#Horse Head Iberian Falcata

[kultofathena]

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Testing an Iberian Falcata! Initial Impressions

[jakey-beefed-it]

I like swords an unreasonable amount. I like straight swords, curved swords, thrusting swords, slashing swords, chopping swords, big swords, small swords. I can’t pick a favorite. It kinda depends on context, you know?

A longsword/bastard sword is a great way to smash and cut a lightly armored opponent, or stab even a well-armored one. A sabre is great for lopping heads off from horseback or slashing throats and bellies on foot. A katana kinda splits the difference between the two. All are good at what they’re supposed to do and run into trouble when used differently from intended. All are surprisingly lightweight and easy to wield quickly.

If I had to pick favorites, I would have to do so by category.

Two-handed: Zweihanders breaking pikes is cooler to me even than claymores or nodachi killing horses so I gotta go with them. Though tbh if you’re using something THAT big you really might as well be using a polearm for a bit more standoff distance. Still, I love the whole ‘doppelsoldner’ thing where if you were the kind of dude with guts and brawn enough to rush an enemy pike formation and go ham on it with these things, fuck, dude, you get double pay.

Thrusting: Longswords being wielded for a killing thrust on a toppled opponent, punching through the weak point of armor at the throat or visor, god damn, that’s fuckin brutal. I love it even more than the rapier in which I actually trained for like five minutes way back when. The strength and durability of the blade designed to at least transfer some kinetic force through heavy steel armor without breaking is pretty aces.

Slashing: There are so many really great slashing swords to choose from, and while I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the 1860 light cavalry saber for the Union (great at murdering Confederates!) I am absolutely in love with the Cossack shashka. Developed from the long (long) tradition of steppe nomad horseback slashing swords, minimalist in construction, and gorgeous. Hilts are for cowards; you need no defense against a dead opponent.

Chopping: Depending on which is slightly bigger and/or better balanced (not enough experience with either to know, or even to easily tell the difference), I’d go with either the Iberian falcata or the Greek kopis- either way basically an oversized kukri in design and every bit as lethal as that would imply. These things (both of them) historically were able to smash up and chop deeply into fucking tower shields to the point of potentially fouling them and still able to be wielded to killing effect against the now less defended opponent. Fuckin limb-hackers, these things.

Anyhow yeah. If I had the money to commission a proper weaponsmith I would absolutely get one of each of those weapons. Alas, I am poor.

[barbucomedie]

Falcata Sword from Corduba, Spain dated between the 4th-3rd Century BCE on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid

This curved weapon was common amongst the Iberian peoples of the Upper Guadalquivir and in Southeast Iberia. Usually found in funerary contexts, it occasionally appears as a votive offering in settlements and shrines. The hilt terminal adopts the shape of a horses head and culminates in two affronted cat’s heads, with damascening. This technique is repeated towards the bottom of the blade, with the figure of a bird. The typology and rich decoration situate this weapon in a grave for a member of the Iberian military elite.

Photographs taken by myself 2019

[kultofathena]

Deepeeka Horsehead Iberian Falcata Demo Video | Kult of Athena

An iconic and powerful sword of the Classical ancient world, the Falcata with its deep recurve blade bites deeply into a target and separates it with ease with its widened tip. The Roman warriors of the early Republic described how the Falcata could split a helmet and feared meeting it in battle. Its design influenced the design of the Gladius.

A horsehead pommel sits on top of a contoured and well-formed grip of this model is fashioned to snugly fit the hand and makes it less taxing on the hand to wield the blade, allowing the full power of the arm and forearm to help power the sword in the strike. The blade is hand forged from resilient C60 high carbon steel – a steel with similar properties to 1060 high carbon steel. The sword has a robust full tang construction; the grip is two halves of smoothly polished bone and its guard and pommel are cast brass – all of these components are sturdily riveted directly to the thick blade tang.

Included with the sword is a utility byknife which has its own slot on the scabbard

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[kultofathena]

Deepeeka – Horse Head Iberian Falcata

An iconic and powerful sword of the Classical ancient world, the Falcata with its deep recurve blade bites deeply into a target and separating it with ease with its widened tip. The contoured and well-formed grip is fashioned to snugly fit the hand and by maximizing contact between the hand and grip from as many surfaces as possible it makes it less taxing on the hand to wield the blade and truly allows the full power of the arm and forearm to help power the sword in the strike. The blade is hand forged from resilient C60 high carbon steel – a steel with similar properties to 1060 high carbon steel. The sword has a robust full tang construction; the grip is two halves of smoothly polished bone and its guard and pommel are cast brass – all of these components are sturdily riveted directly to the thick blade tang.

Included with the sword is a utility byknife which has its own slot on the scabbard. The included scabbard is well-crafted from wood which is tightly bound in well-stitched genuine leather and embellished with brass fittings with brass hanging rings. The alignment of the rings allow for the bearer to choose to wear the sword at either an angle or vertically from a baldric belt. (baldric is not included).

Please Note: If additional sharpening is selected, the byknife will also be sharpened. Also – the hand used to model the grip measures 3.5″ across the palm and has a length of 7.25″ from wrist to end of middle finger.