German Executioner's sword Early 17TH century ?

[CutlassCollector]

Originally Posted by fernando

A good explanation Roland, although there are others; those not with a practical purpose but just a symbolic meaning...
And ... what about these swords with only one hole; such one said by some to be for purposes of hanging them on the armoury wall ?

This may be a bit far out.
But could the holes in the tip have been there to make a sound. You can imagine the moment of silence in the crowd just before the strike so an improved 'swish' noise may add to the drama.

CC

[fernando]

Listen to what may be heard through the grapevine about the holes:

- Preventing the tip from being reshaped into a mundane weapon of war ?
- Such holes would not likely prevent you from reshaping the blade into a piercing tip.

- That they were for adding weights to the tip for a heavier swing ?
- Certainly such adjustments would be unnecessary and clunky.

- Making the blade whistle for dramatic effect ?
- Is it not an implausible fantasy ?


- That they symbolically represent the Holly Trinity or are purely decorative ?
- Up to the extreme extent in that sunlight may be seen through the holes by the audience, implying the executioner is acting on behalf of God...

And the one i fancy more:

- There aren't zillions of these swords out there; and the ones with the three holes seem to be all German ... all from te same date range.
- Could one infer that they were all made by the same blade smith and the three holes were his maker's mark ?

[Roland_M]

Originally Posted by fernando

Listen to what may be heard through the grapevine about the holes:

- Preventing the tip from being reshaped into a mundane weapon of war ?
- Such holes would not likely prevent you from reshaping the blade into a piercing tip.

- That they were for adding weights to the tip for a heavier swing ?
- Certainly such adjustments would be unnecessary and clunky.

- Making the blade whistle for dramatic effect ?
- Is it not an implausible fantasy ?


- That they symbolically represent the Holly Trinity or are purely decorative ?
- Up to the extreme extent in that sunlight may be seen through the holes by the audience, implying the executioner is acting on behalf of God...

And the one i fancy more:

- There aren't zillions of these swords out there; and the ones with the three holes seem to be all German ... all from te same date range.
- Could one infer that they were all made by the same blade smith and the three holes were his maker's mark ?

The holes mainly the purpose to mark this sword as a tool. Because the sword (like its operator) was afflicted with "dishonor".

If one touches the sword or executioner, this causes to almost 100% that a man immediately losing his "honor".

To clean this dishonor of with a bath, unfortunately, helped nothing.

If the contact of the sword (or the contact of the executioner) was seen by other people and became a "village discussion", this almost always led to the exclusion from society for that person! And this for life time!

For the theory that the holes were made, to prevent making a combat sword from it, there is no evidence.
The holes also have nothing to do with trinity and no lead was pressed into the holes, to apply more power to the blow (an executioners-sword was already heavier than a combat sword, up to 3 kg). Probably just a tool mark in sense of a warning sign.

"- Making the blade whistle for dramatic effect ?
- Is it not an implausible fantasy ?"
I'm exactly with you.


Roland

[Cerjak]

dear Roland and Fernado

Thank you very much to have discuss about all the possible explanations.
It seems that now everything has been said about he holes.
Best

Jean-Luc

[fernando]

Completely !