Archive for February, 2009
In 1884 Sir Richard F. Burton’s The Book of the Sword was published by Chatto and Windus in London. The volume was republished in 1987 by Dover. For those who are drawn to the past and its more civilized lifestyle will appreciate some of Sir Richard’s reflections on the most honorable of weapons. Keep in mind while reading some of the excerpts of his reflections on the sword that the words were written prior to 1884. If you are an avid fan of the past and its traditions, this is an excellent read. I found it at my local library. Here are a few of the relections of Sir Richard.
“The history of the sword is the history of humanity. The ‘White Arm’ means something more than the oldest, the most universal, the most varied of weapons, the only one which has lived through all time.’
He, she, or it–for the gender of the Sword varies–has been worshipped with priestly sacrifices as a present god. Hebrew revelation represents the sharp and two edged sword going out of the mouth of the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. We read of a ‘Sword of God, a holy Sword,’ the ‘Sword of the Lord and of Gideon’; and ‘I came not to send peace but a Sword, ‘meaning the warfare and martyrdom of man.
Uniformly and persistently personal, the Sword became no longer an abstraction but a Personage, endowed with human as well as superhuman qualities. He was a sentient being who spoke, and sang and joyed and grieved. Identified with his wearer he was an object of affection, and was pompously named as a well-beloved son and heir. To surrender the Sword was submission; to break the Sword was degradation. To kiss the Sword was, and in places still is the highest form of oath and homage.
The Sword killed and cured; the hero when hopless fell upon his Sword; and the heroine, like Lucreita and Calphurnia, used the blade standing. The Sword cut the Gordian knot of every difficulty. The Sword was the symbol of justice and of martydrom and accompanied the wearer to the tomb as well as to the feast and the fight. ”
The significance of the Sword has survived for many ages. Today the same words can be used in reference to this magnificent weapon; it is a weapon that is deeply entrenched in art, literature, religion, history and humanity. There will never be a weapon that can ever again attain this affluence. The firearm is a weapon that requires a little skill, aim-fire-kill or maim. The Sword is graceful but vigorous. Sword-play is an exercise that requires a skill that few are able to master.
Swords still play a big role in modern society. There are a few of us who still appreciate and love the images of the knight in shining armor, the armed knight bearing a crusader shield and a cross hilt sword, or the Renaissance knight battling with a rapier. History is repeated on weekends all across the world–the reenactor, the collector, the fantasy gamer, and the skilled sword maker keep the myth alive.
The use of the Maximilian style of armour was in vogue from about 1510-1530. This beautiful articulated armor was developed in Germany. Fluting of this armor added to the elegance of the piece. The distinct flutings were set close together. Its characteristic features were large rounded shapes and radiating flutings on all the surface except the leg armor. The later models of this armor had quite narrow flutes. Actually this armor was not named Maximilian until 19th century collectors decided that the style of the armour must have been introduced by Emperor Maximilian.
Maximilian has often been called the last knight. He reveled in the pomp and circumstance of the Medieval leader. It is fitting that one of the most elaborate armors of his age should bear his name.
The Breastplate is a plate or set of plates, covering the front of the body from the neck to a little below the waist. It is one of the oldest pieces of body armor and was used before history. The earliest breastplates were constructed of animal bone. One of the earliest surviving metal breastplate armor is a Mycenaean piece which dates from around 1450 BCE. In addition to the breastplate, the armor was constructed to protect the neck and shoulders also. It was probably worn by a charioteer rather than a footsoldier. Although the breastplate was used early among ancient Eastern warriors, it did not develop in Europe until later.
In the sixth century one bishop among the Frank warriors was ridiculed because when riding into battle he wore armor plate across his chest instead of the sign of the heavenly cross. I assume they felt that the cross would protect the heart. By the middle of the seventh century, however, breastplates had come into general use among the Franks.
The earliest breastplates were rounded in shape, sometimes with a median ridge or shallow grooves (fluting) to increase its rigidity. Sometimes these plates were shown in art without backplates and were attached to the body with straps passing over the shoulders and crossed on the back (a method still used in the l8th century and revived in the 20th century modern body armor). A matching piece of armor, the Backplate appeared around 1400 to join the breastplate, thus forming a defense termed a “pair of cuirasses.”
Various styles of breasplates were developed by armorers. The Italians developed a distinctive style of armor in which the breasplate was composed of two pieces: a rounded upper part cut straight at the waist, where it was overlapped by a lower breastplate which protected the stomach. In some cuirasses of the late 15th century the lower breastplate reached such a size that it completely covered the upper piece, forming, in fact, the second breastplate classifed as the Placate. This double breast protection was later widely used on heavy cuirasser armor, due to the increased effectiveness of firearms, and it remained a reinforcing piece for armor used in tournaments. By the end of the century, the armorers returned to the one piece construction of the breastplate, and the lower breastplate, very strong but small in size, remained in later use only in armor for German jousts.
The breastplate is often worn in reenactment events. It is a fairly economical substitute for a full suit of armor, and is relevant to most cultures.
If your child is interested in participating in unique sports, it can be hard to find options outside the more traditional sports. While football, baseball, soccer, and other sports are by far better known, not every child who is interested in sports is interested in participating in these activities. If your child is clamoring for a sport to play but they are reluctant to participate in team sports like football or individual sports like swimming, offer a slightly different solution.
If you think it is right for your kid, consider the unique and different sport of fencing. While many equate this complicated sword work with fancy, private colleges and well-to-do families, the sport is actually growing in overall popularity. If you want to offer your kid a sport where they can hone a unique skill set, don’t throw them a football for their birthday. Rather, purchase them a rapier sword, and let them try out the often forgotten skill of fencing.
Many people realize that armor can be understood as any kind of protective covering used in times of combat and that its main purpose is to prevent any injury from various weapons. And armor has most certainly evolved over the years. Made from a variety of materials, armor can range from many different kinds of metal to leather. Spanning a wide range of pieces as well, armor pieces can include everything from helmets to gauntlets to knee plates.
When people think of armor, however, medieval armor is certainly one of the most well known and iconic varieties. Full suits of armor are prone to fill many castles in real life (and in the movies,) and these can often be classified under the umbrella of medieval armor. There is also a school of thought that says firearms can be attributed to the introduction of more advanced pieces of armor. Guns and various firearms had to be developed in order to get through the increasingly tough and successful armor of people’s various enemies.
This was a question I asked throughout my school time. As a matter of fact in my Senior year, I almost did not graduate because I could see no earthly use in learning anything about Shakespeare’s Hamlet. To me it was the most absurd of all the tons of absurdities I was forced to learn. I forced myself to spend enough time with the tragic prince to squeak by with a passing grade. History was also a “bummer” for me, too.
Later that summer a friend forced me to go to a Civil War Reenactment with “her” to watch her brother. At that event I finally saw someone having a ”hoot” of a time with history. I was fascinated with the pretend fight. Always being a shy dude I was never really in with any special highschool group of kids. But I saw these guys behaving like it was a football game, and they were winning the state playoff game or something. They performed a simulated battle with cavalry, foot soldiers, cannons, rifles and swords. I went to their battles a number of times that summer, but never joined the group. I did learn that they were very adamant about how their clothing, and weapons had to be as realistic as possible. I did carry a sword to one of the Sunday battles with the thought that I would be one of the foot soldiers. The sword was a cheap thing that I picked up at a flea market. The pommel was a naked lady. Needless to say, they did not let me march, because a college was filming the battle to show in an American History class. . I was embarrassed about that silly sword, so I bought a cheap sabre, but I didn’t go back there for a few years.
I had a few jobs like helping a skilled automobile mechanic with menial tasks that I was able to do without taxing my brain too much. I needed to keep up my old pickup. I had a lot of spare time so I played a lot of video games. I played war on a computer and was really good at it. I tinkered with my cheap sword; bought a scabbard and escaped my hum-drum existence by pretending I was some kind of Medieval war hero.
Then an event occurred that shocked me enough to do something with my life. I enlisted and no longer played at war; it was the real thing. The experience did a lot for my ego. For the first time in my life I was proud of myself. I walked many a mile with a rifle in my hand, at the front of the troops like the Pikesmen of old.
I have seen a lot of the world and learned that good people are the same everywhere. Like a lot of country boys I didn’t know the difference between “Iraq and Iran”. Now I do. I also know why the study of the past is so important. I learned that there were Crusades that began more than a thousand years ago. This conflict is overwhelming with no simple solution.
I do not know what happened to my “naked lady” sword. I replaced it with a several battle swords. I was taught swordsmanship by a wonderful Middle Eastern master and sage. He helped me because I asked. I practice regularly like the Medieval knights and Samurai warriors did years ago.
History repeats itself many times over. I found this out the hard way. Now many people are engaged in reliving historical events, i.e. Civil War, Medieval, Renaissance, Roman, Viking, Celtic and on and on. It is a great thing and a good way to build comraderie even if you are not the top jock. Get into the past; it will help you with your future.