Yes, Giant Swords Existed, BUT...

Part 2: Greatswords vs. pikes in battle:
   • How Greatswords Beat Pikes in Battle ...  

You can find some astonishingly huge swords in museums, and even a few that look like they came straight out of Monster Hunter or some other fantasy game. Were they made for exceptionally tall and strong warriors, or did they serve another purpose, outside of the battlefield?

Let's delve into a few examples to get an idea of just how humongous the biggest ones are. This video also contains a brief look at the historical origin of the greatsword / zweihander / montante / spadone, and what distinguishes it from a longsword.

[Update] Correction for 13:53: Apparently it's not a Naga sword but a "Waitlam" or "Waitsum" from the Khasi & Jaintia tribes of Meghalaya, North East India.

Time stamps:

00:00 - 00:46 Intro
00:46 - 02:57 Terminology and history
02:57 - 03:43 Flamberge style wavy edges
03:43 - 04:58 Sawfish blades!
04:58 - 05:52 Other bearing / processional swords
05:52 - 08:23 The legendary Grutte Pier
08:23 - 09:58 Weight & functionality
09:58 - 11:19 The Norimitsu Odachi
11:19 - 13:20 Real-life gigantism
13:20 - 15:15 Conclusion
15:15 - 15:32 Outro

Various ceremonial greatswords for display of wealth and status:
http://nms.scran.ac.uk/database/recor...
https://collections.royalarmouries.or...
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...

Fully functional examples of zweihander:
https://www.metmuseum.org/search-resu...
https://florianfortner.com/portfolio/...

Kiribati weapon with sawfish teeth at the Brooklyn museum:
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/openco...

Museum Mythbusting: No, this is not "The Sword of Grutte Pier"
https://imgur.com/gallery/rmXsPUG
https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Pier_...
https://collectie.friesmuseum.nl/?diw...

The Weighty Issue of Two-Handed Greatswords
http://www.thearma.org/essays/2HGS.ht...

The Norimitsu odachi, possibly the largest sword ever made:
https://www.ancient-origins.net/artif...

A great source for medieval depictions:
https://manuscriptminiatures.com/tags

The reproductions shown in this video:
https://www.kultofathena.com/product/...
https://www.kultofathena.com/product/...


** Music **

Intro song:
"Illuminate" by Vindsvept
https://vindsvept.bandcamp.com/track/...
Used with artist's permission

Outtakes:
"Little People At Work" by Horrorpen
https://opengameart.org/content/littl...
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)

Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
https://theslantedroom.github.io/stev...
Used with artist's permission


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