The Scottish Claymore Sword
by Roger Sullivan
This type of sword was said to have been used by William
Wallace, the legendary Scottish warlord portrayed by Mel Gibson
in the 1995 movie, Braveheart. Although Wallace did use a large
sword similar to a claymore, his was a bit different from the
blades we normally think of when we hear the term claymore. The
actual sword used by Wallace, on display in Stirling, Scotland,
has no leather-wrapped ricassa and has a blade that angles to a
more acute point. It is entirely possible that Wallace used a
standard Claymore during his years of battle, but the sword that
is regarded as his primary weapon is not the claymore most
people think of.
Digression aside, the claymore was an awesome weapon on the
battlefield. The amazing reach (as much as 60 inches of overall
length for standard claymores)made it extremely difficult for
opponents to close with the weilder. The long ricasso allowed
the bearer to switch to a more close-quarters style of combat
should an opponent make it inside his distance.
The claymore (or more accurately, "Claidheamh-mor" meaning
"greatsword" in Gaelic) was first reportedly used in the 13th
century, and was used as recently as the 18th century. It was
one of three popular weapons used by Highlanders (the other two
being the Scottish Dirk and the Highland halberd (an axe on the
end of a long pole, often referred to as a pole-arm).The twisted
hilt claymore was the most recent of the claymores (c. 1500) and
features the downward-angled crosses that end in small honeycomb
patterns. The twisted wooden hilt was a better way to grip the
sword (and the fact that it looks so damn cool probably had
something to do with its broad acceptance among highlanders).
Legend has it that a claymore was hurled into the field of
battle, toward an opposing army before combat, to signify that
the Scottish troops were ready to fight. No real evidence of
this, but it fits the highlander idiom, so we thought weâ?Td
pass it along.
Strongblade.com: Swords, Daggers,
Weapons and Armor.
About the author:
Roger Sullivan is a writer for Strongblade.com.
