Swords, especially a katana, are my most-loved weapon of all. Though guns are pretty convenient, nothing beats the beauty of wielding the best sword ever. And my inclination for swords led me to liking anime and stuff which have something to do with slashing or fighting with the aid of swords. I have come to adore anime like Rurouni Kenshin, Bleach, Claymore and many more. Movie characters having those sharp blades as their main weapon are also the "apple of my eye." I'm even thinking of collecting some replica swords.. hmmmm.. :DSo let me share to you some interesting, legendary/fantasy-based information with regards to swords:
El Cid Campiador, considered the national hero of Spain, had 2 known swords; the Tizona and the Colada. Both are swords that frighten unworthy opponents if wielded by a brave warrior.
Durendal, a sword that once belonged to Hector of Troy, and was given to Roland; nephew of Charlemagne and hero of the French epic- The Song of Roland. In The Song of Roland, the sword is said to contain within its golden hilt one tooth of Saint Peter, blood of Saint Basil, hair of Saint Denis, and a piece of the raiment of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the other hand, Joyeuse was the name of Charlemagne's personal sword. Some legends claim that it was forged to contain the Lance of Longinus within its pommel.
Excalibur is the legendary and magical sword of King Arthur. In Welsh, the sword is called Caledfwlch. In the anime Fate/Stay Night, Saber uses the Excalibur. But in the real sense, Saber or sabre is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger.
Claymores are either two-handed large swords or basket-hilted scottish swords. Claymore is also the title of one of my fave anime/manga. For Claymores, the term is referring to the big swords they wield; but as for the townspeople, Claymores are the soldiers themselves.
Thuan Thiên or Heaven's Will is the Vietnamese equivalent of the Excalibur. As for the Japanese, Kusanagi (grass-cutter) or Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is their famous legendary sword owned by the God, Susanoo which was later given to his sister, Amaterasu. hmmm.. So this is where Itachi/Sasuke's ultimate techniques came from.. :D
Jian is a double-edged straight Chinese sword. Today, the martial arts called Taijiquan still uses jian swords. However, most jian today areflexible tai-chi or wushu jian; used mainly for ceremonial purposes and not for actual combat.
Xiphos, is a double-edged, single-hand sword used by the ancient Greeks. It was a secondary battlefield weapon for the Greek armies after the spear or javelin.
In Greek mythology, you can take note of the Sword of Peleus, the father of Achilles. There's also the The Sword of Death, a grey sword that can a kill a person if you just cut a lock of their hair off.
When it comes to Japanese swords, the most famous is perhaps the so-called katana. But Katanas vary in size or length and use. Japan's master swordsmith, Masamune, made the famous and considered best weapon called Honjo Masamune.
Kodachi, is a Japanese sword that is too short to be considered a long sword but too long to be a dagger. Aoshi from Samurai X (Rorouni Kenshin) used 2 kodachi. Shiani, is a weapon used for practice and competition in kendo representing a Japanese sword.
I'd like to go on further but I thought of making a post about anime/fantasy characters and their famous weapons; swords to be precise. So see you on my next post.. I hope it really is about what I just told you... lolz
