u/Baduktothebone

How much if at all, did swords from places like Wales and Cornwall differ from the swords used by the incoming Germanic peoples who were beginning to populate what became England?

Also did they differ from the swords being used in Ireland and Scotland.

If they were distinct for how long before the styles became more similar?

I am curious about both aesthetics in the hilt, but also blade geometry, and other aspects of functionality.

Later Irish swords are often associated with Ring Pommels and Scottish swords have distinctive quillons, are there any such visual signifiers for welsh and Cornish swords?

This isn't for a project or story or anything but if I were to say draw a picture (I can't draw this is just a hypothetical) of two warriors at the Battle of Badon how could I make them visually distinct and attempt to be visually historically accurate.

Also if anyone can point me in a direction to do more of my own research, finding Anglo Saxon swords isn't difficult, but the word "Celtic" is kinda fraught, and I'm still having trouble understanding late antiquity/early medieval British society in terms of the cultural make up

I recently visited a rapier class, it's outdoors in a park, I had a great time, but was surprised that while they require a gorget, mask and gloves, they do not require or generally wear jackets or anything else. They do tape large rubber tips on the end, and use F3 flex blades.

How common is this?

Should I be concerned about safety?

I'm more worried about a broken sword than anything else.

I'd like to bring my students in the future, and didn't personally feel unsafe, but I don't want to put them in an environment that could increase risk unnecessarily.

I also am concerned that the gorget isn't doing much with it just sitting over your neck, sure it will stop a square hit, but what about one that slides up the chest?

Can anyone suggest scholarly articles, books, or other sources on the history of sword making in the Philippines. I am especially interested in any kind of categorizations of swords,bhow sword making developed indigenously, and work that shows how different outside influences may have impacted sword making during the time period before contact with Europe.