Swords
The parts of a sword:
- Blade - The edged length of the weapon.
- Handle - The section you grip to wield the weapon.
- Guard/Hilt - The crosspiece between handle and blade that protects the user's hand from slipping onto the blade or opponent's weapon sliding to the hand. Not all swords have a guard.
- Pommel - The tip of the handle.
- Tang - The part of the blade that the handle is secured to. Usually it narrows from the width of the blade into the handle.
Bastard Sword
A long, straight blade with elongated grip and a rounded pommel. Also known as a hand-and-a-half sword. Primarily a one handed weapon the grip is long enough to be used with both hands in an overlapping grasp similar to what some golfers use when gripping a club.
Broadsword
A straight, wide, single-edged blade, usually with a basket-type hilt. By the 17th century the broadsword was widely accepted as the weapon of the common soldier in Europe.
Claymore
A two-handed sword of Scotland. The name comes from the Gaelic word for greatsword: claidheamh mor. Bears a heavy, double-edged blade.
Gladius
The standard infantry weapon of the Roman legions. The gladius is a short, stabbing weapon. Generally with a wide, double-edged blade and a strong, sharp point.
Katana
The primary weapon of the Japanese samurai. Together with the wakizashi they formed his Daisho. Most know what a katana is, a long curved blade with a single edge and a long handle making it capable of both one and two handed use.
Khanda
A very widely used sword in the past in India. The khanda typically has a long, straight blade with a single edge. Usually the blade is actually wider at the tip. Also the khanda generally had a curved spike on its pommel, which could be gripped to swing as a two-handed sword.
Khopesh
A large sword from ancient Egypt with a strange blade design. A one or two-handed weapon depending on blade size, typically without a guard at the hilt. Coming from the hilt the blade starts straight but then makes a very sharp bend, jutting out before becoming a long curve to its tip.
No-Dachi
An enormous, Japanese field sword. The blades share the curved, single-edge style of the katana but were much larger, often as long as six feet.
Pata
A Hindu weapon that later became known in Europe due to its rise in popularity in India when European traders were establishing their trade in the country. The pata has a long, straight, usually double-edged blade. What made it unique is that the blade was attached to a metal guard for protecting the hand and arm, making it into a guantlet sword.
Rapier
A European weapon, made mostly for civilians of social standing. Essentially a thrusting weapon with a decorative handguard and thin blade.
Scimitar
A mostly middle-eastern weapon, its name was originally " shamshir". It has a narrow blade and extreme curvature. This curvature makes it a slashing weapon as thrusting with its point is not effective.
Talwar
One of the most respected edged weapons of India. The talwar bears a deeply curved blade, tapered continously to the tip. They were decorated with floral designs and personal inscriptions.
Wakizashi
The other part of a Japanese samurai's Daisho. The wakizashi is a shorter, straighter version of its counterpart, the katana.