Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Conan the Barbarian” Atlantean Sword (from Conan the Barbarian)
The two most prominent swords in the movie Conan the Barbarian (CTB) were the “Father’s Sword”, which was the sword made by Conan’s father in the beginning of the film, and the “Atlantean Sword” sword, which Conan found in a cave and used throughout the movie.
The swords were designed by Ron Cobb, and he presented full-scale drawings of the weapons for the sword makers to use as blueprints. Mr. Cobb was at one time a cartoonist for the LA Free Press, but is now an art designer for the entertainment industry. He worked as the Production Designer for the movie Conan the Barbarian.
According to Mr. Jody Samson, the master sword maker who made the swords for Conan the Barbarian, four of the Atlantean swords and four of the Father’s swords were made for the movie. The Atlantean sword was a collaborative project. Tim Huchthausen carved the handle for the Atlantean sword, and Mr. Samson ground the blades to give them a fine shape, edge, and polish. The swords for Conan the Barbarian were very exaggerated.
The Atlantean sword’s blade was 27" long, and including the handle reached 36.5 inches in length. The handle extends about 6.5 inches up along the blade above the guard, which is a very unusual design for a sword. The idea was to make a sword so that someone could reach forward and hold the blade above the guard, but a real sword that was meant for fighting would have just had a longer handle.
In any case, the design gives a unique and very interesting look to the sword and makes one wonder whether it really was designed by the inhabitants of ancient Atlantis. This sword also has runic hieroglyphs carved along its blade, but according to Mr. Samson they are meaningless markings in a made up script. The real sword, that was used in the movie is now sold and costs between $10,000 and $12,000.
Source & Copyright: The Barbarian Keep
Photo source: Wormhole Riders
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