Awake iron! ( ca, Desperta Ferro!, ; Medieval Aragonese: ''Desperta Ferres!'') was a

battle cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious ...

of the Middle Ages employed by the Almogavars. It was shouted on entering the fight, to frighten the enemy and invoke the presence of iron in the battle. Other Almogaver war-cries were ''Aragó, Aragó!'', ''Via Sus! Via Sus!'', ''Sant Jordi! Sant Jordi!''. However, of these ''Desperta Ferro!'' has emerged as the most famous, as it was unique to those forces. The cry was given as the Almogàvers struck their lances and darts with flints, causing sparks to fly up from the stones. Nowadays, it is still used as a motto for the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

6th Paratroopers Brigade "Almogávares".

References

{{Reflist Almogavars Military history of Catalonia Reconquista Battle cries Military mottos

See also

References