The 7 Most Iconic Real Swords of All Ages

Real swords have always been considered as a sign and symbol of bravery and honor especially. Although swords were the primary weapons with which people used to arm themselves before the invention of firearms yet the most iconic swords were made during the Medieval era which ranges between the 5th and 15th centuries. Swords are an equal part of both the real and mythical world and are one of the most sought after weapons even today, even though it may be just for collection purposes. 

Some of these real swords for sale even have interesting stories revolving around them which we, being the people of a scientific and technological advanced world may find to be fictional and absurd but the local folks of that time, considered them to be true and magical. Let us have a look at some of these real swords with mysterious stories spinning around them. 

1- The Excalibur 

The Excalibur is the name of the sword that belonged to King Arthur. This sword has a legendary history which states that the sword made King Arthur a legendary king when he pulled the sword out of stone in a forest. The sword could only be pulled out of that stones by its true wielder and no matter who else tried to pull it, it didn’t budge a little, let alone come out. 

The sword was known to have special and magical powers. According to the local folklore, King Arthur asked Sir Bedivere to throw the Excalibur into the lake where the Lady of the Lake drew out her hand and took the sword. It is believed according to the legend that one day King Arthur will come back wielding his sword when his dear country will need him. 

2- Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi

This sword is of Japanese origin and has a legendary history as well. It has the same rank among real swords as that of Excalibur, King Arthur’s sword. The original name of the sword was Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi which in the English means “The Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven”. Later on, it was given the name of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi which in the English means “The Grass Cutting Sword”. 

The legend behind it says that there was a family who had eight daughters. A serpent with eight heads had killed seven of their daughters and was coming for the last one. Susanoo, the God when saw the grief of this family, came forward to help them. He planned a bait for the serpent and asked the family to put eight vats of Japanese wine on eight different places behind a fence. 

The fence had eight gates and when the serpent came for the bait, he inserted each of its eight heads through each one of the gates and when he did that, Susanoo chopped off each of its head and when he started to chop off its tails as well, he found the sword in one of them and then gave it the name of Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi.

3- Colada and Tizona

Colada and Tizona are two swords of Spanish origin. These real swords belonged to Spain’s military leader and nobleman who won it from King Yucef who was the previous owner of the swords. He then gifted the sword to his sons in law but when they mistreated his daughters and abused them, he asked for his gifts to be returned. He then gave the swords to one of his knights and one of the real swords known as Colada is still on display in the Royal Palace of Madrid, Spain. 

4- Durandal 

Durandal belonged to Charlemagne. It is believed than an angel gave this sword to him and later on the sword was passed onto Roland. The Song of Roland clearly states this story. This sword is one of the sharpest ones among all real swords and is kept inside its hilt of golden color. 

5- Shamshir-e-Zomorrodnegar

The name of the sword basically speaks of its Persian origin. There is a Persian legend known by the name of “Amir Arsalan.” According to this legend, there as an evil demon with horns on whom no weapon could work except this one. Therefore, the sword had magical powers to finish off this evil. 

It is also said that the original owner of this sword was King Solomon and he kept this sword heavily guarded. There was one more interesting myth about this sword and that is that whenever someone was hurt with this sword, the wound inflicted had only one anecdote which was a potion made from a variety of special ingredients and one of the ingredients was the brain of the horned demon itself. 

6- Goujian

Goujian has a very interesting history. The sword belongs to emperor Goujian who reigned in China. The sword is said to be buried underground for over two thousand years but despite this fact when it was taken out, it looked just like a new sword. The blade of the sword features some writing on it as well, just near the handle. The exact words are, “The Sword belongs to Goujian, the King of Yue State.” 

7- The Claymore

The Claymore is another one of the famous real swords. It is the sword of Scottish figure, Sir William Wallace who led the anti-fascist resistance against the English rulers. It was a time when the War of Independence was going on in Scotland. The Claymore was used at numerous other battles as well i.e. the Battle of Falkirk and the Battle of Stirling as well. The sword features double edges and is a long and magnificent sword. Only a really tall person with a good stature could properly wield the sword due to its length. The Claymore is one of the most magnificent real swords of all time. 

The above-mentioned real swords are one of the most famous swords of all time and have quite a few interesting legends spinning around them. Some of them are even available in stores nowadays and can be bought at quite reasonable rates. People usually buy them for collection and display purposes and some high quality and expensive real swords are even passed down to the next generations as family heirlooms.

What are some Amazing Facts about the Cutlass Sword?

The historical analysis indicates that the pirates were the wielders of some amazing swords, including the amazing cutlass sword. When it comes to naming some of the amazing good-quality swords that were carried on the high seas as well as the flatlands, the cutlass sword is remembered as well. In fact, the pirates weren't the only ones who were fond of the cutlass sword; this sword was equally popular among the common sailors as well. Referring to the design of the cutlass sword, it is known to be one of the categories of the short-sized swords; in addition, the cutlass sword was carried a French terminology "the cuttoe", which means a short-sized sword which includes a blade resembling the blade of a machete. Until the year of 1800, the cutlass sword was more commonly referred to as the "hanger"; however, later on, it earned its now-famous name of the "cutlass sword".

The Unique Design of the Cutlass Sword

Some analysts consider the cutlass sword to be the descendant of the famous sword wielded in the medieval era; the falchion sword. However, despite the fact that the cutlass swords, as well as the falchion sword, comprise shorter-sized blades of broad width; yet, the cutlass sword does not comprise an “angular-shaped tip of the sword blade" which bears a striking resemblance to the medieval falchion. Referring to the unique design of the cutlass sword, it can be analyzed that the sword comprised a hand-guard designed as a simple basket. 

The hand-guard of the sword could also exist in the form of a simple "d-guard"; some variations of the cutlass sword had minor embellishments engraved on the hand-guard which offered slightly more material for hand-protection in contrast to the simpler versions of the cutlass sword. Typically, the sword hilt was constructed out of the material of brass as it offered more resistance to the buildup of corrosion and rust which was inevitable due to the presence of seawater.

How did the Pirates make an Effective Use of the Cutlass Sword?

With respect to the strong and sturdy design of this sword, the blade was generally viewed as a good slashing or stabbing weapon. The design of the blade of the cutlass sword increased the efficacy of the sword; the blade was not only curved but also had the perfect width to it which coupled with the short length of the blade made it perfect for stabbing and thrusting purposes. The design of this pirate sword enhanced the strength of the sword; subsequently, apart from serving as an effective combat sword, it was also used for creating pathways on unvisited islands by slashing through the wilderness and bushes.

This short pirate sword was loved by all. The machete-style pirate sword serves as a multi-functional tool for the wielders of the cutlass sword. Not to mention the fact that the scarcity of cannons and guns, lead to close-body fights among the pirates and soldiers. In this way, the cutlass sword also served as an effective weapon for CQBs. Apart from using this pirate sword during fights and clearing the wilderness; these short-sized swords also came in handy for the performance of everyday tasks, such as the cutting of ropes on the deck; cutting through the canvas, and even cutting through wooden logs. Hence, the cutlass sword was essentially a multi-functional tool for the pirates at that time.

The Popularity of the Cutlass Sword

Without a doubt, much of the credit of the popularity of the cutlass sword goes to the pirates. Some of the famous pirates of the time were William Kidd and William Fly. The historical analysis indicates that this famous pirate sword was in use by the pirates until the year 1667. Those were the times when the wielders of this pirate sword were well aware of the usefulness of it which means that they know what part of the sword to use for which purpose. It wouldn't be wrong to state that the cutlass sword served as the EDC knife of the time. The pirates knew how to take full advantage of their sword while hacking their way through a dense forest; cutting through ropes, and using the cutlass sword during the numerous battles.