We’ve all seen those enormous and at times gaudy swords often found in fantasy films, books, and comics. But many people often ask… would those swords actually work? There is some truth to the oversized and ornate fantasy swords, as such swords did exist in the past. The claymore, a two handed sword that originated with highlanders in Scotland, is big enough to not be out of place in fantasy. There were even larger swords that were more often than not designed to take down a knight and a rider with a single slash. While the claymore had practical uses, it’s about as large as a sword can become before it becomes useless except in specific situations. The giant swords used to take down horse and rider could be used for that purpose alone to their unwieldy size and the extreme strength needed for one swing.
Even the claymore would fall victim if it missed the target with consecutive blows, as a faster fighter with a sword and shield could deflect the blow and then jab at the wielder from behind the protection of the shield. The gaudy features that make swords look cool don’t do much to change their effectiveness, it’s more the length of the blade and the weight that contribute to its usefulness.