They say that in war there's nothing more personal than an edged weapon.
Warriors of yesteryear would have to get up close and very personal to use their swords on the enemy. There was no long distance flinging of spears or shooting of arrows. A swordsman went at the foe hand-to-hand and most times the best blade won out.
History Channel has ordered eight episodes of the competition series Forged in Fire that will kick off at 9 p.m. Monday. It promises to be something different.
Of course, competition shows are old hat these days. There have been series featuring competitive singing, dancing, body painting, tattoos, chefs, cake baking, interior design, furniture making, fashion design, street art -- the list goes on.
But there hasn't been a pitting of master weaponsmiths against one another with a goal to re-create iconic weapons to be tested and evaluated by a panel of experts.
Iconic? How about gladiators? The Roman warriors of the Coliseum got their name from their short swords, the gladius. The gladius was the primary weapon of Roman foot soldiers. It was double edged for slashing and had a tapered point for thrusting.
And if you think of swordsmen, many would think of the fierce Japanese samurai warriors with their katanas.
The katana, a curved, slender, single-edged tapered weapon with a two-handed hilt, has been made famous by every samurai movie since Rashomon and Seven Samurai in the 1950s all the way down to Michonne's zombie-killing weapon on The Walking Dead.
Aside: You can buy Michonne's officially licensed Walking Dead replica sword on Amazon for a reasonable $144.95 (marked down from $270.95). The replica is made from tempered 1045 carbon steel.
What is tempered steel? Forged in Fire will teach you that as host Wil Willis guides the competitors through their challenges.
Each week, four competitors will put their skills and reputations on the line, trying to avoid elimination while using traditional and state-of-the-art tools and machinery to turn raw metal into authentic working versions of classic edged weapons.
The weapons will include not only the katana, but medieval broadswords and ancient throwing blades such as the circular Sikh chakram. Fans will remember that the chakram was the trademark weapon of Xena of Warrior Princess fame. Of course, Xena's was a sort of boomerang chakram and always came back to her.
Each entry will be judged on its artistry as well as its functionality and accuracy. In the hands of gifted craftsmen, every bladed weapon is not just a lethal instrument, but also an elegant work of art.
The fascinating histories of all these weapons will be told throughout the forging process. Then the weapons will be assessed and tested by host Willis and a panel of internationally recognized judges.
Willis is a former Army Ranger and decorated Air Force para-rescueman. He has hands-on experience with a wide range of weapons in battle and will offer insight about the bladesmiths' weapons from a practical combat-informed perspective.
The judges:
• J. Neilson. Neilson has been making knives for 20 years. In 2008 he achieved the rank of Mastersmith in the American Bladesmith Society, a title held by fewer than 115 people worldwide.
Forging knives from his shop in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania has made Neilson an expert in "sole authorship" blade-making -- that's the total mastery of every element of weapon design and manufacture.
His internationally recognized experience and credentials coupled with his specialty for working in isolation means he's best suited to assess the process of solo, edged weapon making.
Aside: If you want to see just how proud Neilson is of his knives, check them out at his website mountainhollow.net. If you want one, be prepared to pay big bucks.
• Doug Marcaida. Marcaida is a combat specialist who designs some of the world's deadliest edged weapons. From hand-to-hand combat to battlefield strategy, Marcaida is a walking encyclopedia in the evolution of weapons of war.
Marcaida will give a perspective on the fighting style of the weapons, what they were designed for and how they were used, and will be testing the weapons made in the competition.
• David Baker. Baker is a world-renowned swordsmith who specializes in re-creating some of world's rarest edged weapons. Baker spends a good deal of his time researching forgotten forging techniques and examining world-class collections to ensure his replicas are as close to the originals as possible.
Baker will use his expertise to judge the craft aspect of weapon making and what it takes to forge a beautiful piece of historic weaponry.
Style on 06/21/2015