Yes, Giant Swords Existed, BUT...

Video Description

Part 2: Greatswords vs. pikes in battle: https://youtu.be/ZhEkF9FV6AU 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/record.php?usi=000-100-002-238-C&scache=2c9jj41q44&searchdb=scran https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-122.html https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/25077 Fully functional examples of zweihander: https://www.metmuseum.org/search-results#!/search?q=two-handed%20sword&orderByCountDesc=true&page=1 https://florianfortner.com/portfolio/two-handed-sword-a473/ Kiribati weapon with sawfish teeth at the Brooklyn museum: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/45838 Museum Mythbusting: No, this is not "The Sword of Grutte Pier" https://imgur.com/gallery/rmXsPUG https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Pier_Gerlofs_Donia https://collectie.friesmuseum.nl/?diw-id=tresoar_friesmuseum_D00185C The Weighty Issue of Two-Handed Greatswords http://www.thearma.org/essays/2HGS.html#.WWVwcENE3qA The Norimitsu odachi, possibly the largest sword ever made: https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-technology/norimitsu-odachi-who-could-have-possibly-wielded-enormous-15th-century-021428 A great source for medieval depictions: https://manuscriptminiatures.com/tags The reproductions shown in this video: https://www.kultofathena.com/product/hanwei-lowlander-two-handed-great-sword/?koa=259 https://www.kultofathena.com/product/albion-the-maximilian-sword/?koa=259 *** Music *** Intro song: "Illuminate" by Vindsvept https://vindsvept.bandcamp.com/track/illuminate Used with artist's permission Outtakes: "Little People At Work" by Horrorpen https://opengameart.org/content/little-people-at-work-loop Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0) Outro: "Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records https://theslantedroom.github.io/steve.yee/ Used with artist's permission *** Support the channel *** Help fund future videos, get bonus content and other rewards: http://www.patreon.com/skallagrim https://www.subscribestar.com/skallagrim https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3WIohkLkH4GFoMrrWVZZFA/join Books about history and/or martial arts, swords, knives, video/audio equipment, and other stuff I recommend (as an Amazon Affiliate I earn commission through these links): US - https://www.amazon.com/shop/skallagrimnilsson Canada - https://amzn.to/2HeOCMA Other ways to support the channel by shopping through affiliate links: Kult of Athena, my favorite online store for reproductions of historical arms and armor, fantasy swords, etc: https://www.kultofathena.com/?koa=259 Where to get HEMA gear and practice swords: http://www.woodenswords.com/?Click=1799 *** Social media & merch *** How to contact me (can't always reply, since I get too many messages): https://www.youtube.com/user/SkallagrimNilsson/about See a list of my video uploads: https://twitter.com/_Skallagrim_ https://www.facebook.com/SkallagrimYT Channel-related shirts and other merch: http://skallagrim.spreadshirt.com/ https://teespring.com/stores/skallagrim