Your Point?
by Bret Lukas
http://www.yesword.com
Romance with knights and warriors give rise to the
sword as a symbol of masculine power and virility. The
Japanese have a ritual tradition known as "hara kiri" or
suicide by sword. A warrior might commit hara kiri over
personal dishonor, out of loyalty to his master who has
died or to protest the actions of his living master.
The Queen of China received a gift of two swords from
Japan in the 2nd century A.D. These swords were straight and
single-edged around the 5th century A.D. with lots of
chopping power. These swords worked fine until the 8th
century. Warriors on horseback found that curved swords
were much better when fighting from the horse.
In Europe, metal was hard to come by and forging was
difficult. Swords did not become popular in the West until
several hundred years later than the East. Europe's arrows
and spears only required tiny pieces of metal to make the
tips. Until the Middle Ages, most armor and weapons were
made of leather or wood. The luxury of a sword made
entirely of metal was for princes and kings.
Swords in the shape of a cross came into mainstream use
with Christian Crusades. Other arts grew from the sword,
as well.
Sword swallowing started as a kind of religious show of
invulnerability by fakirs and shamans in India all the way
back in 2000 B.C.
Dance has even incorporated swords. Ancient Roman and
Grecians did rituals called "Pyrrhic Dances" as a ritual
before battle. Whirling with swords in hand, they imitated
the movements of safety and victory in battle.
The Scottish are famous for a sword dance, too, perhaps
the most famous. Legend has it that Macbeth murdered King
Duncan. Then Duncan's son, King Malcolm murdered Macbeth.
The new King took Macbeth's sword from his hand. He
crossed it on the ground with his own sword and did a dance of
jubilation around the two swords. Amazing what you can do
in a skirt!
Excalibur, King Arthur's sword, is probably the most
famous sword in history. When Arthur's father died, the nobles
rebelled against the idea of being ruled by this young,
unknown Prince Arthur. Fighting broke out everywhere that
went on for many years. One day outside the church where
people were praying for peace, a knight saw a flash. He
found a gold sword deep in an anvil which was buried in a
stone. The words, "He who withdraws this sword is the true
King of England" were emblazoned on it. We all know the
story of Arthur pulling out the sword. He became King and
traveled far and wide, uniting the country with his
Knights of the Round Table.
The romance of swords persists. You can find miniature
models of King Arthur's sword and beautiful Samurai
swords. Hang a sword on a wall for a bold statement.
Display them in beautifully crafted scabbards or on
custom stands.
Lord of the Rings fans will be pleased to hear that United
Cutlery has received a license to reproduce miniatures of
the swords from the movie. There are three beautiful steel
miniatures with laser-etched designs set in a porcelain
base.
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