I'm not sure if somebody posted this kind of thread already, but I've been thinking lately about some of Skyrim's features that bug me since the day I first saw it. Naturally, I wanted to share some of these thoughts with my beloved community here, see if anyone else got the same idea...

Mostly, it's about Skyrim's weapons and armor. Or at least some of them. I'll state my theory first, and then later on I'll throw a rant about those things in general, so you don't have to read it all to get to the interesting parts...

Ancient Nord Weapons - a viable weapon or an utter junk? Here's my theory...

Ancient Nord Weapons aren't junk. Not really. But they're not a good choice for a weapon either. In fact they're not weapons at all - their purpose is purely ceremonial. A decoration, if you will.

The only places where we can find these are ancient Nord burial sites. And every Draugr seems to be wielding one. It's funny how none of them wields a steel axe, or even the simplest cleaver... Why? Because ancient Nords buried their dead with these decorative ceremonial pieces of metal rather then proper weapons. The reasons for that may be simply economic - they didn't want to let a perfectly good weapon gather dust in some tomb. Nord metallurgy and blacksmithing skills can be whatever our imagination lets them be, but the game itself indicates that may have been the case. Ancient nord weapons are so dirt cheap I don't even bother picking them up. So yes, they probably were the mass produced junk made specifically to be buried. That's why every person in the world uses at least an iron weapon, rather then ancient Nord stuff. Even though killing a Draugr and stealing his sword is no big deal for anyone with some fighting skill.

Also, just by looking at them we can clearly see how they are decorated. Those might as well be some ancient Nord religious symbols.

It's kind of romantic, when you think about it - a warrior making his final journey deep beneath the mountain, accompanied by a beautifully decorated (but useless in a real fight) replica of a weapon he wielded in his life. With religious symbols carved in it to help him on his way, to fight the evil spirits that claw at his soul as it struggles to reach Sovngarde. As fearless in death as he was in life, he fights them off until he finally reaches a niche in a burial chamber where he will finally rest his weary head after countless battles. And rest in peace he so rightfully deserved... *cue theme from Conan the barbarian*

That's my theory about Ancient Nord Weapons. Same could be said for Ancient Nord Armor.

Of course, I have more theories about SKyrim's weapons, but I don't want to make the post too long.

I do like the idea of the Ancient Nordic weaponry as ceramonial very much. I'd like you to read your thoughts about the other weaponry and armours in Skyrim.

Or the servants of the dragon priests were buried with the extra fancy stuff. Irritating the dragon priests was so not a good idea.

Given that Ancient Nord weaponry is of the same quality as modern steel ones in Skyrim, and that the Honed versions are comparable with elven/skyforge weapons, I think it is a bit uncharitable to describe them as useless in a fight. They are low to mid tier weapons among what is available to the player, but the player is very unique in that he has access to pretty much every type of weapons.

Looking at the Imperial Legion(in TES 3,4 and 5), the Stormcloaks and city guards(TES 3,4 and 5), we see that armies and soldiers do not have the luxury of access to high quality weapons of the level of the player. If the quality of the Ancient Nord and Honed Ancient Nord weapons is any indication, they were well worth it for warriors to use.

Also, quality competing with modern steel even after all this time, while still fresh from the ruins? These weapons have to be remarkably well crafted.

My theory is that Ancient Nord weapons and armour were the actual weapons and armour used in those times. The reason any Nord hasn't just killed a draugr and stolen is sword is that they're all too darn superstitious. That, and the traps, and the other draugr who will ambush you.

In my version of the game, ancient Nord weapons are actually slightly worse then any steel weapon I encountered. But that may be just an issue with the game's balancing, depending on the game's version.

I forgot to mention earlier that I was actually referring to the weapon's appearence, rather then it's in-game usefulness. Whenever I play Skyrim (or any other RPG), I like to think in terms more deeper then the mere gameplay mechanics. For example, I may look at a suit of armor and think "Sure, this stuff seems better on paper, but would I actually wear it for real? How will it protect me from the rain and the cold?". I want my weapons and armor to look like something I'd use in real life. That's why I called Ancient nord weapons "useless", although in game they are far from useless, at least for a low-level character.

Ancient Nord weapons (in real life) would be quite impractical. Mainly the swords. I don't know how to post pictures on this forum, otherwise I could explain to you in detail what I meant. Anyway, ancient Nord swords have an unusually wide tip - which wouldn't be bad, if the tip was not shaped as a triangle. Tip-heavy weapons are generally used for hacking, but those are generally shaped more like a machete, rather then a sword. It's not just my theory, it's simply physics. Hacking weapons require straight edge, only a little bit wider and heavier at the tip. They are used to hack limbs and break bones, like early Celtic types of swords and Falchions. All of the ancient Nord weapons lack that. They are jagged, crooked and full of useless spikes. They would be even more useless for stabbing, thanks to that wide tip. That's exactly why it occured to me that hey, maybe those weapond were purely ceremonial, like the historical Zweihander. And that's just one example.

Generally all of the ancient Nord weapons look like they wouldn't be of much use in a real fight, unless your opponent fights naked.

Just to clarify, my theories are not based on movies and video games. For the past 4 years I have been extensively practicing Aikido and Kenjutsu, and I have pretty much studied HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) since I was a teenager. Needless to say, many people I know are also martial artists and hand to hand weapons enthusiasts. And we all agree on Skyrim.

Next, there is a small matter of swords in general in Skyrim.

I have heard a lot of people complain about Skyrim's weapons looking like they'd be too heavy and unwieldy to actually use for any practical purpose. I even read someone comparing them to "World of Warcraft paddles". While that certainly is true, I have a theory about why most of the swords look that way (I'm not talking about maces, battle axes or warhammers here).

Iron, steel, Dwemer , and even dragonbone swords - one handed or two-handed. Dwemer and steel are the coolest looking weapons in the game, in my opinion. Mainly because yes, they do look like something I'd actually use. Dwemer sword reminds me of early Frankish and Anglo Saxon swords.

And just like all the swords in the game - they are made for hacking. Wide blade, relatively short, with a relatively sharp, but still wide tip. If you pay attention to actual fighting animations in the game, it's clear that 99% of techniques they use is hacking. Very little stabbing, and some downward cuts. Clearly a fighting methodes of barbarians that Roman Legionnaires fought. So I just let my imagination make the following conclusion:

"OK, Nord metallurgy and blacksmithing is superb. Their weapons are so amazing that they never rust and require very little sharpening, just like some ancient Chinese swords and axes. But they have no idea how to fight properly! Their use of shields is primitive and amateurish at best, and all they know hot to do is HACK, which is a natural human instinct when it comes to fighting with a melee weapon. Speaking of which, I haven't seen a single martial arts school in all of Tamriel so far, not counting fighter guilds populated by the same untrained, hack-happy oafs..."

Now I will say no more, for I have no desire to turn one single post into an essay. More theories on armors coming up soon...

Pretty much this, if any logic would be drawn from the game. But it shouldn't. It's a fantasy game. Most weapons in fantasy titles are designed in a very useless game, at least compared to how things work in our world, which is not their world. Same works for Skyrim, most weapons, compared to real world designs, are pretty badly crafted. But it shouldn't be compared to real world, because, as much as things draw heavy inspiration from the real world, people can't shoot thunder from fingertips, there are no dragons, and gods to not give random people weapons that can turn buildings into naked lunatics.