This is an article written by the owner for a rendition of "Longclaw" from George R.R. Martins series "A song of Ice and Fire".
"Does it have a name, my lord?"
"It did, once. Longclaw, it was called."
I still remember the day in July, 2001 when I began reading A Game of Thrones, book one of A Song of Ice and Fire. After devouring the prologue chapter where Ser Waymar Royce had his unfortunate encounter with the terrifying Others, I was hooked. Absolutely, one-hundred-percent obsessed. Beyond Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings, no other "high fantasy" tale had ever drawn me in. And none has since.
My love affair with all that is geekdom began at an early age with the original Star Wars trilogy. As soon as I could afford it, I entered into the rather expensive hobby of movie prop collecting. My collection started with the lightsabers and blasters of Star Wars and I slowly adopted other franchises, adding things such as the pulse rifles and motion trackers of ALIENS and the blades and helms of The Lord of the Rings.
This blazed the trail to another, even more expensive hobby: sword collecting. I'm not talking about those horrid chunks of stainless steel peddled ad nauseum on eBay. I'm talking about custom-forged, carbon-steel pig-stickers.
Being a student of research and patience (except when it comes to waiting for the next volume of ASOIAF) I grabbed a towering cup of coffee and settled comfortably into the website for Sword Forum International. I began researching my very first custom sword project: Aragorn's sword from The Fellowship of the Ring. After about three months of research, I selected a smith and commissioned the job. The results were fantastic and, just as those adorable direwolf pups were my gateway drug to ASOIAF, my one-of-a-kind, custom-forged, carbon-steel orc-sticker made me a full-time sword-addict.
During this time, I was greedily consuming every syllable of George R. R. Martin's magnum opus. Soon, two obsessions cross-pollinated and gave birth to my next great idea: commissioning a custom-forged, Damascus-steel Other-sticker. Oh, yes. This was my ultimate (and most slobberiscious) stroke of brilliance. I was going to own Longclaw.
"This is Valyrian steel, my lord," he said wonderingly.
In early 2002, I contacted Rick Barrett of Barrett Custom Knives with my ideas for turning George R. R. Martin's vision of the beautiful bastard sword, Longclaw into a reality. We worked on design ideas for about a month before Rick set to work on the sword.
Eighteen months, two gallons of saliva, and hundreds of chewed nails later, I received the finished product depicted here. If "pictures cannot do this justice" has ever been a gross understatement, this is the time.
Longclaw. Is. Gorgeous. |
| The pommel was a hunk of pale stone weighted with lead to balance the long blade. It had been carved into the likeness of a snarling wolf's head, with chips of garnet set into the eyes. The grip was virgin leather, soft and black, as yet unstained by sweat or blood. The blade itself was a good half foot longer than those Jon was used to, tapered to thrust as well as slash, with three fullers deeply incised in the metal.
The sword's design is as close as Rick and I could come to George R. R. Martin's description while maintaining functionality. The facet of Rick's work that I admire so deeply is his insistence that every piece he makes serves as a real weapon and is purposeful in the traditional sense. While Rick specializes in "fantasy" pieces in addition to his traditional Japanese sword designs, they are less "fantasy" and more "contemporary." These are functional weapons inspired by the traditional methods of yesteryear forged using the tools, engineering and design sensibilities of today. For a sword to be "functional" means that it must serve as a real weapon: one that maneuvers and cuts and deals death just like its ancestors did hundreds of years ago.
And my, my is Longclaw functional.
A string of red tears appeared across the big man's throat, bright as a ruby necklace, and the blood gushed out of him, and Qhorin Halfhand fell.
The light was already fading in Qhorin's eyes. "...sharp," he said, lifting his maimed fingers. |
| The blade is made of pattern-welded steel (often somewhat erroneously called "Damascus steel"). You can learn more about the difference between these metals here and here. Historically, this method of amalgamating multiple steels during the forging process helped smiths reduce the number of impurities in the forged steel while combining favorable attributes of varying metals.
Today, the pattern-welding process is largely an artistic decision as modern steels do not feature the same limitations that historic smiths had to overcome. In Longclaw's case, the most beautiful, and simultaneously subtle, artistry comes out in the design of the blade. The pools and grains where the steels met in the forge are striking in their splendor.
When Jon turned it sideways, he could see the ripples in the dark steel where the metal had been folded back on itself again and again.
And, just as Jon Snow saw when he first drew Longclaw from its scabbard, there are three fullers deeply incised in the metal. Fullers, much to the chagrin of sword enthusiasts, are often mistaken for "bloodgrooves." Bloodgrooves do not exist. Instead, fullers were a method that smiths used to make larger blades lighter. By removing material from the blade, it maintains its size while becoming far more maneuverable. Because Longclaw is such a large sword, it benefits greatly from the reduced mass granted by the fullers.
Plus, they look so damn cool. |
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The pommel is one element of Longclaw that unfortunately had to deviate from the sword's description in A Game of Thrones. George R. R. Martin described the hilt as "pale stone weighted with lead to balance the long blade." Although it is true that the pommel needed to have a heft to it to balance the forty-two inches of folded steel attached to it, the practicality of working stone to the fine detail that Rick and I demanded was an impossibility of cost and time. We did explore other options such as hard plastic and enameling in an effort to stay true to the obvious connection between Longclaw's hilt and Jon's direwolf, Ghost. However, the tenet of functionality ruled the day in the end. Instead of pale stone, the pommel is cast steel. Like the blade, the wolf's head is also acid-etched in an effort to provide dimension to the "fur," adding an element of contrast between dark and light highlights in the metal. That, in combination with the garnets set in the wolf's eyes, puts the pommel among the most intricate of Longclaw's features
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The wood-core grip is wrapped in black, butter-smooth calfskin leather in a corded fashion that has become popular in Rick's later designs. It works well here because it eliminates the visible stitching often seen on leather grips. Collaring the handle top and bottom are two braided, bright silver ferules that form an attractive contrast with the dark steel and leather.
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The scabbard is a wooden sheathe stitched in black leather and perfectly mated to Longclaw's blade. At the tip is a cast-steel endcap that serves as a simple but artistic highlight. As an artistic (though non-functional) touch, Rick added a tuft of white wolf's fur in homage to Jon Snow's direwolf, Ghost. Note: No direwolves were harmed in the making of this scabbard.
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Longclaw truly must be handled to be appreciated. The steel comes alive in the wielder's grasp and instantly provides the sense of awe that Jon Snow must have felt when Lord Mormont placed the sword in his hands.
"A sword's small payment for a life..."
Being such an avid enthusiast of both steel and brilliant storytelling, I am very proud to have Longclaw in my possession. I hope this piece will serve to educate readers about the basics of the ancient art of sword-making, to inspire other ASOIAF fans and to create more fervor for Rick Barrett's virtuoso talents.
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Now, as I wait for ASOIAF to reach its conclusion, I can only hope that Mr. Martin finds the kindness to not resign Longclaw to the same fate suffered by Lord Eddard's greatsword, Ice. Of course, in the event that Longclaw meets some wicked end, I'll simply have to get Mr. Barrett started on the next Valyrian steel pig-sticker...
And start hoping all over again.
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