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If the handle is metal, why would it ever need to be replaced? It's not going to rot, and it's not going to break.



It’s not that the handle is going to rot, it’s that there’s zero shock absorption. The fact that it doesn’t have a replaceable handle probably means that it’s for ceremonial purposes, not fighting. Hitting another sword with it would be exhausting and painful.


I doubt that "shock absorption" would have been a problem.

This kind of sword would not have been used like a hammer.

The wavy pattern on the bronze handle would have ensured a firm grip even with a sweaty or wet hand. I have some Japanese Tojiro kitchen knives, which have stainless steel handles with a similar pattern on the handle, and they are more comfortable than most of the knife handles made of wood or plastic, especially when used with a dirty hand.

So based on this experience, I do not believe that such a bronze handle would have been a serious disadvantage, even if it is possible that the sword was purely ceremonial.


I have found though that my kitchen knife is not very good when I have to parry, or when I have to bash my way through a shield.


Nobody would have parried with a sword, except in desperate situations, because of the risk of breaking the sword or damaging its edge. That's what the shield was for.

However you have a valid point that anyone wielding a sword had to resist the shock of a successful parry with the shield done by the opponent.

For thrusting movements, I do not believe that such a bronze handle would have been worse than any other handle, because it is unlikely to have been more slippery.

Only for cutting movements you are right that a handle wrapped in leather or cords should have been better at absorbing shocks.


The reason I bring it up is a (minuscule) amount of personal experience: I've had the chance to practice/play fight with a replica bronze sword & shield against an opponent. We were expressly forbidden from parrying with the swords and it surprised me just how physically demanding the parries were against the shield, largely I think due to the ringing. Regaining control after the impact of the sword was hard.

That said, the craftsmanship of the sword I used was nothing like the one in the TFA and it didn't have a handle cast onto the blade, nor such an intricate design. I don't know how accurate the shield were to the time period (one was leather bound, the tower shield was not) but they didn't have metal rims and shield bosses.


If the blade breaks, that handle is fancy enough that somebody might want it fitted with a new blade.




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