The History of The Hockey Stick from Heck

It's been just over a year that I have been fighting with my curved sword and the biggest thing I've noticed is that people tend to refer to it as a scimitar. It's not.

Scimitars are curved swords that originated in the Middle East and first appeared in Persia of the 9th Century. The term scimitar has actually come to cover sever different styles of weapons including the Saif, the Shamshir, the Talwar and the Dao. Like their later cousin, the saber, Scimitars saw great use by cavalry because of their relatively light weight and the ease of slashing cuts due to their curved blade. While Scimitars are probably the most famous type of curved swords in period, they weren't the only ones.

The Grosses Messer - or Hiebmesser - was a German single-edged sword similar to a Falchion with a straight cross-guard in use from the 14th through the 16th centuries. These were less expensive than other swords of the time and were seen as both tools and weapons (think machete) and so were more common among the lower classes.

Another curved sword from Germany is the Kreigsmesser. A Kriegsmesser (Literally, "War Knife") is a large, curved, single-edged two-handed sword roughly the same length as the long sword or hand-and-a-half sword and popular in the 15th and 16th century. It got its name because the hilt resembled that of a knife handle, having two slabs of material on either side of the wide, flat tang. The robust tang and acute taper found in these swords made them handle well. The pommel was usually curved towards one side, while the cross guard was frequently equipped with a ring, plate, or lug for additional hand protection. The Kreigsmesser was primarily used by professional soldiers, most notably the Landsknechts. The Kreigmesser's curved geometry allowed the edge to have more surface area in contact with the target while cutting, thus giving it superior slashing capabilities. Its blade length was normally between 33" and 36" inches and had a 10" to 12" hilt. And although these blades were usually single edged and curved, there are surviving examples which sport a wide variety of blade types.

The third example of European curved swords I've studied is the Swiss Saber. These were popular between the 15th and 17th Centuries with a long, gently curving blade that tapered evenly to the tip. And there are accounts of Swiss Sabers having edged backsides as well. With a grip that could accommodate two hands, this blade was most likely an evolution of the Grosses Messer and Kreigsmesser. The hilts came in a variety of designs, with recurved quillions and/or rings and knuckle guards. These swords tended to be slightly shorter than a hand and a half sword, but still had hilts long enough for two-handed use.

So, which one is mine? Mine is styled after a Swiss Saber, complete with sharpened false edge. Yes, it's longer than a standard Swiss Saber, but then I'm longer than a standard Swiss soldier of the time.