Sword of Myles Standish

Jim McDougall · 14th May 2021, 08:59 PM

In much of the lore of American history, the tales of the Puritans and Pilgrims and the establishment of Plymouth Colony in 1920 , Myles Standish is heralded as the military advisor and leader of the Pilgrims.

Naturally writers, including Longfellow, historians and others in the 19th century brought romanticized dimension to the known history of the Pilgrims and Standish. Along with the historic materials included in the artifacts added to the traditions and icons of the Pilgrims, was the sword, claimed to have belonged to Standish.

According to material written in 1881, 1921, the sword had been given to Standish when he was serving in Holland during the '80 Years War' between Holland and Spain (1585-1604). It is unclear whether he was with British military or serving as a mercenary, however he would have been quite young (born 1584-d. 1656)

Apparently he defended an old armorer from looting soldiers, and the old man gave him a sword of some quality. Standish was quite moved and wore the sword the rest of his life, naming it 'Gideon'.

In the rather flowery writing of Victorian times, and into the early 20th c.
this sword was noted as ' a fine old sword made hundreds of years before Standish was born in the far east, and had symbols of sun, moon and stars on one side, and words in an old, old language on the other.

There is a photo c. 1870s of the sword standing against a chair, along with a gun barrel (alleged as from the gun that killed King Philip, the Indian chief).
Beyond that, all I can find is drawings of the sword, and all of these items are listed as holdings of various museums, libraries.

My question is....where is the actual sword?

Ultimately, what I can see of the sword is that it is an 18th c. hanger, the blade is not Damascus (as heralded in most references); it is not Persian, nor is it from the Crusades. The cosmological symbols typify 18th century European blade motif, and unsure of what old writing is on the other side.
In the 1921 attempt at translation it is suggested it is Kufic, but this would be surprising on an 18th century British hanger.

Anybody out there have any idea where this actual sword might be, or if any actual photos of it exist?

14th May 2021, 08:59 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,785	Sword of Myles Standish In much of the lore of American history, the tales of the Puritans and Pilgrims and the establishment of Plymouth Colony in 1920 , Myles Standish is heralded as the military advisor and leader of the Pilgrims. Naturally writers, including Longfellow, historians and others in the 19th century brought romanticized dimension to the known history of the Pilgrims and Standish. Along with the historic materials included in the artifacts added to the traditions and icons of the Pilgrims, was the sword, claimed to have belonged to Standish. According to material written in 1881, 1921, the sword had been given to Standish when he was serving in Holland during the '80 Years War' between Holland and Spain (1585-1604). It is unclear whether he was with British military or serving as a mercenary, however he would have been quite young (born 1584-d. 1656) Apparently he defended an old armorer from looting soldiers, and the old man gave him a sword of some quality. Standish was quite moved and wore the sword the rest of his life, naming it 'Gideon'. In the rather flowery writing of Victorian times, and into the early 20th c. this sword was noted as ' a fine old sword made hundreds of years before Standish was born in the far east, and had symbols of sun, moon and stars on one side, and words in an old, old language on the other. There is a photo c. 1870s of the sword standing against a chair, along with a gun barrel (alleged as from the gun that killed King Philip, the Indian chief). Beyond that, all I can find is drawings of the sword, and all of these items are listed as holdings of various museums, libraries. My question is....where is the actual sword? Ultimately, what I can see of the sword is that it is an 18th c. hanger, the blade is not Damascus (as heralded in most references); it is not Persian, nor is it from the Crusades. The cosmological symbols typify 18th century European blade motif, and unsure of what old writing is on the other side. In the 1921 attempt at translation it is suggested it is Kufic, but this would be surprising on an 18th century British hanger. Anybody out there have any idea where this actual sword might be, or if any actual photos of it exist? Attached Images