I picked up a rare book on ornate European Rapier hilts a few years ago and have
incorporated this swirled metallic helm design to many of my illustrations.
The sword's guard was created to protect the sword hand from getting cut,
while the open design kept the sword's weight in check. It seemed like a good idea
to create helms that had a similar open swirled design so that the warrior could have
better vision while still having some protection.
I then added large jewels which would be mounted on to the helms to serve as
a symbol of rank or class.
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