German - Two-handed Sword - Walters 511335

A flame-bladed sword or wave-bladed sword has a characteristically undulating style of

blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Histor ...

. The wave in the blade is often considered to contribute a flame-like quality to the appearance of a sword. The dents on the blade can appear parallel or in a zig-zag manner. The two most common flame-bladed swords are

rapier A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Impo ...

s or ''

Zweihänder The ''Zweihänder'' () (German 'two-hander'), also ''Doppelhänder'' ('double-hander'), ''Beidhänder'' ('both-hander'), ''Bihänder'' or ''Bidenhänder'', is a large two-handed sword primarily in use during the 16th century. ''Zweihänder'' s ...

s''. A flame-bladed sword was not exclusive to a certain country or region. The style of blade can be found on swords from modern-day Germany, France, Spain, and Switzerland.

''Flambard'', ''Flammard'', and ''Flammenschwert''

The two-handed flame-bladed sword is referred to by the German ''Flammenschwert'' (literally "flame sword"). These swords are very similar to

two-handed sword The English language terminology used in the classification of swords is imprecise and has varied widely over time. There is no historical dictionary for the universal names, classification or terminology of swords; a sword was simply a double e ...

or ''

'', the only difference being the blade. The design of the blade is decorative along with being functional by causing unpleasant vibrations while parrying. Still, the undulating blade is no more effective at cutting than a straight one. An advantage over swords with a straight blade is that a waved blade could better distribute the force of impact and thus was less likely to break. It could also threaten the opponent in a duel and may have witheld them of grabbing the blade. Like other ''Zweihänders'' they were used during the 16th century by the ''

Landsknecht The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front lin ...

s'' (well-trained and experienced swordsmen) for single-fights, protecting castle/town walls, or sometimes to protect the banner on the battlefield.

''Flamberge''

'' Flamberge'' is not a fit term to use for flame-bladed swords because of the many different connotations it has. Despite coming from the French "flamber", meaning "flaming", it has been used to refer to swords without the flamed-blade. Egerton Castle used the term to refer to swords that were a transition from the rapier to the smallsword. These swords did not necesarilly have an undulated blade. Castle makes note of this being the case of certain Swiss rapiers, but ''flamberge'' quickly became a disdainful term in France to refer to flamboyant swords. This comes from the French expression "''Mettre flamberge au vent"'', meaning "To put he swordin the wind". Here, it is suggested that the wielder of the sword likened it to the mythical sword

Durendal Durendal, also spelled Durandal, is the sword of Roland, a legendary paladin and partially historical officer of Charlemagne in French epic literature. It is also said to have belonged to young Charlemagne at one point, and, passing through Sara ...

, which alternatively was called ''flamberge''. The term is a frequent name or alias for swords in medieval chansons de geste and romances. Here, it often just meant a large sword.

Gallery

File:Dresden-Zwinger-Armoury-Sword.04.JPG, A ''Flammenschwert''. This is a

featuring an exceptionally long blade and hilt, a wide crossguard, and a

ricasso A ricasso is an unsharpened length of blade just above the guard or handle on a knife, dagger, sword, or bayonet. Blades designed this way appear at many periods in history in many parts of the world and date back to at least the Bronze Age—ess ...

with a pair of parrying hooks File:Flamberge.png, A one-handed sword of the flamberge type File:Anciens gardes suisses pontificaux à Lausanne 3.jpg, alt=Picture of the Pontificial Swiss Guard. Three guards are in the center of the picture wearing traditional clothing with orange and blue stripes. They also wear black berets. The middle guard holds a pole with the flag of the guard. The two other guards flank him on both sides. They hold two long two-handed swords in their right hand pointed to the ground. The blades of the swords are waved, shaped in a zigzag manner with rounded edges., Members of the Pontificial Swiss Guard with ''Flammenschwerten'' File:Flamberge.jpg, alt=, A flame-bladed sword with swept hilt

References

External links

* Renaissance-era swords {{Sword-stub

''Flambard'', ''Flammard'', and ''Flammenschwert''

''Flamberge''

Gallery

See also

References

External links