Scottish Castles Article

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.

Related Scottish Castles Videos


Scottish Castles News


Brandon Tucker: Trump's Aberdeen golf resort is finally coming to ... - World...

21 Nov 2008 at 10:24am 

Brandon Tucker: Trump's Aberdeen golf resort is finally coming to ...
WorldGolf.com, AZ - 16 minutes ago
But now it looks like the only thing standing in Trump's way is a lone Scottish fisherman, Michael Forbes, who has sworn not to sell his house that sits in ...


Read more...


No longer Crazy for You: Madonna, Guy Ritchie officially end ... - New York D...

21 Nov 2008 at 9:01am 

WELT ONLINE

No longer Crazy for You: Madonna, Guy Ritchie officially end ...
New York Daily News, NY - 1 hour ago
And with lightning speed the union that began in a Scottish castle was over. "This is the epitome of how a divorce should be done and it is clearly what ...
Video: Divorce Decree for Madonna, Guy Ritchie AssociatedPress
London court gives split the green light Madonna and Guy Ritchie ... Bild.de
Madonna and Ritchie granted divorce in London court Sydney Morning Herald
ABC News
all 1,433 news articles


Read more...


Madonna, Ritchie granted preliminary divorce - The Associated Press

21 Nov 2008 at 8:10am 

The Associated Press

Madonna, Ritchie granted preliminary divorce
The Associated Press - 2 hours ago
LONDON (AP) ? The show-business marriage that began in a Scottish castle came to an end in a drab London courtroom Friday as Madonna and Guy Ritchie were ...


Read more...


Unicorn castle tapestry revealed - BBC News

21 Nov 2008 at 6:35am 

BBC News

Unicorn castle tapestry revealed
BBC News, UK - 4 hours ago
They are believed to have been bought by King James V and appear in every Scottish royal inventory from 1539 to 1578. The Hunt of the Unicorn series depicts ...


Read more...


CHELSEA FC: THE THURSDAY INTERVIEW: LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI - Noticias.Info

21 Nov 2008 at 1:08am  /noticias.info/ He now has over a quarter of a century's worth of experience in football management, but Luiz Felipe Scolari is enjoying life at Chelsea as much as any of his previous roles. He began his coaching career in 1982 and since then a ...

Read more...


An t-ádh na nÉireannach: The Luck of the Irish - Blogcritics.org

19 Nov 2008 at 12:31pm  See also: » Theater Review (LA): School of Night by Peter Whelan at the Mark Taper Forum » A Call for Community Service » Theater Review (NYC): American Buffalo by David Mamet The stark white charter bus pulled to a stop at another scenery outlook ...

Read more...


Do More To Celebrate St Andrew?s Day - Scoop

18 Nov 2008 at 7:13pm  St Andrew?s Day holds particular significance for kiwis this year in the run up to Homecoming Scotland 2009 and Scotland is encouraging everyone to ?DO more? to celebrate their national day and the New Zealand/Scottish connection. Scottish ...

Read more...


Scottish Castles Links

New Laughs Daily
Check out a new joke every day. The daily joke. On crackle.com
www.crackle.com

Yahoo! Hotjobs
Find the right one. Click here.
www.hotjobs.com

Free Online Kids Games
Hundreds of fun free online games for kids. Play Now!
www.Alfy.com

Hollywood Burn
It's a searing burn when our hosts ask Hollywood Stars to open up and confess their deepest darkest tabloid secrets.
www.ripeTV.com

Flow Tv
Freshest music entertainment featuring the best of all things Hip Hop. LIVE peformances, VIP interviews & exclusive footage on demand.
www.flow.tv.com


A Very Gothic Christmas (Holiday Classics)
by Christine Feehan, Melanie George
Amazon Price: $6.99
Customer Review: I have loved Ms Feehan for years and just never thought to pick up her single titles. Im so sorry I waited. This story was wonderful. It has all the elements of a great Feehan novel, the characters, a...

Four Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto; Vathek; The Monk; Frankenstein (Wo...
by Horace Walpole, William Beckford, Matthew Lewis, Mary Shelley
Amazon Price: $12.97

Three Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto; Vathek; Frankenstein
by Horace Walpole, William Beckford, Mary Shelley
Amazon Price: $10.40
Customer Review: I was new to the Gothic genre when I first encountered this Dover publication some years ago. At that time I considered the plot for The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole to be farfetched, al...

Scottish Baronial Castles 1250-1450 (Fortress)
by Michael Brown
Amazon Price: $12.89

Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and ...
by Martin Coventry
Amazon Price: $30.38