New sword for comics and fantasy writers

[therosesword]

For those of you who have been on some of my discussions you know I choreograph my fight scenes for my novels. I'm as horrific a swordswoman as I am a chessplayer but by doing this it gives me a good "feel" for how my characters are moving. (Yes, the Xmas tree survived after I took it out when my foil got snagged in it)

Happy to say I got a collapsible tai chi sword for xmas. (still preening over that.)

But, I keep researching new weapons and found this. Now, I've been reading about swords for a long time and this is the first time I've seen this.

Holy moly.

Anyway, thought I'd pass it on for you comics folks and writers.

The Fascinating Story of the World’s Deadliest Sword

[darthmongoose]

Woah, those whip blades look absolutely terrifying! Thanks for sharing!

[therosesword]

Reading the article it says that
" And outside the martial arts, the urumi is getting popular in online games like Pathfinder and Age of Empires where urumi warriors are displayed in full regalia. There was even a 2011 Indian historical movie called, Urumi, in which the main character prominently uses this weapon.

I don't game as it is an abyss I can't afford to fall into (I know my personality I'd never find my way out).

But, dayum... need to research this more!

[HGohwell]

I wouldn't say a whip-sword is new to writers by any means, especially fantasy writers, but it is good to finally see people accepting what a lot of writers have been saying for a while - that while they're not the most realistic portrayals they're not completely unrealistic as many people say. I saw them make this a while ago on Man At Arms: Art of War (a show where they forge historical, legendary and game weapons, often in a traditional way and then show you how they'd be used). It's a fascinating resource for anyone interested in historical or fantasy weapons.

[therosesword]

I've seen some similar things in fiction etc. but this was fascinating to find. It just proves to me that no matter how much research I do, I'll still find new things. Now I need to find a full on book about it.

[therosesword]

found a demo... looks longer than what I'm reading about

[skicoak]

That looks super impractical.

Would you just drag it behind you and hope that when a scrap breaks out you have the time and space to get it going?

[therosesword]

The video looks like (this is an assumption) exaggerated one but the article does say a few get to be 3 meters.

They are so flexible they can be worn as belts.

[migxmeg]

Wow!!! That's so cool, thank you for posting 🤩

[skicoak]

Belts with razor sharp edges, Lol!...I think it is becoming pretty clear to me why this thing is an "obscure" sword.

[therosesword]

LOL. Well, they do say it takes 12 years to master (if you haven't cut off your own head) and only the very best students get to learn it.

I find it interesting that they practice with strips of cloth.

[SleepingPoppy]

Sorry, all I could think when I clicked the video was "ribbon dancing!" I think that's quite cool, and I had definitely not seen anything like it before!

[therosesword]

@SleepingPoppy the spot where the gif ends probably is a good demonstration why it takes 12 years to learn how to use the sword, I think she would have killed herself there!

[SleepingPoppy]

That's why I picked it. Couldn't resist. XD

[Zaboem]

I'm see great offense, terrible defense.

If an urumi wielded and a sword weilder square off, it'd get ugly. The urumi has much greater range, so it will likely inflict injury long before the sword user can get close enough. Shields don't help the sword-fighter much, but certain armors could help a lot. Chainmail is particularly effective against slashing blades. If the sword does get within cutting distance, it would be almost impossible to use a urumi to parry. The thinness and flexibility if the blade also makes me question it's ability to hold to sharp edge or even to hold together during heavy use.

Yep, fascinating weapon.

[therosesword]

The article is very intereating in the fact that the blade forms a "bubble" around the wielder. They can actually perfect it to wrap around a shield and yank it away.

Of course, my thought on that kind of skill is: How old are you by the time you obtain it? 85? LOL

There are some great youtube videos out there. I'm a research junkie so I just poured me some coffee this morning and here I still sit!