Thread: Significance of the Claymore

an Awakened one using a claymore would be like...uh...a One armed midget using a decapitated giraff head as a weapon...

...no matter how you look at it, it just doesn't make sence.

Well, at least unless your new form doesn't offer weapons better than a good, sharpened piece of steel with over a meter of "working length." Most of those do, I suppose. Also, there's the practical side: a sword needs to be taken care of and can break/dent etc. A member of the organization just calls to get a new one, but a rogue or an awakened one can't really do that. I suppose that at some point, it just becomes a useless memento.

Originally Posted by kenjmg

The claymore is more of symbolic gesture of the half breed being tied to humanity still. By leaving behind the claymore they are leaving behind the thing that represents their last tie to humanity. Also for some it may also be the representation of their connection to the organization. By leaving behind the claymore they are separating themselves from the organization. Also they may only just not notice were the sword ended up and couldn't be bother to retreive it. Also it becomes an incovinces in most of the awaken forms that are aquired since it becomes a little impractical to weild an sword if your body is made with hands that find it difficult to weild a claymore because of its size and shape since they are design to be a two hand weapon wielded by human size hands with aposable thumbs. These are the only things I can think of for the reasons an awaken being would leave their claymore behind.

I think i agree with you the most..

Most of them leave in behind because they want to detach they self from the organization.

For Priscilla remember that she kinda blame Teresa for her awakened state so that mean it more of memorabilia for her as a Claymore.

After thinking abit I disagree. They leave their claymores because logically thinking its not a good weapon compared to what they have nautrally as awakened beings.

Taking Ophelia for example. When she turned into a Awakened Being she didn't think she was one right until she saw her own reflection in the waters. This tells me that at the time she wasn't trying to detach herself from the organization because she was thinking that she is still and right up to the moment she realized that she wasn't a claymore, believed she still was a claymore yet... where is her claymore during that fight with Clare? She left it because it was inconvenient to have? Moreorless likely.

the claymores are symbols of their warrior honor, their bonds with humanity. i think that's why when they die as "humans" (well, keeping her human mind at least) they use the claymore as a gravestone. to remember they still had their humanity 'till the very end.
that's why deneve was so surprised 'bout undine's two swords.

I don't think they're that sentimental, to be honest. There is some emotional charge, but I think it goes in another direction. Claymores know that they're neither quite human nor quite monster... They are hunters, and the life of a Claymore is the only one they will ever have (or at least, that's what they think when they get depressed). The sword both defines their craft and is practically their only possession. Hence, it marks the grave of the fallen ones: it shows that the one resting there was a Claymore, and it's a mark of respect to leave her the one thing that she had - her sword. If you take a Claymore's sword, just what does she have? It's like robbing a beggar.

Originally Posted by 4uk4ata

a sword needs to be taken care of and can break/dent etc. A member of the organization just calls to get a new one, but a rogue or an awakened one can't really do that.

You know, their claymores never seem to show any wear over time. Clare's cleaved through possibly hundreds of regular yoma, slain a few dozen Voracious Eaters and sparred with other warriors over the years, but we've never seen her sharpening her blade or making a quickstop at a blacksmith before heading on to the next job. Seeing how durable they are I sometimes wonder why the Organization wouldn't supply them with armour that's just as sturdy (their shoulder pads might as well be tinfoil against an Awakened's claws).

Originally Posted by Elcura

I'm sure the men have a lot of fun with that idea. Surely every female has thought of using the handle of a sharp object to pleasure themselves.

Or in a Claymore's case, maybe even the sharp end. They can regenerate faster than normal humans, after all, and Ophelia was enough of a freak to probably do that in her spare time. O_o

Weelllll, you know how plots are . In a story like this, her sword would break only if she a) no longer needed it or b) was about to get another one.

Or it could be that she has already broken a sword or two, or gets them replaced when the blade shows wear. While a chapter or two on how Clare goes to have her sword fixed might be somewhat interesting, that is a chapter or two not devoted to other, possibly more interesting plots. That, or Claymores are taught advanced blacksmithing techniques to make a serviceable bastard sword out of iron ore .

They make their swords in Orihalchons didn't you know that fools? lol

They can cut through stone pillars fine with a thin blade so I reckon the sword needs less maintenance and is of very good quality. Remember on ES2 how Miria after all that time found her friend's Claymore lying around in good condition with no rust whatsoever? That tells me the swords are pretty darn good since they require hardly any maintenance only to look so good.

True, swords out of orihalcon, meteorite, adamantine etc would solve so many problems for a lone travelling monster hunter . Personally, I just think it's unrealistic that a blade made so well to cut a stone pillar (though, frankly, that would speak more of the strength behind it than of the blade itself) would not require maintenance, but perhaps it's just a level of realism not present in the manga. Damascenes, eat your metal heart out!

P.S.: seriously, in just how many works of fiction does the character have to take proper care of a weapon or a mount? I can't say they are that many. I suppose I shouldn't have applied RL logic to how the manga works, but it was a theoretical exercise anyway.