Tammy: Actually, Alanna and Kel both trained to fight on longsword, Alanna’s working blade being somewhat lighter than the standard construction, for her smaller size. Both would be like our world’s Norman longsword, and that’s the type of weapon carried by most knights of the Eastern Lands and Copper Isles. Neither Alanna nor Kel carry a broadsword, which was the kind favored by Vikings and their kin (Scanrans in my universe). Kel could probably learn to use one, but with her sword, battle hammer, bow, glaive, and dagger, she’s loaded for bear in any case.
Kel’s glaive is actually a samurai naginata–European glaives tended to have much thicker blades and various hooks and things on the non-chopping side.
Daine’s preferred weapons, of course, are all projectile: sling, bow, recurve bow, crossbow. She can’t manage Da’s six-foot longbow, but she has a longbow of her own, a 4-footer.
Everyone uses a dagger, for eating and fighting. Aly, like her Da, carries at least five of them on her person, including throwing knives. And Aly’s trained on longsword and short sword, but she figures she’s being ‘way too obvious with a longer blade.
SOURCE: [10545]
Words of Tamora Pierce 