About Swords Andra: Hey thanks for your

About Swords

Andra submitted:

Hey thanks for your work!

Anyway, I just wanted to remark on something I did not read any complaints about, yet: Swords and their handling*. I know, with broken spines and horrid anatomy that does not seem to be too important an issue in these horrible sexualized caricatures of human beings. But as a woman who does some medieval swordfighting in her spare time, many pictures are just painfull for all the wrong reasons.

Of course, fighting stances were often criticized in this blog, rightfully so. I guess everyone who ever dabbled in any martial art knows that you want your point of balance as deep as possible, so high heels and long streched legs might not help. Neither do the swivelled poses in keeping your balance.

The sword you typically want to get between you and your opponent. What you don’t want is for instance limbs or bodyparts (like elbows) streching out of your guard (they make nice targets), or your sword streched someway behind your back, whilst you try to use it like a meatcleaver or an axe.

Instead you typically use leverage*. With your hands far apart on the swordhilt (another thing artists seem keen on ignoring) you can build up leverage to make a fast and hard strike.

The balance which makes this possible is in the design of the sword. By a balanced design the physical turning point is not far from the hilt on the blade, which makes it easy to strike around this turning point for the wielder. But, unfortunately, Artists ignore that for this balance in swords to exist you need an actual POMMEL. Nearly all sword drawings I have seen so far have almost none, so that the blade would be incredibly front heavy. (And let’s be honest here, with those sticks for arms the “women” on the drawings typically have, the swordpoint would just go straight to the ground with them unable to lift it.)

I did not see a reason for a long time: Why they would draw no real pommel able to keep a weightbalance? Any reference should help. For instance image-search a sword, even the most Fantasy-models normally have one bigger than the pictures*. Then it hit me. The swordhilt looks much more phallic without a real pommel. I guess if those barely-clad women fondle such a hilt, it is subliminally more erotic? Freud would be proud.
- Andra


*Please insert “That’s what she said” jokes.

Thanks so much for sharing this information!  Something to think about for artists/creators here who care about being accurate about such things. :)