Swords

These fearsome weapons, edged for hacking or pointed for stabbing, have been made in a multitude of shapes and sizes for at least 5,000 years, under countless names from the gladius by gladiators to the claymore of the Highlanders.

A sword were the sign for a free man or a knight. It was made to last their whole lives and were often inherited by the eldest son. There were rivalry between the places about where the best blade were made - Toledo and Zaragoza in Spain and Poitiers in France belonged to the foremost producers. The German smiths made the largest amount of swords and they were exported throughout Europe upon Hanseatic keels.

In the forges the blade-smith could produce the iron by heating a mixture of charcoal and ore, then the iron were formed as a bar. The bar were split up and hammered out in several layers to a sword-material. Between every layer the iron got tempered in cold water.

The blade varied between 75 and 90 centimetres in length and were about five centimetres wide. The form were the same from the 900s to the 1400s. It was made for striking rather than stabbing and its edges were sharp as a razorblade. Sometimes a knight had a "ciceler" carving in inscriptions in the blade, which then were marked with gold-, silver- or tinwire.

When the blade-smith were done with his work it were continued by a hiltmaker who used wood, bone or ivory around it which had been made by the smith. At the end of it the hiltmaker put a sword-button or a "pomell". It was during the most part of the Medievals formed as a thick round dish and were working as a counterweight to the blade. The owner could let the maker put a gem or a relich in the hilt or the sword-button.

A sword was not complete without the scabbard, which were made by the scabbard-maker and it was made to protect the sword's sharpness and prevent rust. If rust appeared it could be taken away by dipping it in wine-vinegar and water.

The scabbard were most of the time made of leather, stretched over a wooden frame. To more ceremonial swords it could also be made of precious metal, in some cases decorated with gems.

A sword can be forged from any suitable metal or metal alloy including bronze, iron, and as said above - steel. The hilt, tang, guard, clasp, and blade of a sword may be ornamented as richly as the owner desires, provided that the ornamentation does not detract from the sword's efficiency as an instrument of death. When the blade-smith were done with his work it were continued by a hiltmaker who used wood, bone or ivory around it which had been made by the smith. The hilt were covered by silk, which were held together by thin leatherstrips and it was changed often.

At the end of it the hiltmaker put a sword-button or a "pomell". It was during the most part of the Medievals formed as a thick round dish and were working as a counterweight to the blade. The owner could let the maker put a gem or a relich in the hilt or the sword-button. A sword was not complete without the scabbard, which were made by the scabbard-maker and it was made to protect the sword's sharpness and prevent rust. If rust appeared it could be taken away by dipping it in wine-vinegar and water. The scabbard were most of the time made of leather, stretched over a wooden frame. To more ceremonial swords it could also be made of precious metal, in some cases decorated with gems.

A sword can be forged from any suitable metal or metal alloy including bronze, iron, and as said above - steel. The hilt, tang, guard, clasp, and blade of a sword may be ornamented as richly as the owner desires, provided that the ornamentation does not detract from the sword's efficiency as an instrument of death. In fact, the ornaments and decorations, in the form of appropiate runes or other symbols or spells engraved on the blade or other components, will improve the sword's ability to release an enemy's life-essence.

Myths and legends behind swords
The spirit of a sword is infused into it by the forging of the blade, which incorporates the four vital elements of fire, water, earth, and air. Fire inforces the swordsmith's will upon the blade, and as he beats it into shape the blows of his hammer may be reinforced by the rhythmic incantation of a special spell. Air plays its part in the bellows which keep the forge fire ablaze: water in the tempering of the blade: and earth in the sword metal and the grindstone which sharpens it. Fire reappears when sparks fly from the grindstone, and a skilful augur may predict, from the size and direction of the flying sparks, the probable destiny of the sword and its owner.

Naturally the power of a sword is greatly enhanced if it is forged by a supernatural or semi-immortal being, or if it is blessed, dedicated, or consecrated in some specific way. The dwarfs are notable swordsmiths because of their skills in infusing magic into metal. Probably they forged the famous sword Misteletoe, named after the sacred bush. It was the only sword capable of killing the giant Baldur, whose mother made everything in the universe promise not to harm him but forgot to ask the mistletoe.

Demons and evil spirits are afraid of swords. A man travelling in demon-haunted territory would be wise to carry his sword unsheathed, and to polish it brightly so that demons will be scared off by its flashing menace. A home or other building plagued by demons may be purified by a number of swordsmen engaging in mock swordplay on the premises, emitting loud yells to the accompaniment of bells, drums and trumpets.

The supernatural powers which support great heroes always give them magical swords, with extraordinary powers over the foe. The Irish hero Cuchulain wielded the sword Caladbolg. Roland, the French warrior who defeated a vast army of Saracens almost single-handed, fought with the sword Durendal. This weapon was so finely tempered that when Rolan knew he must die, and tried to shatter Durendal against a boulder, the blade simply bounced off. Roland had to hide Durendal so that it would not fall into enemy hands, and it still lies hidden somewhere in the Pyrenees.

The swords wielded by such heroes were massive straight-bladed weapons, almost 2 metres long, with straight hilts richly ornamented by gold and jewels. The swords were so heavy that the warriors had to hold them in both hands, and create flashing arcs of death as they charged the enemy.

Such swords always came mystically or magically into the possession of those who used them. The great sword of Sigmund Volksung was thrust through a tree trung by the god Odin, and Sigmund was the only warrior strong enough to wrench it out again. Sigmund wielded this sword until Odin decided he must die, and caused the weapon to break in half during a battle. But Sigmund's son Sigurd (or Siegfried) had the sword repaired by the blacksmith Mime, and wielded it on many gallant adventures, including the slaughter of the dragon Fafnir.

King Arthur's sword Excalibur, a supreme example of the swordsmith's art, was handed to him by a hand and arm clothed in white samite which appeared out of a lonely lake. Excalibur was so magnificently jewelled and ornamented that when King Arthur was dying, and he commanded Sir Bedivere to throw the sword back into the lake, the knight could not bring himself to do so.

All the haft twinkled with diamon sparks, myriads of topaz lights, and jacinth-work of subtlest jewellery, and the blade was strangely and curiously engraved. He hid the sword twice instead of throwing it into the water, but Arthur sensed his disobedience and on the third command Sir Bedivere flung Excalibur over the lake. The great blade flashed like lightning in the moonlight, whirling and turning until it fell hilt-first towards the dark water. An arm rose out of the water, caught Excalibur by the hilt, and brandished it three times before sword and arm disappeared forever.