Renaissance executioner sword from Germany

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by JUSTICESWORDS

For the kind words and welcome Jim!

I myself have just finished authoring a book called, "The Catalog of Cruelty: An Illustrated Collection of Ancient Restraints and Instruments of Torture and Execution."

In doing research for the book I travelled to Germany and Switzerland and while in Switzerland I stayed with my good friend and fellow collector/historian Mr. Guido Varesi. Guido owns and curates a small but very impressive private museum called "The Henkermuseum" (Hangman's Museum) in Sissach, Switzerland.

Guido has what has to be one of the finest collection of authentic medieval period execution swords in private hands in most of Europe and I was afforded the chance to not only study and handle them but also to learn many of the little known superstitions associated with such "tools of the trade."

Of particular interest to me were also the commonly held beliefs concerning the executioner himself. He was feared, a social outcast who could not live in the village proper, and yet he fulfilled an appointed position in the legal system of the time and provded a much needed service.

I found it very interesting that following the death of the executioner, and if no replacement could be found, (this would be hard to do because almost no one wanted to be the executioner and become a social outcast), the local justice officials would sometimes place an execution sword on the floor of the local courtroom and invite males into the room. The first one to pick up the sword that happened to by laying on the ground was crowned the executioner!

A pretty underhanded way to give an unknowing soul a poor job but it did happen!

As for the 3 holes in the tip having been installed to give the sword a more sinister sound as it sliced through the air, I do not agree this was the reason for thier placement. I say this because during my travels I had the chance to swing many an execution sword and I did not hear any differing sound when doing so.

For this reason I think it is more likely that the holes were for the draining of the "bad energy" the sword had accumulated via many beheadings. It is also likely that the holes were three in number to denote or represent the holy trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost and this bless the accursed tool of death.

Once again, thank you for the very warm welcome!

Cheers, Steve

Hi Steve,

I'll begin by echoing the welcome!

Interesting reading about the role of the executioner.
I find the 'random' nature f the choosing to be quite suprising. After all, beheading akneeing man with a two handed sword is a relatively skilled task.
well, it's a skilled task if you want it done 'cleanly'

Best
Gene

[JUSTICESWORDS]

Hi Gene and thank you for the welcome.

Choosing the next local executioner was only random if the local justice officials could not find a family of executioners with a son needing a position.

Indeed, the "take up the sword" method was something of a last resort.

Because the local executioner was a social outcast, no one in the local district where he lived would marry him. If it was bad luck to even touch the executioner, as was believed, it was even worse to marry him. His bride would also become an outcast and so would his children.

So serious was this shunning that the local executioner had to raise his own livestock and make his own bread and cheese. No one in the village or town would trade goods or do business with him. This led many executioners to become something of a "poor man's doctor." Already with some understanding of anatomy due to the unusual nature of their job, many executioners were early herbal medicine healers and the poor, who could not afford medical treatment in the town or village, would, if they were brave enough, make a pilgrimage to the home of the executioner if they needed tending.

In regards to replacing an executioner who has died or was infirm, the local officials would first send notice to other districts that an executioner was needed. Even though it was bad luck to marry the executioner such tradesmen did in fact take wives and would often travel many miles to find another executioner who had been gifted with a daughter that they might marry to avoid the social stigma. Thus, many execution families inter married and although not an offical "guild", they were, by neccesity, a tight knit group.

Of course, in a perfect world, the offspring of the executioner and his wife would be male and then would of course grow up to also follow the trade in large part owing to the fact that no one else would employ them to do anything else.

In answer to an earlier inquiry, yes, my new book, "The Catalog of Cruelty" will be in print and officially published within the next ten days.

Cheers, Steve

[cornelistromp]

Hi Steve,

welcome to the forum, also because there is little knowledge of these type of swords, I certainly do not.

I have heard two myths about these swords;
- after a certain number of deaths the sword was thrown into a river because people were afraid that the lust for blood of the sword would be unstoppable.
- executioner swords were never engraved with the name and place(town) of the executioner, but........ there are examples known ?

'm curious about your opinion.

Regards from Holland,

[Matchlock]

Hi Steve,

And welcome here!

Jasper, engraved symbols (gallows and Catherine/breaking wheel) were very common on such blades.


See attachments, from top:

- woodcut of a decapitation, early 16th c.

- various torture and execution styles, 1509

- various torture and execution styles, mid-16th c.

- marker at a historic South Bavarian place of execution, Aholming, early 16th c.

- three Swyss executioners swords, 16th to 19th c.

- 3 details of them

- sword, 17th c.

- sword, ca,. 1530, inscription 18th c.
- detail

- sword, 17th c., Mus. Aholming, Bavaria

- 4 details of 17th c. swords in the Museum Erfurt, Thuringia



Enjoy, and best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

- 4 details of a 17th c. executioners sword and a few hewn off delinquents' hands, Museum Erfurt, Thuringia

- a breaking wheel with heavy iron blade, 17th-18th c.

[Matchlock]

Hi there,

One basic thought for discussion.

Actually I have never quite understood why executioners swords are generally ranked among weapons. Strictly speaking, they are tools of justice, after all ...

Best,
Michael

[fernando]

Let's hope the package is now complete !!

[JUSTICESWORDS]

Known examples of justice swords bearing the name of the executioner who owned/used the sword do exist.

The same goes for select execution axes.

But it is not common.

I have not seen any research that proves used justice swords were thrown into a river to put an end to the sword's thirst for human blood.

In fact, I am inclined to believe the following:

1) The swords actually used for beheadings bore fewer engraved symbols than is commonly believed. Usually just the wheel image and perhaps a simple engraved saying. Th executioner was a poor tradesman who was payed a very meager wage. He likely would not have had the spare funds to be able to hire a master swordsmith to engrave his weapon with anything more than the basic elements he felt he needed.

2) That once a beheading sword was "decommisioned" it was then that the 3 holes were bored into it's tip to release the pent up bad energy of the evil people it had killed, and,

3) Once decomissioned and used for ceremonial pursposes it was then that images of the Lady Justice figure and other more elaborate engravings were added to the blade.

I should state that the above 3 points are merely theories of mine but they do seem logical.

Of course, many things about these curious tools are lost to time and all we have to work with are examples to compare as well as written information from the time period to base our theories upon.

Oh yes, and perhaps the most important ingredient of all... good old fashioned common sense!

Cheers, Steve