Weapons

For the Arthur character that I wish to have him holding a weapon or two. This will emphasis him being a medieval knight. There are a few prominent weapons that were used within medieval times.

Even though I am planning to do a joint medieval and futuristic theme, I still wish to keep the former as the source of my weapon choices. Therefore, Arthur will not be having ray guns or lightsabers. I may be able to add some aspects of the more futuristic designs into them however.

For this blog, I will be focusing on the weapons that I intent to include on my Arthur character. These will be a sword, shield and lance. I will also look at staves for Merlin.

As stories throughout history tend to get modernised, I will be using the most notable appearances of weapons that King Arthur and Merlin are typically depicted with.

Swords

Swords are obviously the clear option for a weapon of a medieval knight, being the weapon that is most commonly see in art, media and games. The most typical sword within the Middle Ages was known as the knightly sword. It was a double edged, cruciform (cross-shaped) weapon.

Swords have been in use since the Bronze Age and they had actually evolved from daggers. They evolved further with the numerous variations around the world, for example, katanas being used throughout Japanese history or cutlasses being used by US Marines as jungle machetes during World War 2.

When it comes to what Arthur would have wielded in the times of the Celts, it would be different to what the legend says. Throughout history, people like to modernise stories to make them more appealing to their personal time. Therefore with the rise of popularity of the King Arthur legend in medieval times, they modernised the legend of the Celtic character. The Celt and Middle Ages eras had very different styles of swords. If I were to use the Celtic variation, it would have a more eye-shaped cross-guard instead of the typical cross-shaped that was popular during the Middle Ages. However as the most popular appearance of Excalibur (Arthur's famed sword) is seen as more cross-shaped, that is the style I will look at.

Lances

Like swords, lances are another stereotypical weapon depicted with knights. Although lances are mostly seen in media as weapons primarily used in the medieval sport or jousting, they were actually used by cavalry (mounted soldier). They became the main weapon used by cavalry due to how effective they were. Because of their length, they could be held so the tip would be beyond the horse, giving them an advantage as if they were an extension to the person's arm. 

There are a lot of misconceptions about the lance however. The decorated, larger lances that we usually see in media was used in jousting. During regular combat and war however, they looked more like spears. 

Lances were typically made out of wood, most commonly ash, and had a iron or steel tip. Lances are very distinguishable by their shape - long with a metal tip and a unique handle and guard.

When I shall do my lance, I will make it as a decorated, jousting version that are normally depicted with knights. By doing this, I will have more options to add futuristic elements. It will also follow with my more stereotypical aesthetic that I plan to use.

Shields

Shields are one of the staples of defence, especially in medieval times. Even before armour became the primarily layer of defence, shields have been used. They are used to intercept attacks from other weapons, whether it be long or close range. They were normally triangular, kite or round shaped - depending on the time period and need.

The designs of shields were heavily influenced by coat of arms and heraldry. They were usually decorated with these to show identification on the battlefield. 

For the shield that I intend to create, I will be following the coat of arms appearance. This will mean I will have to either create my own coat of arms, or use one that King Arthur would have used which is typically seen as three gold crowns on a deep blue background. For my version, I also plan to implement futuristic elements into it's design.

Staves

One thing that Merlin is usually shown with is a magical staff. I want to continue this for my character. Obviously no one uses magical staves but I wish to include one to emphasis Merlin's power as well as the legend. 

Magical staves are used in folklore and stories by witches and wizards to boost their power. There are countless various that are normally seen that range in size and shape. Some "magical staves" are even seen as various other weapons like canes, clubs and maces. 

When I will create my version of Merlin's, I plan to make a full length staff. I want to make it an amalgamation of nature and futuristic as if he will be getting his magical power from the earth. Like the example image I've put to the right, I also hope to add some sort of crystal at the top.

Feurstein, N. (2020) Medieval sword parts and components, Medieval Swords World. Available at: https://medievalswordsworld.com/medieval-sword-parts-and-components/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022).

Pin On Weapons (2017) Pinterest. Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/199354720988497424/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022).

Shield colours and meanings (2022) Medieval Chronicles. Available at: https://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-armour/medieval-shields/shield-colours-and-meanings/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022).

By (2021) Magic staff model: Pre-production [22/02/2021], Jennifers Blog. Available at: https://blogs.ulster.ac.uk/jennifercaptain/2021/02/22/magic-staff-model-pre-production-design-22-02-2020/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022).