# Carrying a sword



## michaelschaap (Apr 13, 2012)

I am trying to visualize how someone would carry a sword on his/her back.  Something like Wesley Snipes does in the movie Blade.... I found this picture.

Blade (Movie Sword) (HK26028) - China sword,movie sword,display sword in Antique & Collection

From the picture it looks like there are two openings the you slip your arms through and then there is a buckle that fastens across your chest to stabilize it.  Would you in-vision that this would be the way that this sword is carried?  Would drawing it be some flight from imagination that readers could not in-vision?


Michael


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## Bloggsworth (Apr 13, 2012)

Did soldiers ever actually carry swords on their backs, seems daft to me as reaching for it would completely expose the chest and stomach area.


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## Terry D (Apr 13, 2012)

From a Wiki article about scabbards;

Back scabbards were never used in European, Near East, or Indian military cultures, and depictions of such are a modern invention and have enjoyed great popularity in fiction and fantasy, to the point that they are widely believed to be a Medieval invention.[SUP][_citation needed_][/SUP] A well-known example of this is the back scabbard depicted in the movie _Braveheart_. There is some limited data from woodcuts and textual fragments that Mongol light horse archers and some Chinese soldiers wore a slung baldric over the shoulder, allowing longer blades to be strapped across the back.
However in "The Ancient Celts" by Barry Cunliffe, on page 94 of that book, Professor Cunliffe writes,"All these pieces of equipment [shields, spears, swords, mail armour], mentioned in the texts, are reflected in the archaeological record and in the surviving iconography, though it is sometimes possible to detect regional variations. Among the Parisii of Yorkshire, for example, _the sword was sometimes worn across the back and therefore had to be drawn over the shoulder from behind the head_."


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## michaelschaap (Apr 13, 2012)

Found these two links 

D69A carrying sheath for two-handed swords, Braveheart Shop History Revisited

Look about half way down the page at this one...

Sword of the Daywalker from the Movie "Blade"


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## Bloggsworth (Apr 13, 2012)

There is no way a Scottish broadsword could be carried on the back in battle - I'm a 6'  former rugby forward and found a broadsword was a real handful, and as it was about as long as Mel Gibson is tall, you would have to, hand over hand, shuffle it out of the scabbard! Look at the photograph, you will see that a one movement withdrawal would be impractical, who would have arms long enough to clear the top guide.


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## Kevin (Apr 13, 2012)

I don't see any issue transporting a sword on the back. Much in the same way as you trasnsport a rifle, you'd have to 'un-sling' it before use. Nobody 'draws' their rifle over their head. They have to roll it off of the back and one shoulder. Roll your sword off, scabbard and all, and then remove it from the sheath. If the other guy has his out before you, your dead.


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## Bloggsworth (Apr 13, 2012)

Kevin said:


> I don't see any issue transporting a sword on the back. Much in the same way as you trasnsport a rifle, you'd have to 'un-sling' it before use. Nobody 'draws' their rifle over their head. They have to roll it off of the back and one shoulder. Roll your sword off, scabbard and all, and then remove it from the sheath. If the other guy has his out before you, your dead.



If the other guy has a side-slung sabre, you're dead...


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## C.M. Aaron (Apr 13, 2012)

If you subscribe to the theory that the writer must meet the reader's expectations, I think there is enough support out there for an over-the-shoulder scabbard, whether it is historically accurate or not. In my limited experience, readers of historical fiction are more interested in a good story than in historical accuracy. When I first read your initial post, I thought of Swarzzenegger's over-the-shoulder scabbard in "Conan the Barbarian." That scabbard was cloth or animal skin and was flexible, probably making for an easier draw. He also carried it diagonally, not straight up and down his spine, probably also making for an easier draw. The D69A sheath only covers the tip and leaves much of the blade exposed. This might be necessary for an unusually long sword, but at least one function of a scabbard is to protect the blade. A scabbard that leaves the blade bare exposes the edge to damage, allows the entire blade to get wet and to rust, and can also injure or damage the user or his clothing and equipment. I say use only a medium or short short with a full scabbard. I think your readers will be able to visualize it easily enough.   C.M.


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## SeverinR (Apr 16, 2012)

So how did someone with an exceptionally long, sword transport it?
Was it like Kevin said? Even if carried on horse it would still be in the way.


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