13th century sword mystery

[Ian]

Thanks Lee. An interesting observation that these swords were distributed widely in Europe and possibly had a single manufacturing source/workshop. That may explain why the particular script has proved so elusive to identify--where was this purported workshop?

Mysterious mystical swords indeed.

Ian.

[Jim McDougall]

thanks

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

I think it also peculiar that the M is probably upside down.

I think a grouping of all the excavated swords in this broad category would enhance our knowledge immensely. Unfortunately I have a hotel and 17 businesses to run not to mention a new railway to construct. Perhaps someone from our panel of experts could attempt this task...? I suggest the right location could be on the European...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ian]

Given the extensive European content that has appeared in this thread, I have copied it from the Ethnographic Forum to the European Armoury as well. Lee, Jim, Ibrahiim and others have made some very intriguing observations and posted several links that may be of interest.

Ian.

[Jim McDougall]

This was a good move to bring this thread and the concurrent thread titled 'odd sword' to the European forum given the subject matter, which decidedly focuses on these European blades and their inscriptions.

At this point I think it is important to consider some of the perspective which is important in approaching this most arcane and often even occult related subject matter with the understanding of these curious inscriptions and their ever elusive meanings. The term 'polluted' pertaining to some references to the descriptions and references to these indeed 'mysterious' inscriptions perhaps well describes the unfortunate posture often taken toward much of the investigation and research concerning these kinds of topics.

Descriptions and news pertaining to old swords and these 'mysterious ' inscriptions are of course rendered sensationally in the media, and allude to all manner of sometimes almost bizarre notions and suggestions. Most academic and scholarly works typically avoid including the terms magic or occult in discussing inscriptions on blades such as these. However, most of these same mediums will recognize the reference to many of these inscriptions and acrostics in various letters and groupings as 'sacerdotal' or religious invocations.

Indeed, many of these apparent groupings of letters and sometimes included symbols or devices, particularly crosses, have been compellingly revealed to have been just that, religiously oriented. This is of course clearly reminiscent and profoundly associated with the crusades and the fact that swords and weaponry were most often closely associated with and directly connected to the Church.

However these practices of using letters in acrostic groupings, as well as the use of symbolic devices has been held to have roots in the pagan use of runes and invocations to their gods for strength and protection in battle.

While this would of course well explain the well known and plausibly suggested use of these inscriptions from religious standpoint, it is important to note that in the Middle Ages, as suggested in one article within the link Lee noted, there were few who would differentiate between religion, science and magic.

The well known sciences of today had not yet been developed, and along with the well established fiber of religion, practices such as alchemy (later chemistry); astrology (later astronomy) and magic, strongly associated with superstition and other metaphysics fluourished.
The largely illiterate population while hugely uninformed on these of course, could very distinctly relate to symbols and devices.

Even blacksmithing and the forging of swords and weapons was considered magical, and these men were regarded with great caution though of course recognized as quite essential. It would seem quite natural that these weapons would temporally or in decoration be imbued with talismanic powers, whether religiously oriented or as noted, amalgamated with other occult or esoteric associations.


It is with these things in mind that I hope that members and readers here alike, might join together in looking further into our understanding of these particular blades in these two threads, as well as into the entirely fascinating study of the swords of these times.

While many often scoff at the idea of including occult or mystical matters in the study of weapons and their decoration and embellishment, in my view it is profoundly held that.....we do not need to believe in or approve of the beliefs or symbolic meanings being investigated, but it is absolutely essential that we try to understand what the people who made and used these weapons believed.

Best regards,
Jim

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

If I may begin to collect to Forum documents there are available in terms of these ancient swords and inscriptions starting with The Vlfberht Sword which from Wikipedia I QUOTE "Vlfberht or Ulfbehrt is a modern transcription of the inscription +VLFBERH+T, found on some Early Middle Ages Germanic swords of the 8th to 11th century. Swords so inscribed have been found in many parts of Europe, most numerously in Scandinavia. They are believed to originate from the Taunus region of Germany in what was the Frankish realm.

There are many variations of the inscription, including +VLFBERHT+ and +VLFBERH+T. The inscription is a Frankish personal name and became the basis of a trademark of sorts, used by multiple bladesmiths for several centuries.

In a 2008 paper, Anne Stalsberg, of the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology of Norway, argues that a blacksmith is unlikely to have been literate, and that the presence of crosses in the signature suggest an ecclesiastical or monastic origin. She discusses how the swords may have reached Scandinavia, suggesting smuggling, looting by Vikings, or as ransom for dignitaries captured by Vikings. Much of this work was re-presented (though uncredited to Stalsberg) in detail in the PBS Nova 2012 documentary, Secrets of the Viking Sword.

Most Vlfberht swords are of Oakeshott Type X form. They are forged from excellent steel with a very low content of sulfur and phosphorus and up to 1.1% carbon. This steel was most likely acquired through trade through the Volga trade route, which could have supplied ingots of the steel, obtained ultimately from central Asian cultures, who were producing crucible steel to emulate the famous wootz steel of India.

A 2012 documentary, Secrets of the Viking Sword, showed a blacksmith who specializes in ancient techniques successfully create both a high-quality steel ingot and an inlaid Vlfberht sword from it."UNQUOTE.

It is noted that Anne Stalsberg stated that the blacksmith was unlikely to have been literate and that the material was imported possibly from Asia...This poses two difficulties; firstly in deciding if the blacksmith had made a mistake in the inscription and secondly that trying to tie a sword down to a particular workshop through analysis of the material would be much more difficult...when the materials were being drawn from far afield...i.e. not locally. I also find it interesting that Ann Stalsberg suggests a monastic link because of the crosses because if the swords were associated with a place of learning would not the letters be correct...at least at the time of going to print; so to speak? It would appear that the puzzle we run into in Ethnographic Weaopons these days associated with the "whats in a word" syndrome was as common then as it is now...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[fernando]

Let me bring here some considerations of a scholar about inscriptions as found in tapestries, as those depicting scenes relating the discoveries period (circa 1500). Somehow its essence may be applied to weapons inscriptions ... i guess
"The phenomenom of decorative inscriptions may be circumscribed to three categories: Firstly, inscriptions composed by purely fantasist letters; cufic characters, pseudo-greek, pseudo-hebraic or cabalistic signs. Secondly, inscriptions composed by real characters but not forming legible words or phrases. In these cases, the intention is, as in the first category, to accentuate the exotic character of the represented figures. And thirdly, inscriptions that, although with a decorative character, allow for the recognition of a certain sense, a certain significate; it is in such circumstance that one may find signatures or other details relative to the genesis of the work. In these inscriptions, the legible parts may be inserted in two lines of letters which goal is purely decorative and don't have any comprehensible sense. "



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