Zornhau Forums

Interesting series of videos on the messer and the falchion here. Apparently, the only difference between a messer and a falchion is hilt construction, and contrary to popular belief, it wasn't due to what was legal to carry (when the messer was common, it was apparently illegal to not own a sword in Germany), but what was legal for the guilds to produce (the knife makers weren't allowed to make swords, but essentially got around it by making "big knives"). Almost every blade shape that's been found on a messer has also been found on a falchion, and vice versa, to the point that there's now a typology for what some experts are calling the medieval backsword.


youtu.be/7WaE9AqrIAU

Seems like I forgot to visit Shad's channel
Another interesting concept is that falchions were thin, "razor-like".
I must say I love the looks of designs like this:

Nice! I almost bought a Fabri Armorum messer this year from Montemor-o-Velho, but I wasn't sure how much practical use I'd get out of it, as it doesn't really fit my kit.

There's so many misconceptions about both these weapons that I'm totally looking forward to listening to this series and seeing if it makes me want that sword more or less.

And of course to see whether we need to adjust our weapon tables.

Korbel wrote:Another interesting concept is that falchions were thin, "razor-like".

Yeah, I learned that the embarrassing way about a year ago perhaps? Most "falchions" used in full contact sports are absolutely massive chunks of steel. Essentially sword shaped maces. These were also the first "falchions" I ever handled and it confirmed many of my misconceptions about the weapon. The most massive ones that I've held were made in Russia. The back spine was easily 5mm wide. Yikes! Durable and effective in buhurts for sure, but not at all what a real falchion is supposed to be like.