Help pls. on 15th-17th C. cutlass & scimitar

Jim McDougall · 7th February 2009, 06:12 PM

Lorenz has asked some most interesting questions, and again I have been reading along with the discussion, as the topics of the history of Spain and its colonies are among my favorites, as of course, are Spanish swords.
In my youngest years I loved studying the conquistadores, and thier exploits in the Americas, and grew up in a region that reflected the profound influence of the Spanish culture, in southern California.
El Cid was also one of my favorite movies, and clearly carried the colorful pageantry that I always thought of associated with Spain's history.

However, like all history, there are often at least two sides, and in reviewing or studying it, there will always be empassioned debates and perspective much in the way politics bring volatility to virtually every venue of media daily.

Once again, I will say that I admire the knowledge displayed on these pages, and especially sense the restraint that is clearly being struggled with in some of the entries. You have all expressed yourselves well, as you have the questions posed.......please leave the barroom chest pounding out of this, along with the political editorials OK guys. I do not want this discussion 'divided' nor do I want to have to 'conquer' this thread !

The focus is on the weapons, and great information on Tizona and Colada!
Great assessment on the ongoing debate on the falchion Fernando, another mystery of medieval swords and thier terminology. It seems more a heraldic term in most cases these days, as like 'scimitar' the term became archaic.

The word 'scimitar' is as described by Fernando, a term whose etymology derives from early transliteration, and was often applied in many flowery narratives in English of those early times to illustrate the exotic sabres of the Moorish world. It is now an archaic term left best to the Elizabethan and Victorian literature that it was most used in, and to the fantasy swords it often names.

All best regards,
Jim

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7th February 2009, 06:12 PM	#9
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,193	Lorenz has asked some most interesting questions, and again I have been reading along with the discussion, as the topics of the history of Spain and its colonies are among my favorites, as of course, are Spanish swords. In my youngest years I loved studying the conquistadores, and thier exploits in the Americas, and grew up in a region that reflected the profound influence of the Spanish culture, in southern California. El Cid was also one of my favorite movies, and clearly carried the colorful pageantry that I always thought of associated with Spain's history. However, like all history, there are often at least two sides, and in reviewing or studying it, there will always be empassioned debates and perspective much in the way politics bring volatility to virtually every venue of media daily. Once again, I will say that I admire the knowledge displayed on these pages, and especially sense the restraint that is clearly being struggled with in some of the entries. You have all expressed yourselves well, as you have the questions posed.......please leave the barroom chest pounding out of this, along with the political editorials OK guys. I do not want this discussion 'divided' nor do I want to have to 'conquer' this thread ! The focus is on the weapons, and great information on Tizona and Colada! Great assessment on the ongoing debate on the falchion Fernando, another mystery of medieval swords and thier terminology. It seems more a heraldic term in most cases these days, as like 'scimitar' the term became archaic. The word 'scimitar' is as described by Fernando, a term whose etymology derives from early transliteration, and was often applied in many flowery narratives in English of those early times to illustrate the exotic sabres of the Moorish world. It is now an archaic term left best to the Elizabethan and Victorian literature that it was most used in, and to the fantasy swords it often names. All best regards, Jim