"tears of the wounded" swords...

[Jens Nordlunde]

Swords with ’tears of the wounded’/’tears of the inflicted’ have been made in several countries, in India they were often made in connection with a chevron pattern blade. In few the bearings were pearls, which would have been rather unpractical, as pearls are very soft, and would soon be worn to a smaller size and they would fall out of the fuller. I have heard of rubies used, but only in daggers, and that would make sence when it comes to the name, but these types must have been court weapons only. Someone told me, long ago, that the swords with steel/lead balls were used in battles, they may have been, and they may not have been used. I can’t say, other than most of there swords are stronger than one would think. The sound when you swing such a sword is like very heavy rain outside, ’Shhhh’ (not translated into English), so it would not be heard in a battle.

The chevron patter on a blade can be made in two ways, either the chevrons are made in wax, and the blade is etched. This is not regarded as being a ’real’ chevron blade, as the hole blade is watered. The other way to do it is to make the chevrons one by one, first using watered steel, and the next by using mono steel, and in the end forge them together. The last method is, of course, much more difficult, and so much more expensive.