Red Cliff

John Woo, one of the most famous directors of some of the best action films in the industry such as Face Off and Mission Impossible II, has completed his masterpiece. He has created his sword swinging, hard fighting, en masse theatre of death opus. "Red Cliff" is one of the most sohpisticated, well written, well produced films I have ever seen. Some have equated it as the Chinese Lord of the Rings, and I would tend to agree.



This film, while it can be a bit cheesy at times, with exaggerated death scenes and fantasy action, hits every warrior nail on the head. From the beginning of the film there is non stop action, and I mean nonstop.

Emporer: Go kill those rebels
Prime Minister: Consider it done.

That's about as much back story as the audience gets before armies start tearing into each other like a 1980's Raider's fan fight in Oakland. But unlike our neighbors to the far west, our Chinese cast of characters in the Far East, such as Shido Nakamura

The katana swinging Samurai champion in Jet Li's Fearless,















Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who was a character named Broken Sword in "Hero",










and also the most interesting, smartest, and deadliest warrior on the field in Red Cliff, the passive yet amazingly deadly Takeshi Kaneshiro from The House of Flying Daggers,



conduct their savage strife with precision, honed skill (not to mention weapons), brilliant tactics, and above all else honor. But all run on sentences aside, the movie and the action are brilliant not just because of the fight scenes but because of the meticulous attention to detail that John Woo gave to recreating the authenticity of the battles of the Southern Kingdoms of Imperial China on the Yangtze River.

I believe at one point in the film they make reference to "The Art of War," the quintessential textbook to victory that should adorn every man's bookshelf.

Red Cliff adorns its soldiers in the armor, weapons, and equipment of the age with amazing accuracy. During this period, the Han Dynasty, around 208 B.C., foot soldiers and cavalry wore something of a lamellar armor, a number of linked metal plates which would cover their torsos, and helmets, usually made of iron.



This design was lightweight and maneuverable, yet strong and resistant to give the soldier more protection.

Their weapons, and this is my favorite part, as I have been looking into the fabulous construction of these blades for sometime, were for the most part Chinese Han swords,

















straight spears,












and a particularly nasty weapon used with surprising efficiency, the Sickle Spear.

(Of course, as in any military hierarchy, the higher you went up the chain of command, the more elaborate the weapons and armor would become.)

The Han soliders used these weapons, and others such as their knowledge of wind patterns, the stars, fire ships, female sex, and link between human nature and the nature of music, in order to create this cinematic masterpiece. Fans of massive, and not so massive (as their are a number of raiding and one on one fight sequences throughout the film), battle scenes, swords, Chinese war cinema, or just have 2.5 hours to kill, then I suggest firing up Netflix and taking a leap of faith on this unbelievable story.

The Spice of Life

At long last! Back to the posts. Much has transpired since my last entry and I apologize to you all. My muse was on vacation. But now she is back with a swift boot to the nuts and demands my diligance. Enjoy!



Sometimes we all get a little tired (and perhaps frustrated) at the limited selection of our favorite things on the Internet. We search everyday, endlessly waiting for the newest assortment of products, be they gadests, fashion, video games, ect. More often than not, the companies we love only put out new things every 2 weeks. Sometimes, it can be as long as a month, or even several. I myself check

• Dark Sword Armory


• Kult of Athena


• Fable Blades


• CNN


• Texts from Last Night


• Blizzard Entertainment


• World of Warcraft

every morning when I get into work. More often than not, I'm afraid, my efforts are wasted (with the exception of faithful CNN) as there is nothing new to report and all is quiet in my little microcosm.

Well I'm taking a stand on this one. After scouring the net for new products, vendors, and of course the best prices (don't drop thousands on 1 sword) for my steel swinging sojourners of 2010, I have compiled some websites that I think you will find quite sympathetic to your crusade against the mundane.

Without further adieu, I serve to you, the fruits of my labors:

• Sword Buyers Guide (The Best)


• Age of Chivalry Armory


• Albion Armory


• Armor Class


• Blade Art


• Blade Art II


• Blade Matrix


• Bright Blades


• Bugei Sword


• Bushido Swords


• By The Sword


• Cashen Blades


• Christian Fletcher


• Door Country Forge


• Elwell and Del Tin


• The Scabbard and the Deadliest and Most Beautiful Wind and Tunder Katana


• Dark Knight Armory


• Odin Blades

May your searches be fruitful and your swords never dull!

Vikings: A Bit Further Than Minnesota

After many months and long toil, I have arrived at my new home east and a little north in Massachusetts. I moved up from the south with all of my my possessions, from the shores of the sea, and the road has not been easy. However, with my Newfound surroundings I am very satisfied and I know that my new life here will be just as amazing, if not better than the last.



As I write these words, and recollect my travels throughout our great state, I realize that my wanderings pale in comparrison with those of one of the greatest warrior cultures ever to tremble the ground before their enemies: The Vikings.

From as far back as 700 AD these terrifying Northmen, from a region with winter weather that would make New England look like Southern France in the summertime, would sail down in their dragon ships and raid the coasts of Ireland, England, Scotland, France, and even cities on the Mediterranean in search of glory.




They had the ultimate freedom if their courage, will, and skills on the hard north Atlantic would hold them on the hard seas. The Vikings had kings and chieftains; the chieftains had eldest sons to carry on their names and keep their borders well protected. But what of the others? Common men? Youngest sons? Daughters? What did their lives amount to? They sought foreign, sunny shores (and to these beserkers of the Finland, Sweden, Norway, and other northern lands where there is no sun 10 months out of the year, England was a sunny shore) to bring them fortune, power, weapons, women, and strength. They believed that to further your station in the world, you had to literally go out and take it.



In their conquests, the Vikings became great kings, amassed mountains of gold and goods, stolen or won in combat, and pushed their influence even to the lands of the Baltic Sea and Greece. Their mark has been left all over history even to the shores of North America. Leif Erikson and his band were said to have found Northern Canada and Newfoundland hundreds of years before Columbus ever sailed.

During the Crusades, converted Viking warriors sailed to the rock of Gibralta and to Jerusalem and helped to repel the Saracen hordes in the name of their new Christ god. They helped to spread His word, Scandanavian culture, and great fear to their enemies. History claims them as maurauders and barbarians, but they were noble warriors with a great and powerful name in the north.

The Viking culture gives the industry of arms and armor so much to work with, that many a smith and master forger have recreated some of the most famous blades of legend and other more original pieces that will someday earn their own place in the epic story of steel.




The Albion Thegn Sword (Left)

and

the Valiant Armory Hedemark Sword (Right) are only two weapons in a nearly endless flow of creative steel that can best sum up the weapons of the Vikings. Many other armorers, such as Dark Sword Armory, Cold Steel, and Hanwei make excellent Viking Swords that fall into what is called Wheeler's Configuration of Viking Swords



Many of the best pieces of Viking steel can be found at dealers such as Kult of Athena(my personal favorite), Sword Buyers Guide, and even a very new and kick ass vendor,The Scabbard.





But, aside from the sword, Vikings utilized their great skills to wield more ferocious and less delicate weapons. Spear and axe were less expensive than a full made sword and were carried into battle just as often.




Also, the vikings very appearance, his winged helm (there was never any historical proof the rediculous horned pieces of modern fiction and overzealous NFL fans), and set beserker vizage that made the viking the terror of the ancient world. One of the greatest examples of their armored craftsmanship was the Mask of the Sutton Hoo.



The original was found in a rich boat burial in Sutton Hoo, England and is believed to have belonged to the 7th century Anglo-Saxon king Redwald.

The Vikings, the sea bound Hell's Angels of antiquity, were skilled sailors, riders, raiders, and kings. They were the strongest of the strong and sang their history, of battles won and lost,their gods, and the unquenchable thirst for freedom of the body and spirit, in great halls of their fathers or halls of their own making.

They have been featured in literature, and Deadliest Warrior. They have their everlasting place in the hearts of warriors from the dark ages to the present and have aided to shape the world of the sword, the stuff of legend, and the unknown corners of the map.

The Reason

Last night, I had some friends over for a last hoorah in my place before I move to a new one. It was amazing. There was good food, good drink, and games galor. One of the highlights of my evening, though, and I wish I had taken a movie of it, is when a friend of mine grabbed the LOTR Boromir sword from UC, featured at Kult of Athena, and rode a baby carriage into an old Christmas wreath, thoroughly impaling it to the laughter of all. While handling weapons in a manner such as this is irresponsible, and I do not espouse to anything but the highest respect for sharp steel, the enjoyment and the love of swords and their uses was present.

That is what I believe is one of the best things about owning and handling swords is. It is the enjoyment, the awe, the intrigue of holding something so beautiful, so hard, so functional, and this works with men and women, in your hand and appreciating and loving it wholly. People should be so lucky with each other.

Signing off until my next steel inspired rant.

Oh, before I forget! Fable Blades has put out some gorgeous new items for you to see based on the Lord of the Rings weapons. There are some,Felarof Swordthat have never been seen before, replica or other wise! Take a look!

Broad Swords

Let's face it. Women with swords are hot. It's a simple fact of life for any man watching, reading, or otherwise indulging in the edged arts. And so, in honor of these examples of edged estrogenical eradicators, and the warm reception of this blog from my female family members, friends, friend's girlfriends, and just for the sheer viewing pleasure of it all, I give to you, THE TOP TEN HOTTEST WOMEN OF THE SWORD!!!

1)   XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS: Tell me I am wrong. Nowhere in TV or film will you find a woman who epitomizes the sword more, and has such a rabid fan following waiting for that tell tale "shhwwing" of her sword than Xena. Tall, dark hair, deadly dangerous, icy blue eyes, leather battle gear, a deadly Frisbee, endless enthusiasm for killing all peoples and things not Greek are just some of the many reasons why Xena, played by Lucy Lawless (who hasn't done or needed to do a thing since Xena) is unequivocally number one of the list of top 10. She's got the ability to make Hercules look like a mama's boy, and the willingness to hop into a hot bath with her trusty side kick (Episode:"A Day in the Life", instantly made me all man forever)



after a long day of yelling and running around the Peloponnesus. Number 1 hands down. Ladies, if you feel like dressing up for the enjoyment of all, you can pick up her gear here.

2) BEATRIX KIDDO, UMA THURMAN FROM KILL BILL: Tarentino changed the game with this character. Classically trained in deadly martial arts from a wise and hilariously over the top 1970's Kung Fu Master, beautiful, smart, speaks fluent Japanese, dressed in Bruce Lee's outfit from Game of Death,


and wielding the finest sword ever made by a man, that man being the Hatori Hanzo, descendant of the real samurai "Devil Hanzo", I'd say Uma Thurman takes 2nd place pretty easy. She's got style when she takes out the Deadly Vipers and her bloody rampage is just old fashioned fun to watch. Everyone loves a hero. But, secretly, every loves an anti-hero even more. She got killed trying to run from a past of murder that caught up with her and now she's going to grab her fine steel and take some revenge. Oh, and then she watches cartoons with her 5 year old daughter. To find the fabulous works of art made by master Japanese sword smiths, check out the various reviews by my boys at the Sword Buyers Guide, to get some idea of the best ones. There are so many makers and schools of Japanese sword making that choosing the right one is almost as difficult as picking up Go Go Yubari.

3) MICHELLE YEOH: This silver fox of the Chinese silver screen gets a special place on my list because she is deadly, beautiful, and has one of the best sword fighting scenes I have ever had the privilege of witnessing. The first time, and I think you will agree, when Zhang Zi Yi swept her hand out across the temple floor to the weapons rack behind Yeoh and said "pick one, I'll wait" and she came back with that two handed beauty, I was hooked. This 47-year old cougar has some claws, kids, and if she is making more sword flicks anytime soon, you know I am right there at the edge of my seat waiting for more magical moments in metallic mayhem. To find some excellent WuShu Swords and other fine Chinese weaponry used in many of the films that come from the East, I would check out Swords of the Eastfor some of the best blades anywhere.




4) KRISTANNA LOKEN: You may remember her from Maxim and the Terminator (dont we all), but I remember her best for the role she played in the modern adaptation of the Germanic saga "The Nibelungenlied" in a film in SyFy called The Dragon King. Now, while this film was low budget, the adapted story was solid and the forging process of Nothung, Siegfried's sword, was incredible. Loken made her start in the Terminator film and then came swinging away with two axes in awesome fight scenes and right onto this list. Whether some remember her for her role in Terminator 3, or others for Bloodrayne, or even simply for this photo


she'll always be Brunhild to me.

5) KATE BECKINSALE, SELENE, UNDERWORLD: Now, just so we are all clear, she is a vampire. I will give you that. Some might think it's cliche for me to place one of the children of the night on the top ten list, and you would be right. With the rash of "Twilight-esque" lame ass love stories, I feel Selene makes it because not only was her movie (first one only and the second one to a smaller extent) pretty far from anything done with vampires before; pitting them against their werewolf body guards, but they still made it kind of sexy without all the "oh lets cry about immortality and being skinny" vampire nonsense. There was a rugged sword fight in the sewer wherein a vampire lord got his head sliced in half after breaking a werewolf's neck with one hand, and still had the wherewithal to draw out concealed daggers from his sleeves to keep going (before his head slides apart).

I just feel that any lady who can make all that look as good as she does throughout the whole film deserves to be on the list. Viktor's sword from Underworld is available, though not functional, HERE


6) DEADLY LITTLE MIHO, SIN CITY:

What more can be said? She's deadly, she's little, and she's Miho. Well, I guess if you havent seen Sin City (why you havent, I have no clue cause it's amazing) I guess I can fill you in. See, Iron Jack Rafferty, a cop (Benicio Del Torro), and his meat head crew were in the wrong part of Old Town messing with the wrong girls. They werent pleased that a lady of the night told them to get lost. They grabbed her, of course and that's when DEADLY LITTLE MIHO got to live up to her name. I wont give any more of the scene away, sufficed to say that this little lady got down with two samurai swords, a flying leap, and a throwing star that resembled some kind of Tibetan good luck charm. Top 10 easy.

7) OREN ISHII, LUCY LIU, KILL BILL: Yakuza Boss. Samurai. Assassin. 5 foot 3. All this and not even Japanese. This half American (USA!!) half Chinese warrior dispatches her enemies at dinner parties with her fabulous Hanzo sword and doesnt bat an eyelash. She's deadly. She's brutal. And, apparently, it snows just for her out in her Zen garden. She likes drinking, friends (all 88 of them), and the way of the Samurai. She's got a sidekick named Johhny Mo. What is not to like about this woman? The murder and crime? Yeah ok, but in the tea house, I bet she's a hoot. Dynamite and easily in the top 10.

8) MONICA BELLUCCI, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF:
I must admit, I got a little selfish with this one. Besides my wonderful, gorgeous, stunning, smart, funny, talented (forgiving), girlfriend, Monica Bellucci is IT. Her use of the blade as a Papal Assassin in Brotherhood of the Wolf, an amazing French film made by Canal +, is limited. However, for all the limited screen time they get her weapons are deadly and satisfying. Whether its performing the coupe de grace on the villian with a dagger, or finely severing the windpipe of a very annoying and very deserving evil gypsy woman,(who gets the most amazing character in the whole movie murdered, UGH! women!) her acting and fighting skills are undeniable. She has also been in many other movies such the Matrix , Shoot Em Up, , and Bram Stoker's Dracula

She's a badass and my favorite. And when she says "Encoree" in Italian in the film, try to tell me she wouldnt be on any guy's top ten anything.

9) JOANNE WHALLEY, SORSHA, WILLOW: Kid's movie. Kid's crush. Got to give it up to the old school crush and remember the roots. She is a huge reason why I have always loved swords and that movie wouldnt have been half as entertaining nor Val Kilmer half as righteous had he not got the girl. To this day, that is one of the most passionate kisses I have seen in a film. Also, she's a firey headed rebel with a wicked serrated sword. I was talking to a friend the other day (ALL THANKS CHRIS-O!) and he mentioned how much scarier serrated edges would be on a blade. Have to agree and her sword is one of the only ones I have ever seen in a movie with a spiked and serrated blade.
Plus, that movie gave jobs to almost every midget in Hollywood. Give respect where respect is due.

10) BRIDGETTE NIELSON, RED SONJA: If you are a fan of swords then you know the Conan films. We, as sword collectors, spend a good deal of time searching for Marto and Albion Conan Replicas because they go for almost $3000.00 a piece. Now, if you know so much about these things, you are also going to know about Red Sonja.
It was a film from back in the day that was cheesy and terrible, yet unbridaled sword swinging throughout and it was excellent! Governator Schwarzenegger is in it and he doesnt take any prisoners in this thing at all. It was the height of Nielson's short movie career and she swung that steel around like the best of them! MMMM MMM. I suggest for any fan of the sword, you see this movie at least once if for nothing else then her running her hands over 20 swords in the opening of the film and picking one of the most kick ass pieces I think I have ever seen.

Before I'm out I would like to leave some honorable mentions for ladies of the sword who didnt quite make it:

• Eowyn, Lord of the Rings
• Sandahl Bergman, Valeria, Conan the Barbarian
• GoGo Yubari, Kill Bill
• Justice, The Statue
• Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War
• Daryl Hannah, Elle Driver
• Zhang Ziyi, House of Flying Daggers
• Rhona Mitra, Rise of the Lycans
• Rosamund Pike, Die Another Day

One Post to Rule Them All

Like any fan of the blade, I am quite partial to the works of master author and philologist J.R.R Tolkien. Tolkien, for anyone reading this who has not heard his name mentioned by Western martial arts experts, forge masters who have used his creations as their paramount inspiration, or Hollywood Actors who have made careers, Viggo Mortensen, or Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy,



is the master behind the writings involved with The Lord of The Rings.

Now, this post is not pertaining to these works, as I could go on for pages about the philosophies, wisdom, and entertainment found therein, no. This post is to illustrate the power and inspiration this author and his works have had on the world and works of the sword.

The recreations of the works from the pages of Tolkien range from the extremely shoddy $40.00 swords found on Ebay and other sights looking to make a buck, to hand crafted, hand forged and detailed replicas costing as much as the dreaded engagement ring purchase.

The former are the ones to steer clear of. These bastard children of the rat tail tang mentality have, in my opinion, a very small part to play in the world of the sword. They serve as an uneducated beginning. They serve as a prototype for the genuine desire to possess a truly strong and balanced weapon and they are to be looked at as a bauble and then eventually discarded or given to someone who is just starting their journey in pursuit of the Savage Steel.



While a sword like this looks similar to the real movie prop made by the fine crafts people at the WETA Workshop , the armorers for movies such as The Lord of the Rings, Narnia, The Last Samurai, Guillermo del Toro's Hell Boy, and others, they do not possess 1/10 of the craftsmanship or the soul that WETA can produce.





Often times, they all possess the same characteristics:

• Rat Tail Tang Construction: Where the blade is spot welded to the a thin cylindrical tang and then threaded into the cheap wooden handle.



• Quasi-detailing that resembles the actual weapon but anyone looking at pictures side by side will know which is the superior with no prior knowledge



• And finally, 440 Stainless Steel. Unlike high carbon steel or Damascus Steel, which has better flexibility, hardened edges, better resistance to rust and weathering, 440 Stainless is garden variety steel and should not be considered an excellent metal by any means.

These characteristics can be a terrible combination for any sword collector and can even lead to grave injury when your precious 440 decides to do this.

What you should be looking at, first of all, is what you want to get for your hard earned cash. When working with such a money maker like the Lord of the Rings, sword makers have the whole candy shop for you to choose from. They offer everything from the "Halfling Froto Sword" garbage from above, to magnificent pieces from United Cutlery


Now Extinct Museum Glamdring

to unbelievably strong pieces from Generation 2 (The Ranger and The Elven King Sword), Dark Sword Armory (The Ranger *DISCONTINUED*, Faramir Sword, Boromir Sword *DISCONTINUED* and an incredibly strong Samwise and Anduril!)

The latter are the pieces that I would recommend very highly. You all know that Darksword Armory is my favorite and in my humble opinion the by far the most superior forge. Alot of people would agree. The prices are great, the quality couldn't be better, and there is free shipping and even a 10% discount on almost of all of them from the Sword Buyers Manufacturer Store for members.

Now, for the customer who deals in the incredibly rare piece or replica from the Lord of the Rings literature, there are pieces out there that can accommodate. These pieces are from forgers at the top of their profession who not looking to sell wall hangers. They know their stuff is so good and so worth the money (albeit overpriced) that they dont even bother to show the pricing half of the time. Ladies and gentlemen, after much searching, both online and through my own sword collecting soul, I give to you the holy grails of the Lord of the Rings replicas. Enjoy!

• Raven Armory



• Fable Blades



• Odin Blades



• Mad Dwarf Workshop
  

If you can afford those boys then drop the name of my blog when you make a purchase and give this servant of the steel a little extra holiday cheer to bring in the new year.

All in all, people know that we are out there. We, the quasi-nerds of the sword world, are anxiously awaiting the return of Kult of Athena and the newest, best, and brightest the sword world has to offer us for new takes on the chosen weapons of some of our favorite heroes from literature and film.

I will leave you now with a sense, again, of authenticity. Just so you know, if somehow you do not already, that I share your fierce love of LOTR swords and have dropped serious coin in the past when they were at the height of their popularity with a personal photo of my collection taken only days ago.



'We will make them fear the Chamber of Marzarbul!' he said grimly, feeling the edge of his sword Anduril.(Lord of the Rings, Fellowship, page 324)

Epic Combat

In honor of the movie Gladiator, no not the wonderful Russel Crowe sword epic about honor an truth, but rather one of the greatest, if not the greatest B films of all time with Cuba Gooding Jr. and the legendary Brian Dennehy, I have tonight composed a special exhibition for all of my loyal followers. Tonight, we will have a steel on steel match up between two of the finest challengers in my collection: The Global Gear Solingen and the dreaded slicer champion, The EYE OF BALOORR!.

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At first glance, the swords seem evenly matched. Both blades are made of high quality steel; both have attractive fittings; and both, I know from personal experience, fit very comfortably in the hand and make a very thrilling woosh sound when slicing the air.

Now wait, let's take this fight, in the style of Gladiator, into account by comparing the attributes of the two swords.

The Solingen:

• Weight: 2 pounds (for the sake of argument)


• Blade Length: 32.1 inches


• Fear Factor When Swung Like a Crazed Viking: Scary, but no wet ankles

The Eye of Balor:

• Weight: 2.6 pounds


• Blade Length: 30 inches


• Fear Factor When Swung Like a Crazed Viking: I would say terrifying, especially if someone caught a look at the cats like Sauron eyeball looking at them from the hilt before it was drawn

SCHWING!!! THE SWORDS ARE OUT OF THEIR SCABBARDS!!

The fight is on! The clang of steel against steel reverberates off of the walls of the corridor as these monsters go at it. Each delivers solid hits on the other. Making dents, dings, and small nicks. The warriors are dead tired, their comrades fallen around them. Only one goes on to claim all kinds of goodies from the others camp (gold, women, other fine swords, other assorted iPod like gadgets). They know its all or nothing.

Rawwrrr! (They charge)

There is a scarping, sheering sound that splits the air! The hardened high carbon blade of the Eye of Balor has gone straight through the softened, albeit more flexible, spring blade of the Solingen (and subsequently the warrior's dome piece) and he carries on to claim sweet booty.

WINNER: The terror of the ancient Celts (as was told in their myths), the super sexy and super dangerous Eye O' Balor. Brian Dennehy, you are the Solingen.

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VICTORIOUS!!