The Atlantean Sword of Conan the Barbarian

Concept sketch for the Atlantean Sword & The Father's Sword as designed by Ron Cobb.


Reproduction of the Atlantean Sword by Marto of Spain.




There must have been plenty of laughter on set and by Arnie after this photo was taken.

The two most prominent swords in the movie Conan the Barbarian were the Father's Sword, which was the sword made by Conan's father in the beginning of the film, and the "Atlantean Sword" sword, which Conan found in a cave and used throughout the movie. The swords were designed by Ron Cobb, and he presented full-scale drawings of the weapons for the sword makers to use as blueprints. Mr. Cobb was at one time a cartoonist for the LA Free Press, but is now an art designer for the entertainment industry. He worked as the Production Designer for the movie Conan the Barbarian.

According to Mr. Jody Samson, the master sword maker who made the swords for Conan the Barbarian, four of the Atlantean swords and four of the Father's swords were made for the movie. The Father's Sword was entirely made and crafted by Jody Samson. The Atlantean sword, however, was a collaborative project. Tim Huchthausen carved the handle for the Atlantean sword, and Mr. Samson ground the blades to give them a fine shape, edge, and polish. The swords for Conan the Barbarian were very exaggerated. The Father's sword weighed about 6.5 pounds and the Atlantean sword weighed about 8.5 pounds. A real sword would weigh around 2.5 pounds so that it would be light enough to use in a swordfight. In fact, the swords made for CTB were at the time the largest usable swords ever made. Even though both swords were exaggerated for the silver screen, they were none-the-less deadly weapons made out of the finest steel and ground to a razor sharp edge. The sword blades were made out of 440C steel which was heat treated to RC 46 to prevent warpage in the finished blades.

The Atlantean sword's blade was 27" long, and including the handle reached 36.5 inches in length. The handle extends about 6.5 inches up along the blade above the guard, which is a very unusual design for a sword. The idea was to make a sword so that someone could reach forward and hold the blade above the guard, but a real sword that was meant for fighting would have just had a longer handle. In any case, the design gives a unique and very interesting look to the sword and makes one wonder whether it really was designed by the inhabitants of ancient Atlantis. This sword also has runic hieroglyphs carved along its blade, but according to Mr. Samson they are meaningless markings in a made up script.

Source: www.barbariankeep.com/heroic.html

The Fiberglass Prop Sword from the Film Conan the Barbarian



(Universal, 1982) This is an extremely rare, iconic piece of film history - one of the stunt fiberglass special effects swords used by Arnold Schwarzenegger as “Conan the Barbarian.” This sword was originally acquired in 1993 from one of the Art Department film crew members. Extraordinarily detailed, painted and finished to match the metal hero Conan sword which had a weight of 10 lbs. The lightweight stunt sword is classified as a “Special Effects” piece, as it has a long brass tube running down the full length of the blade, which is bent inward at its end near the sword tip, fanning out to a thin slit. This metal tube was attached at the hilt of the sword to a plastic tube, which ran up Conan’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) arm to a pump and a “blood bag.” When pumped, simulated blood would run down the length of the tube and fan out of the brass tip, simulating the spraying of human blood as the Conan character dispatched with his enemies. The piece is in exceptional condition other than having signs of some battle wear and a crack in the hilt from stunt sequences. The sword is still very solid and even more impressive in person.

SOLD 11,000.00USD + (1,980.00) buyer's premium + taxes, fees, etc. This item SOLD at 2010 Dec 18 @ 12:03UTC-8 : PST

Source: www.icollector.com/Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Conan-the-Barbarian-Atlantean-sword-from-Conan-the-Barbarian_i10030671