Group IVa: Swords with flat, pear-shaped pommels and straight or curved guards These were most prevalent in Denmark and Switzerland, but some are from Germany, Italy, England, and Sweden. The swords of the "Sempach" hilt family belong in this group.
Group IVb: Transition to octagonal pear-shape pommels. Special forms of fish-tail and block pommels This type was mostly popular in Denmark. A few have been found in Scandinavia, and a single example was found in Bavaria. This group has swords larger than Group IVa and often has a longer hilt.
This group also includes two special forms: the block and fish-tail pommels. The block pommel is a rare type from around 1375-1400. The fish-tail pommel has Continental and Western European influences, and had not been found in Denmark at the time Bruhn-Hoffmeyer published her thesis.
Group IVc: Swords with octagonal pear-shaped pommels, curved or straight guards. Transition to two-handed swords This group is the most abundant and characteristic of the Gothic swords. The guards are usually curved, but specimens with straight guards exist. Most of the swords in this group are very large cut-and-thrust types and have long grips. Slender, more thrust-oriented blades were popular in Southern and Western Europe. The swords from Denmark that fall in Group IVc have such long grips and peculiar proportions they almost warrant their own group.
Group IVd: Thrusting swords with octagonal pear-shaped pommels and long ricassi. Transition to two-handed swords These swords differ from Group IVc only in the shape of the blade. These swords are mostly of Danish origin and have a very long, thick ricasso.
Group IVe: Swords with plain pear-shaped pommels Usually, these swords have straight guards, long grips, and cut-and-thrust blades from Passau, although some clearly have blades from Solingen. Pictorial representations suggest Germanic origin and frequent use by executioners and landsknechts.
Groups Va-c: Swords with spherical or apple-shaped pommels from circa 1470-1510 These groups are characterized by long grips and cut-and-thrust blades from Passau.
Group Va has curved guards. Group Vb has S-shaped guards and is contemporary with Va. Both groups are of Danish origin. Group Vc has straight guard and side rings. It is of German origin and was popular among executioners and landsknechts.
Group VI: Swords with pretzel-shaped guards from circa 1480-1500 The heavy blades of this group usually are stamped with Passau marks. These swords are found only in Denmark and Norway, and have variable pommel shape.
Transition from Gothic Swords?Circa 1500-1550 The swords in the last group reppresent the transition to the rapier. Their blades are slender and more thrust-oriented. Their grips are shortened and their guards become increasingly elaborate.
Group VIIa: Swords with long, degenerate pear-shaped pommels, circa 1500 These swords, primarily Danish, often have ring guards.
Group VIIb: Swords with low, biconical pommels and side rings and/or finger-rings The Gustav Vasa sword belongs to this group.
Group VIIc: Swords with high, biconical pommels These swords are close to Group VIIb and are derived from the old pear-shaped pommels of Group IVc and Group IVe. The type, probably of Germanic origin, is commonly depicted on aristocratic tombstones.
Conclusion Unfortunately, modern sword enthusiasts know little of Dr. Ada Bruhn-Hoffmeyer's work, in part because it is largely inaccessible to the English-speaking community and in part because it was largely supplanted by the Oakeshott Typology. Her work should not be viewed as outdated or isolated from later scholarship, however. Her exhaustive cataloguing and documentation of medieval swords has been, and still is, a standard reference work for serious researchers. Rather it should be considered as complementary of and supplemental to newer and more complete theories of the medieval sword. Even though her ideas might not have been formulated in the most complex or complete manner, the validity of her observations still stands.
