Pitch

Pukka Bundook · 9th October 2015, 02:44 PM

Very good reply Kronckew!

Even in the Viking age some swords were still soft, and in the sagas we read of blades having to be straightened under the foot in battle.
As you so rightly saw though, bent is better than being left with no blade at all. :-)
Incidentally, quite a few British/ European sword blades have been found in rivers with no hilt fittings, and there was some speculation that they flew apart in use.
Speculation is probably the right term here, as there are so many variables possible it could take a Long time to discuss them all and we still would not know at the end of it.

Richard.

kronckew · 9th October 2015, 04:11 PM

yes, of course many bronze & even early iron blades had effectively no tangs and were riveted to a wood grip which would rot away. weapons were 'sacrificed' to the gods by throwing in rivers, ponds, lakes, etc. and broken and/or bent prior to that to prove how rich the donor was that he could afford to destroy & throw away a fine weapon. wealth was defined by how much you could afford to give away, not how much you had.

somewhere in there is the origin of excalibur loaned to him by the lady of the lake, and the (not excalibur) sword in the stone being a casting in a stone mould and the return of excalibur to the lady of the lake at the end of arthur's mortal life.

9th October 2015, 02:44 PM	#1
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Very good reply Kronckew! Even in the Viking age some swords were still soft, and in the sagas we read of blades having to be straightened under the foot in battle. As you so rightly saw though, bent is better than being left with no blade at all. :-) Incidentally, quite a few British/ European sword blades have been found in rivers with no hilt fittings, and there was some speculation that they flew apart in use. Speculation is probably the right term here, as there are so many variables possible it could take a Long time to discuss them all and we still would not know at the end of it. Richard.

9th October 2015, 04:11 PM	#2
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,253	yes, of course many bronze & even early iron blades had effectively no tangs and were riveted to a wood grip which would rot away. weapons were 'sacrificed' to the gods by throwing in rivers, ponds, lakes, etc. and broken and/or bent prior to that to prove how rich the donor was that he could afford to destroy & throw away a fine weapon. wealth was defined by how much you could afford to give away, not how much you had. somewhere in there is the origin of excalibur loaned to him by the lady of the lake, and the (not excalibur) sword in the stone being a casting in a stone mould and the return of excalibur to the lady of the lake at the end of arthur's mortal life.