So the sheath is on the horse, not the person. I can live with that. I'm thinking, though, that a 4-foot blade (assuming a foot of hilts) is still -- awfully long and unwieldy for someone on land, and not long enough to act like a jousting stick (what are those called?) or a polearm on a horse. So, one hopes, a sword more memorial than for getting dirty with.

(Still, it does make me laugh to think of a sword that all told come up to my chin. If you hung that sword on Strider's back, he'd be kicking it with every stride. Even Shaqille O'Neal Elendil would look kind of silly swinging around a sword the size of a full-grown woman.)

I'm thinking, though, that a 4-foot blade (assuming a foot of hilts) is still -- awfully long and unwieldy for someone on land,

I'm sure the weapon geeks have more detail, but the Scottish claymore was a bigass blade, wielded two handed (as was Anduril) and plenty devastating in battle. There's a particular technique used with two-handed blades which is different from one-handed sword-fighting.

Which LotR Character and personality problem are you?

I'm Elrond and his PMS. Hee.

I am Legolas and his anal-retentive attention to personal hygiene. It's a fair cop.

Well, that's part of why I'm bringing it up, because we talked about Claymores when TTT was in theatres, and Claymores are even longer -- like 6 or 7 feet, IIRC. The upshot of the conversation was, they're basically polearms in sword format, and aren't wielded like swords.

But Narsil/Anduril seems to be acting like a polearm (being really long, being sheathed on the horse instead of on the man), except when it isn't (being used just like a regular sword by a dismounted soldier). It's not quite long enough to be a polearm at 5 feet, but definitely long enough that if you wielded it like a sword from horseback, you'd decapitate your own horse in short order.

Which would be funny! But not textually appropriate.

Aragorn's sword is the biggest.

but the Scottish claymore was a bigass blade, wielded two handed (as was Anduril) and plenty devastating in battle.

The two-handed claymore was over six feet long, and typically weilded from horseback, although there were certainly very large Scotsmen who just liked have a big-honkin' steel shank in their hands on the ground.

In either case, It was a sword you took to war, not one you carried around with you, so drawing it from its sheath under conditions where speed and agility in doing it were important probably never came up very often. You would usually have drawn it long before you started swinging it in combat, and had it ready in your hand.

Aragorn's sword is the biggest.

must. resist. the. urge. to. comment.

Coffee and a bagel:

And I'm betting Anduril is another sword that would be drawn and in hand lang before combat was entered.

But Narsil/Anduril seems to be acting like a polearm (being really long, being sheathed on the horse instead of on the man), except when it isn't (being used just like a regular sword by a dismounted soldier).

In my Weapons and Warfare book it's noted that Narsil/Anduril was created for Elendil who was huge and strong enough to wield it one-handed, but that the grip was big enough for two hands and that's how Aragorn wielded it.

There's also a lot of talk about Aragorn's fighting style which is a cross between Elvish (where he was raised and trained) and Ranger (which is more Krav-efficient).

Does the book explain why Aragorn doesn't have a relationship with Faramir? They're both Rangers right? Or were they in different cub scout troops?