The Abandonment of the Gladius for the Spatha - Why?

[Thiudareiks Flavius]

Some of the Viking swords are considered big and bulky compared to the samurai sleek sword but if you’re fighting for hours on end against Roman metal helmets, not laminated wood or wicker like the Japanese, then the Viking sword has its advantages. The larger bulky sword can take a lot of punishment, meaning that after you’ve hacked away for hours and the blade isn’t that sharp anymore you can still kill or maim with a good swing, the momentum of the heavy sword packs more of a punch.

Unfortunately this is based on some Hollywood-inspired myths about early medieval swords. Despite what movies would have you believe, a Viking Age sword was not 'big and bulky' compared to a Japanese sword. Viking swords weighed about 1.5-2 lbs - ie about the same as or slightly less than the average katana.

As for the quality of early medieval swords, some Seventh Century Lombardic blades were given to a Japanese sword restorer by an Italian museum so he could clean and analyse them. He was extremely impressed with their high quality, saying they were the equivalent of many of the best Japanese blades he'd seen and superior to most.