Sword

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A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed tip. A slashing sword is likelier to be curved and to have a sharpened cutting edge on one or both sides of the blade. Many swords are designed for both thrusting and slashing.

The precise definition of a sword varies by historical epoch and geographic region and the variety of swords numbers in the hundreds. Their use is restricted by law in most civilized regions to legitimate military units, sometimes only to officers or knights. A sword fight generally consists of one combatant swinging or thrusting the blade while his opponent dodges or blocks with a shield. Blocking or parrying with a sword is rarely a good idea, and knights caught without a shield often yield or flee.

Morphology[edit | edit source]

The sword consists of the blade and the hilt. The term scabbard applies to the cover for the sword blade when not in use.

Blade[edit | edit source]

Sword parts-en.svg

There is considerable variation in the detailed design of sword blades. The diagram opposite shows a typical Medieval European sword.

Early iron blades have rounded points due to the limited metallurgy of the time. These were still effective for thrusting against lightly armoured opponents. As armour advanced, blades were made narrower, stiffer and sharply pointed to defeat the armour by thrusting.

Dedicated cutting blades are wide and thin, and often have grooves known as fullers which lighten the blade at the cost of some of the blade's stiffness. The edges of a cutting sword are almost parallel. Blades oriented for the thrust have thicker blades, sometimes with a distinct midrib for increased stiffness, with a strong taper and an acute point. The geometry of a cutting sword blade allows for acute edge angles. An edge with an acuter angle is more inclined to degrade quickly in combat situations than an edge with a more obtuse angle. Also, an acute edge angle is not the primary factor of a blade's sharpness.[1]

The part of the blade between the center of percussion (CoP) and the point is called the foible (weak) of the blade, and that between the center of balance (CoB) and the hilt is the forte (strong). The section in between the CoP and the CoB is the middle.

The ricasso or shoulder identifies a short section of blade immediately below the guard that is left completely unsharpened. Many swords have no ricasso. On some large weapons, such as the German Zweihänder, a metal cover surrounded the ricasso, and a swordsman might grip it in one hand to wield the weapon more easily in close-quarter combat.[2] The ricasso normally bears the maker's mark.

The tang is the extension of the blade to which the hilt is fitted.

On Japanese blades, the maker's mark appears on the tang under the grip.[3]

Hilt[edit | edit source]

Hilt of a rapier. In this case, with a swept hilt
Sword of Caliph Umar, with later hilt.

The hilt is the collective term for the parts allowing for the handling and control of the blade; these consist of the grip, the pommel, and a simple or elaborate guard, which in post-Viking Age swords could consist of only a crossguard (called a cruciform hilt or quillons). The pommel was originally designed as a stop to prevent the sword slipping from the hand. From around the 11th century onward it became a counterbalance to the blade, allowing a more fluid style of fighting.[dubious ][4] It can also be used as a blunt instrument at close range, and its weight affects the centre of percussion. In later times a sword knot or tassel was sometimes added. By the 17th century, with the growing use of firearms and the accompanying decline in the use of armour, many rapiers and dueling swords had developed elaborate basket hilts, which protect the palm of the wielder and rendered the gauntlet obsolete.[5]

In late medieval and Renaissance era European swords, a flap of leather called the chappe or rain guard was attached to a sword's crossguard at the base of the hilt to protect the mouth of the scabbard and prevent water from entering.[6]

Sword scabbards and suspension[edit | edit source]

Common accessories to the sword include the scabbard, as well as the 'sword belt'.

  • The scabbard, also known as the sheath, is a protective cover often provided for the sword blade. Over the millennia, scabbards have been made of many materials, including leather, wood, and metals such as brass or steel. The metal fitting where the blade enters the leather or metal scabbard is called the throat, which is often part of a larger scabbard mount, or locket, that bears a carrying ring or stud to facilitate wearing the sword. The blade's point in leather scabbards is usually protected by a metal tip, or chape, which on both leather and metal scabbards is often given further protection from wear by an extension called a drag, or shoe.[7]
  • A sword belt is a belt with an attachment for the sword's scabbard, used to carry it when not in use. It is usually fixed to the scabbard of the sword, providing a fast means of drawing the sword in battle. Examples of sword belts include the Balteus used by the Roman legionary.[8]

Resources[edit | edit source]



 
See also
Sources
Footnotes
  1. Geißler, Robert (2014). "Concerning the Sharpness of Blades". HROARR. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014. 
  2. Miller, Douglas (1976). The LandsknechtsFree access subject to limited trial, subscription normally required. Osprey Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-85045-258-7. 
  3. Yumoto, John M. (1979). The Samurai sword: a handbook. Tuttle Publishing. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-8048-0509-4. 
  4. Loades, Mike (2010). Swords and Swordsmen. Great Britain: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-84884-133-8. 
  5. Wagner, Eduard (2004). Swords and daggers: an illustrated handbook. Courier Dover Publications, p. 13, ISBN 0-486-43392-7
  6. Burton, p. 124
  7. Robson, Brian (1975). Swords of the British Army: the regulation patterns, 1788–1914. Arms and Armour Press, p. 10, ISBN 0-901721-33-6
  8. Smith, pp. 133–34
 

External links