Today we take a look at some of the differences between modern square twisted blacksmith work and the more traditional form of writhing on medieval swords. This is one of the details that is sometimes missed by modern makers that really gives authentic medieval and renaissance pieces their character. We also demonstrate how to achieve this look by forming the steel into the proper shape before twisting it.
Writhed or writhen decoration on medieval swords is a kind of twisted work that sometimes resembles tree branches and is closely associated with Gothic sword styles.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is President and CEO of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985