How tall is Elric if Stombringers 5ft,

[Anonymous]

It has just come to my attention, Elric must be a pretty tall man just today I got a tape mesure out to see how much 5t. was (I go by metric system) for I quired just how long is Stormbringer and I'm pretty sure that it was 5ft so I mesured 5ft, my dad was there and he didn't belive me... "5ft. He must be huge!" so we mesured a REAL sword and it was 3ft. so my dad sugested that Elric is 7-8ft. I mentioned how Elric is normaly dipicted in artwork with a normal sized sword, but it perplexed both of us we are both great fans of Mr.Moorcock's work (Thats how I got into it by the way) but its amazing how such a simple thing as mesurment can make you go "Okayyyyyyyyyy...whatever" when you consider the complexity of the multiverse.
So really I'm asking How tall is Elric? or have I gotten my facts wrong?
(I don't think I've ever read that the Melnibonأ©ans are any taller then men)

[Athenys]

IIRC in the 'Fortress Of Pearl' it mentioned that Oone was almost Elric's height. Oone was probably rather tall for a woman, but I wouldn't put her past 5'11"...so Elric must be 6'-6'3" at most. There is also another passage where it states that Queen Yishana was a head shorter than Elric, putting her at roughly 5 feet...so that does seem about right. Elric falls within the height range of some of the larger humans from the Young Kingdoms, so while he IS tall he isn't extraordinarily so. Both Melniboneans and Vadagh, as distinctly elf-like races would tend to be tall and slender with only a slight variation between the sexes IMO.

[Pietro_Mercurios]

Only 5ft? William Wallace's broadsword is 66" inches, i.e. 5ft 6inches, long!

It still exists:
http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/wallace/sword.htm

[Mikey_C]

8O I don't suppose it was worn sheathed at the hip...

[Athenys]

A shortsword goes at the hip. Anything much longer like a Claymore (or Stormbringer) would be worn on the back ala Braveheart.

[Pietro_Mercurios]

8O I don't suppose it was worn sheathed at the hip...

William Wallace and Robert the Bruce belong to the days, in Scotland, when heroes still had a reputation for being giants amongst lesser mortals. There's a spring of fresh water on the bank of the River Ayr, in South West Scotland, called 'Wallace's Heel', where Wallace is supposed to have dug in his foot to leap some 10, or 20 yards across the river at that point, to escape pursuit by English troops.

There's also another freshwater spring, sacred to Robert the Bruce (I kid you not), tucked away in the churchyard of the kirk in nearby Prestwick.

We're a primitive bunch.

So, was Wallace (c1270-1305), really a giant of over 6'7" ? Who knows. But certainly, the double handed broadsword which is attributed to Wallace and which King James IV of Scotland found fit and politic to have given a new hilt in 1505, seems to have been made for a gigantic (for those days) national, and nationalist, hero of Scotland.

The Wallace Monument (1869), where the Sword now resides, looks the business, by the way:
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/stirling/wallace/


Going by the dimensions given on the 'Wallace: The Truth' website, if 'Stormbringer' is about 5' long and it's similiar to a broadsword, then Elric would indeed be something over 6'.

[Michael Moorcock]

It was Jim Cawthorn who pointed out originally that the sword couldn't be worn at the hip, unless it jutted out behind Our Hero at a rather unwieldy angle. I stopped giving the measurement of the sword thereafter, but that measurement remains (though I'm not sure in all editions). The sword I have (brilliantly made by Raven Armory) is about four foot six. I'll get it out sometime and measure it, if you like. I'm inclined to keep it in the broom cupboard since every time I remove it I am doomed to use it and frankly I'm sick of chopping logs for the bloody fire.

[DukexArioch]

In some descriptions Stormbringer is said to be strapped to Elric's back and jutted a foot above his head with the sheathed tip only just clearing the floor.
I'm sure in one book the measurement was give at much more than 5"

[Krimson]

Its all a matter of scale isn't it? If the sword was forged in the Second Ether, and its sentient, wouldn't it be possible that Stormbringer is as long as needs to be, subtly changing under the circumstances?

[DukexArioch]

Ooh, nice idea. :D

[Jerico]

I imagine such huge swords doing a lot of damage in a melee. Probably injuring comrades even given the big, wide swing of the arms in order to deliver blows. How difficult it would be to weild such a heavy weapon in close quarters. Big swords would definitely not be my weapon of choice.

[DukexArioch]

But they look cool. And they're big!

[Jerico]

good for fantasy!

[DukexArioch]

This is true. The Britons favoured long two-handed swords and an individual style of fighting. Warriors weren't able to close ranks well as they needed a lot of space to swing their large swords.
Th romans on the other hand used short stabbing swords thrust out from behind a wall of shields. They were able to stand closer together which provided protection from charges and such.

[Jerico]

I can believe that. Short sword where you can get close and put your enemy at a disadvantage, with a sheild which could allow you to get close.