![]() ![]() Inscriptions on Medieval swords are very common and severed a variety of purposes. Photographed by: York Museums Trust Staff The meaning of many inscriptions are unknown ![]() For the most part the swords were not very decorated. Designs in the blades did come about from trying to mimic Damascus steel, steel made from wootz, an iron ore from India, and crafted in Damascus, a trade center from that time period, because of its highly functional qualities. The swords did have art on them designed to be functional in the forms of engravings meant to give the blades magical power or blessings from various deities. The majority of swords where made to be functional as opposed to be artistic. They also would have be used in the Crusades. During this time period, swords would be mainly used for fighting as seen by the fact that the shape of the blade depends on the fighting style native to that area. I am defining a Medieval sword to mean any sword crafted in Europe between 5 AD. I tried to get an idea for this by making my own sword. ![]() Pattern welding became common to create different wave patters similar to Damascus steel in the blades. Patterning was also common as smiths aimed to recreate Damascus steel which was legendary for its strength and flexibility. They could be filled n by hammering metal treads into the material once it had been carved. Inscriptions where created using a chisel. Other combinations might also be a magical language or random letters meant to give the blade a magical look. A lot of the lettering cannot be interpreted due to a lack of understanding in Latin abbreviations and grammar. Names could also be found on different blades along with maker's marks. Other inscriptions could have been meant to give the blades magical power. Blades were commonly decorated with religious symbols in order to give the wielder divine favor in battle. The most common kind of inscription are religious invocations. The aim of this project was to find how art factored into the making of medieval swords in Europe. I was unable to actually create any art in my sword due to a lack of skill. I created a sword in order to understand the processes that would have been involved in creating the art. Sword blades could also be decorated with wave patterns during forging. A lot is not known about inscriptions because of a lack of understanding in Latin abbreviations and grammar. I found that most art in medieval swords are religious in nature and meant to give the wielder divine favor in battle. I have never done any kind of forging previously. The purpose of this project was to study how art was involved in medieval sword making and create a medieval sword. 4.2.2.1 Metropolitan Museum of Art's c.1400 Sword. ![]()
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