc]

Originally posted by Finrod Felagund
I didn't mean to infer that the swords in the movie were cut down pole arms, I was refering to the ones in the picture I posted. I guess I was getting a little off topic and was asking you a question as someone who knows a great deal of non-gunpowder based weaponry

Sorry about that. I figured you were going off the first post rather than refering to your post.

That's a hard one to call. Personally, I'd guess that it more likely to have evolved from a sword than from a pole arm. It's also entirely possible that it never really exsisted. Since the design was taken from an illistration in a Bible, it's entirely possible that the illustrator simply 'invented' it. Given the origional picture posted, it could also be a polearm that has been shortened, or even broken. It could also be a specially designed for a single minded purpose. In the first image, it looks like it's cut pretty much through a rider. Not an ease feat, especially when you're mounted and can't use any lowe body muslce in the blow. I'm not an expert, but my guess would be that this is more of 'artistic' license than factual documentation.

[Gatsby]

i personally think that the more elfish swords are reminicent of turkish swords... the ones that i have seen are curved and fluid like the one that Arwen weilds... but yeah those pics are really similar, they might very well have
out
gatsby

[Voroturiön]

Actually, the Elven Warrior Sword is almost exactly the same as the Japanese Nagamaki. The Nagamaki was a polearm used as a sword.

Please, see my page:
http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/noldorianwarrior/Nagamaki.html

[Finrod Felagund]

Thanks Voroturion, that is so close, PJ just added a few curves.

[Orc]

Definately looks like a starting point for the elven sword!

:Orc:

[Winyaél Greenleaf]

It certainly looks similar to the Nagamaki, especially the curve of the blade :thumbs: