The Sword

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"Sure, the Pen may be mightier than the Sword, but it doesn't look like much when it's hanging on the wall." ---Me

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(NOTE: As always, all links open into new windows.)

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The first time I saw a Conan the Barbarian comic book in the comics rack at the corner market, I was gone: forever immersed in a sword vs. sorcery world of broadswords, dark magic, the Secret of Steel and heroic characters.

Conan the Cimmerian, as those first graphic novels were titled, was written by Robert E. Howard, a scrawny teenager, like me, whose alter ego, Conan, was a darkly-handsome, dangerous, wild animal of a sinewy wanderer who could hold off an army with his broadsword, always got the girl and eventually hacked his way to becoming a King.

But as drawn as I was to this larger than life character, it was the sword which truly fascinated me. A fascination which persists to this day. Is there any more romantic a weapon? The etched, razor-sharp blade, glinting in the Sun. The hilt, depending on the type of blade, intricately fashioned from gold or silver - delicate in appearance - or strong and sturdy in the grip, wrapped with fine leather and encrusted with jewels.

The sword, the cold steel, the art of wielding it skillfully. It is a weapon that is respected the world over.

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Willie Nelson sang his heroes have always been cowboys. My heroes have always wielded a sword.

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Some of the better-known swords:

• Gladius
• Scimitar
• Rapier
• Foil
• Wakizashi
• Katana
• Short-Sword
• Longsword
• Broadsword
• Bastard-Sword
• Claymore
• Cutlass
• Saber
• Machete

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"Prince Valiant" starred Robert Wagner and was released in 1954. It was possibly one of the earliest comics-to-cinema adaptations and, more importantly... it was a sword movie!

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And if you're wondering, the Secret of Steel - according to James Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom in "Conan the Barbarian" - is Flesh. Steel is only as strong as the flesh that wields it.

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The Bronze Age

The first sword made its appearance in the Bronze Age, about 33,000 years ago. Humans developed them from daggers when the construction of longer blades became possible. However, true swords were rare at this time. The metal used - a bronze alloy from smelted copper and tin - was thin and would bend easily, making them impractical for use in combat.

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I was able to get a verification that bronze swords were cast in stone. Says Scottish Bladesmith Rob Miller of Castle Keep, "I believe that a two-part stone cut mold was used to cast the blade, and then it was cleaned up afterwards."

Then another source (thank you CarpetDiem), written by Neil Burridge in 2004, quotes unnamed archeologists "in books" as writing, "They made molds of clay and cast swords."

Personally, I think stone molds seem more likely. Would a clay mold even be able to hold-up to molten metal?

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The hilts of these original swords were simple, typically made from bronze and often decorated with spiral patterns, to provide a firm grip and prevent the hand from slipping onto the blade or from being knocked completely from the hand. The early blades were long and slender, rapier-like, used solely for thrusting. Later, swords became wider and were sharpened on both ends and could be used as both cutting and thrusting weapons.

China brought the technology of Bronze Age swords to its high point -during the Warring States period and Qin Dynasty- by casting high tin edges over softer, lower tin cores, and the application of diamond shaped patterns on the blade. Towards the end of the bronze age, European swords became more leaf shaped, particularly in the UK and Ireland.

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The Iron Age

Iron swords made their appearance around the 13th century, particularly among the Hittites, Greeks, and Celtic cultures. Iron had the advantage of mass-production due to the wider availability of raw material. Although the iron was not yet quench-hardened, it often contained sufficient carbon and was work-hardened, like bronze, by hammering. These hammered swords were only slightly stronger than bronze swords, and they could still bend during use. But the easier production and better availability meant that now entire armies could be equipped with metal weapons. The only army to do this prior were the fully equipped Bronze Age Egyptian armies.

By the time of Classical Antiquity, and the Parthian Empire in Iran, iron swords were common. The Roman gladius being a typical example of the type. During its later years, the Roman Empire introduced the longer Spatha. It was during this time that the term longsword started to come into use and was applied to any sword longer than the short-sword.

The end of the Iron Age was brought about as new blades made of Indian iron and steel were exported from India to Greece, and as Indian swords made of Damascus steel found their way to Persia.

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The Middle Ages

The spatha sword remained popular well into the Middle Ages, many decorated with Germanic artwork and, while the Viking Age saw a more standardized production, the basic design remained the same.

By the time the 10th century came around the proper use of quench-hardened and tempered steel was becoming the standard. The Frankish Ulfberht blades were of consistently high quality. It is reported that Charles the Bald attempted, unsuccessfully, to prohibit the export of these blades. They were being used by the Vikings in raids against the Franks.

In the 11th century the Norman swords began to develop the crossguard, and during the Crusades of the 12th and 13th centuries this cruciform type remained stable. As steel technology improved, single-edged weapons became popular throughout Asia, and production of the Japanese tachi - the precursor to the legendary Katana - began.

The Renaissance

From 1300 to 1500, in response to improvements in armor, new sword designs evolved rapidly. The main changes during this time were longer grips, allowing for two-handed use, and a longer blade. It was during this time that the term longsword came into common use to describe all battle swords. The estoc was introduced and quickly became popular for its ability to be thrust into gaps in plate armor.

The demand for ever longer swords and grips reached its peak in the 16th century with the production the zweihander. This change was brought about by the decline of plate armor due to the advent of firearms. But the Japanese katana was reaching its height of popularity as samurai increasingly found need for a close-quarter weapon - eventually evolving into the modern katana.

The sword came to a decline due to new technologies in warfare, but remained a weapon of prestige and personal defense.

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Modern Age

The sword was now impractical, even as a personal weapon, as the handgun become more popular. The rapier was the one exception. It remained a popular dueling weapon well into the 18th century. The shorter smallsword became an essential fashion accessory in European countries and the New World, and most wealthy men and military officers carried one.

The last army to give up the sword was the British army, who formally adopted a new design of Calvary sword in 1908. The last units of British heavy Calvary finally switched to armored vehicles in 1938, as World War 2 was breathing down their necks.

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Swords, and movies about sword-wielding heroes, remain popular today, and you don't need to be wealthy or a military officer to own one - or six. You can purchase replicas of any sword ever used in history by any hero real or mythical. The price varies depending on the quality. You can spend tens or hundreds. You can purchase a real, sharpened, deadly broadsword or katana, or just something that looks bad-ass hanging on the wall, in its own red-oak frame, giving your home that Medieval ambiance.

Here are two good resources. The first is a catalog/internet wholesale swords business which offers replicas of fantasy swords of all kinds (and other real weapons) for very reasonable prices.

The BudK Catalog

The second is a guy, Rob Miller, who works from his own workshop on the Isle of Skye - Northern Scotland. He's an honest-to-goodness, Scottish Bladesmith.

Castle Keep - Isle of Skye

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Conan the Barbarian

One of the very coolest aspects of this movie is the beautiful and Gothic soundtrack by the late Basil Poledouris (1945-2006)

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Story and Page layout by: LemonadeMultimedia