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.