Which is the best sword in Conan the Barbarian, out of the Father's sword and the Atlantean? Get your own licensed replicas from Windlass: www.museumreplicas.com/conan-the-barbarian-original-movie-classic?affiliate=scholagladiatoria Atlantean: bit.ly/43G2zf2 Fathers: bit.ly/3N9Knol Valeria’s: bit.ly/3qsKB1i

They could both be used equally to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.

Shoutout to the late Ron Cobb, who designed these beautiful swords. It's worth noting that the person Conan took the Atlantean sword from, or, the person whose remains he took it from, was a bonafide giant and over 8 feet tall. So, for that person, the Atlantean sword was a one-handed arming sword, and a short sword at that!

Shoutout to Valeria's sword hanging in the back there. Very underrated, imo.

My favorite has always been Conan's fathers' sword. Jody Samson had that barbarian aesthetic down to a tee.

Conan the Barbarian has so many cool weapons. Valeria's sword and Subotai's sword were both awesome for their users, and the axes and hammers used by Rexor and Thorgrim were outrageous but perfect for those characters. The weapons are indeed one of the (many) aspects of that movie that really make it stand head and shoulder above. Conan the Destroyer also depicts some cool weapons, though not to the same level. Willow might be one of the only other movies I remember off hand with its interesting iconic weapons.

According to Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan, the Atlanteans were the ancestors of the Cimmerians; and that Conan himself was a descendant of Kull, the Atlantean king of Valusia. In Howard's world, the Atlanteans were a barbarian people, and the great civilizations were the Thurian kingdoms of Commoria, Valusia, Grondar, Thule, Kamelia, and Verulia. Atlantis sank in the same cataclysm that destroyed the Thurian kingdoms I believe the "Atlantean" sword was actually supposed to be made of Valusian steel which was both lighter and stronger than the steels available in the Hyborian age (or any other) as seen in Howard's Bran Mac Morn story where Kull is summoned through time to help Brule the Spearslayer's descendant, Bran Mac Morn, and a sword breaks on Kull's crown. I suggest reading the Conan stories written by R. E. Howard and L. Sprague DeCamp, as well as Howard's Kull and Bran Mac Morn stories, as they are an absolutely awesome read.

Off to watch Conan for the first time in a few years.

What is best in life? Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women. Matt Easton, 2023.

The Father's Sword is pivotal to some of the themes of the movie. Conan's father tells him that the only thing he can trust is steel, not men, women, or beasts. Yet Valeria saves Conan's life knowing that "the gods" or fate will demand a steep payment in exchange. It's fitting that it is she who blinds Rexor with her own sword, presumably from Valhalla, after coming back from the dead to once again save Conan, allowing him to break his father's sword and defeat Rexor (Ben Davidson, 6'8"). It is also important that Conan uses the broken sword of his father to dispatch the main antagonist who had originally stolen the sword from his father and then beheaded his mother with it, thus completing the "riddle of steel." Considering the sword and sorcery genre, it's really quite poetic.

Something to remember about the Atlantean sword is it's not supposed to be a practical size for a normal size person. The Atlantean in the tomb was giant, so his sword would have been of giant proportions. Only someone as strong as Conan could handle it.

The Atlantean sword is a more specialized weapon. Theoretically, it should be better than Conan‘s father sword because it was made by the Atlanteans: a highly advanced civilization who’s homeland had been destroyed by the gods when they became warlike, as opposed to Conan’s father’s barbarian tribe, who merely had discovered or had inherited knowledge of metallurgy. The skeleton found in the tomb is said to be a giant, or kull the conqueror, king of Atlantis. The atlantean sword is a technologically advanced weapon, it’s handle design adds the ergonomics that forces the user to use the sword in a particular way . All fantasy aside I own both of these swords and have broken and fixed both lol I favor the masters sword aka Conan as fathers sword, don’t get it twisted tho, I’d take the Albion’s Atlantean over Conan’s father sword any day. Lastly I would like to add that Kull the conqueror is said to be Conan’s ancestor, it’s possible that Conan’s original tribe inherited the secret of steel from the atlantean’s themselves.

The best part of the Father's sword is the inscription, which reads "Suffer no guilt, ye who wields this in the name of Crom."

Context: consider in the fantary world the Atlantean was from a richer person who would be fighting other rich people in >armour

Personally i prefer the father sword. Its edgier, pointier, and i love the runes on the fuller and the skull on the guard :3

Did you see how they forged 'Conan's Father's Sword'?!?! Of course that thing was going to break!!!

Thank you. I always thought the Atlantean, being older and coming from a tomb, was sort of a 'transitional' form dating back to earlier bronze swords where the blade was riveted to the hilt/handle, and forward to some more recent sword designs. That would also be why the 'langets' are so prominent, to aid in supporting that connection since the heavy steel blade has no tang, and the sword's Atlantean maker wasn't confident of the connection's strength.

I always loved the sword designs from the Conan films. Especially the inscription on the blade of the fathers sword.

What about conan's mother's sword? It was elegant and beautiful deadly, just like she was. And it was really unique looking. Also, the atlanteans were giants. The atlantean broadsword is actually a short sword for them. Just look at the size of the hand he takes it from.

Oh, thankyou for doing more of these Conan sword reviews. That is one thing I love about these movies the cool designs of weapons and armour. Everything looks heavy in these especially Arnold. I don´t know perhaps the barbarian is just supposed to be above average strength as it is in some roleplaying games, DnD and so on but not that much taller. So the stuff they use can be more powerful. It is a bit strange that Conan founds an Atlantean sword in the middle of the Hyrcanian steppelands. (kind of fantasy mongolia far to the east, very far from the sea) But, then maybe the king in the tomb is Atlantean then. In this world, Atlantis was a barbarian island nation known for it´s savage tribes. But one Atlantean, King Kull, another of Robert E Howard´s characters became a King of a mighty empire thousands of years before the age of Conan who´s Cimmerian people could count the atlantean´s as their ancestors...So, who knows. Maybe this was the tomb of King Kull himself then.

Both are great, but I love the Atlantean a bit more, and not just because it is Conan's personal sword, but because of the overall design with the extended grip on the blade and the Atlantean motif of the guard and pommel. I also love how he finds it in the tomb. According to writer/director John Milius it is supposed to be the tomb of an Atlantean General, presumably one who survived the cataclysm. In R. E. Howard's stories, Conan's people are descended form surviving Atlanteans, so it is appropriate that the sword finds its way into Conan's possession, though in the original stories he doesn't really have a single, special sword and tends to use various designs depending on where he is. Sometimes he uses a saber/scimitar style sword. One thing people tend to forget when talking about Conan and what he "should" use as a weapon or clothing/armor is that the Hyborian Age he lives in is set circa 10,000 BC. So those who criticize him for not looking exactly like a historical barbarian/viking are missing the point. While R. E. Howard used historical peoples of various ages as reference, the world of Conan is supposed to be a prehistorical "lost world" where some of their secrets, like steel, are rediscovered in later times, similar to actual Atlantean myths (though in Howard, Atlantis was actually a more primitive society, at least in the Kull stories). In Conan, the Aesir and Vanir are just warring human tribes that will later evolve into the Norse. Conan's people, the Cimmerians, are descended form survivors of Atlantis and they eventually become the ancestors of various groups like the Celts and Gauls, hence the name Conan and his chief deity Crom. Howard wrote a worldbuilding essay in the 1930s called "The Hyborian Age" that explains his fictional world and how it evolved into ours. He made it so he could keep his stories consistent and it was published after his death. You can read it for free online.

Pulling back memories of when the film first came out and Arnold talking about the Atlantean sword, he had three versions of it, a proper forged steel hero piece that he said was incredibly heavy even for him to wield and so was only used as a decoration, an aluminium version that he used when swinging it about, and a foam rubber one for when they were hitting the other actors with it.

I like the blade of Conan's father's sword, but I would like a grip as long as the Atlantean one has, for optimal two-handed use - just personal preference, I like more space between my hands. The Atlantean also has a pommel that seems more comfortable for gripping. I also like the decoration on the father sword guard, looks dragon-like (even though it's supposed to represent a moose).

Seriously thank you for showing these swords to us ⚔️

I can only imagine how this went down. *Matt, visiting Windlass for entirely serious reasons, walks past this display* "Oh my god is this... Can I" *Windlass rep, knowing his afternoon schedule just changed dramatically* "Sure" *Matt shoots several videos completely geeking out over Conan the Barbarian repros* Can't say I could have done any different in your situation. Awesome!

I always somewhat preferred Subotai's sword, seemed to be one of the most practical weapons in the whole movie. I also really loved the helmet he used in the final battle, I must make it someday.

Conan stayed symmetric, they probably just alternated the mill's rotation.

I love them both. My thoughts on his father's sword breaking wasn't due to it being of inferior quality to the Atlantean sword. Rather, having it break was symbolic to Conan breaking the evil that Thulsa Doom had wrought on his family and people. Thulsa Doom wanted their superior weaponry, and once he had it the people who made it were eliminated so that all of their power now belonged to him. Once the sword was broken Conan was also free from his past to forge a new destiny for himself. This seems especially poignant as you consider what he does in the final scene.

Props to Ron Cobb for having designing both of those. I wish he had designed more swords because those are simply beautiful, and the Conan's Father's Sword is my absolute favorite. I also love the details that Matt pointed out. The whole hilt area looks like it's an elk that had its legs tied up.

Neither, its the belief in the person wielding it. Its amazing how well the first movie aged, considering its heavy metal higher than life adventuring pulp roots. Roberts stories were awesome but there is something unique about the movie, in many ways its the definitive fantasy movie, like an opera. The Atlantean sword looks amazing, super iconic, it just needed to big bigger and lighter.

"I wouldn't recommend pushing a large wooden wheel around for twenty years, though." Had me cracking up!

Both are awesome and iconic, but I prefer the Father's Sword. Matt, if you could "improve" them and make them "better", how would you do it?

My father and his friends rode their bikes 45 min to see Conan when it came out they were kids. I grew up watching that movie. I can’t wait to show my son some day. 😎 I collect fantasy swords, no Conan swords yet tho. But my god I am drooling at work watching this 😅

Personally, I prefer Valeria's sword in the case behind you.

Well, let's see.... Atlantean sword, made by what's always been regarded as a supremely advanced civilization (ie., very advanced metallurgy), versus a sword (a super cool looking sword, admittedly) forged by a barbarian who does the best he can with what he can get? I think that, of the two? I'd prefer to bet my life on the Atlantean one... Although, I'd really rather get my hands on that beauty of a Valerian sword hanging on the wall, under that shield...

Have you noticed the difference between Conan's sword in Conan the Barbarian and Conan the destroyer? They are subtle but they are different. I have the one from Destroyer, and yes, it is heavy! : )

Hey Matt! Love the channel and the video. Is that Valeria's sword right behind you? What about Subotai's sword? I'm pretty sure that Windlass makes ALL of them. Would love to see another video on the other swords. Keep up the great work mate! Bulletproof love from Canada!!

I always believed that his father's sword broke because Conan had avenged his father by killing Rexor. It was a symbolic, supernatural occurrence. That's why, after he killed Thulsa Doom, he threw the rest of it away. At that point, the quest was over, and it was now "just" a broken sword. Conan the Barbarian is my absolute favorite film. Saw it in theaters last year and it was amazing on the big screen!

Hell yeah ! Most epic review in this channel ! 💀🔥⚔🔥💀

What timing. I watched Conan the Barbarian on Saturday for the first time in many years.

saw conan as a teenager, it was a life changing experience. also when the cymerian sword broke i took it to be a fulfillment of the riddle of steel, where the stronger sword broke because it was wielded by the weaker flesh.

By Crom, this is high praise from such a legendary sword master such as yourself.They may be heavy for many but not for the might of Conan! But we agree they are both legendary in their own right!

Great video! Its a great film with an incredible soundtrack. More like an opera with slicing and dicing. Well worth a watch!

Ron Cobb designed these beauties with an attention to detail which had never been seen before Conan. Even all the Excalibur's just looked like larger than usual swords. Couple that with the gravity they were given in Conan you've got 2 swords which kicked off the fantasy weapons genre.

Good advice telling people to watch the movie at the beginning, I am stunned at how many people do not know what happened between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Arias.

In the movie the Atlantean sword was found in the east, he was held in Hirkania when he was released, while in the short story "the thing in the crypt" he found it south of Hyperboria when he scaped

I've always liked the fathers sword as well, it just looks cooler. Both those blades look realy wide. Thanks for bringing that information to us. Lol both to heavy to fight with lol. Cheers

Talking a mile a min, smiling ear to ear, waving swords around. You look like you are having so much fun. That was awesome.

I’ve always preferred the father’s sword. The whole ricasso/guard extension just looked impractical to me. Hope you can get to some of the short, curvy bois.

As a kid I was a fan of MAD Magazine. I read "Cone-head the Barbiturate" long before I saw the movie and I only vaguely understood the reference. Great movie.

Totally agree, I have always preferred Conan’s fathers’ sword since I first saw the movie in the dim and distant past.

Everybody seem to forget the crucial point - the dead king in the tomb was evidently a giant. Look at the scene, where Conan lifts his skeletal hand to take the sword. For that long dead king, this weapon was most probably a short one-handed weapon.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love Conan and those who are wrong.

Two great swords, I believe they made a slightly longer version of the Atlantean sword for the sequel, Conan the destroyer.

The Atlantean might be a ceremonial weapon intended for burial, not actual use. Historically people were buried with ceremonial arms and armor that was decorative more than functional.

The Atlantean sword has the benefit of being approximately the same length as a katana with which the eastern sword masters who train Conan to be a supreme pit fighter would be familiar. Having the reinforced ricasso should also help in a hard fight. The Atlantean sword being used by a giant probably makes me think it served for the Atlantean warrior as a sort of main gauche or backup sword intended for defense.

You should do a series on various movie weapons! Gladiator, King Arthur, lord of the rings, the mummy, ect! I’d definitely like to see an episode on the weapons of the scorpion king, and especially his throwing Kama weapon and any insites you have on any possible historically similar weapons!

Ive always loved the stags head guard on the father sword.

I always liked the mother's sword. Short, sweet and to the point, simple and looked like it would be incredibly sturdy.

In the movie, we're introed with the epic music as the father's sword is being made. It's a beautiful work of art. Conan's dad uses it to dispatch several enemies before being overwhelmed. It's a beautiful work of art stolen by the bad guys. Then, Conan breaks it. What tragic end to such a majestic weapon. I think it would have been cool if he had reclaimed it after avenging his family. It would be cool to see it sheathed on the saddle of his horse in the next movie beside that age he never uses.

Between the two, I prefer the Father Sword as well, though one blade design from that film that is usually overlooked is the Mother Sword, whose clean lines I've always liked. Basically a gladius. I also admire Subotai's sword-knife, which is a great weapon for a thief to carry.

Jumping from light sabers to Conan's swords. Matt at his best!

Again, context is very important. As Matt mentioned, whereas you or I may only be faced with human opponents (whether armoured or unarmoured), Conan has to fight e.g. giant snakes as well, so that's an important factor in terms of weight and cutting ability

Excellent study & presentation!

I am so envious. I’ve only every held the wall decoration type Conan Swords and they were rubbish. If ever you need a companion for second opinions when you visit Windlass I can always find the time. Good for you Matt 🤩.

Damn, now I have to watch Conan again ...

Great video. I like the father's sword aswell. Time for a Conan session.

I love them both, but the father's sword is the one I kept drawing in my notebooks in school back in the day.

A great topic for discussion, love the work in that film

My favourite is the fathers sword. i based the sword i made on my channel on the fathers sword but with my own twist and i did a goat skull instead of a irish elk

All movie swords has to have a grip long enough to held with two hands, because sometimes the director will tell the actor/stunt double to wield it with two hands to show the character's anger or determination better. Like in Return of the Jedi when Luke cuts off Vader's arm he just swings the lightsaber like a bat, which is completely unpractical but makes sense emotionally.

Still one of my all time favourite soundtracks & film's by Crom

Conan's father's sword has always been my favorite but damn, they are both cool! Maybe it's because I just grew up watching those movies.

I always preferred the Fathers sword as well⚔⚔⚔

You know what, I’ll come back to watch this when I actually watch the movie.

What I've always seen in the Atlantean Sword's form and langets was that it was created for close quarter fighting where you could use the langets as leverage in a press. You'd still have to be Arnie to use it, but it makes sense to me.

I'll take one of each, please. Thanks for this little flight into fantasy. Cheers!

Subotai’s sword was always my favorite.

I love both, but have a slight preference for Conan's Father's Sword. I like how both look quite practical, unlike the items we see in modern computer games, which are froo frood up so much they'd stop working.

I have replicas of both and yes they are both heavier than someone who is not a epic adventurer would be comfortable with but I found that the Father's sword felt better balanced for me too but they both look really cool on display. Maybe someday someone will make trimmed down lighter and more practical versions of the designs though. I recently saw a Shadiversity review of a trimmed down Legend of Zelda Master Sword that he felt could still use some improvements but it goes to show there is hope for such products.

Saw the movie when I was 11 years old! In the fantasy game Skyrim there is a mod where I can have Conan's sword as a weapon!

Nice video. I'm a huge Conan fan and luckily I own both Albion Arm Conan swords and a custom Father's sword made by Fableblades in Australia. So Father's sword wins for me.

The movie blades did not have any distal taper because there was concerns of the blades breaking an possibly injuring the actors. And they likely though the muscled up actors could handle them with relative ease.

Even many years ago i wondered about the Atlantean why they didn't extended the Fuller right up to the cross. This would spare a lot of weight without changing the look very far. The ornamentals could also be layered in the longer Fuller instead of the ricasso's mirror. The block, the guards and the pommel may also bei lightended up by drillings with little effekt to the total look.

Enjoyed this dip into fantasy replicas! Looking forward to seeing what else you cover at the Windlass factory

Thank you for covering these Matt! Sounds like you reached a similar conclusion as I did to my Jody Sampson swords - looks really cool but better as dumbbells in terms of fitting in to a training routine.

The Atlantean sword was longer in Conan the Destroyer than in Conan the Barbarian. I always liked the slightly shorter blade in Conan the Barbarian because it gave the sword proportioning that better matched the giant in the tomb. Looking at the specifications for the Albion versions of the swords the Atlantean from the first movie had a shorter blade than Conan's father's sword and is just 3/8" longer overall (still about a pound heavier)

Historically, a cast steel version would be possibly develop cracks before one that was folded from ingots and hopefully enough iron to retain a good edge. The tempering in the movie only seemed to harden more of the first 10 inches of the blade asthe base was not cherry red.

Given the 'antler' appearance of the hilt on Conan's father's sword, I'd say that the hoof-pommel was also probably deer hooves, rather than goat hooves (unless this is a British vs American English issue).

I've trained in Viking sword fighting and from experience, the shorter blade is the winner for me. You have much more flexibility, speed and movement with it. You can get past a longer sword quite easily.

Love them! The weight of them really forces your arm to flex and look more muscular, it was a good choice for them as props. The father's sword was always my fave too.

Out of the two I prefer the father's sword too... but my favourite is the curved one on the wall! 😀

did you mention the half-sword technique with the atlantian sword. The design of that sword was clearly made so that you can grip the blade without getting cut. This would be handy to find gaps in armor. However, the blade is quite broad for the half-sword technique. It should be pointier.

I love the Father's Sword because of the opening of the movie especially the story he tells Conan ending with " For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts. (points to the sword) This you can trust." Now where do I have my dvd-copy of the movie, might just dig out the 13th Warrior whilst I am at it...

As an illustrator i find it very hard to stray from the fathers sword design in my artworks, its just the quintessential barbarian sword for me.

Totally agree with you I always thought that the father's sword was way cooler and looked more realistic barbarian sword to me.

I like the ricasso as a feature of the Atlantean Sword, but I prefer the look of the Father's Sword.

The interesting bit, is that we all just spent more time thinking about the sword than Conan ever would. Swords were a tool to him.

Handled an Atlantean once. I don't recall which maker it was from, but it was...surprisingly well-balanced. Not sure if it was a fluke and the maker happened to get it right or if they in general are balanced, but I felt I could've wielded it even 1-handed even with its weight.

Funny fact:in the game Conan:Exiles the atlantean sword that can be crafted by player characters is a two-handed sword. Don't know why they scaled it up like that, to be honest and there's no use trying to second guess game designers.