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List of Sword with Names |
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Almace
or Almice,
Almacia |
Sword of
Turpin, Archbishop of Reims.
The meaning of the name is uncertain, possibly from
Arabic or from the Old Norse almusa, meaning alms.
That doesn't make much sense to me, however. |
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Archbishop Turpin
was one of the last Frankish heroes to die at the Battle of Roncevaux, along with super hero Roland,
as recorded (unreliably) in the the legendary Song of Roland.
Very little is said about Almace in the Song of Roland, in contrast to Durendal,
Roland's much more famous sword. However a Norse saga
claims that a sword called "Kurt" (better known as Curtana), famous Durendal and Almace were forged by legendary Wayland the smith, and presented to Charlemagne
to secure the release of a Norse prisoner. Charlemagne tested the swords by seeing how far they would cut into a steel mound.
Kurt penetrated "a hand's breadth" but was notched, Almace
penetrated a hand's breadth without damage, and Durendal penetrated "half the length
of a man's foot".
Don't believe that. No sword can cut several cm or inches into solid steel, not to mention that
Charlemagne probably did not have those three swords at his disposal. Good swords could cut through armor, however, if the
many pictures from the 12th - 14th century can be believed.
Charlemagne gave Kurt to Ogier the Dane and Almace to Bishop
Turpin, and initially kept Durendal for himself. Later he was told in a dream to give Durendal to his paladin Roland.
Another legend claims that on Curtana is written "My name is Curtana, of the same steel and temper
as Joyeuse and Durendal
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| Cutting through armor with a sword |
| Source: Codex Manesse, or "Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift", an illuminated
manuscript in codex form copied and illustrated between ca. 1304 when the main part was completed, and ca 1340. |
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Arondight |
Sword of Lancelot,
the famous knight of King Arthur's round table.
The
meaning of the word is unclear. |
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Note that Lancelot does not appear in the oldest King Arthur "books"
but is a later French addition, like the quest for the Holy Grail. My guess is that there was a need to bring more adventures
and especially more Christianity into the old pagan saga. |
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Balmung |
Sword of the ubiquitous Nordic super hero Sigfried
/ Sigurd, who was once upon a time a kind of German national hero.
The meaning of the name is unclear, maybe "anointing" (via "balsamieren" (German) = embalming = anointing = impregnating.
" Embalmer"? That does not make much sense to me. My own interpretation is
given below |
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Sigfried figures in many sagas; in some his sword is called "Gram". Balmung and Gram are either the same sword or Gram is the original
one that eventually breaks and Balmung is the one reforged from the pieces of Gram. |
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In Wagner's 15 hr opera "Ring des
Nibelungen " (mercifully never played in one fell swoop but on four days) Sigfried's sword is called "Notung", a rather well known sword name but freely invented by Wagner. The meaning is something
like "came to me when I needed it" ("Not" = need) or "releaser" in short.
However, the
word "Nötigung", literally: to put somebody in need, to cause distress; but also "to force yourself
on somebody" or simply "sexual assault", might be associated with that name. Notung then would mean rather
something like "enforcer". Wagner's Sigfried certainly looses no time to put what Notung symbolizes in Siglinde's sheath,
right after he pulled Notung from the tree. | |
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The magic sword Balmung or Gram originates in a somewhat unclear way from the
Gods, and it has to be pulled out by the right guy (Sigfried's father)
from a tree. It breaks when used against a God, becomes reforged, usually by Sigfried, who uses it then to kill a dragon,
and so on. |
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| Siegfried using Balmung (in Bremen, Germany) |
| Here is another more modern rendering of Siegfried wielding Balmung. |
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Caladbolg
or Caladcholg |
Sword of Fergus mac Róich an especially
potent hero from Irish mythology.
Caladbolg means "Hard sheath" or "hard blade"; but is possibly just a generic word for "great swords" (like "Mercedes"
for great cars or "Materials Scientist" for great people). |
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It was said to be a two-handed sword that made a circle like an arc
of rainbow when swung, to have the power to slice the tops off hills, and to slaughter an entire host. If seen as a phallus symbol, it must have been gigantic to match the tales about the hero's piece.
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Caladbolg may be related linguistically to some guy's ("Cúchulainn
)" spear, the Gáe Bulg, and is thought to be a source or analogue of King
Arthur's sword Excalibur, which
in early Welsh is called Caledfwlch
, a name that combines the elements caled ("battle, hard"), and bwlch ("breach, gap, notch").
(Don't ask me how you pronounce all this)
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Chandrahas |
Sword of Ravana, who was a mighty king in
what we now would call India. He wasn't quite human.
Chandra = moon, Has = laugh; literally "the laughter of the moon". That doesn't make all that much sense to me. Maybe the name refers
to the shape of a crescent moon that resembles a smile and could appear to resemble a curved scimitar. Nowadays it would
probably be called "smiley". |
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When Ravana was on some guilt trip that lasted several years ("performing
an intense penance to Brahma, the Creator God"), he chopped off his head 10 times as a sacrifice to appease Brahma.
Each time he sliced his head off a new head arose thus enabling him to continue his penance.
Most regular humans would
have problems to emulate that feat but the movie "Men in black" shows how it is done. |
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Claíomh Solais |
Sword of Nuada Airgeadlámh
, legendary king of Ireland
Claíomh Solais means "Sword of Light".
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Claíomh Solais was one of the four magical instruments brought to Ireland
according to early mythology. The other instruments are a stone, a spear and a cauldron.
No one ever escaped from it
once it was drawn from its sheath, and no one could resist it. |
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Colada |
The other and less famous sword of El Cid, the Spanish national hero.
The meaning of the name seems to be unclear.
Colada in Spanish
means "strained" or "cast" and probably a few other things too. Sebastian de Covarubias, writing in
1611 referred to the "acero colado" process of producing alloyed steel without impurities, and "cast"
is clear but can't possibly refer to the making of the blade. |
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Colada, like Tizona, appears
in the epic poem "Cantar de mio Cid" as
a sword that frightens unworthy opponents if wielded by a brave warrior. El Cid gave the sword to Martín Antolínez
as a present, and he uses it in the duel against the infante Diego González.
Colada might still exist. There
are some claims to ownership but no clear evidence that one is correct. |
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Crocea Mors |
Sword of Julius Caesar.
Crocea Mors means "Yellow Death". |
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As far as I know Crocea Mors isn't mentioned in Roman literature
or by Caesar himself but by Geoffrey of Monmouth
who wrote the (mostly invented) "Historia Regum Britanniae" (History of the Kings of Britain) around 1130. Julius
Caesar's invasion of Britain is covered there, including a story about a British prince names Nennius. He acquired Crocea
Mors when, during single combat with Caesar, it got stuck in his shield. It killed everyone Nennius struck with it but was
buried with him soon after.
Looks like pure invention to me. |
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Curtana
or Cortana, Courtain |
The oldest recorded Curtana belonged to the mystical Ogier
the Dane, a legendary Danish King and hero who lived around 800 AD if he lived at all.
Curtana means "The shortened"; from Latin curtus, 'shortened', a name later used for a ceremonial type of sword.
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Curtana is supposed to have originally been Tristan's (magical) sword (he killed a dragon after all). It was renamed
"Cortana" when it was "cut down" to fit Ogier; probably he (or parts of him) weren't to tall. |
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Ogier introduced Christianity to Denmark and once saved Carlemagne's life. That
earned him Curtana.
It bears the inscription "My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal"
(see below) |
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There are several "curtanas" nowadays. The Queen of England, if she
ever knights me, might use her
Curtana for that. |
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Durendal
or Durandart, Durindan |
Sword of Roland,
one of Charlemagne's 12 "paladins" and French national hero.
Durendal means "The
enduring". |
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Durendal was supposedly made by Wayland
"the smith" like Curtana above, Joyeuse, Mimung and God (probably Odin) knows what else. |
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In "The Song
of Roland", Durendal is said to contain within its
golden hilt one tooth of Saint Peter, blood of Saint Basil, hair of Saint Denis, and a piece of the raiment of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. Olivander from Harry Potter sends his regards.
Durendal has some magic. But this is now of the good Christian
type and no longer of evil pagan variety. The victims (see below) probably did
not appreciate this subtle difference. |
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| Roland demonstrates Durendal's power
Link to larger picture |
| Source: This detail was taken from a picture supplied in 2010 by Marie Therese Ross
as part of "Britain Loves Wikipedia". |
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Shown is part of a tapestry woven 1475-1500 in Tournai (Belgium); it is now in
the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It shows the battle of Roncevaux in 778, where Roland fought King Marsile (the
guy with the cloven head) of Saragossa for control of Spain. |
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Excalibur
or Escalibor, Caliburn, Caledflwch. |
Famous magical sword of King Arthur.
The name Excalibur apparently derives from the Welsh Caledfwlch (pronounced sort of "Caledwuch")
which combines the elements caled
("battle, hard"), and bwlch ("breach, gap, notch"). Geoffrey of Monmouth latinised this to Caliburnus
(likely influenced by the medieval Latin spelling calibs of classical Latin chalybs "steel"). Caliburnus or Caliburn became Excalibur when the Arthurian legend
entered into French literature. |
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Depending on which version one reads, Excalibur is one of those super-magical
swords that must be pulled from a stone, a feat that only the right
guy will be able to do. More to that in the link.
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Excalibur gives its bearer supernatural strength and its sheath provides invulnerability. |
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Eckesachs |
One of the two more or less magical swords of Ditrich
von Bern, a major figure in many Northern sagas.
Eckesachs means "Ecke's
(a giant from whom Ditrich took the sword) sachs or sax, the name for a single edged
sword. |
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Eckesachs supposedly was forged by the mythical dwarf (King) Alberich, the later Oberon. |
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Gram |
Sword of Siegfried, hero of many Northern
sagas.
"Gram" in modern German means "Grief", in old Norse "Wrath". |
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Also known as "Balmung. The link gives details.
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Hauteclere
or Halteclere, Hauteclaire. |
Sword of Olivier, another French hero depicted
in the Song of Roland .
Hauteclere means "High and neat" if taken literally. |
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It is described as being of burnished steel, with a crystal embedded in a golden
hilt. |
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Hrunting |
First sword of Beowulf;
hero supreme in Anglo-Saxon lore.
Hrunting means "Thrusting". |
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Hrunting was lend to Beowulf by one Unferth. The iron blade with its "ill-boding
patterns" had been tempered in blood. It had never failed the hand of anyone who hefted it in battle.
However,
it is useless in Beowulf's fight against Grendel's mother.
See the link above for details |
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 | Charlemagne (?) Cutting Through Armor With a Sword
Note the same technique as above: Hit the front part of the helmet |
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Source: Codex Sangallensis 857; Der Stricker: Karl der Große; Stiftsbibliothek St. Gallen |
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Joyeuse |
Sword of Charlemagne
Joyeuse means " Joyful". |
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Joyeuse, besides "Tizona", seems to be the only other old famous sword
that might still exist today; a sword claimed to be Joyeuse is exhibited in the Louvre.
Another supposed Joyeuse is
held at the Imperial Treasury in Vienna. It's actually a sabre, likely from the Kiew region in present day Ukraine. Charlemagne
may have recived it as a gift but it's rather unlikely that it is Joeyuse.
Both swords have been investigated and discussed
many times and the verdict is: they are both rather old (at least parts) and may or may not have been in Charlemagne's possession.
So much for Science here.
Some legends claim that Joyeuse contains within its pommel (parts?) of the (holy) lance, the relique that the Roman soldier Longinus
used to finally kill Jesus with. The holy lance, actually, is also shown in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna, so it cannot
be in the pommel.
Joyeuse supposedly was forged from the same materials as Roland's
Durendal and Ogier's Curtana
by Wayland the Smith.
The 11th century Song of Roland describes the sword: Charlemagne was wearing his fine white coat of mail and his helmet with
gold-studded stones; by his side hung Joyeuse, and never was there a sword to match it; its color changed thirty times a
day.
So a bit of magic is involved but it is now of the good, Christian kind. |
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Joyeuse is alleged to have been interred with Charlemagne's body or, contrarily,
to be held by the Saint Denis Basilica, from where it was later retired into the Louvre after being carried at the front
of Coronation processionals for French kings for centuries. It is, however, doubtful if Charlemagne's grave has ever been
found; serious archaeologists are still searching around the Dome in Aachen / Germany |
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Charlemagne's Swords
The Vienna
sabre and the Louvre "Joyeuse" |
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Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi |
Sword of God Susano-O
; it's to Japan what Excalibur is to England. It is one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan
Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi means
"Grass cutting sword". Doesn't make much sense to me except if you interpret
"grass" as an euphmism of something else. |
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It was originally called Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, "Sword of the Gathering
Clouds of Heaven" (not a particlar good sword name either in my opinion) but its name was later changed to the more
popular Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
Susano-O found the sword in the tail of an eight-headed, eight-tailed dragon called Yamata
no Orochi that he killed for some reason I'm not aware of. |
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The sword is first mentioned in the book "Kojiki" from 711 AD. This
book is a collection of Japanese myths and is not considered a historical document. The first reliable historical mention
of the sword is in the "Nihonshoki", a book of Japanese history from 720.
Kusanagi was removed from the Imperial
palace in 688 and moved to the Atsuta Shrine where it may or may not be today. The Shinto priests refuse to comment. Talk
about keeping up a good myth!
The stories about the sword are even wilder than what we are used to from old Northern
Europe. I won't attempt to recount them. |
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Mimung |
The most famous sword made (and owned) by Wayland the Smith.
Mimung means something like "In memory of Mime"
or "Dedicated to Mime". Mime
a powerful dwarf, was Wayland's teacher. |
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Mimung is made for a contest with the smith Amilias, who, like Wayland, serves
the evil King Nidung.
Wayland makes the best sword he is capable of making. Not being satisfied with the sharpness
of the blade, he grinds it down to powder and puts the iron filings in the food for the fowl, probably geese. The next day
he collects the goose shit, extracts the iron, forges a new sword, is still not satisfied, and repeats the procedure. Finally
the sword called Mimung is ready for the contest: |
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"He puts the blade of Mimung on the helmets crest
and presses softly, softly: "do
tell me how it rests
if you are feeling something". Amilias replies:
"Cut down with
all your might may wrath and hate you guide.
You will need all your power to pierce
this helmet of mine".
Wayland presses down on Mimung more strongly then before
it glides
through helmet, head, through mail, stomach, more,
continues down through belt and
iron trousers, too.
Once more asks Wayland: "Tell me, how does if feel to you?"
Amilias
replies: "I feel as if cold water is dripping down my spine
I guess what you are doing
is just to waste my time".
Wayland replies: "Just shake yourself a little
bit.
Your last drink you just emptied, vainglorious stupid sh..".
The smith Amelias did
stir himself, alas!
on both sides half a body falls down onto the grass.
(My translation) |
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Couldn't resist. So Mimung is supernatural but not magical. Its making did not
involve black art and evil pagan deities, but ony wholesome (Christian?) goose shit. In the saga, however, it is not explained
why goose shit imbues supernatural power to a sword. That was done later. |
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Naegling |
Third sword of Beowulf.
Naegling means "nailer", that is it drives like a nail into its enemy.
However, it is also possible that the name just refers to jeweled nails on its hilt. Then there is my interpretation below. |
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Naegling is given to Beowulf by King Hroðgar because Beowulf killed both Grendel
and Grendel's mother. This fatherless family was a source of major trouble for Hroðgar.
But Naegling, described
as "gomol ond grægmæl" (old and gray) snaps when Beowulf fights a dragon with it.
English literature
history makes a big deal of Beowulf's three swords and why two of them (Hrunting
and Naegling) fail him. The third one (with no recorded name), while appearing in the nick of time and allowing him to kill
Grendel's mother, "melts" from exposure to her blood. |
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Nagelring |
First famous sword of Ditrich
von Bern (the second one is Eckesachs).
Nagelring means "Ring of nails"; even in modern German. Possibly referring to jeweled nails on its hilt. |
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Alfrik (= Alberich),
famous magical dwarf smith, gives Ditrich the (of course) magical Nagelring, plus a special helmet named Hildegrim
because Ditrich killed the giant Grim for him.
Why good helmets were also considered
impotant can be seen in the pictures below. |
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Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar |
Sword of King Solomon
The name means "The emerald-studded sword" |
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"The emerald-studded sword" appears in the Persian legend "Amir
Arsalan". The witch mother of a hideous horned demon called Fulad-zereh used a charm to make Fulad-zereh's body invulnerable
to all weapons except the blows of a specific sword called Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar. This blade originally belonged to King
Solomon, and was carefully guarded by Fulad-zereh, not only because it was a valuable weapon, and indeed the only weapon
that could harm the demon, but also because wearing it was a charm against magic. A wound inflicted by this sword could
only be treated by a special potion made from a number of ingredients, including Fulad-zereh's brains.
So there. Old
Persian sagas are just as weird as the Nordic ones. |
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Sköfnung |
Sword of legendary Danish King Hrólf Kraki,
who also figures in Beowulf
The meaning of the name is unclear; it might mean "The polished" |
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Skofnung is supposed to be the best of all swords that have been carried in northern
lands. It was renowned for supernatural sharpness and hardness, as well as for being imbued with the spirits of the King's
12 faithful berserker bodyguards.
Berserkers (or berserks) were Norse warriors, who are reported in the Old Norse literature
to have fought in a nearly uncontrollable, trance-like fury. Most historians believe that berserkers worked themselves into
a rage before battle, but some think that they might just have consumed drugged foods. Aha! |
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"The sword is not to be drawn in the presence of women, and the sun must
never shine on the sword's hilt".
A bit weird, considering one of the many symbolic meanings of swords. Maybe we have an early allusion to the fact that some men always preferred
recreational sword play with other men? |
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Tizona |
Famous and still existing sword of El Cid.
The name comes from Tizón, literally "Burning stick",
"Firebrand". |
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There are two inscriptions on the sword:
IO SOI TISONA FUE FECHA EN LA ERA
DE MILE QUARENTA
or "I am Tizona, made in the year 1040", meaning 1002 in modern time keeping.
AVE MARIA
~ GRATIA PLENA ~ DOMINUS TECUM
or "Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you" (from a Catholic prayer).
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Tizona, with some supernatural powers, was taken from a Moor captain. That; in
contrast to having a heathen sorcerer make a magic sword for you, was probably the politically correct thing to do for a
good Christian fellow if he needed a magical sword.
Note that the Islamic Moor did not wield a (curved) crucible steel
or wootz blade |
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| | Tizona |
Tizona was captured from the moorish captain Malik Bukar. Tizona is 103 cm long, weighs 1,1
kg; the blade is 4,5 cm wide. The hilt is not authentic; it was changed during the renaissance
Above: Tizona in it's case in the museum of Burgos.
Right: Tizona |
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Thuan Thiên |
Mythical sword of the Vietnamese King Lê Loi,
who liberated Vietnam from Ming occupation after ten years of fighting from 1418 until 1428.
Thuan Thiên means
"Heavens will". |
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According to legend, the sword possessed magical power, which supposedly made
Lê Loi (or just parts of him?) grow very
tall.
When he used the sword it gave him the strength of a thousand men, and the legend is often used to justify Lê
Loi's rule over Vietnam.. |
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A local God, the Dragon King (Vietnamese: Long Vuong) decided to lend his sword
to Lê Loi. But there was a catch; the sword did not come straight to him in one piece. It was split into two parts:
a blade and a sword hilt.
Another long and mysterious story develops that I will not recount. |
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Tyrfing |
Magical sword of Svafrlami, Odin's grandson
and the (Northern) King of Gardariki (wherever that might be).
Tyrfing combines Tyr,
Norse god of war, and fingr , the Old Norse (and modern) German word for finger; so
literally it means " The finger of the war God". |
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Svafrlami once managed to trap the Dwarves Dvalinn
and Durin (regards from "Lord of the ring") when they had left the rock where
they dwelt. He forced them to forge a sword with a golden hilt that would never miss a stroke, would never rust and would
cut through stone and iron as easily as through clothes.
The Dwarves made the sword, and it shone and gleamed like
fire. However, in revenge they cursed it so that it would kill a man every time it was drawn and that it would be the cause
of three great evils. Not yet satisfied, they finally cursed it so that it would also kill Svafrlami himself. |
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Zulfiqar
or Dhu al-Fiqar,
Dhu
l-faqar, Thulfeqar,
Dhulfiqar, Zoulfikar, Zülfikar |
Sword of Prophet Muhammad and later of the
Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, the prophet's cousin and son-in-law.
Zulfiqar means "Bifurcated" and describes the typical sword shape of the time and place. |
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Two swords were captured from the temple of Manat at the legendary battle of Badr
(624 AD), the outcome of which essentially established Islam. Muhammad gave them to Ali, saying that one of them
was Al-Dhulfiqar, which became the famous sword of Ali and a symbol of the Shia Islam.
Zulfiqar is so important in the Arabic culture that is has its own sign ( )
The name of the sword also appears as
common Muslim name; e.g. as first name of the former Pakistani prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto or as surname, e.g. of
the Turkish artists Ali Zülfikar.
Some museums have managed to present Zulifqar in a ridiculous way. More about
that in this link. |
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Second
: The heroes are usually super-potent and tough guys, distinguishing themselves more by wielding a sword than by making
one. |
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They certainly were not among the intellectual elite of their times.
Charlemagne, for example, was an illiterate like most other Kings, Dukes and so on of his time. They liked to get what
they wanted by raw strength, (physical) leadership, charisma or simply by violence. They also liked to name their swords.
The more physically minded young males of our enlightened age (not to mention the intellectually minded) do not carry
named swords around in public anymore—but they typically like to name what their sword would have symbolized: their
penis.
Considering that swords might have been potent phallus symbols even before Siegmund Freud invented
that term, the ancient custom of "name thy sword" now acquires a new facet:
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| Caladbolg = Hard blade |
Curtana = Shorty |
| Hauteclere = High and neat |
Hrunting = Thrusting |
| Joyeuse = Joyful |
Naegling = Nailer |
| Tizona = Burning stick |
Tyrfing = Finger of God |
| Balmung = Impregnator (?) |
Notung = Releaser (??)
= "Nötiger", Forcerator,
Raptor |
| Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi = "Beaver cleaver" (???1)) | |
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Those are pretty good names, not only for the sword but also for what it symbolizes.
It is interesting in this context that after Wagner's Sigfried pulled out Balmung (Wagner called it "Notung";
something like "Nothelfer" in German, one might see a "releaser" here) from the tree, he immediately
sticks Notung's counterpart into Siglinde (his willing sister, by the way), impregnating
her with Sigfried. Never mind that time was pressing and Sigmund has a life-and death fight coming up. The need (=
Not) to release the tension that young men experience when pretty wenches are around was more pressing. |
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Third: How the magic
gets into the swords is often quite vague. That is understandable to some degree because the old tale-tellers faced several
problems in that respect (not to mention that they simply didn't know; there is no magic, after all). |
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The first problem was that Northern Gods, like most of their Greek / Roman counterparts,
were not big on making things besides babies (just consider Zeuss).
For making hardware the Greeks / Romans had Hephaistos / Vulcanos, God and engineer. Hephaistos certainly could make magic swords and other useful
items—but there is no good Northern counterpart in Valhalla. |
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| Lawn gnome |
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The problem was solved to some extent by invoking dwarfs
like Alberich or Mime
and other second-line mystical creatures. Dwarfs (or giants) routinely are employed do the dirty work of the Gods, and sometimes
even for mere mortal men.
They are usually portrayed as being uncouth, unfashionably dressed, single-minded, not good
at small talk, and generally not much fun to be with. They obviously were engineers or nerds in modern terminology. The
Gods, who didn't know much about science and technology, nevertheless had the money, the pretty ladies, and the fun. Of
course, they usually cheated the dwarfs, giants or other hard-working creatures who worked for them.
Could it be that
the Gods were Bankers? | |
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Dwarfs, of course, are also simply reminiscences of early miners (witness Disney's Snow White).
Being short was an advantage when rummaging around in the bowels of the earth. If you weren't all that short when you started
mining, you were bend after years of toil in a crouching position. |
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In Germany the unconscious collective memory about old mining times and miners
still lingers in the form of lawn gnomes, often found in suburban gardens.
The bright red "Zipfelmütze" (jelly bag cap) wasn't meant to be cute, it was the equivalent of a hard hat.
The pointed top was filled with wool and the miner felt the tip contact the rock before he banged his head. Don't forget
that it was dark inside the mountain; electric light hadn't been invented yet.
It almost goes without saying that dwarves
are phallic symbols, too, if you believe Freud or Snow White. In other words: they are perfect for making swords. |
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Fourth : The "magic"
in the sword can be expressed in many ways. In ascending order of magicity we find: |
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- Just especially good swords, the best swords in the world. They frighten opponents if wielded by a brave warrior: Tizona, Colada, Naegling.
- Blade blinds / frighten enemies: Excalibur, Tizona.
- Supernatural hardness and/or sharpness: Skofnung, Mimung.
- Never rusts, never fails: Tyrfing, Hrunting.
- Mystic origin and then by definition special: Balmung, Durendal, Joyeuse, Mimung.
- Cuts easily through (invulnerable) people, anvils, stones: Balmung, Mimung, Tyrfing, Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar.
- No one could resist it; always killed when drawn: Claíomh Solais, Tyrfing, Crocea Mors.
- Cannot be broken; cleaves mountains: Durendal, Caladbolg.
- Gives supernatural strength (sheath provides invulnerability): Excalibur.
- Changes colors 30 times a day; makes a circle like an arc of rainbow: Joyeuse, Caladbolg
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If we discount properties like: "being very good" or "frightening
enemies", "cuts easily through armor" as hardly magical, and laugh at silly and not very useful properties
like "able to cut off mountain tops", Joyeuse, changing color 30 times a day, takes the price for good if rather
peaceful magic. Nice Christian magic, not heathen magic like "must always kill when drawn". |
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The pictures below from a Bible painted around
the time when the major sagas were finally written, show quite drastically what normal
swords could do. The winners are, of course the "good guys", just following orders from the Lord. The war cry
of the crusaders was "Deus vult" (Latin for "God wills it"). What could
you do? Those heathen heads just needed to be cloven on general principles; don't take it personally. |
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The pictures are from a medieval picture bible of 44 folios, now at the Pierpont
Morgan Library, New York. It is also called the Crusader Bible or the Maciejowski Bible. It was created between 1240 - 1250
in France. If the pictures are realistic, we learn that even regular swords cut through armor and whole bodies; no magic
was needed. |
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All in all, it's a bit disappointing. We have all these famous magic swords and
the magic they can do is actually a bit thin. It's mostly either a kind of a one-night-stand like picking the right person
as owner, being particular good at the job, or simply being pretentious. |
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Fifth: The complete victory of Christianity
between the 5th century (End
of Roman Empire or what was left of it) and the 9th century (Northern areas finally christianized with lots of heads rolling),
or that of Islam in the 7th century (tied to the battle of Badre), must
have been an embarrassment to story tellers / writers who were completely immersed in the lore of the old Gods and their
various intermediaries. But venerating the old Gods and believing in Elves, dwarfs, giants and the like in all these tales
just wasn't politically correct for an avowed Christian. And you could not be politically incorrect or a heathen for a long
time without loosing your head (to Charlemagne, for example; as the Saxon nobility, the "Saracens" and many others could testify).
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Heads were cloven for getting some brotherly love into those heathens, and Christian
lore needed to be woven into the sagas. That was not always easy, witness the torturous back-and-forth between Christianity
and the old beliefs in parts of the King Arthur saga. Combining Christianity and superstition was and is fine to this very
day but combining Christianity and old-fashioned pagan magic was and still is frowned upon. Especially, to be sure, if it
invoked dark swarthy creatures, doing doubtful things in odorous, fire belching smithies. Whenever the Church smelled this
kind of sorcery, stakes were erected and pyres lit as recently as the 17th century. Makers of pagan magical swords had better
take care.
So what could one do? Essentially, it seems, the following options were taken: |
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- Have your Christian hero gain his magical sword from some powerful heathen that he smote. Witness El Cid and some of the others.
- Have an intermediary like Wayland the Smith who made the precious objects, and give some recipe for magic that does
not incite Christian wrath (like the goose shit recipe). While Wieland
is not a Christian, he is sufficiently removed from the bad old Gods and thus less embarrassing.
- Invoke some good Christian miracles like the kind done by the Saints instead of magic. Durendal serves as the prime
example for this kind of transfiguration from magic to miracle.
- Change or edit the saga. Tone down the pagan stuff; let the protagonists go to church on occasion. Also add a disclaimer
at the beginning (and forget to give your name as author). That's exactly what you find in the 12th century version of the
"Song of the Nibelung" - but not in the older versions. The newer versions start with a disclaimer:
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Uns ist in alten mæren wunders vil geseit
von helden lobebæren, von grôzer arebeit,
von freuden, hôchgezîten,von weinen und von klagen,
von küener recken strîten muget ir nu wunder
hœren sagen |
Full many a wonder is told us in stories old,
of heroes worthy of praise, of hardships dire,
of joy and feasting, of weeping and of wailing;
of the fighting of bold warriors, now ye may hear wonders told |
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That is the disclaimer of the Song of the Nibelungs, added later as all experts
agree. The author separates himself from the story he is telling; it's just an old story he has heard about. He also mentions
all the great and pagan deeds of Sigfried, as recounted in other sagas, just in passing.
While neither Sigfried nor
Brunhild does appear to be Christian in the beginning, one of the big scenes later is a veritable catfight between the two
mighty Ladies, Krimhild and Brunhilde, about who has the precedence in entering the cathedral.
Nice way to get the church involved.
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1) Equate grass = hair, and Beaver = slang for (hairy)
female pudenda. |
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© H. Föll (Iron, Steel and Swords script)
With frame
Books and Other Major Sources