Were sword "Squivers" real? 

What I love about this comment section and all you guys out there is that together we all learn. I have to confess I missed the fact that three of the images showed the blade/squiver on the right hip. However the one left hip is military and 2 of the 3 right hip are hunting and 1 is military; so for military it is 50/50. For hunting I see the small quiver/blade combo as being useful - no doubt. It has been suggested that a cross draw for the falchion would be possible, but I think the blade would be too long for this and of the two military images the longer blade is on the left hip and shorter on the right hip. So my thought is that as a military set up with a longer blade, the left hip is the place to carry it and hunting where shorter blades and possible slower draw, but an easier carry; right hip is the way to go.

Medieval fantasy weapons starter pack: -The Shadbbard (Shad's Back Scabbard) - Jorge's Instanst legolass - The Squiver

Used scabbard salesman "It even comes with a built in quiver"

when you reach for a arrow and end up shooting your opponent with a sword

Even an extra five bolts is an increase of 25%. The ‘specialist bolt’ argument makes sense, but so does being able to shoot that extra bit longer. Also, I’d love to hear more about that falchion!

As a soldier might say: There is no such thing as too many quivers.

This ide is still used today, as a soldier i usually have magazine loaded with either tracers or IR-tracers that i do not put with the rest of my magasines.

Why not, makes perfect sense. It’s a reasonable bit of multi-functional kit, especially if the quiver part is removable. A few extra bolts at the right place and time could make a big difference.

Apart from the armoured soldier they were wearing this on the right hand side. Drawing a short sword from your right is not much of a compromise if it's a hunting sword and obviously makes the quiver more practical.

I find that on some of the pictures it looks more like a regular quiver strapped to the scabbard to not have so many dangly bits on you rather than having it built in.

I've tossed a couple bucks to myarmoury. Unfortunately they're not taking new registrations right now. As for your squiver, I like the notion of keeping specialty bolts separate. In the hunting context rate of fire won't be an issue, so the awkwardness of retrieving a bolt may be outweighed by the convenience of only having one thing strapped to your belt.

It looks like they wore the combo on their right side. You cross draw the sword, not the bolts.

You mention that reaching to your left to take a bolt is awkward. Did you notice that in all but one picture, the squiver is on the person's right side ? like a your regular quiver.

Ah yes, makes perfect sense! It's where you keep your *special* bolts. Silver for killing vampires and werewolves. Gold for killing kings and bishops.

I'm adding this immediately to my pathfinder setting. Like why not,seems great!

This bad boy can fit so much spaghetti in it

Writing before watching your conclusion. I counted on the pictures and there are also only 3 or 4 bolts in the quivers depicted. What I thought is that it might have been used for a rather specific employment where it was not expected to need any more than those few bolts, possibly because a transition to melee was expected, or because it was intended for very short lasting engagements. Something that would come to mind would be security. I do not know about guards in medieval times, but if I was a guard and carrying a crossbow in that proffession was a thing, I would only bring as few bolts as I thought I might need just to carry around less weight. In that role, it would seem to be highly unlikely having to fight against such great numbers that more bolts would be needed, let alone have time to do so without the opposition closing in to a range that requires self defense with a sword. You mentioned loading as a little awkward, having to reach around to your left side to retrieve a bolt, however on three of the four pictures the sword and quiver are carried on the right. That is something that also makes me wonder, whether it could point towards the sword being a backup to the crossbow, as it is carried on the less convenient side to draw.

In those pictures you put on screen, I saw it's been said before, the hunters all wore theirs on the right, which I think should be something to consider. Perhaps give it a shot, see if it works with the Falchion or if a shorter blade would be more appropriate, which I think it would be. In the hunting context, that is. As for the military use, your points make good sense.

I had the same thought. It's kind of like having a sleeve on the butt of a shotgun with a couple slugs in it while you're pouch/pocket has your buck shot

Needs space for irons, drivers and a wedge.

My first thought for military context was similiar to the way pila or fraziska axes were used. To harass and soften up the enemy before the contact.

My first thought was perhaps crossbowmen in formation could draw from the squiver of the man to his right, but if that was the case they would have wanted it to hold the majority of the shots, not a small reserve.

Left handers. That, and I think your theory on what they were used for is spot on. Makes 100% sense.

The quiver reminds me of Cuman (or some old Hungarian) style quivers, where the arrow heads were at the top. One of the advantages of someone cited being the same as Tod mentioned - sometimes you need special ammo.

I'm glad you came basically to the same conclusion as I did when seeing it. Specialized munitions, things you don't want to be fumbling in your 20 capacity quiver for a specific scenario. Could be specialized heads, could be that they're greased bolts and just couldn't scratch together enough wax to coat 20.

Tod demonstrates his reacharound technique in true 'Full Metal Jacket' fashion.

This is why my d&d archers tend to have like 5 quivers, makes perfect sense to me, different quivers for different bolts/arrows

Tod, your experimental archeology work is truly exceptional . Thank you. I suspect this quiver serves the same purpose as the German Walther PPK pistol holsters that had a space for an extra magazine. It was convenient after a fashion and all in one which meant some aesthetic or supposed practical criteria though up by some officer. It could also very well have been custom gear , the crossbowman's "tacticool" accessory or just something that worked well for that one guy and being unusual ended up in a woodcut. Similar gear is plentiful among firearms enthusiasts especially in the States where we love guns and gadgets, a good example being mounts for shot-shells that mount on the weapons side or stock or replace the sling with a bandolier contraption instead of a belt pouch.

All but one of the pictures showed men wearing this on their right hip. I expect they simply switched to the right hip when they wanted to use a crossbow, then put it on the left hip when they were prepared to use the sword.

You clearly have thought about this way more than me, and your conclusion does make sense. The thing im noticing with the artwork is the sword and quiver seem to be on the side of their dominant hand, which looks like the place you would normally draw from. The quiver on some examples doesn't seem to fit along the sword but rather bulge like a sack, which might indicate there's more space, not near a full quiver, but maybe more than 5. Beautiful piece you made there, have a good day.

Perhaps they initially wore it on their right side, but once the enemy was upon them slid it over to their left side for drawing the sword? Once you're in melee range you don't really need access to the bolts

Oh, lol, the whole time you were talking about "My Armory" I thought you were talking about your personal armory, didn't realise it was the name of a website until the end.

Rather than a sword scabbard could you maybe combine a dagger scabbard with the quiver? That way you could put it on the right hip and not have extra stuff on your belt.

Woah, this idea of the "Special bolts" quiver makes a lot of sense to me. It's also interesting to note that two out of three depictions seems to show the scabbard/quiver on the right side instead of the left. This may truly be all about "Aesthetic" by the author of the drawing POV, simply because he wanted that position while showing all the weapons and such. But otherwise, sometimes people weared the sword on the right if short enough, the republican/early empire Romans are an example, so maybe wearing a not-too-long messer on the right may also be an interesting choice (with all the limitations of fewer bolts, which still remains).

Just a small think about the pictures you showed: Some of these quivers seemed more bag-like. Maybe a leather rim attached to the scabbard sewn to a fabric bag? Might be able to hold two or three more bolts and also applicable for smaller scabbards. About the use: As a total layman I can see this definitely as a hunting thing (or maybe even for patrols in little towns against boars getting cheeky or even wolves for the two or three guys in the garrison that would use (and show off) such expensive stuff like crossbows they brought back from a war). You have your big pack of bolts on your horse but as soon as the hounds catch a scent, you mount off, pack 4 or 5 bolts into your squiver and go off with your lads into the woods.

That is a very nice falchion. Also very interesting video as always. I love the idea of having a separate quiver for the good stuff.

There aren't enough like buttons at your YT channel to show, how much I appreciate your content...

Seeking a practical viewpoint, I was thinking that it seemed super convenient. Less kit to put on, fewer bags banding around, all bundled nice and compact. It immediately brought to mind those phone cases with a wallet on the back. Yeah, it doesn't hold much as much but it holds enough. For a soldier, man-at-arms, huntsman, or guardsman who generally lived in their kit this seems like a no-brainer of a combination. Especially for those people who fill the in-between roles who have not dedicated crossbowmen, who expect to be close to contact. Which from your reference artwork seems to be the case.

I'd point out that the boxes were mostly shown being wider than the scabbard, and in the second case, it looks like a bag that is wider near the bottom, possibly accomodating more bolts. Also, I'd note that as shown, several of those were on the right hip, which is a bit odd for a scabbard, though the gladius was worn on the right side.

I REALLY like the combo Todd! So when are you gonna sell them? Also, why do you have your bolts in the quiver upside-down? perhaps it would be better for things like arrows on a back scabbard for a few more shots? But I can see the idea as a way of having a few more shots in a prolonged conflict.

I just love how Todd spends a couple of minutes just rambling about how much he loves his passion.

By some of the frescos you showed, It looks more like a bolt bag sewn, rather than a bolt box, Which would solve the issue of not having many of them. I would also think it could be for a page or squire who is going around collecting the nice bolts for their lord, who shot them at someone - A falchion would be a perfect accompaniment in that case.

Brother, I have a few things to say. 1) That's a sexy piece of art you crafted. 2) Please go to the Nexus or Schaken mods and get them to make a mod for Skyrim SE. Please!!!! Thank you for all your wonderful videos, you always look like a kid in a sweet shoppe.✌🏼

My thought was as a Reserve you keep for emrgencies. You might empty your normal quiver and then get more. But an Enemy might suddenly appear. Then you still got the bolts in your scabbard-quiver to shoot him.

3 of 4 pictures hand the sword and quiver on the right so it may be better with shorter sword of knife that draw from right side. It also make me think of when people gear up and goes out for hunting or fighting, they want to have less individual items so it's easier to don't forget what's needed.

Great video. I have never heard of these quiver combos. Firstly, for hunting they make sense as your only going to get a shot or two off per engagement anyway; so five would be plenty. Secondly, they could have served as additional ammo for your crossbowman while on a military campaign (a modern machine gunner does not carry all his ammo himself). Additionally, if your in a line of crossbow shooters standing close to each other, it would be very easy to grab a bolt from the scabbard of someone standing to your right.

I had never seen anything like it! amazing those paintings / sources in the beginning. Thanks Tod for always coming up with new and special things 👏🏻

Don't forget stealth: If you are watching a target while kneeling and more or less squatting on your left leg (like a rifle match shooter), then the right is leg is essentially at 90 degrees to support your elbow. At that point it makes sense that -- while still watching your target -- reaching down a short distance to your waist is less detectable than fussing with a right-side quiver that you have to get to by feel.

From a military perspective the "special bolt" idea makes a lot of sense. An idea that also makes sense from both a military and hunting/civilian perspective is that having just the one belt with pretty much everything you "to go". If the alarm is raised in the middle of the night and you need to run to your post, being able to grab your sword and knowing that you'll have at least a few bolts with you saves time. You see the same idea throughout history with mag pouches or cartridge holders attached to the stocks of rifles and shotgun slings holding ammo. For a hunter, having all your kit in the same place also makes a lot of sense since you don't have to go look for your bolts that your kid brother played with or you know you have your hunting sword with you so that you can finish of a wounded prey. Do we know if the hunters pictured were hunting a specific animal? I'm thinking that having a backup weapon with you is a lot more important if you hunt certain kinds of animals.

That was exactly my thought that is your quiver for the black arrows and the incendiaries.

It sort of makes me think of belly boxes for Light Infantry in the late 18th century. At least in the British army they only fit 9 or 18 rounds, compared to the 29 or 36 round capacity of the cartridge pouch, and they were a pain to load from if worn as intended. That said, having those couple extra rounds might mean the difference between continuing a firefight vs needing to retreat or use the bayonet. As the pouch runs empty, the soldier can take a moment to transfer a couple cartridges from the box to the pouch and continue fighting. The scabbard-quiver might work similarly. If the crossbowman will be operating without a chance at resupply, they might use it just to increase capacity a little, and transfer bolts to the main quiver as needed.

it honestly makes sense. if you have something long, and rigid, to store it with other items of that shape. i keep my woodsman's axe next to my water pump for bailing my kayak next to each other on one side of my pack. on the other side, is my shovel, and hand saw. across my chest is my large knife, with small knife, fork, and spoon strapped to it. it isn't that much of a stretch to imagine people packing that way with weaponry and camping items. my buddy keeps his breakdown fishing pole with his tent poles.

You know what. Now a really wanna see a modern version of this (machette and modern arrow quiver combo)

Specialized personal ammo makes a lot of sense, but the only other thing I would point out is this: most of those pictures show the sword and quiver combo on the right hip. Contrary to popular belief, its quite easy to draw a sword with your strong hand on the strong side (right hand and right hip, left hand and left hip), and there are even some advantages to doing it this way (such as when using a shield, you can keep the shield in front of you to draw the weapon). In a hunting context especially, when you don't need a huge quiver of bolts, wouldn't that just simplify your reloading process? You'd get all of your kit in one convenient package without having to awkwardly reach across your body to reload.

I think it’s probably just auxiliary storage. To go with your standard bolt stash. “20 bolts on my belt, and 5 fir luck on my scabbard” I like your idea Tod of the scabbard quiver being the “specialist” selection, but I’m not sure how well informed the average crossbow man would have been to keep those reserves for those specific functions. I reckon it purely was a notion of “25 bolts is better than 20 if I can afford it”

After a couple of videos on scabbards, perhaps you could have a think about sword pyramids. These enigmatic finds often appear in proximity to early medieval swords and scabbards but their purpose is unknown; one common theory is that they hinder the drawing of a blade from the scabbard - either to retain it more securely or to prevent it being drawn in anger. What do you think?

That's a very reasonable explanation - sort of how modern soldiers may have a mag pouch with AP or Incendiary-Tracer for target indication.

that is cool. long ago I attached the scabbard of a dagger to the leather sheath of the sword I had at the time and other then the cheep nature of what I had to work with it worked pretty well. I'm surprised you don't see that sort of thing more often, this being the first time I've seen anything like it. I've often thought that one could do the same sort of thing with a short sword which could free up space on one's belt and I plain to do something similar when I get around to making a scabbard for the sword I'm working on now.

I think this line of reasoning makes perfect sense. To assume that just because it was in the past they didn't want to distinguish between common grade spray and pray, and tactical specific use case I think is misguided. From everything I've understood it would have taken more time and effort and skill to make these specialty head bolts. Therefore you wouldn't just want to send them all down field as fast as possible. Just to compare it to modern day bullets you wouldn't have incendiary rounds or tracers as every single bullet you would use them as needed.

as a guy who is left eye dominant I think the squiver turns out to be pretty good. Obviously I would tend to shoulder the weapon on the opposite side and therefore drawing from that side would be fine. I also happen to be right hand dominant so the sword placed in that space makes good sense for me as well...

In the military/ us police, we often set up our sidearm pistol belts with a rifle magazine, in case he have to ditch the plate carrier and move, or so that we always have at least 1 rifle reload on us. I wonder if this was a similar concept, in case you couldn't get to the big quiver you set on the ground?

I love MyArmoury. It's everything SFI never was. Sparring should be saved for the salon.

I see it as an emergency supply, to have at least something when you run out of all your regular bolts before you can get the next set. Or when you're just transporting the crossbow, don't expect a combat situation but still don't want it to be completely useless. Imagine running out of all your bolts, walking to the supply train, then noticing a perfect lucky shot and cursing yourself for not having at least one extra bolt.

Very interesting, when I was regularly shooting . I had 2 quivers and kept six to track bolts used per target. On long course . But also sometimes as you said kept my best selection ( trick shot or fast bolt) in displays where judge nominated a target in a knockout bout. So would shoot known performers as there was more a stake.

this test reminded me of a correspondence dispute - two Americans compared the rate of fire of Mosin and Mauser rifles-the conclusion is that the Mosin rifle has a multiple lower rate of fire. In response, the comrade fired from the mosinka with a much higher rate of fire than the mauser gave out. He, unlike the American, did not make unnecessary movements and held the rifle somewhat differently. Maybe it's the same here?

I am sure someone already thought of this. The tool that you use to make the crossbow ready for firing, can it be kept attached to the bow. That way you are not reaching to your belt for it each time want to load. That would make loading faster.

It’s funny because as a crossbow hunter I have two quivers on my crossbow each fits 4 bolts I have big game hunting on the right side and small game with big game mixed on the left. Point? It would be very logical that the quiver attached to the scabbard would be of either specialty for war or hunting of some kind. Yes the off side is a bit challenging but with practice it can be just as efficient as loading from the right side. Another thing too the offside would have a special bolt for deco king as well this time just a modern thing in fact it became recent to not need a de kicking bolt or arrow for crossbows. So there would be one very heavy bolt that could be used for small game and also de-cocking the crossbow.

Knight: "I reached for my sword, but because of this quiver I pulled out an arrow instead" DEATH: "Then what happened?"

Speaking of quiver sizes - what was the standard military quiver size, or rather how many arrows would an archer/crossbowman bring to battle?

Thanks for your channel Tod! You are an amazing craftsman and human!

I might actually make one of these, and try out making a smaller crossbow using one of your tutorials. Id like something hunting grade for my stuff, and I don't really have room to hang a quiver, being that I carry all the specialized equipment (tools, flints, maps, etc)in my group. I've been wanting a proper ranged thing, and I think that'll be perfect.

That moment when you want to ensure your standard arrows are not mixed-in with your Arrows of Slaying +5

Here's some hunting experience (from New Zealand ). When I go out looking for venison, maybe just an afternoon or evening I don't expect to make lots of shots. The past 3 or 4 times I've not got anything, and I made one clean miss. Saw a few others with no shots. A small amount of whatever ammunition is totally realistic for hunting. And carrying a big sword? Well I don't feel the need to arm myself for my personal protection. But I have known plenty of people who go to some very wild, out of the way places where there are some very dodgy people. Hunting in medieval forests would be just like that. And nobody really wants to be lugging lots of pouches which make noises and get in the way in the undergrowth.

in a few of the artwork pieces you showed it looks like the quiver part might be wider at the base than the top, and 1 1/2 to 2 times wider than the sword would be. that should allow for more bolts, maybe 10

the main problem with my armory is that the actual website itself and forum is very outdated and frustrating to navigate, with a proper update it could very easily thrive (or move to reddit I spose)

Hm. If it is only being used to hold a few specialty arrows, that's the name of the game that is hunting. Like, when I bow hunt for whitetail deer I only bring 2-3 arrows. Because I'm hidden, and either already have an arrow knocked, or I have all the time in the world to slowly load an arrow.

Interesting conclusion, far from a daft one either, you could easily be right. Also lovely bit of craftsmanship :D I do like seeing the goatsfoot lever loading system, there's a mechanical elegance to that crossbow drawing design.

Especially the hunting context, which you mentioned in passing, makes a lot of sense. First, you have the bolt selection - crescent tip for rabbits and such, broadhead for larger gaqme etc - and second, you might not need that much bolts anyway on a casual hunting trip, so why carry a larger quiver when you are going to take your hunting sword (/squiver) anyway. Alternatively for a big hunt, it's always good to have spares and in the hunting context, you don't suffer the encumberance of armor. P.S. "Bauernwehr" is pronounced bow-urn-vare (bow as in barking or as a greeting; 'vare' like ware, but with a 'v' sound) - -burnware- might be convenient to say, but doesn't sound right in German ears. ;)

Could it be for mounted crossbowmen? There are pieces of artwork and surviving administrative documents from late Medieval France and Germany that suggest that mounted crossbowmen were a fairly common troop type. I don't think it's entirely clear whether they usually fired their crossbows from horseback or dismounted first, or some mix of the two. But they were definitely armed with crossbows and they definitely rode horses. My thinking is thus; crossbows have a fairly slow rate of fire, and the prods and strings for them do occasionally break. Going into battle without a backup weapon of some sort, like that messer, would just be imprudent. But with the quiver of crossbow quarrels on your hip, there is a problem. The way I was taught to mount a horse, as a right-handed person, is to approach the horse's left side, put my left foot into the stirrup, and then swing my right leg over the horse and into the other stirrup. If I had that full-sized quiver on my right hip, I'm pretty sure I'd spill the crossbow bolts everywhere as I lifted my leg over. But if I had the combined quiver and scabbard on my left hip, which would be the normal place for a right-handed person to have their sword scabbard, no problem.

Great video about an unusual item. Thank you. I note that none of the swords in the pictures looked particularly long, which would aid same-side drawing. As others have noted, in three of the four pictures both sword and quarrels were on the right-hand side, which seems appropriate for a left-hander like me.

Interesting video and concept! Just a thought in a couple of those illustrations of the device, especially at 1:20 i noted that the bottom part of the quiver seems to expand. Like the quiver is teardrop-shaped with a soft bottom. Parhaps this would allow for a more compact stacking of bolts if the boltheads are stacked with the tips facing up. Not to say yours is not beautifully made. But maybe a more budget / flexable one could add capacity. Keep up the good work!

For someone like me who's holding the sword in the left hand but draws arrows with the right (whenever I hold swords and draw arrows...) this seems perfect.

What about if the crossbowman just shoots as right-hander but uses the sword/falchion as left-hander, or viceversa? I definetly prefer your theory but may be just a coincidence that user of that kit can use both hands or something like I mentioned before. Great video, as always!

I was thinking about this, thinking about Robin Hood and him having a sword sheath/quiver combo! So cool and pretty smart explanation for the crossbow appeal of the combo! Bolts not for everyday use…the special stash of ammo, and next to your trusty blade if things REALLY get too close for comfort! 😮😂 cheers from Las Vegas!

I think that's a decent theory. But I think another theory might be it's a deliberate choice of an individual soldier for versatility. A soldier that perhaps is not a typical crossbowman but maybe a merc or an officer that carries an xbow into battle and wants that bit of versatility to be able to pop off a shot when needed?

Neat stuff as always, Tod. Any chance we might get a video on means of carrying the crossbow? Aside from just having it on a wagon or in hand, I have seen some claims on the internet about somehow fastening a crossbow on the belt or back, but I have no idea if there's any evidence to support those claims.

I don't know if you noticed but most of the paintings (all but the first) depict them on the right hand. It might seem weird and awkward to have the scabbard on the right hand (even more than the quiver on the left) but I know for sure the romans used to do it, so maybe some people did it in later times too? Other than that I like your theory of the special bolts. It might also be people that mainly meleed but had enough money for a crossbow and did just a few shots while the enemy was closing in then switched to other weapons.

From the title I thought this was about a quiver full of swords rather than a quiver stuck to a scabbard. xD

I know it's a long shot, but were people allowed to be left-handed back then? I guess that'd change the side of the sword too, but it's something neat to think about since there are a lot of "handed-specific" items for combat. For example, the way a shield attaches to the arm. If it's not round, and the straps are asymmetrical, then you're SOL. Lance armor is another big one too. Probably not the case, but it's interesting to think about.

Observe on every single reference picture that the quivers are broader at the fletching end and extend well beyond the confines of the sheath. I'd also point out that only one of the images shows the scabbard suspended on the left. The other three show it worn on the right. In the 2nd image, we can see that this is the same side as the more normal quiver, worn by another crossbowman. While we can't see both sides of any of the crossbowmen to verify whether or not they're packing two quivers, we can see on the 2nd and 3rd images that the belts appear to be weighted only on the side that's shown, so if there is a 2nd quiver, it must have a completely different method of suspension. On the other hand, in the first image, the crossbowman is leaning on a big sack, that could very well be full of bolts. In the 2nd image, there are a lot more bolts in the victim than could have come from the quivers that are shown, so another source must be presumed (either a store or bunch more crossbowmen, out of picture). I do like your theory, but personally, I suspect that the design is more to do with the convenience of having only one thing rattling around at the hip. If these crossbowmen are each only wearing the quiver that's shown, they could equip themselves with a larger or more standard one if they so pleased, but it looks to me as though this is what they have while they're on the move, but in a battle, they'd expect to be delivered more, just as mounted knights may need more than one lance, but wouldn't ride around with 6 at a time. Quivers for war bows also very often only had room for a few arrows, which I found pretty surprising to learn. I can only guess that when an elite archer shot one of their 6-12 arrows, they probably expected to hit. Thus, if they needed to kill more than that many people before making it back to resupply, more arrows probably wasn't the solution to that problem, because assuming that their pursuers shot back, those aren't great odds. Outnumbered 6 to 1, the plan was probably to surrender.

Yeah seems like a better option is to just have another standard quiver attached on your off-side, in a way that allows you to swing it into place after emptying your primary hip-quiver. But at that point, your military's goals would probably be better-served by just having another person with a crossbow use those bolts alongside you instead.

I think that with a bit of practice, you would be able to draw bolts from either quiver quite easily. I'm right handed, but it only took me a month to be able to use a keypad with my left hand, while ticking off or writing comments with my right hand.

Hi Tod, looking at the pictures you showed with the sword quivers, did you note that 2 of them had the sword and quiver on the right hip

So, here's a thought: what if you switch which side you hold it on? Especially if you're sleeping, like a lot of those example images are showing. If it's really just a simple belt holding the thing on, you could slide it to the left to get your sword, or slide it to the right to get your bolts.

It certainly seems like a good concept. I can also envision a similar thing being used with a sling or similar weapon instead of a crossbow.

Tod: " I saw some pictures on a forum so i MADE a Falchion, scabbard, straps, buckles aaaand stuck / integrated a quiver into all that. Oh, also it's picture perfect." =))

On the other hand, (iron) bold are expensive in those days. If your bold gets damaged in battle, during a hunt, or you find a damaged bold on the battle field, wouldn't you like to keep it for repair? And when so where would you keep them then? Maybe in a quiver that does not need to be too accessible...

Please do a film on the falchion ( I have a similar one ) I'd love to know more about there history and the use of them, effectiveness

Tom... luv your videos but man... those shorts have seen some better days... :) Good video as always.

My uneducated guess would have been, on campaign they would occasionally hunt, and for that they would probably not use the same bolts as against the opponents. So the hunting bolts on the left hand side because reloading speed would be to slow for a follow up shot at an animal anyway.