she's awesome, using only coals and making a great horse head for the handle, even reshape it for the perimeter, that was next level, did she participated again in the next seasons ? she deserves it
She expected to loose, you can see it in her face when he says she has won, she doesn´t get it. But her sword is way beyond in design, how couldn´t she win? Her not believing she could win, makes her personality even bigger. Very well done.
Kelly: Takes extra effort to fix the handle to wrap around and protect the hand. Justin: Mindlessly puts sharp hook at the end of the handle that can hurt the hand.
Real simple image search will show why he was inspired to have a hook on the end. When judges praised Kelly for her traditional ornate design they should have also praised Justin for the traditional hooked design. Kelly should have lost, at no time through the competition can you see any damage to Justin's blade, whereas, at 6:02 there is clearly damage to Kelly's blade which from its look most likely occurred when it cut through the fish hitting the bones. At the end of the day Justin's was the better functional weapon, and Kelly's was the more ornate.
Although they usually curve around like Justin’s did, they tend to be much more rounded or blunt than his hook - for exactly the reason stated in the episode. It’s a matter of knowing what the hooked part is there for, although it seems to be an easy misunderstanding to make.
I read on another upload that they took it out of the show because people were getting offended by how loosely they were using the word “keel”. Not sure if it’s true or but but with how weak people are in the world I could believe it.
@@kevinnorwood8782 If your watching in the UK that because only the episodes that air after 8pm include it. Most of the time they skip it, might be the same in some other countries as well.
The hook at the end is not really unique and is quite commonplace on traditional functional falcatas, as opposed to the ornate falcatas. The only really unique part was the blade edge, however, it was not a major deviation. Clearly the judges wanted to give the win to the more ornate weapon, because at 6:02 you can clearly see damage along Kelly's blade, judging from the irregular sizes and patterns most likely occurred when they hit bones while cutting the fish. While that damage was primarily facial there is no damage along Justin's blade at all.
@@urusledge Even with the straight edge the overall shape of the blade remains, also there are examples of falcatas with prominent straight edges (similar to Justin's some with a point and other rounded), though they are quite rare. There are also many falcatas that, while curved, hold a fairly straight edge from the tip to maybe a 1/3-2/5 of the way down with a much more angled curve than typical falcatas as well (almost as drastic looking as having a scythe blade between the first 1/2 to the hilt). The geometry of the falcata blades is vast in its variety including some with much more shallower curves that look like half of a gladius rather than the more typical, distinct curvature. Kelly's was more ornate and took clear damage, whereas, Justin's was more functional and was not damaged. Overall Kelly won purely on appearance and not function of the blade.
The Iron Age Iberians and Celt-Iberians were truly master weapon smiths. They used slings and solid iron javelins (Soliferrum) for ranged combat. For close combat they used spears, Falcatas, and the Gladius Hispaniensis which the Romans later adopted. In Eastern Iberia bronze pectorals and the large Scutum shield were used for protection. In Western Iberia light armor was used in conjunction with the Caetra, a small circular buckler-like shield.
Forged from Toledo steel. There are accounts of the falcata cleaving through Roman helmets and splitting their shields. I like how mainstream academics still doubt the origins of the falcata, just because the Greeks had similar swords. The ancient Grreeks traded with ancient Iberians, so why couldn't they have adapted the Falcata from the Iberians just like the Romans adopted the Gladius Hispaniensis, "the sword that conquered the word" from the Iberians? Instead of the Iberians copying the Greeks? It took the Romans 200 years after the fall of Cathrage and Hannibal to conquer the majority of Iberia. Yet there are hardly any mainstream documentaries on the Celtiberians or Iberians or even the Reconquista. It's always Roman vs Gaul, Britannia, Germania. Try searching youtube for videos on the celtiberians. There's nothing. Why is that?
@@sarenartanis1752 The Romans really needed to fight the Iberians for centuries to take control of the peninsula. We were the super power at the end of the medieval times up for about 300 hundred years, our currency was used around the world for trade. Masters of the sea, traveled around the world before any other European nation, but never got the deserved credit. La Leyenda negra....
Good one and good to see the first female champion truly deserve it. There have been other contenders but she truly presented an excellent weapon and clearly one.
Show writer: “What if Justin shouted “A WARRRRIOR DOES NOT SURRENDER HIS WEAPON!” and charged at the judges? Show producers: “... Make sure it happens.”
I wonder why if having a horse head on the pommel is historically accurate why the specimen falcata at the judges table at 1:01 was of a rams head? Maybe it was because like Kelly said, "you've got to know your horse anatomy" to make one & a rams head is simpler
@@carpathianken Because it's probably a piece Dave Baker made and NOT a 100% accurate replica. None of the demonstration blades they use here is a historical artifact. They're all modern replicas. In fact one of them ,"Sword of Mystery", the real sword isn't even in one piece.... and it's in a museum display case somewhere in Britain. The one they used had to be a replica. Also the real one had gold inlay and the replica didn't.
@@carpathianken It wouldnt be surprising if falcatas used horses as pommels considerong the fact that for ancient iberians horses were very important animals, in fact the arevacii one of the most powerful tribes of the time used horses as their symbol
@@icysree9556 exactly. He could be an introvert. My wife is that way and people who dont know her think shes rude or doesnt like them. I think he was just discouraged. Everyone on this show does such a wonderful job in their sportsmanship it may make someone just walking off look worse than what it is. Hes just disappointed.
Seemed odd to give them 5 days rather than the typical 3 days of most builds, then to see Justin bring in something that looked like he spent a single afternoon grinding down from a piece of leaf spring and gluing a wooden handle to was kinda sad. Kelly did really great, too bad she didn't have better competition to make her work stand out even better.
U ain’t wrong but Justin’s blade was stil top tier sharp and strong, only his design wasn’t that clever but he’s Stil a rly good competitor for her in terms of smithing
@@erikenz6958 A lawnmower blade is sharp and strong, it doesn't make it a piece of quality craftsmanship, it just makes it relatively effective at a single job.
@@erikenz6958 And I would argue saying that Justin is a good competitor for Kelly is a huge disrespect to her, as well as the viewers. The fact he even made it to the final round is surprising when 5 days in his home shop produced something so inelegant as this. Is it the worst we've seen on the show? Maybe not, But it was a very poor offering compared to hundreds of other works of craftsmanship featured on this show.
@@adamluther5836 chill man the blades were literally the same Kellys handle was just prettier and better designed but some people Justin for example are just to creative enough to think of something other than a strange and even dangerous hook 😂
@@gublaman She has a skill level that is not seen frequently on this show. Forging that horse head requires power and precission. One missed strike may ruin the entire work. No wonder it is kind of unique.
@@maxlutz3674 had you paid attention, they said it was pretty common for the falcata to have a horse at the end. That means it was not a rare feat to pull off. Stop talking as if you're not speaking out of your rear end. You don't know anything about metalsmithing.
She was one I really thought was going to have trouble considering her skill set ! But she made it look easy and turned in what is still one my favorite blades !
Obvious if you're used to swords but he sure wasn't the last person to fall into the trap of making a "cool" addition to his blade that got ripped on by the judges.
@@Fastwinstondoom trying something cool while it's danger for self, why does it sound familiar... Mmm.. no wait, that's my life decisions... Thanks for the reminder 😂
Not only was his weapon markedly off from what a falcata should look like, he added a stupid hook at the end of the handle that would serve only to harm the wielder as well.
@@FalconWindblader I am always amazed by the skill of some of the contestants, but yet they make stupid design mistakes. When I first saw that the first thing I noticed was that hook. Anyone who has ever used a knife or sword would know that is a bad design.
@@dolam yeah, one stupid design choice I've seen over a dozen contestants get DQed for... a round handle. Dunno why people do it, but I've seen dozens of bad handle designs, and simply having a round cross section RUINS what would otherwise be a good handle. At least he didn't do that.
As a historian, right now im on an investigation for an archeology field analizing iberian weapons, the falcata was not the primal (spears had that title) but was very unique (when it evolved to the falcata) for the time being and was very feard, the fact she put the horse head was amazing because the falcatas had a lot of decoration but in the handle there was: - Bird head decoration (most popular) - Horse head decoration (less popular historians think is was more ritualistic answer to why) - Hog head decoration
Historical sources said that it came from central europe but I have serious doubts about that. I mean, first time roman saw it, it was hold by Carthaginian soldiers at Hiberia. Isn't more likely she came from the egyptian Kepesh, that isn't far from Carthage, and is more close to the shape that any celtic sickle ? Really want to have your opinion about that.
@@fennecforge6173there is a 2000 year gap between this and the khopesh which doesn’t make the connection possible. Iberians didn’t have contact with Egypt to be inspired to make this weapon.
@@ChromeMan04 You really have to make some deepest reaserch about weaponery in the mediterranean coast and history before advancing such enormous fals things. - FIRST OF ALL, 1000years isnt 2000... Hannibal barca came from Carthage to Spain in 200BC, KHOPESH was used from around 1200/1300 BC. - The koppesh is KNOWN to be an inspiration for many europeans swords, first of them and well known, the greec KOPIS that take its name from the EGYPTIAN sword, even a sea separate those two civilisations, everybody know their relations. So what, even a name and many historical facts isnt sufficient for you to admit that, knowledge and crafts, where widely shared at this time? If you stil have doubt, you better put a KOPIS and a FALCATA side by side, and judge by yourself. - Then, after studying history, you can take a map. HANNIBAM BARCA is from Carthage (berbere people from Lybia spread egyptian culture and knowledges to africa for centuries... even to carthage.... Ask yourself how the KOPIS was inspired by the KHOPESH, and people from north africa are supposed to not having the same habits to take the better weapon from their neighbour? lol...). And he came to spain, at the exact time, when the FALCATA is seen for the first time by the roman soldiers. Well, I'm not affirming anything, Im just trying to list some facts, and free to everybody to interpret them the way he want ;)
@@ChromeMan04 Well, I could continue with other facts if your interested, but my poor english could become an incoonvenient :) , more technical ones, about how cinetic of the sword and, the shape took me to talk about that (as a simple ex between a lot, the celtic sickle that is supposed to have inspired that, is TRUELY another conception, when the cutting edge is IN the curvature, it is OUT in the falcata /hope you understand me/, not the same purpose.. for a sickle, the use is to "catch", when for a falcata, the purpose is to give more weight and cinetic to this part, exacly as for a khopesh or a kopis, or, an axe).
And a Greek Kopis. Same principle, cuts off limbs like butter. The romans were used to stabbing the opponent and most of their enemies of the time used spears so a dismemberment was not something that happened very often. And actually they were terrified when they saw how these things performed in a battle against Iberians armed with falkatas for the first time.
@@SeptimusAugustus The gladius also inflicted absolutely horrible injuries including dismemberments. The Falcata does look a lot like the Kopis, in fact I wouldn't have been able to identify it as something other than the Kopis.
@@TheNighthawk00 The Gladius was also based on an Iberian sword, But the Falcata, compared to a kopis, has a straighter blade and a smoother curve. The final part of the Falcata is wider than kopis and edged on the last part of the back to improve thrusting. Basically the Kopis was designed for chopping but the Falcata could also thrust.
Kellys horse handle design was pure talent. Right then and there i knew she was the winner. Justin made a pointy hook on the handle. Clear danger to the user.
Justin seems like a nice person, but that sword is ugly! It’s too short, it’s fat, and all rough and jagged. That thing would just get stuck even in leather armour.
Fun fact : Doug actually says “KEAL” cause he knew that kids would be watching this show so he formed an abbreviation that is : KEAL -> Keep everyone alive , and he said this to signify that the main purpose of these weapons are for self defence
@@UFOUAPMagnet I personally think seeing a lady in such a, traditionally, male dominated field, is a display of the inclusivity the 21st century offers as compared to the precursor periods in history . So to speak.