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Claymore
The claymore is the two-handed Highland greatsword: a broad double-edged blade, forward-sloping quillons ending in four-leaf quatrefoil terminals, and a grip built for two hands. It is the sword most people picture when they think of Scotland, carried by clan champions and gallowglass mercenaries from the late fifteenth century into the early seventeenth.
Every claymore here is hand forged in 1095 high carbon or pattern-welded Damascus steel, full tang, with guard and pommel fitted tight to the blade shoulder. Lengths run from 29 inches to over 60, so for most buyers the deciding question is wall space rather than reach. Wall mounts and display stands are sized to match.
One point worth knowing before you choose: in strict historical usage the claymore is the two-handed greatsword, while the later Scottish basket-hilted sword is properly a broadsword. Both get called claymores today. The full history, the variants, and the questions we are asked most are below the collection.
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The claymore is the two-handed greatsword of the Scottish Highlands: a broad double-edged blade, a grip built for two hands, and the crossguard that gives it away at a glance, with quillons sloping toward the blade and ending in four-leaf quatrefoils. It was carried by clan champions and by the gallowglass, the Scots mercenaries of Ireland, from the late fifteenth century into the early seventeenth. Every claymore here is hand-forged with a full tang in pattern-welded Damascus or 1095 high carbon steel, from a 29-inch display piece to the 95-inch colossal greatsword, and the two-handed greatswords that share the same blade family sit beside them.
Choosing a claymore
Patterns
The Scottish claymore is the classic Highland form: sloping quillons, quatrefoil terminals, a long leather-wrapped grip and a wheel pommel, here at 44, 48, 54, 56 and 60 inches in Damascus and 1095. The lion claymore carries a lion-head pommel and comes at 39, 50 and 64 inches. The stag horn claymore replaces the leather grip with antler. The 29-inch claymore keeps the guard and proportions at a size that fits a shelf. The giant sword series runs the pattern up to 80 inches and the colossal greatsword to 95, both wall pieces in the truest sense. The plainer two-handed greatswords and longswords in the grid, from 44 to 80 inches, are the continental cousins without the Scottish guard; the full range of those is in greatswords.
Length
Historical claymores ran 55 to 70 inches overall and weighed five to seven pounds, and a well-balanced one moved faster than its size suggests. For a wall, 44 to 56 inches is the sweet spot: long enough to read as a claymore, short enough for a standard wall mount. Anything from 60 inches up wants a mount rated for the span and a wall to itself. Overall length is on every product page.
Steel and finish
Damascus is layered high carbon steel forged so the pattern runs the full length of the blade, which on a sword this size is a great deal of visible forge work. 1095 is the plain high carbon steel, harder and simpler to maintain, and the closer match to a period blade. Both are hardened and tempered; each product page states whether the sword ships sharp or dull and what it comes with. A claymore listed as battle-ready is built to a working standard: functional steel, hardened, full tang. Keep either steel clean, dry and lightly oiled; the cleaning kit covers it.
Claymore or broadsword
One point worth settling before you choose. In strict historical usage the claymore is the two-handed greatsword above. The one-handed Scottish sword with the basket hilt, the sword of Culloden, is properly a broadsword, though it has been called a claymore since the eighteenth century. Both are Scottish, both are here, and the difference is two hands or one.
Related
The claymore belongs with the two-handed swords of Europe, the German zweihander above all. For the parts named in the listings, see parts of a sword. A claymore can also be built to your own length, steel and fittings in the greatsword builder, and the whole range of types across every tradition starts at swords.
Frequently asked questions
What is a claymore?
The two-handed greatsword of the Scottish Highlands, from the Gaelic claidheamh mòr, great sword. It is defined by its broad double-edged blade, two-hand grip, and forward-sloping quillons ending in quatrefoil terminals. The name was later borrowed for the basket-hilted broadsword, but the greatsword is the original.
How big is a claymore?
Historically 55 to 70 inches overall with a 42 to 55 inch blade, weighing five to seven pounds. The pieces in this collection run from 29 to 95 inches; the 44 to 56 inch swords are the closest to the historical size.
What are the four-leaf shapes on the guard?
Quatrefoil terminals. They reinforce the ends of the quillons and are the single most recognisable feature of the Highland claymore. Their symbolism, if any, is debated; their look is not.
Did William Wallace use a claymore?
The sword displayed at the Wallace Monument in Stirling is a two-handed sword in the claymore tradition, but its parts date from different periods and historians doubt it was his. Two-handed swords of the type were certainly carried by Scots of his era and after.
Who were the gallowglass?
Scottish mercenary heavy infantry who served the lords of Ireland from the thirteenth century to the early seventeenth, armoured in mail and carrying two-handed swords and axes. Many surviving claymores come from gallowglass contexts.
Do they come sharp?
Most 1095 and Damascus claymores are supplied with an edge and can be ordered dull for display. The product page states which finish a given sword carries.