Talk:Scabbard

I think a bit more information about why metal scabbards were used at one point, and also why naval and police scabbards were leather. I guess that the police ones were leather so that they were quieter, but I'm no expert. Hellfire83 01:21, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I agree: the article could do with some expansion. I'd also like to see something on waist scabbards verses back scabbards. Seems as though the design of a back scabbard would have to be rather different to allow one to even draw a sword from it over one's shoulder. At least if my fooling around with faux swords is any indication. :) RobertM525 00:50, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

So far as I know there is no evidence whatsoever supporting the use of "Back scabbards", though they are portrayed regularly in fantasy books and movies.

This topic has been discussed extensively here: http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=5792&start=80&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=back+scabbard

The general consensus amongst historians is that the back scabbard is a modern construct, and unless anyone can show me evidence to the contrary (which would be most welcome) I am going to edit the topic to clarify that back scabbards are a modern invention.

I will. The book A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor, by George Cameron Stone (ISBN 0486407268) shows records of back scabbards in Chinese and Korean armories, and in some Mongol weapons depictions as well. However, there is evidence in Guy Windsor Swordsman Companion that European and Near East cultures never used a back scabbard. At best, it would be a baldric slung from a shoulder which was probably incorrectly drawn. I have combined the information as best as I could to form a cohesive fit.--Elaragirl^Talk|Count 07:42, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Perfect. Excellent work.

Should we possibly split following paragraph into two sections, one for the topic of 'type of scabbards' and 'modern scabbards'.

"Back scabbards were never used in European..."

It would just make the whole thing flow better, I think. That and it's would beef out the 'type pf scabbard section'. We also need more information on scabbards from around the world. Relicswords 04:16, 24 March 2007 (UTC)Relicswords

also I added a link to battojutsu & iajutsu since they are related subjects.

The way I heard it, a knight would have his squire draw it for him, since obviously you can't draw it off your own back unless it's unsecured at the lower point, in which case it would constantly be spanking you. If you didn't have a squire or a partner or something you wouldn't wear a back scabbard. The existence of six-foot swords makes it pretty difficult to believe hip scabbards were the only kind of worn scabbards.

Image of a medieval scabbard?

Hello! I wanted to suggest presenting an image of a leather-wrapped, wood-core scabbard at the top of the article next to the lede, above the Celtic bronze scabbard.

I think when most people hear the English word "scabbard" they are probably thinking of medieval scabbards, since that's the most common referent of the term in pop culture. It's also the original referent of the term: scabbard seems to derive from a Frankish compound word, and in the period when Frankish was spoken, scabbards were made of a wood core with a leather or textile wrap. Retrospectively using the word scabbard to refer to earlier sheaths and sheaths from other cultures/languages is entirely reasonable, but I think we should still display a prominent image of the most familiar, most archetypal kind of scabbard.

The article does briefly cover the type of scabbard ancestral to early medieval scabbards, when referring to fur lined scabbards found in weapons sacrifices, but there's no corresponding image. (The text itself also skips over the Middle Ages, jumping 2,000 years right from Antiquity to Modernity. That is a problem I can work on, but I don't know how to deal with images.)

While the ancient, all-bronze Celtic scabbard is fascinating, it's not really a prototypical scabbard in the popular consciousness, so presented as the first image in the article, with no examples of leather-wrapped, wood-core scabbards, might be a bit confusing. There are images of other types of scabbards on the page (a leather gun case, a lacquered saya, and various metal scabbards and components), but the type of scabbard conventional in Europe c. 400-1700 (the type modern English speakers are most familiar with) are conspicuously missing. I wouldn't suggest removing the Celtic scabbard, just pushing it down a ways on the page, so a more familiar type of scabbard is presented at the top, letting users know they've found the right page.

There are images of medieval scabbards on Wikimedia (here's a great example), which I think would make a more suitable first image. However, I don't want to just edit it directly, because there might be other factors I haven't considered, and I don't know the correct way to compose a page layout or integrate images. Aminomancer (talk) 21:50, 9 August 2024 (UTC)

The latter half of this page seems ai-generated

im not sure if anyone knows this, but it absolutely is. I've used ai tons in the past and you can spot it a mile away. is that allowed? sorry if this is a waste of space. Baguetteboing (talk) 00:44, 24 September 2024 (UTC)

You mean all this? Sole edit by an ip, c. 4 wks ago. Unrefed, adds next to nothing. I'll remove. Johnbod (talk) 02:29, 24 September 2024 (UTC)