What fantasy gets WRONG about medieval weapons

Let's correct the main misconceptions that fantasy in all it's forms such as dungeons and dragons, novels and movies, gets wrong about historical medieval weapons.

[potatokilr]

When the main character is on the ground, always remember to lift your weapon high above your head before you swing down, giving him the chance to roll out of the way

[crow]

To quote the stuntman who played the witch King in LOTR: Some would call it a flail. Some would call it a morning star. I called it what it was, which was damned heavy

[professionalmemeenthusiast]

"If you actually made Mjolnir, it would be unliftable"
So a success then?

[sirpiken]

We always forget about Odysseus, who's bow required so much strength to just string that no other man could manage to even do that.

[HelloFutureMe]

Thanks man! You're the best. And as always, fantastic video.


~ Tim

[andersengman]

I've learned a lot from watching movies set in the middle ages: swords are incredibly heavy, war hammers are gigantic, armor is just shiny clothes, arrows don't do any real damage, shields are made of thick sheets of solid steel, helmets are optional, bows can be held indefinitely, studded leather is a real thing, knights are always wearing armor all the time, pirouettes make sense in duels, everyone is covered in mud, fabric has no color and torches are used for in-door lighting.

[Neo]

Talking about Bows being used as a weapon to represent great strength I have a few examples. Heracles and Odysseus of Greek Mythology were known for using a bow. In fact Heracles used a bow more frequently than any other weapon.

I would also like to point to Lord of the Rings with the Uruk-hai who killed Boromir. He uses an absolutely MASSIVE bow that clearly required great strength to weild.

[TheImpossiBelle]

Purely conjecture with absolutely 0 evidence to back this up: I feel like the "Bows For The Weak" misconception rose as what the average person sees when someone draws a bow, they see them as pulling a string, rather than using that string as leverage to bend the bow itself, and the bow bending back into place driving the projectile forward

[verbalbbq]

Man, you’re one of the only youtube channels I follow (and I follow many) that regularly gives shout outs and recommends other channels. It’s so good. It really shows that you’re here to share passions and interests, and not just for ego or recognition

[TheEarlofBronze]

Used to be part of a longbow club. I was a young teen and so they gave me one of the smallest bows which was only a little shorter than I was and was a 20 lb draw. I remember being so pleased when I got bigger and stronger and was able to upgrade to the 30lb so I could start practicing on the 60 to 80 yard targets 😂 to this day I get pissed off when I see films and tv shows holding drawn bows for minutes or other such nonsense.

"For every second you hold that draw the bow loses 2 lbs of strength" I remember being told. Reality is not convenient

[ethanireland]

18:23 in fact, you can actually discern a medieval skeleton as an archer by the deformation of the shoulders

[Icalasari]

I know in Thor's hammer's case, it isn't lifted because he's worthy in the actual mythology

He can lift it because he's just that strong. The mythology is basically, "Our god Thor is so strong he can pick up a hammer with a head bigger than your head, made of solid metal, and swing it around with one hand like it was a twig"

[papapok]

SPEEEEAAAARS!!!!

Spears are hardly ever present in fanatasy battles while being the most prevelant weapon of the era.

[xBUBBAx]

I have been wrong on so many levels when it comes to weapons, and have, on several occasions, had to go back on something I've written to correct the mistakes I've made. All thanks to your rants, that I'm... thankfully able to follow. Most of the time. Keep up the good work, and rant. Just don't stop ranting. Ever.

[jobdylan]

19:50 Bow-for-strong-man trope: Odysseus
It actually becomes a significant plot-point in the story.

[tristankendrick]

The misrepresentation that daggers stand any honest chance against the big guy with the sword

Not misrepresenting a weapon, but making big burly guys do everything slower. If he's that strong, his muscles, which are used for *movement*, are that strong as well.

Bringing me to my final point, the biggest heaviest sword is always the strongest. If you're strong enough to use a massive hunk of steel, you'd be much more quick and devastating with a proper sword.

[NotagYmra]

I think spears are often misrepresented. By way of being under-represented

[AGrumpyPanda]

Currently playing a fighter in D&D, I get great joy out of the fact that my +3 Composite Longbow requires a minimum strength of 16 to use. I'm the only person in my party who can actually pull the string back.

[MehrumesDagon]

One could say, arming sword was *broadly*


I'll see myself out.

[lynthecookiek]

I really wanted to know about the maces, morningstars and flails.