Being Drest (and How to Make Borawyn)

When I first wrote The Mad Wolf’s Daughter, several people told me that they could envision kids going trick-or-treating as my wee lass, and that certainly made me smile. How incredible it would be to see a crowd of kids with dirt on their faces, tattered sleeves, and a mighty sword at their sides!

Yet…that sword. It’s hard to find good toy swords, and Borawyn, Drest’s beloved sword, has a unique pommel that I’ve not seen on any replica swords (it’s based on a pommel at the British Museum). And swords are expensive.

I’ve always been big on homemade costumes, the more intricate the better, and so I figured I’d design a Borawyn for any of my readers who might like to be Drest this Halloween. It took me about 90 minutes (including correcting a mistake, and waiting for glue and paint to dry), but I’m rather pleased with the result. It’s a bit of a floppy sword if your cardboard isn’t tough, but it will be a decent one to hang by a belt at the hip (the right hip, please, since Drest is left-handed). I shared the instructions, with photos included, on Twitter, where I have the most audience, so here’s that thread for a step-by-step, kid-friendly means to create a Borawyn of your own (click anywhere on the link below to get to the thread):