The Scottish Sword and Why People Like Collect Them

Medieval weapons collectors are always looking for a rare find or a well crafted replica of historic weapons. Of these historical replicas there are some that stand out above all others due to their rich cultural history and use in modern pop-culture media. The Scottish sword is one general category of these weapons. A sword forged in Scotland is often used in many medieval based movies such as the Scottish Claymore used by such legendary figures as William Wallace.

People enjoy collecting weapons from medieval Scotland due to their solid and utilitarian designs mixed with romantic stories and the aforementioned pop culture. The weapons crafted in the Scottish highlands are world renowned and held in as great awe as anything forged by the master smiths of Japan.

Scottish Sword Types and Usage

Scottish sword craftsmanship was centered around making weapons that were designed to be heavy or quick based on who was using them. Knights and heavily armored troops tended to use claymores or heavy horseman's swords that were designed to batter and wear away at the heavy armor of their foes. A less armored individual could be cleaved in half like a butcher's knife carving into a roast.

The Heavy Blade

The heavier swords were primarily designed to be used by mounted men to attack the less armored individuals with greater momentum or for direct conflict with other heavily armored individuals. While a longbow might be able to puncture straight through plate armor a sword would usually be turned aside at close range. With heavy swords of this type it was easier to just batter the opponent and hack their armor. This allowed the force to travel through the metal protecting them and cause impact damage that slowly wore them down until a killing blow could be made.

The Light Blade

However, despite the Claymore and heavy blades of Scottish make being the most well known the wily Scots made far more than that. The poor farmers who could not afford or even wield such massive weapons would purchase Scottish Dirks or Basket hilted blades as well as a good old fashioned broadsword.

Scottish dirks are a type of Scottish sword that were designed around lightning quick attacks and lighter infantry usage. They were only slightly longer than a long knife and were not only used for fighting but found great use as a cutting tool or for hunting.

Basket-hilted blades were used to try and assault the eyes or other vulnerable spots of their opponents while keeping the hands somewhat protected. These were quick attack swords and were used for darting and weaving in the manner of a serpent by the craftiest of Scottish warriors.

Beyond the simple desire to hold a claymore over their head and proclaim "There can be only one!", like their favorite character from the old television show highlander. or have a replica of some fantasy based Scottish sword, there is the fact that the design and implementation of blade-work from Scotland's medieval period is rock solid and enduring while being of great utility. In short, they look cool and do not fall apart in battle.

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