Messer use

[Nathan Dexter]

I know messers look a lot, and are similar to falchions, but what exactly are they?

[Martin Wallgren]

Messer is German and translates to knife! It´s a name given to many different blades. But when we talk about messers today we mostly refer to a sigle edged large knife or short swordlike weapon with a grip simillar to the grip on a modern kitchenknife and a small parrybar and a small knucklegueard.

There is evidence of them being not only weapons but also agricultural tools much like a modern day Machete is used in many countrys. But they where used as weapons frequently and alot of manuals show techniques with them.

Some evidence points them out more of a poor mans weapon but not all schoars agree.

Two very good examples can be found on albion armourers site here...
http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/alb ... ngle-Edged

Hope it helps.

Martin

[Jeffrey Hull]

I know messers look a lot, and are similar to falchions, but what exactly are they?

Only thing to add to that really is to emphasise that those probably always were the equivalent of machetes to German farmers and hunters, although the Swiss, Austrians and Tyroleans were partial to them too. A utilitarian single-edged hacker, something a poor guy could hope to own, for work and self-defence. They could range from being over-grown bowie-knives, to a form of curved short-sword (not unlike a cutlass), all the way to a straighter yet single-edged two-hander.

As MG implied, a richy-rich guy may own and learn to fight with one. So maybe Baron Bigwig would have some nicely-decorated messer, but its basic design may be no different from what Farmer Bob and Hunter Tom would carry.