Forever in my Heart

Forever in my Heart
Mom

Friday, May 13, 2016

Stick 'em with the pointy end: a brief history of swords throughout history


Every epic fantasy or historical book set before the 1800’s has at least one scene with two men facing off against each other, swords clashing, until one died in a spray of blood. Swords were handed down from father to son or taken as prizes of war. Damascus steel from India, steel from Toledo, or Ulfberht swords from Scandinavia were the top of the line. Weapons could be single edged or double, straight or curved, short or long, and used for cutting or thrusting. What is a sword but a piece of metal? The weapons are the foremost symbols of war, associated with every type of warrior from ancient times to our modern military.  
Ulfberht swords


 
The first true swords were made of bronze. Archeologists have discovered beautiful weapons in tombs, graves, and among rubble. One example of an ancient find is a weapon located in Denmark estimated to have been made about 1600 BCE. The tip of the blade curls inward, reminiscent of Hittite designs. Another ancient weapon found in Egypt, also cast in bronze, has a straight hilt but a hooked blade. This weapon was made around 1250 BCE.
bronze sword

 
The Iron Age changed warfare. Better metals meant better weaponry. Iron had been known before this time but the practice of ironworking had spread out about 1000 BCE. Iron was stronger than bronze and holds an edge better. One of the common swords seen during this time was a falcata. These swords were commonly single-edged blades with a slight curve which made them very strong.  The best falcatas were cast from laminated steel plates and buried for two or three years, allowing the ‘weaker’ metal to rust away.
Falcata

 
Greek warriors were known for being tough. They carried a sword called a hoplite, or xiphos. The xiphos was short, only two feet in length with a double-edge leaf-shaped blade that tapered to a point. These swords were lethal. Greek soldiers carried their swords in baldric slung across their backs. Another sword in use was the kopis. This was a single-edged blade used for hacking or chopping. Another weapon similar to the kopis was called a makhaira, which has a slight curve.
 
The Romans carried a gladius. This was a short sword used for thrusting and slashing. It was a weapon perfect for piercing through armor. The gladius was god for the infantry but the cavalry replaced the blade with the Spatha. This weapon was longer with a shorter point. Eventually the two merged and they became too similar to tell apart.
Gladius


 
Middle East and Asian swords have a very different look. Scimitars were thin with a curve and often had a slight groove towards the end of the blade.  The word Scimitar comes from Persian ‘shamshir’, which translates to “paw claw”. Another type of sword was a pallasch. This weapon was a single-edged, straight blade carried by the Ottomans. A talwar has a gentle curve with a recurved knuckle guard. A seme was carried by Masai warriors and was used for hacking and slashing. This weapon was two-sided and flared slightly near the end point. Compare the seme to the Kuban sword. This strange weapon resembled a leaf in its shape.
Seme sword

 
A unique looking sword from China was a fang. This double-edge blade had a hook that resembled a sharks’ fin, near the end. The sharp hook was used to slice bridles or reins or opponents. A tachi sword was customarily engraved with the maker and the manufacturer information on the tang (blade). Tachi swords were long weapons, or two-handed blades, with a curve and often carried in tandem with a shorter sword caled a tanto.  The tachi swords were designed to be used while on horseback, slashing downward. Japanese warriors used slender long swords called uchigatana, or katana. In contrast to tachi weapons, katana strikes went up, in a rapid movement. The Japanese warriors paired katanas with a shorter sword called a wokizashi. Both weapons were curved. In Sri Lanka, an unusual sword called a kora was the national weapon. Kora swords are single-edged, concave curved blades ending with a flare to increase the cutting force. These swords were utilized in executions. Kukri swords would have an angle in in middle where the metal was at its widest point, and then the metal would come to a point. Kukri swords were carried by the Nepalese Gurgkhas.
 
Western blacksmiths developed many different swords. The Vikings (Norsemen) loved to decorate weapons with runes and gild the swords with precious metals and jewels. Many swords were named and decorated with beautiful scrollwork. The best Viking swords were Ulfberhts, made from the 9th century to the 11th. These swords are unmatched in quality even today, and were known for keeping their edge over time.
 
The classic knights’ sword varied in size and shape. One of the more commons swords in use was called a falchion, or the ‘arming’ sword. It was a single-edged weapon primarily used for hacking and slashing against leather and chain mail. The length grew to a broadsword in the 14th century (about the same time plate armor came along). Around this same era, a weapon called a ‘tuck’ or ‘estoc’ sword’ was invented specifically to use against the armor. The thin blade could be slipped between gaps in the steel plates. Of course, that meant getting up close and personal with the knight in question. The huge great swords of the Renaissance were largely symbolic, although they were used by battle to swing side-to-side, cutting paths or to break pike formations.
Estoc sword

 
Common folk carried a ‘gentler’ sword. The foil, epee, or rapier became popular. Some countries enacted sumptuary laws regarding issuing and wearing of swords. For example, Queen Elizabeth I’s government forbade the wearing of rapiers with blades longer than one yard and half a quarter (40 inches). In addition, daggers with blades longer than 12 inches were not allowed. The law had two intentions: keep folks from bankrupting themselves in order to purchase weapons and to keep peace within the new merchant class (couldn’t have them upstage the nobility). Blacksmiths turned out rapiers with increasing intricacy, including basket-weave hilts and guards. One maker, Andrea Ferrara’s broadswords were so sought out after his name became synonymous with ‘claymore’.  His rapiers were ornate.
Ferrara sword

 
During this general time a few other weapons were seen. A burglar trying to assault a person in their bed might come across a ‘pillow sword’. These short swords were made to be used for personal self-defense. A colichemarde was kept by some nobility. This sword started out wide and abruptly tapered down to a point. The infamous cutlass preferred by dastardly seadogs on the high seas started out as modified short swords. remember, there wasn't a lot of space on board ships for long swords.
 
Rapiers were long and thin. Calvary soldiers needed a better sword: the sabre. Sabres have a slight curve with a single-edged blade. The grips can be curved or straight and made of anything from ivory, horn, wood, or metal. Dress swords can be gilt with precious metals, jewels, miniature paintings, and tassels. Other military swords were seen including the karabela (it had a cross-hilt and a gentle, curved blade).
 
This has been a very brief introduction to the wide variety of swords throughout history. For more detailed infromation, see the following sources:
 
The Illustrated History of Weapson: Swords, Spears & Maces
by David Soud
2014 Kinsford edition
ISBN #978-17436-3058-7
 
The Archeology of Weapons: Arms and Armor from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry
by R. Ewart Oakeshott
1996 edtion Dover Publications
ISBN #0-486-29288-6
 
Stay safe out there!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.