I recently received a short riding sword from John Lundemo of Odinblades.  I commissioned it back in October and finally received it last week.  The idea was for a simple, utilitarian sword that one would carry as a side-arm or as a back-up weapon.  A sword of this type could have been worn day-to-day by a gentleman or during battle by soldiers not on the front of the battle line.  

The basic sword stats are:

Weight: 1 lb 11.5 oz
Overall length: 29.5”
Blade length: 23”
Blade width: 2” at base of blade
Point of balance: 3.5” in front of the guard

Bad-ass.

That is a nice, functional looking sword. I'm sure you'll be happy with the quality. I have a John Lundemo sword, bought in 1995 at the Texas RenFaire - the first time I picked it up, it was a 'WOW' moment. It is more of a full size katana style sword, and the balance, quality, and workmanship are top notch. The day I bought it, I had several people on the way out stop me to both congratulate me and moanthat it was gone, as in they had been eyeing the sword since day one. Yours looks like a very handy blade.

You mentioned you commissioned it - did you do the design, any particular influences for the final product? I'm very weak in European sword periods and designs, and always interested in learning more.

really good lookin piece, i love how the gaurd goes from flat, one way, to flat the other way and both halves (of the gaurd) seem to do it with perfect symmetry.  you got a winner, there, man :)

That is total bad ass. Very nice! Something I would love to own.

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That's cool that you have a Lundemo blade from that far back.  I've read tons of reviews from folks that have owned them and all say pretty much the same thing..."wow".  

There are several influences for this sword.  My primary sword interest for several years has been the Chinese jian.  I actually purchased an antique jian blade from a reputable dealer and had it restored to new condition by another reputable artisan.  At that time (and to some degree, now) most jian on the market were not very representative of the real thing, being cheap, flimsy and whippy.  A true jian is extremely robust with most having a rigid blade.   That feel was what I was going for in this sword but with a Euro flavor.

My antique jian (sold a couple of years ago):


I also have a strong interest in European swords, from ancient times (primarily Greek and Roman) up thru the medieval period.  A guy named Ewart Oakeshott came up with a sword classification system (based on blades) for the medieval period and they are labeled "X" thru "XXII" in Roman Numerals.  The type "X" swords are a direct descendent of the Viking blades and are very biased toward the cut.  They all have broad, lenticular blades with a large fuller running down the middle.  They are also pretty flexible blades.  A classic example is seen here (this is actually a viking blade, which were basically type X's).  

As the classifications get higher in number, the swords evolve to cope with improved armor technology and they become more rigid to allow for thrusting into small gaps in an enemies armor.  I'm only familiar with types "X" thru "XVIII" with the later types mainly falling out of the time period I'm interested in.  Of those nine types, only two have a cross-section that is similar to the Chinese jian, which has a flattened diamond cross-section.  Those types are the "XV" and the "XVIII".  The type XV's are severely tapered and very pointed as seen here .  The type XVIII's are also pointed but the taper in their blades is more gradual and curved, as seen here (historical note: this sword actually belonged to Henry V, of Agincourt fame, and was described by Oakeshott as one of the finest handling medieval swords in existance).   As you can see, the difference between a XV and an XVIII can be pretty insignificant and an XVIII that has been sharpened and honed many times can actually become a XV.  

I'm not a big fan of such pointed blades so I went with what would be a type XVIII blade that has less blade taper than is typical of the type.  I almost view it as a cross between a type XVIII and a jian blade, having less taper than the former and more than the latter.  There are medieval type XVIII blades with as little taper as mine but they are the exception rather than the rule.  

For the pommel I turned to one of my favorite medieval swords, a type XVI seen here.  I also like the guard on this sword but I left the final design up to John and the guard he put on there is all Lundemo.  It's very common on his swords but I don't think it quite falls into the historically accurate category.  It's a significant variation on Oakeshott's type 6 guard.  

If you are interested in medieval European swords, there is no better site than My Armoury.  The Features Page has excellent overviews of Oakeshott's sword typology as well as tons of other information.  The forums are frequented by folks whose knowledge is truly amazing.  I'm a very casual enthusiast but some of those guys have been serious about it for years and have collections that put many ARFCOM collections to shame.  

"Casual Enthusiast" - OK, if you say so, but in two-three paragraphs you put out a ton of info and references - as opposed to just making it up as you go along, or, "I saw this movie....."  I was aware of Oakeshott and his work, but just haven't invested the time to get smart on those weapons. Sounds like you have, very cool taking a variety of influences and getting "your" sword made. That's what sparked the original question, now I have some references to review - I think I still have one or two brain cells not killed by beer or occupied by useless trivia that I can fit more stuff into!

Not to hijack, but if I can find a pic of mine, I'll post it for the sake of Lundemo's work. (If you're interested).

Again, very nice sword, congratulations!

John, when I referred to myself as a "casual enthusiast" I was primarily thinking of the folks over at MyArmoury.com.  Compared to the general population I know a LOT, compared to those guys I've barely scratched the surface!!  

I appreciate your comments and I would love to see the Lundemo sword you have.  I've seen some of his older stuff on his website but I don't know if any of them go that far back.  

My Lundemo sword, circa 1995



Very handy, for a large two hander.