I'm pleased and excited to announce that I've signed a deal with Jalic, Inc of East Lansing, Michigan, granting them a license to manufacture and sell full-sized high-quality replicas of the arms and armor from A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE.
Jalic is a new company, but its owner and proprietor, Chris Beasley, has been involved with making and selling swords, knives, and fighting steel for a long time, and brings a lot of experience and expertise to the project.
Jalic's line of Westerosi weaponry will be sold under the name Valyrian Steel... but let me hasten to add that we won't be restricting ourselves to just the Valyrian blades mentioned in the books. Any of the various weapons featured in the novels are fair game, and we've already been kicking around ideas for King Robert's warhammer, the golden blade of the Kingslayer, and of course Arya's Needle. "Stick 'em with the pointy end," indeed!
That's for later, though. The first Valyrian Steel blade that Jalic will be offering is Jon Snow's LONGCLAW. Chris and I have been trading emails for months, fine tuning the design, and we finally have one we love. You'll be able to see it on the news page of my website, along with a fuller version of this announcement.
Meanwhile, check out the website for Valyrian Steel at
http://www.valyriansteel.com/
for more information about Jalic and its plans. Your comments are welcome.
I hope you guys are as excited about this as I am.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go make up some more cool swords...
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grrm- George R.R. Martin
- George R. R. Martin
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Comments
"Stick 'em with the pointy end" is one of my favorite scenes in any book, ever. :)
Me want.
I collect words and weapons as such and a set patterend after those in the books are just asking fo rme to clena out my wallet.
I'm completely on board.
I really, really hope they're more than wall-hangers, and are actually quality steel. I really, really have to have Longclaw.
How exciting!
A two-handed greathammer, perhaps, call it 35" of white ash or hickory for the haft, a steel runner down the front (for blocking). Steel for the head, as cast iron would be too soft, likely with very short pyramidal striking surfaces (which serves to concentrate the force of the blow without the risk of getting stuck in armor, as a footman's pick could), I'd think 12-16 pounds to hit the sweet spot between crushing power and speed. Leather-wrapped for a couple of handwidths at the bottom of the haft, one handwidth at the top, and one handwidth halfway down -- this
allows a sure grip for a "half swing," which won't have quite the power of a full-extension rock-crusher, but still generates enough force to stave in most helmets (especially given Robert's strength), and won't take as long to get back to ready position as the previously-mentioned FERC swing.
*Ahem.* Not that I've spent a lot of time thinking about this or anything. Or wishing for just such an item to hang on my wall. Or, um, discussing it with custom woodworkers, forgers, and medieval combat afficionados.
...After I found money, of course...
(And the more cool swords, the better...can never have too many of those! Or I guess you can, and that's why the Iron Throne is the way it is? ;-D)
*sigh*