Colada is one of the two best-known swords, along with

Tizona ''Tizona'' (also ''Tizón'') is the name of one of the swords carried by Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid, according to the '' Cantar de Mio Cid''. The name of the second sword of El Cid is '' Colada''. A sword identified as ''Tizona'' was give ...

, of El Cid Campeador. Won in combat from the Count of Barcelona, the sword was presented (along with Tizona) to his sons in law. According to the heroic verses of the Cantar de mio Cid, after his sons-in-law beat his daughters and then abandoned them on the side of the road, El Cid asked for his gifts to be returned. Afterward, he bestowed the sword upon one of his knights, Martín Antolínez. Though its authenticity is doubted, a blade named ''Colada'' and traditionally identified with that of El Cid, with the addition of a 16th-century hilt, is preserved in the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

. It is necessary to add that El Cid's sword is displayed in the Museum as the "Tizona" Sword, the name Colada could have easily been appointed by popular culture since Bards at the time shared stories of folklorical nature which were far from being based on historical facts. According to Sebastián de Covarrubias,Sebastián de Covarrubias. ''Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española'', 1611. ''Colada'' clearly means a sword made from "acero ''colado''" ("cast steel"), a process of alloyed steel without impurities. As with

, Colada appears in the

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

Cantar de mio Cid as a sword that frightens unworthy opponents if wielded by a brave warrior.

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ''al-sīd'', which would evolve into El ...

gives the sword to Martín Antolínez as a present, and he uses it in the duel against the

infante ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to t ...

Diego González.

References

Cantar de mio Cid Fictional swords Medieval European swords Mythological swords {{Spain-hist-stub

See also

References