A short presentation of my Raven Armoury gladius

[theguitarhero3]

haha nice elder scrolls theme

[jth112]

Man I would not want to be on the receiving end of that sword

[seattwa]

I wouldn't want to be a bottle around your house!

[guitarnil]

elder scolls song :) nice gladius!! 1 like!!



[DrNomadEater]

Not meant for slashing, it's for stabbing

[chibraxial]

Your technique is off ... i can say because your bottles and jugs keep on falling and falling. Your penetration angle is off you need to be sure your blade is perfectly aligned with the inside of your forearm (it is a matter of 1° ), without this you're slamming a part of the blade on the bottle instead of letting the edge do it's Moïse job that is to open the matter in two to allow the rest of the blade to travel almost freely in it.

Do less fancy poses, work your angle, reconsider your grip.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@chibraxial

Yes, you're right, my technique was definitely off there. Well, it's 2 years ago and I'd say I've become become since then. In any case, the advice is appreciated.

[patrickangus16]

@SkallagrimNilsson

You´ve got a spanish gladius (Gladius Hispanensis) or a Gladius Mainz?? I mean, however the gladius was inspired in a spanish celtiberian mercenary´s sword, but is your gladius kind of 60 cm long or shorter?

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@patrickangus16

It's a Mainz gladius. The length is about 65 cm.

[patrickangus16]

@SkallagrimNilsson

thanks!!! cool sword btw!!! :)

[vslayer999]

Beautiful.

[Breathor]

Thumbs for morrowind theme

[charlo427]

i personally think that the spatha is better

[fdr100100]

@FromTheGuy roman swords arent for cutting or slicing

[fdr100100]

roman swords arnt for cutting or slicing so why are you its for stabbing its also the best weapon ever made

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@fdr100100

I like variety. But yes, it's of course optimized for stabbing.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@FromTheGuy

Yes, my gladius is not really sharp, I can even drag the edge across my arm repeatedly without getting cut. So far I haven't mustered the courage to try sharpening it... just don't want to scratch it. =)

[proph3cy84]

Does your mom ever get pissed at you for cutting all of her shit in half?

[kenneth2051]

HOLY SHIT!

[WeaponOfMyDestructio]

you are so lucky to own stuff like that! just importing anything like that is ten years min

[misterchuckle]

A Viking with a Roman sword.

[Ranziel1]

Nice cutting, I've never seen a historical example of such a gladius though, with the blade widening near the tip, I know it was a feature of hoplite swords... And it's the first time I hear this variation on Morrowind's theme, pretty cool.

[scaprio]

fag



[scaprio]

fag

[ELEMENT1111100]

Huge fan of rome.. oh how I wish it never fell. Anyway, I want zis sword.

[godnothing666]

You kicked that water bottles ass

[giorgakis2008]

Excedllent presentation!!!

[tefras14]

Ahh a remix of the morrowind music and a kick ass sword. Brilliant

[Travers54]

That is one mighty and impressive roman gladis sword!

[talon115]

Simple but effective!

[lgnb695]

Sweet video man, especially how the music fits with the footage.

On a different note, I'm thinking about buying a short sword, like a gladius or kopis or something of that sort. I was just curious, how much force do you have to put behind swings to cut stuff like the things you were cutting? I'm not exactly the biggest person (muscle wise) so I was wondering if it would wear you out pretty fast or not?

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@lgnb695

Even with a short sword you don't need extreme force, at least if the edge is sharp enough. On the contrary, putting too much power in it will not give good results when cutting light targets. Only on tough targets, like tatami mats, you need more power.

Technique is much more important than raw power. Also it's a matter of choosing the right weapon... for light targets a short, light sword will perform very well, for tough targets a heavier, ideally two-handed blade will be better.

[pinz2022]

@SkallagrimNilsson

If I understand correctly, the Gladius was not for fancy prancing. It came into its own when opposing soldiers were crammed shield-to-shield and a short stabbing weapon was the only option. The Romans were known for being unsentimental about their swords..

[fdr100100]

@SkallagrimNilsson roman swords are not for cutting

[DonMeaker]

@lgnb695 Use the point. If you are fighting, use it by stabbing at the parts of your enemy that are hardest to armor: the groin, armpit, neck. Of course if you are just exercising, the effort you have to put in is part of the point. The Romans were in deep ranks, so that when people in the first rank got tired, they would hold their position, and the rank behind them would move past, to give them a break. Fighting with a sword is anaerobic, so after a few minutes rest you could recover

[Breathor]

@lgnb695 The force of a proper sword swing is like throwing a proper punch, its not from your muscles but rather your body weight and control of motion. move your hips and step in the direction of your swing and youl be chopping more then bottles in half :)

[mangasleejosh2]

nice elder scrolls theme

[Petriealright]

Er du norsk?=D

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@Petriealright

Jeg er ikke født i Norge, hvis det er det du mener. =)

[Petriealright]

@SkallagrimNilsson jeg forstod det ut fra dine andre videoer ;)

elsker gladius-sverdet ditt =D

[Petriealright]

@SkallagrimNilsson oh, and I subbed ;D

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@Petriealright

Alrighty, welcome to the depths of weirdness... ;-D

[Petriealright]

looks beautiful =O

[RolyTofKokirians]

coment on my chanel if you think this is epic!!!

[SgtSamProductions]

Thrust this into another man's flesh.

[leeham991]

Shame I'd need to pay through the nose every month to be able to own a sharp sword. I'd love to do this for myself .

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@leeham991

Yes, I know such budget issues. I needed to sell most of my swords during the past 1 1/2 years.

[leeham991]

@SkallagrimNilsson

Awww

It's a shame Europe doesn't trust it's citizens. Best way to own swords is to do it in north America xD

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@leeham991

Actually the laws regarding swords are not so much different in Europe. Or are you allowed to carry a sharp sword openly in public places?

[leeham991]

@SkallagrimNilsson

In Britain you need a license to own a sharp blade over a certain length. Even displaying a butter knife over here outside your own property can mean prison. I assumed it was the same in Europe, or is Norway not being EU raped? I'm not sure who is a member yet.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@leeham991

Nope, that doesn't have anything to do with the EU. The UK is completely anal about weapon laws, and has to my knowledge the most restrictive regulations in all of Europe. Britain is very different from Norway and other countries, you can't really generalize there.

European countries overall can be very diverse, apart from the general tendencies towards more regulation than in the US. One of the positive things is that secularism is much stronger here.

[leeham991]

@SkallagrimNilsson

Well my information must have been flawed. Maybe I spend too much time listening to the British media. Can't trust the babblings of a police state...

Aye the religious situation used to be good in Britain. Secular government and majority atheist population, but in the last 15 years atheists are getting more and more afraid to speak publicly and the government has turned to christians trying to "not offend" Islam.

Hell I have family in Norway, maybe I'll move over there xD

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@leeham991

Yes, the "don't offend Islam" attitude is becoming increasingly unreasonable. I dislike all organized, dogmatic religions equally and don't see why Muslims should be pampered in any way. I don't see why they should be demonized as if every single one of them was a fundamentalist terrorist either.

[leeham991]

@SkallagrimNilsson

Aye.

Still many muslims come from muslim theocratic countries and they still try to live in the same way they have been for the past 1500 years. Though I don't think they know much different, their "mercy killings", animal cruelty and intolerance is damaging western society.

Not saying that is all muslims, but to be honest there is a distinct lack of secularist islamic peoples.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@leeham991

Secularism and Islam seem to be somewhat incompatible indeed. I guess more sociocultural development is needed to counter the extremists. That's why I think we need more constructive dialog between the "West" and the Arabic world. It's not about one side dominating the other and imposing their values, but about learning from each other.

Why does that sound like naive idealism now? -_-

[python471]

i like the twist to the morrowind music

[Pawnbroker00]

fatties cutting bottles is the thing of the day on youtube

[DerZuppi]

Das ist ein Gladius Typ Mainz untertype Fulham ;o) ich hab nachgeschaut leider haben die das nicht mehr im Sortiment ;o(( 

[leslucas]

What's with the fascination of people cutting water bottles on youtube?

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@leslucas

Hm... catharsis maybe? ;-D

[CaraDanaellea]

@leslucas It's not the cutting of the bottles that's fascinating, it's the process of mastering the weapon that makes people do it. Having a real target to practice on simply gives you better, more informative (and graphic ;)) feedback.

A clean cut being a little success every time. Taping it just is a nice synthesis between self reinforcement to train, a possibility to see your movements and possible errors and a bit of bragging :D

[leslucas]

@CaraDanaellea Wouldn't the process be faster with a partner? Or nailed together tires? Or a wooden support beam? Maybe not faster, but more practical? Don't get me wrong I completely agree with you, but the only way I can see the need for a water bottle is for the stress relieving and visually stimulating effect? And for cutting effect I suppose, but hardly necessary with a sharp sword.... anyway I trailed off, saw your channel and fell in love so i'll stop talking now.

[CaraDanaellea]

@leslucas You train two different skill sets when training with either a partner/dummy or bottles. Even with the sharpest sword you have to learn how to align the edge, at what angle, speed and curve to hit plus how the full movement is made. With a partner your cut is stopped without making the full sequence needed to really make the cut and not simply smack him with the blade, what wouldn't do "real" damage. Only doing that kind of training, you won't learn to go through with the motion.

[CaraDanaellea]

@leslucas And thanks for your compliment on my channel! Feel free to leave some comments there as well ;D

[chryosstormwing]

o.O dude... cooles schwert... aber die (fett)arme milch >_>

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@chryosstormwing

Da ist doch gar keine Milch mehr drin, ich hab die Kartons mit Wasser gefüllt. ;-)

[chryosstormwing]

@SkallagrimNilsson

ja eh XD Aber was hätte ich sonst schreiben sollen? Deinen Musikgeschmack zu kritisieren wäre ein Schnitt ins eigene Fleisch. Was mich aber wundert, warum grade so ein kurzes Schwert kein Parrierteil hat... in dem Bezug bin ich aber noch nicht mal n Laie also lass ichs, darüber zu kommentiern. cooles schwert wie gesagt :)

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@chryosstormwing

Eine Parierstange war nicht nötig, der Gladius wurde ohnehin nicht zur Abwehr von Angriffen benutzt, dafür war der riesige Schild und die Rüstung da. =)

[droog1967]

Yes, you can own one in the UK, this type of wasp-waisted Gladius is usually sold under the name Mainz type. Battleorders sell them, but i have found them a little cheaper (same sword) by doing a search-engine search for gladius, or Roman Re-Enactor or Roman Reproduction Armour.

[jezmuff]

hahaha dude you may as well just have hit the bottles with a cricket bat

[bertini51]

you cant fule me thats the music from morrowind

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@bertini51

In the video description I wrote that it's a remix from Morrowind, didn't I?

[Ruination1091]

Mind if i cry for the lost milk? :(

[SkallagrimNilsson]

@Ruination1091

What lost milk? You really think I'd destroy filled milk cartons? Of course I always fill them up with water, after the milk has been put to good use. =)

[frompembrokeny1]

I love this blade design. they're heavy enough to get good momentum but light enough to be Nastily quick

[LivLeg]

KATANAH?

[1MarcusTulliusCicero]

The gladius is a very fine weapon and the conqueror of the ancient world. I'm a collector of historical artefacts.....are there any laws against me owning one of these?

It's not as if I'm going to take it out in public, just for display.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

I'm not familiar with weapon laws in the UK... all I know is that they're too darn restrictive.

[pakpez]

@1MarcusTulliusCicero not at all you can buy, sell and own it you just cant take it out in public thats all

[WoodlandAsh]

I still need to upload a video of my Scimitar from RA.

The Gladius looks nice, but is not my particular type of sword. Have been currently eying up Snaga. May have to get one in the new year.

[ComandantreM]

this is a knigths weapond but the fire guns are for cowards

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Not when facings guns on the opponent side.

[InvictusSPQR]

Fat man with sword.  5/5

[SkallagrimNilsson]

In Norway (and Germany for that matter) you are not allowed to carry a sword in public spaces. Other than that, swords are not specially regulated. However, it always depends on the police officer you run into. If he/she thinks it's a dangerous weapon and decides you could be a psychopath, they might confiscate the sword and take you to the police station. Doesn't happen often, but it can.

[rob3132]

my grandfather has a sword collection 4 rooms full but im not into them as much as he is so i really dont know anything about them except that they are swords

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Four rooms, mhm... sounds like a nice collection. =)

[RRFF12345]

good presentation of your Gladius.very nice to see.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Thank you. =)

[LegioXFretensis]

This is a really great video. Where did you find the music by Stormwing?

[SkallagrimNilsson]

It was probably on Dwelling of Duels, where I generally get the vg remixes from: dod.vgmix . com

[fuzzyboy501]

mine is cooler

[IIIArrow711]

this songs tight .... i also love the game

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Yeah, I'm a big fan of video game remixes. There is some great stuff out there.

[Devinfilms6679]

DUDE I FREAKING LOVE THE GLADIUS!!!!

could you please tell me where you got it??

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Look for Raven Armoury's website. The only problem is, their stuff is a little expensive.

[Devinfilms6679]

cool thanks man oh yeah 5/5 stars and favorited

[BonhommeHero]

Do they ship to Canada? And is that blade tempered?

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Yes, it's tempered. I don't know where they ship to but you can just go to their website and send them an email to ask.

[Shadowhowler42]

Awesome! I recall seeing that Gladius on SBG, it's VERY nice.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Yeah, I like it a lot. This sword definitely has a permanent place in my collection and I can not imagine ever parting with it. =)

[vikingninja72]

this vid kinda... makes me want to let loose on some zombies.

[B4d2Th3Bon3]

Nice blade, quite good for stabbing i noticed.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Yep, absolutely. I have never handled another sword with a blade so optimized for stabbing.

[CoffinPuppet]

Very nice. Beautiful blade man. You handle it very well.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Thanks. Well, at least I try, though I'm not quite satisfied with my technique, particularly the edge alignment. On the other hand, who is really totally satisfied with his skills anyway? It's an endless journey of learning and improving.

[TerraFirma369]

Nice cutting! Good to see some variety sword-wise! Keep up the safe cutting! Peace.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Thank you. =) Yep, I like variety in weapons pretty much. I often fall for the a little unusual or exotic ones.

[jonislow]

Hey Skall, good cutting and good music. I've been looking for a gladius. I think it would be a good choice for me, any suggestions?

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Thanks Jonis. Well, as far as I can tell Raven Armoury is definitely a good choice. However, their newer swords are not cheap. I got this one used for around 330 USD; don't know exactly about the recent prices but I'm sure they cost much more.

Albion would be an excellent choice, too. If you have the money to spare, that is. =)

[WoodlandAsh]

I've got a scimitar from Raven Armoury, can't beat the quality of their blades.

[SkallagrimNilsson]

A scimitar from Raven Armoury? Nice... would you mind showing it in a video?

[WoodlandAsh]

As soon as I replace my camera I shall make a video.

It's one of RA fantasy scimitars, skull pommel, so it hasn't got the accuracy and balance as a historically accurate piece, but I love it nonethless :)

[SkallagrimNilsson]

Well, the most significant difference is that the gladius is completely optimized for thrusting. The grip handles very well because of its ergonomic shape but it is round and therefore it makes edge alignment for cutting harder. It is very light and has a rigid blade, which also improves it's thrusting capability.

I found it on Ebay a couple of years ago. It's an older model from Raven Armoury, they don't produce that one anymore. The newer ones are even higher quality, but more expensive.

[000majorwinters000]

This is awesome! It's so good to see someone wielding a gladius! I've been looking to get one myself recently, and this one looks pretty darn sweet. I'm really into bronze age warfare. ^^

Also just wondering, how does it wield in comparison to any other short swords you may have used before? And, if you have the info, where have you purchased it?

[DragonenIaido]

Wow Hey SkallagrimNilsson a am locking for a roman sword where did you buy it??

[draconis93]

cool sword