Sword Sunday #52 - North's sword...and all good things must come to and end.

So, in something of a new tradition for my family, we sat down Christmas eve and watched "Rise of the guardians" as a family. Say what you will about the movie, but I found that the story narrative, the characters (a Tattooed Russian "Santa", a marshal arts trained, six foot tall, Australian Easter Bunny,  a hummingbird-winded, feathered Tooth fairy, and a plump, Sand man literally made of magic sand) and the plot to be engaging, fun, and most importantly, entertaining. 

So, for the fifty second Sword Sunday of 2020, I wanted to have some fun and talk about the set of swords our butt-kicked Santa Clause was swinging as he went against "Pitch", the aptly nick-named Boogieman. 

Our hard hitting Russian enforcer brings a matched pair of single bladed, straight-backed swords with single hilts and hand-guards. The handles are wrapped, and likely wire wrapped to help shift the center of gravity back towards the hands for balance, which lends itself towards the speed of the strike with a single handed weapon. 

If you look at the weapon in detail, it is actually a fairly well illustrated back-sword, which dates to the second quarter of the sixteenth century in western Europe, and did, in fact, have some counterparts into Russia. Like the weapon in the movie, the back sword was regarded has a sharp, fast cutting weapon with a secondary thrusting attack. It was made for the speed of the strike, and was used as a fast moving weapon meant to cut deeply on the strike or the draw. 

And, if you look at the movie and how "North" wields his matched pair, that is very much in line with how he swings at the Nightmares and then at "Pitch" in the film. 

So, Truth be told, Kudo's to the director and animators for this really well done bit of Hollywood weaponry. 

And, that leads us to our final topic of the series.

When I set out to do this project, I knew that it was be a one year undertaking, and I knew that while there was a lot more to talk about, I couldn't blindly go on just talking about swords, not with as many things as I have going on right now in my life. And.... to think that I laid out this project before 2020 became "2020".... the fact that I made it is, frankly, no small miracle in my opinion. 

I hope you have enjoyed this year-long voyage of swords as a topic, both as weapons and a cultural icons. it has been an eye opening process writing about them, and an engaging process sharing my findings and information about them with you.

But, as was said by better people than me,

All good things must come to an end.

And with that, I leave you on this, the last Sword Sunday, and the last Sunday of 2020. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday # 51 - Two case Studies, and a lesson in culture.

This week we take a quick look at two different situations on opposite sides of the world from each other. 

There is nothing Japanese about Miriam and Martin Carrington, of west Yorkshire, England. The couple, however, did have an interest in Japanese culture, and that lead them to purchase a 'wall hanger' decorate katana for their bedroom several years ago. As far as Miriam could recall, she had never even taken it out of its scabbard.  

but that all changed one night when three men broke into the couple's home while they were there and ordered them to hand over the keys to their £40,000 ($54,090.00) Audi. Martin ordered his wife to run to the bedroom and lock the door as the three men pressed in, shouting threatened and repeated orders to hand over the keys. 

Miriam, however, had a different idea. 

"‘I suppose I just went into crazy mode." She explained to the paper After running to the bedroom, she grabbed the weapon, held it, and ran back to confront the three men. "I held the blade towards him to stop him moving and then the silly idiot, who was wearing gloves, grabbed the blade with both hands. I then pulled it back towards me and that is when it has sliced through his hands."

The damage to the man's hand was so severe that a doctor later said that he was close to death from blood loss by the time he and his two co-conspirators got him to help. His attorney would later state that the man had completely lost feeling in several fingers, and that the cut was through several tendons and into the bones. 

Miriam and Martin were exonerated of any wrong doing, and the intruders have been charged with multiple counts of criminal conduct for their attack that night. 

See the full article in the Daily Mail.

The situation in Australia for actor  Blake Davis, however, is less clear. 

What is known is that an intruder broke into the actor's home while Blake's girlfriend was with him. In the ensuing confrontation, Blake delivered a single blow with a Katana that struck the intruder on the head. The single hit, delivered with an blade that was also razor sharp, would prove fatal, and the home intruder would later die of the resulting injury. 

This is where the facts stop and the disputes begin. 

Davis said that the attacked pointed a weapon at him, and then his girlfriend, a statement that the police said they were not able to cooperate with other people in the home.

Also, Davis admitted to chasing the fleeing attacker after the fatal blow was delivered, for almost 80 yards  

For the prosecutors, this was evidence of criminal intent. Final arguments for the case were heard this week. Davis' defense attorneys have leaned hard on the emotions of the situation, pointing Blake's fear for the safety of his girlfriend, and the fact that he only delivered one blow with the weapon. 

Prosecutors, however have argued that the Davis understood the weapon's capabilities, and that his aggressive actions, including chasing the attacker for three quarters the length of a soccer field constitutes and attack, and is not self defense. 

A Judge has already ruled that the Murder accusation against Davis could not go forward, leaving the remaining charges as the Australian equivalent to manslaughter. 

None the less, the Jury is still considering if Davi's actions rise to the level of criminal assault, or are, in fact truly self defense. 

Se the full article in the Islander.

Analysis.

One of the interesting aspects of these two stories is the name of the weapon. Both article, written for different publications, literally half the globe apart, describe the weapon as "Samurai Swords". The reality is that the actual Samurai class used a number of weapons during their nearly millennium long existence, including multiple blades ranging from 8 inches, all the way to 50 or more. 

However, no blade has more come to personify Japan than the katana sword. This is due to a number of factors, some external, some internal.   After the second world war, stories of Japanese officers with katanas leading infantry charges were some of the most vivid tales to come out of the pacific theater, and were part of the reason that sword ownership, or instruction were banned outright by the american occupational government on the island for multiple years after the war.

The Second aspect of this is a cultural one that started during feudal japan, but shaped the modern nation and some of its art. To varying degrees, Japanese marshal arts have taught that the weapon was an extension of the person holding it, and that part of its purpose was to express the warrior spirit of the person. This philosophy extended into world war two, and included the institutional practice of some models of machine guns being fitted with bayonets as it was 'appropriate' for the weapon to properly express the role of the man holding it. This was the same philosophy that encouraged and reinforced the idea that officers had to hold  swords (and pistols) rather than rifles for most of the war. 

Following the war, however, as the shattered entertainment industry worked to rebuild itself under a newly pacified national government, the national pride and history would find a safe venue tof expression in movies, manga (comic books) and later on, TV shows. As the Japanese culture already gravitated towards more fantastical expressions of cinema than western audiences preferred, Japnese media, both live action and animated (and manga) would leave a dramatic (and somewhat inflated) impression of the classic Katana on non-Japanese consumers.

In Japan, traditionally, the swords were used as a way to express the prowess and power of the character. The weapon was capable of its many feats because of the skill of the person holding it. 

However, for American, British and Canadian audiences, with a more secular worldview at the time, the message was that the characters were made powerful because of the strength and sharpness of the blade. 

In this cultural mistranslation sits the roots of the Katana's near mythical status with western audiences, and why it is now almost exclusively associated with the Samurai, and why a Katana (often called a Samurai  sword) is one of the first things casual students of Japanese history go for when they pull out their wallet. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday # 50 - 2020 is turning out to be an interesting year to find things

When we talk about old swords in the modern day, we also need to understand the circumstances in which they were found, and that includes political, legal, and contextual. While this article isn't about swords, per se, it does inform us about how absolutely insane 2020 is in nearly all aspects of life, including when we talk about swords. 

In England, there has been a law in effect since 1997 that defines certain things founds in the ground as possible "treasure". For a country that has roots back to the height of the Roman empire, even simple things like tool handles, metal blades, and minted coins can be invaluable, not only for their raw monetary value, but for the historical information they provide as well. Anything found that is, or looks to be over 300 years old is required to be reported. Each county has an office who's job it is to review finds, and assess if they are national, and/or histrionically significant. Items found to have that value are taken into custody of the state (the government of the UK), and usually turned over to a museum or research institute. 

Currently, the law in question is being looked at for expansion, after several significant finds were deemed to not meet the age and value specifications that had been set, and critically important items were lost to the private market, and in many cases locked away from researchers eyes.

Still, even with what it does cover, the offices are hardly inactive.

In 2017, 1,267 pieces went through the process in which a committee determines whether an item should be considered a treasure, up from 79 pieces in 1997. - From the article by Jenny Gross

By those metrics, the committee in question would have reviewed about 3 items per day. 

2020, however, is another animal entirely. Even with a strong aversion to instituting a lock-down, England has resorted to that several times now, and, like much of the industrialized world, also seen an explosive surge in work-from-home employment situations. 

The end result to all of this? 

Well, sociologists will no doubt debate and evaluate the full effects well into the 2030s, but one thing that is also happening a lot more is a surge in home gardening, and yard improvements. 

And that means digging.

And that can get interesting in a country with a cultural history dating back over 2000 years.

One spectacular example was where gardeners in Hampshire found 63 gold coins minted during the reign of Henry VIII, 4 inscribed with the names of his wives. 

Another discovery in Milton Keynes were a stash of apartheid era South African Gold coins.Their presence alone on the island nation hints at an interesting story. 

As of the beginning of December, over 47,000 items (including some swords) have been reported to the authorities in England, a rate of over 120 finds a day, forty two times the previous rate of reporting. 

Whatever comes of COVID, and the consequences there in, one of the byproducts of the event (and the likely continued lock-downs into 2021), will probably include an improved gimps into the nation's long, and diverse history. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #49 - The Greek Xiphos

When you talk about the Greek military, the cornerstone image of the early, pre-roman armies is that of spear-armed, bronze-breastplated soldiers marching in their characteristic block, or Phalanx formations. The image is not altogether wrong,  like nearly every army that existed before the rise of the firearm, the Greeks learned that the pike or spear was the king of the battlefield, able to deflect almost any charge.

That being said, they were not blind to the question of what to do when the blocks of soldiers were broken, or individual troops were caught alone, or when the fight did close to hand-to-hand range. When that did happen, the Greeks had their own answer to the eventuality. 

Modern reconstruction of a Greek xiphos and scabbard.

The Xiphos was one of a handful of swords in history who's existence actually bridged the bronze (3200–600 BCE)   and iron ages (1100–700 BCE) extensively.  The exact age of the weapon is somewhat nebulous, but its association with the ancient Greek militarizes is strong enough to stipulate that it likely was part of the military arsenal from the 8th century BCE to the 1st century BCE. 

The sword itself is a simple, clean blade, with a flat grip and a small hilt. The blade was generally regarded at between 18 to 24 inches long, though Spartans were reported as using a 12" version. It was a 'leaf bladed' design, with the fullest part of the blade about a third of the way down its length, and it was probably equally good at both chopping or thrusting, though both iron and bronze are noted for being bad at holding an edge (bronze, of course more so). The weapon would have been originally been cast, and then shaped by stoning, since bronze can not be hardened. Iron swords however, may have been either cast, or forged, and examples exist to suggest both methods were used.

Its worth noting that the Xiphos is nearly identical in design and construction to the Celtic  

La Tène people. As to which sword came first, of they are event connected, or if both are an example of form following function is still something of a talked about debate among historians. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #48 - new mushrooms, and an really old sword

The Vintage News this month covered an interesting find out of Europe. Roman Novak, a citizen of the Czech republic, was 'mushroom hunting', a common tradition in that part of Europe, when he discovered something that was decidedly not fungal. 

"It had just rained and I went mushroom-picking. As I went, I saw a piece of metal sticking out of some stones. I kicked it and found that it was a blade, part of a sword. I then dug some more to find a bronze axe." - Roman Novak

The axe was part of a larger find, the 'crown jewel' of  which being a cast bronze sword with a blade broken just above the hilt. 

Archaeologists have commented that the actual quality of the weapon is very poor, with x-rays showing bubbles inside the metal, creating weakness in the already soft bronze. Researchers suspect that the weapon was more than likely ceremonial more than functional in its day. The sword is beleived to have belonged to the Urnfield people, so named because of their practiced of burying their dead as cremated ashes in urns. 

As for the weapon itself, it will be further analyzed by experts before being exhibited at both the Ethnographic Museum of Jesenicko and the Silesian Museum.

But before we leave it at that, its worth pointing out here a little bit more about the context of the sword existence.

First of all, as I have pointed out before, the sword was the first truly 'pure weapon' in human culture. nearly all other instruments of war before that had their roots in hunting or building tools. To buiold a sword is to prepare for war, or at least conflict, as a fundamental level. Spears and bows can hunt, axes can build, and even maces drawn their linage from rock mass weapons who's smashing power would become the hammers and mallets of skilled craftsmen centuries later. But the sword had no such counterpart, to display a sword, let alone to wield it, was to unambiguously proclaim some level of fighting prowess, or authority.  Such a weapon was likely owned by someone with authority, or wealth, or both depending on the people. 

The 14th century BCE is part of the dawn of civilization in Europe. The parent and grandparent tribes and people who would go on to become the dominant force in the world in less than 1000 years have their roots in these times.  

Egypt is one of the major forces of the day, both militarily and economically. In its company are kingdoms such as  Assyria,  Athens, and the Mitanni, among others. Steel is still a millennium away, and man is building cities and reshaping the world now with bronze tools. The battle of Thermopalye is almost 1000 years into the future at this point, and one of the great engineering feats of the century was when Amenhotep III connected the red sea with the Nile river by way of a canal. 

In fact, its estimated that as much as a third of the worlds population of the day might have been migratory, not claiming a 'homeland' in the popular sense of the world. 

As something of a footnote to this, again for the sake of perspective, this sword is 500 years older than the great wall of China.

And , if you were to create a timeline from now (2020) to the approximate century the sword was made (1300BCE), and then to put a point on it showing when the first true European castles were built in Europe, that mark would be closer to you and to the sword by over 500 years (depending on who's definition of 'castle' your'e using).

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #47 - A Sword, a box, an archive, and an epic journey.

Our story starts with a  box. More specifically a shipping container, this one in California. Very little is known about the box or its contents, only that it was sold for $100 at auction, most likely after being abandoned. 

Inside, we known almost nothing of what the buyer found. 

Except for one item. 

About 3 feet long, with a black scabbard and gold hand-guard, the sword was intact, and clearly modern, but had no name on it. The buyer, from what we know did some homework, and discovered the weapon’s heritage, and part of its story.

It was a US Marine Corp Recruitment Command Sabre, a weapon given to the top student in each of the command's regular classes. While nowhere near as renowned, or storied as the Corps officer saber, the weapon and its heritage still were significant to those who received it.  For several years, the buyer, who’s name is now lost to history, looked for the sword's original owner, but had no luck. Finally, he turned to the best person he could think of.

His barber.

But this isn’t just any barber. Scott Marty is a retired Marine, who served from 1988 to 1992, and was deployed to Desert Storm. Following his time in uniform, Scott ultimately opened Scott’s Barber Salon, and it was in this capacity that he was known to the original buyer. For the first time in years, the sword was now in the hands of a Marine, and one who who would set out on his own personal quest reunite it with its rightful owner. 

That search took 15 years, and would ultimately include conversations with his wife, friends, family, and even friends of family.

“Over the years, we have talked to recruiters and other military people and (had) not been able to find him,” Marty’s wife, Rietta Morris-Marty, said.

What they knew, or rather what they were able to piece together, was that the sword was given to a recruiter who had worked out of Oakland California, and that it had been stolen. Anything beyond that was wild speculation at that point. 

But the next, and critical break came when a friend of Scott’s made a stop in Virginia.

Marine Corps Base Quantico (Wikipedia entry), Virginia is arguably the heart of the corps. Home of the Officer Candidate School, where all marines officers start their training, it also contains  Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, home of HMX-1 (the Marine helicopter squadron that is tasked with transport of the president of the united states), Marine Corps Research Center, which helps do initial testing of new combat technologies for marine infantry and vehicles, and one of the original locations for the Marine Corps Martial Arts program. Considered the “Crossroads of the Marine Corps”, the base is also home to National Museum of the Marine Corps, as well as various libraries and archives of assignments, names, and equipment (some public, some restricted based by clearances). 

The family friend was able to take some of the information off of the sword, as well as what Scott had been able to learn in his own time, and touch base with some of the archivists at Quantico. Leveraging the resources of the old base, they were able to do in a few hours what Scott and his friends had not been able to do in 15 years. 

His name is Wayne Steinberg, 62, and currently he’s the Facility, Fleet, Safety and Security manager for US Foods in Phoenix, Arizona. But from 1976 to 1987, he was a Marine, including seeing combat in Grenada, an experience he does not discuss at all. 

“When I attended Recruiters School back in 1981, I was awarded the sword for being No. 1 in my class,” said Steinberg, “And in 1997, I was living in Daly City at the time, my apartment was broken into and it was stolen, along with all the ribbons and badges I had.”

Every year since then, he had called the Daly city police to ask if they had recovered,t he sword, and the heartbreaking answer was always the same. But now, the sword would returned to its rightful owner, after almost a quarter century separated from the man. 

Wayne Steinberg immediately offered to pay the full cost of shipping the blade, but it was  Rietta Morris-Marty who insisted that that would not do at all. 

“She said it was our responsibility to make sure it gets back into his hands properly,” Marty said of his wife’s reaction. 

“Marines don’t do that,” Rita added when asked about the prospect of just mailing the weapon home. 

They had seen this through for a decade and a half, now they would finish what they had started. 

On July 26, 2020, at a private ceremony with no press, Scott Marty returned the MCRC sabre to Wayne Steinberg. The location was a veterans memorial in Anthems. In attendance, members of the U.S. State Department,  local Veterans of Foreign Wars post members, the Maricopa County sheriff and one deputy, and a group Steinberg works with, Youth for Troops.

“[Steinberg] paused . . . and he moved forward and I asked him if he was Wayne Steinberg,” said Marty, adding that once the case holding the sword was handed over, Steinberg never let it go.

The MCRC sabre is now back in the ownership of the man who first earned it back in 1981. It is described as being in good condition, and Wayne has expressed commence gratitude for its return.

For Scott Marty, the after effects of his adventure were felt all the way back home. Many of his customers are military or law enforcement, and when told of the sword and its journey, “People have been moved to tears,” he explains. 

Note: This story is draws heavily on the veterans day article written by Todd R. Hansen for the Daily Republic.  Please see his full article for more details of the story. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #46 "‘What the heck?" Amateur archaeologist finds a sword...and a lot more

While most archaeologists are professionals (or students there too) in their fields, there is also a huge number of  average people who enjoy digging for artifacts in their spare time. Carrie Hadaway, of Plymouth Massachusetts is one such person, and one reporter went so far as to say she is is basically living on top of ancient artifacts.

Included in her finds are stone tools that have been described as not being native to her local area, as arrowheads that reportedly represent several different indigenous tribes known to the area in the pre-colonial period.  

But arguably, one of the more facilitating finds of late was, (no surprise to my regular readers) what looks to be a 150 year old practice sword that was likely made by a local blacksmith. 

“I dug down a couple of feet and there it was,” she told the local paper. “I grabbed it and held it over my head and yelled, ‘Excalibur!’ I have a different vibe than most people. I was running around yelling how I found a sword, and my kids are like, ‘Yeah, Mom. Whatever.’”

Now, while details photos of the sword are not widely available at the moment, what we do see is enough to inform about the weapon. 

The 'blade" is round, indicating a practice weapon, or perhaps a competitive fencing blade for a college student or athlete of the day. The metalwork is not complex, but is also not amateurish either. The corners and joins look to be clean, well joined, and consistent. it is definitively a later period design, clearly mimicking a lightweight style of blade, something we would modernly call a rapier. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #45 - "the sword in the stump" lost... and then found.

A sword that had stood immovably wedged into a stump in the middle of a small community, which had served as a focal point of interest and conversation for the residents there, vanished one day,  as suddenly and unexpectedly as it had appeared years before.

As ready as you are to to hear the some magical story sent in some isolated farming hamlet in the north of England, this story is set among the suburban streets of Arkon, Ohio. 

For a century and a half, a tall white ash tree stood looming over its small plot of the neighborhood, happily occupying a so-called "devil's strip" between a lot and  public street. its end came not from fire, or flood, but at the unforgiving mandibles of emerald ash borers, an invasive, and persistent species of wood eating beetle, who's larvae dealt the tree a fatal blow in 2015. The city finally cut it down in order to prevent it from collapsing on some unfortunate passer buy. 

Interestingly, it was not the tree's first brush with the saw. in 2002, it was slated to be cut down for construction, but the local residents protested, convincing the property owner at the time to leave it standing. But, even this long, and fortunate history wasn't enough to spare it. By the winter of 2015, the tree was no more, leaving only a stump as a monument to its one-time history. 

But, that's where our story begins. 

Enter, the artist.

Michael Marras grew up in Arkon, and knew the trees from his earliest memories. He considered it a magical item, invocative, and inspirational. Watching the tree come down left it mark, not only on Marras, but the community. When Childhood was traded for adulthood, Marras embraced art and creativity, becoming a metal sculptor and artist. In 2016, his artistry and the ash tree met in a spectacular, and covert act of metalwork. 

Under the cover of dreary weather, something that usually pushes most residents indoors for the day, Marras ventured out tot he stump, and affixed a massive sculpture of a sword to the hardened wood, holding it in place with heavy bolts to assure it didn't venture off. 

Photo: Jeff Lang, Arkon beacon Journal

The effect was immediate, even is no one else knew where the sculpture came from. 

Megan Moreland, who now lives on the property containing the stump, spoke about her first encounter with the sculpture. 

"I recall driving home by it, and it filled me with utter joy to the point I was just laughing."

The community as a whole was fascinated, and then enchanted by the object. “It's been a really positive experience,” Moreland added. “Mainly because I think it captures people's imagination and whimsy and a sense of childhood.”

Try as Marras did to keep his name apart from the display, it wasn't hard, after a while, to piece together the most likely of culprits. 

“There’s only so many metal sculpture artists in Akron, It was a secret for maybe like a couple years — until people started deducing who might have done it.”- Marras 

And then, it vanished. 

No one can say exactly when the sword vanished, but it was sometime earlier this year (2020), before the COVID situation drove most people in to their homes.  but by March, it was definitively gone, and the community noticed. 

The memory of the sword and the emotions and feelings it inspired lived on, with people talking about it weeks and then months after its disappearance. In some cases, neighbors, and even strangers would reportedly donate money to Marras in and effort fashion a new one. 

Enter the hero.

Everette Walker may not be what anyone would consider a hero, but the diminutive, blond haired 8 year old remembered the sword every bit as much as the adults in the town who fondly recalled their own time as children when they saw 'the sword in the stump'. 

One day, while out playing in the woods near his home, Everette discovered the thing that childhood dreams are made of.

“He just walked up and was like, ‘Look what I found,’” Jennifer Walker, the boy’s mother said. “And of course, everyone in the neighborhood knew that sword was missing for a long time.”

The artist pointed out that the sculpture (which was designed as a as structure, and not an actual combat weapon) probably weighs as much as, if not more than 8 year old Everette, so his presenting it to his mother is all the more remarkable. 

“I like that we have our young King Arthur in the neighborhood,” Megan Moreland said of Everette's epic find. 

But the real magic of the moment is not just in finding the sculpture.

Everette's mother noted that King Arthur was known not only for pulling the sword from the tone, but also uniting the warring factions of his fledgling kingdom. This aspect of the story has also played out in Akron, invoking the legend in ways that Marras could not have foreseen when he first made it.

Arkon is no less touched by the division and anger surrounding the 2020 presidential campaign. Jennifer Walker and Michael Marras both noted that the sword, even in its absence, brought people together, unified them, and reminded them of a common purpose. 

“That’s probably one of my favorite parts of the sword in the stump story. I feel like people who are able to think differently and see things different are able to imagine things being better. I think something small like that can have a big impact.” - Michael Marras

"The Sword in the stump" is located  on West Exchange & Elmdale, Akron, OH, 44313, and situated near a public street for open viewing. 

Michael Marras, who now lives in Los Angeles, has gone on to create an extensive portfolio of metal artwork. 

Note: Most of the information gathered for this post was collected for  the Akron Beacon Journal article by Sean McDonnell.

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #44 - A "knighting" gone wrong (and how that guy almost started World War III)

If we were talking about anyone else in this post, this story wouldn't even make the back page of a local newspaper. But... it does involve a few well known faces, a sword....and unfortunately a lot of (likely expensive) alcohol. But, if you look past the superficial surface features, and into the people involved, there is an interesting, and compelling story to be heard as well. 

So, the place is the Royal Lodge, a stone's throw from Windsor Castle. The year is 2016, and the world is probably a lot different that the one you are reading this in. The event, a large social (read "party", complete with open wet bar) with friends, and friends of friends. 

The the three people in question? James, Ed, and Beatrice. 

But of course, these aren't just any people. So, lets do proper introductions:

"James" is James Blunt, a British singer, song writer, and military veteran of Her Majesty's Royal Army. 

"Ed" is Ed Sheeran, Grammy award winning British singer, and song writer.

And "Beatrice" is Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary, daughter of the Duke of York, 9th in line to the throne of England. 

So, we have three well-known, well to do people, together, at a party, drinking. 

What could possibly go wrong?

Oh yes, lets add a sword to the mix.

As it turns out, James, who was several years into a successful music career and was (and remains) highly popular with the younger British crowd, had commented casually to Beatrice that he had always wanted to be knighted by the hand of a royal. A schoolboy dream if ever there was one, but also one likely shared by a great many from around the world. Beatrice was reportedly intrigued by this idea, and the conversation ensued from there. 

------------------------

Now, as an aside, this does segue nicely into a bit of actual modern history on the part of James. 

James Blunt joined the British army in 1996. In '99, he was an officer with the "Blues and Royals" cavalry Squadron when it deployed to Kosovo as part of the NATO peacekeeping force sent to the region. His unit was working the front lines, spotting troop formations as conducting reconnaissance for the NATO bombing campaign to stop the Serbians. (this was about 4 years after the Scott O'Grady shoot down, for reference).  In June of that year, James's unit was the lead element of a large NATO ground force ordered into the country at the time. 

His squadron was ordered to take the Priština International Airport. However, a Russian mechanized infantry unit interceded ahead of the NATO force, and occupied the airport first. Russian, not being part of the NATO force, was now blocking one of the strategic points needed for the peacekeeping force to do its work. US General Wesley Clark, the NATO task force commander, ordered the Blues and Royals to attack the airfield, and take it by force.  However, General Sir Mike Jackson, the British contingent commander, refused the order. "I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War III." [source]  

Blunt would later comment to the BBC that had Jackson not blocked the order, he would have refused to follow it anyway.

"There are things that you do along the way that you know are right, and those that you absolutely feel are wrong, that I think it's morally important to stand up against, and that sense of moral judgement is drilled into us as soldiers in the British army." [Source]

Jackson would order his the squadron (and several other units) to encircle the airfield. Under the cover an undisputed NATO air superiority, the Russian troops were isolated, and soon out of basic provisions, including food and water. They would surrender the airport soon there after without firing a shot at NATO troops. 

While not a 'guts a glory' war story worthy of a Hollywood film, its worth pointing out that James Blunt went farther towards actually earning a knighthood than many of us today, having actually volunteered first for the military, and then for a combat assignment. All of this was then followed up by him publicly stating that he would have refused orders if needed, in order to not start a shooting war with the Russians. 

------------------------

So, now lets get back to the 2016 party with Ed, James, and Beatrice. 

Beatrice evidently decided to oblige Jame's dream. This being the estate of some of the royal heirs of England, the chances of at least one sword being in the house are about 1000%. And, low and behold, evidently there was one, because the next thing people were seeing was James dropping down on one knee before the British princess, and her highness presenting a sword over his head in an impromptu ceremony with the party guests as witnesses to the good-natured gesture.

Now, we don't know what type of sword it it was, or even what it looked like. The British sword culture has tied all the way back to Roman Britain, and the Royal Family traces its own monarchical rights back to the battle of Hastings, 1066, when Norman, Saxon, and Angles used thick, tough, single handed swords. The linage since then include almost every major sword in Europe, from great-swords, to rapiers, to 'pike breakers', to cavalry sabers, and so on. So, as to what style or type of sword was produced that night, we can't say at the moment.

But I can say one thing about it for sure. And for that piece of evidence, we look to the remaining person on our list of three, Ed Sheeran. 

First of all, a picture if worth a thousand words, so lets let the photos do the talking for us. 

Exhibit A :Ed Sheeran 2010
(note the face)

So, Ed is completely on board with this bit of light-hearted fun, and is standing close when Beatrice produced the sword and begins to 'knight' James. In fact, he was evidently standing just behind the princess, looking over her shoulder.

This was all well and good until Beatrice was done, and pulled the sword out of the way so that James to 'arise' as a new knight. 

Exhibit B: Ed Sheeran, circa 2018 
(note the face)

From the evidence, it looks like the sword was very sharp indeed. So sharp in fact, that the scar is now a permanent fixture on Ed Sheeran's visage. If you note the location, its not hard to argue that the man was only a few inches (if that) from possibly needing a glass eye, or an eye patch for the rest of his life. 

Such revelations tend to make one wonder how many scars and eye patches in history were actually earned in combat, and how many might possibly have been due to a bit of fun gone wrong. 

In the years since the incident, all three of our principles have gone on to live their respective lives. Beatrice, as part of the royal family, has gone on to continue her work with Chartity and philanthropy. James and Ed are each widely popular recording artists both in the UK and in the US, and each have released multiple successful albums in the past few years as well. 

There is no word that any of them have had anything to do with swords since that day. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday 43 - The most legendary sword you've probably never heard of

This story has all the makings of a best-selling novel, complete with a court case agaisnt a major corporation, palace intrigue, secret societies, a spy, and a murder. But our story starts sometime in the early 1900s with the looting of a tomb. 

We don't know the exact date, or time, or even who carried out the deed. And as easy as it is to envision the event happening under cover of darkness, by candlelight, and with black cloaks on, the truth of the matter is that it could very well have been a regularly scheduled event, set in between lunch and tea, or just after breakfast. 

Who knows, right?

But the fact of the matter is that some time just before the world was embroiled in "the Great War", men working under the orders of the 5th Earl of Warwick entered a tomb in  St Mary’s Church in Warwick, and proceeded to empty the location of everything but the body and the sarcophagus itself. While we may never know if the act itself was conducted clandestinely, the results were not. One sword, one dagger and two helmets have been on display to the public in Warwick castle ever since.

And now, a century later, that sword is back in the news, but to understand why, we need to first understand who it was who first owned it. 

Sir Fulke Greville,
1st Baron Brooke (1554-1628).
 English poet and courtier
Portrait by Edmund Lodge

Sir Fulke Greville, (who would, at the time of his death be properly styled Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, de jure 13th Baron Latimer and 5th Baron Willoughby de Broke KB PC) was something of a renaissance man for his day. Author, courtier, exchequer, playwright, Greville was arguably one of the leading minds of his time. It is now also believed he was a high ranking, possibly the top member of the order of the Rosicrucians.

Don't let the name Rosicrucians shoot by you without taking it in. The Rosicrucian society was a spiritual and cultural movement, and mystical order in the early 17th century. The foundation was based on a the story of a German physician, mystic, and philosopher who was called Father Brother Christian Rosenkreuz (Literally "Rose-cross"), who was reportedly born in 1378, and lived to be 106, and practiced what today some scholars believed to be form of  Sufism. Rosenkreuz, and per the story, practiced a personal ethos of healing the sick without accepting payment,. The foundations of the order, again, per the tradition, was Rosenkreuz and eight followers agreeing to maintain a secret fellowship while working though their lifetimes to continue to heal others and better themselves. 

All of this entered the public eye in the yea 1600 when a series of manifestos was published in Germany, and then the rest of Europe, telling the story of Rosenkreuz to the larger public, and saying that 'the time was right' for the secret order to reveal themselves to the world, seeking good men to join them. 

The movement's manifestos promised to revamp philosophical, literary, ecclesiastical/religious, artistic, and scientific (or "alchemical") thinking of the day by making use of 'lost' or 'hidden' practices. While the actual practiced talked about either did not work, or were never revealed, (in fact, the whole history of the order is widely speculated to be little more than a work of creative writing), the impact of its promises was very real.

The manifestos (3 of them in total) would directly influence and inspire the works of movers and shakers across Europe. Michael Maier (1568–1622) of Germany would go on to be named  Pfalzgraf (Count Palatine) by Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor. his works would included argent, and striden defense of the Rosicrucians. Other historical figures included Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, Gotthardus Arthusius, Julius Sperber, Henricus Madathanus, Gabriel Naudé, and Thomas Vaughan.

 Robert Fludd (1574–1637) and Elias Ashmole (1617–1692) of England would also credit the writing of the Rosicrucians with influencing their works,  helping to bring the order fully to the English aisle. 

German theologian Daniel Cramer published a treatise in 1617 entitled "Societas Jesus et Rosae Crucis Vera" (The True Society of Jesus and the Rosy Cross).

Art, poetry, and history across Europe began to see references to the order, some almost coded, others obvious.

For what we do presage is not in grosse,

For we are brethren of the Rosie Crosse;

We have the Mason Word and second sight,

Things for to come we can foretell aright.

— Henry Adamson, The Muses Threnodie  (a poem from 1638).

The name of the order was also its own self-explanatory brand, with a gold cross and a rose at the intersection becoming the badge for members and adherents. 

It was in this philosophical tumult that we find Sir Fulke Greville, personal exchequer to Queen Elizabeth I, and then to James I. When you consider the history of the English royal family and their ability to spend and loose money to the point of literal bankruptcy many times over throughout history, the selection of a person charged with organizing that money was a mark of the highest trust, and put Greville in very high circles. 

Greville was no meek individual, A prolific writer, he was a poet, man of numbers and letters, scholar, and lawmaker, on top of being a combat veteran and member of the English high-born. Before his rise to prominence, it is known that participated in the Battle of Coutras in 1587. He also for a short time in Normandy under King Henry III of Navarre in the French Wars of Religion  in 1591. In his later years, he would serve as the parliamentary representative for  Warwickshire at multiples meetings of parliament.

On top of, and aside from his public life, Greville's sharp mind, extensive education, and  work with both letters and numbers made him a more than capable spy for the crown. Not only knowledgeable of of foreign customs and language, but he almost certainly was one of the early code-masters used in England.  Even if the letter was intercepted and read before its delivery, the use of codes could help protect the message itself. In an age before computer encryption and frequency hopping radios, such abilities would have been worth Greville's weight in gold to whoever hired him.  

Greville's skills also included the dramatic and the political. He famously penned "Four Foster Children of Desire", a small production written specifically to be put on before the french ambassador during a visit  to Whitehall. At the time, the French were working to arrange a marriage between Elizabeth I and Francis, the Duke of Anju. Internationally, it would have joined two of the dominant military powers of Europe. Domestically, however, it would have relegated the English Queen to the status of empty figurehead, and broodmare to have Francis'es children. Under the laws of the day, had she given birth to a son by Francis, the child would immediately have more power and political value than his own mother. Greville was opposed to the marriage, and use the visit to say as much. In the play, "Four Foster Children of Desire",  The "Children" lay siege to the "Fortress of Perfect Beauty". After two days of challenges the Children admitted defeat. In the context of the sensibilities of the day, the message to the ambassador was clear; Elizabeth (who would never marry, and never see her power as monarch pulled from her) was 'unattainable' by the french. 

For a man who lived the life he did, Greville's end was both tragic, and horrific. A personal servant of his attacked him in 1628 over a disagreement as to Greville's will. While the would itself was not life threatening, the treatment including sealing it with pig lard, which quickly infected the injury. Greville reportedly died in agony, weeks later, from what today would likely be called sepsis. 

But the story does not stop there. 

Almost 400 years later we come to Rene Greville, descendant of the late Fulke Greville, and, among other things, his biographer (under the pen name of  A.W.L. Saunders). According to Rene, what remains of the tomb of Fulke have multiple icons and inscriptions that suggest he was not only a follower of the Rosicrucians, but likely even one of their leaders in England, possibly even the order's highest member of the time. 

Rene Greville

‘My own research into the monument [...] and the remains of the stained-glass windows of the Chapter House, make it almost certain that Greville was a very high-ranking member of the Rosicrucians,’ 

If this is true, and per Rene there is evidence aplenty to support the claim, that would put one of the most elite of the English courtiers of the day as a member of the society, and even its leader. 

The relevance here is not only historical, either. A great many modern societies, including the Freemasons recognize the influence of the Rosicrucians, with some individuals believing that the latter was, in fact, part of the founding effort of the former. Iconography of several orders, historical and modern, include the use of the rose cross, an image not widely used before the rise of the Rosicrucians.

"Once Freemasons and Rosicrucians understand what that sword is it could be like the Mona Lisa. Millions of people could turn up at the church wanting to see the sword which would bring the church to a halt." - Rene Greville. 

And this brings us back to 1900s looting of Fulke's tomb. According to Rene, the sword includes an emblem of the rose cross, and a more detailed study of it might reveal more information. It is important to remember that Faulk was a code master in his day, so the idea of hiding his membership by way of code or related imagery on something like a sword is not only possible, but likely for a man with the theatrical pedigree he had. 

The problem, though, is that the sword was not available for such close study. Still in the custody of Warwick castle (owned by  Merlin Entertainment), the company was not interested in allowing such a  closer study, and did not allow Rene access to the weapon. Finally, in late 2019, He took the case to court, sewing for custody of the weapon that, per his challenge, was rightfully his. The year long legal fight was described a costly, and exhausting.

"Merlin [entertainment] held out and held out until 24 hours before a hearing was to be brought and they caved. In legally-binding emails they agreed to return the items to the church. I love the sword but it’s a bit of pain to me as my family have spent thousands [of British pounds] on this whole thing." - Rene

With the connections that the sword has, and the names of the people who were in, or involved in  Fulke Greville's life, the potential value of the weapon is bordering on astronomical. 

‘The most expensive sword ever sold went for £7.7million and I believe this would go for something similar as there’s nothing like it in the whole world.’- Rene

In something of another major historical connection, Rene is hoping that 'the items' to be returned include several manuscripts that he believes were removed from the tomb as well, and never put on display. If his theory is true, they might hold evidence that Fulke was the actual author of Shakespear's Antony and Cleopatra, as well as possibly several of the bard's other famous works. 

I’m very happy that the sword is going back but now my interest is what else the Earl of Warwick took from Fulke’s sarcophagus. I believe that boxes full of letters and documents came out and they will answer questions on the Essex Rebellion, the Armada, Elizabeth I’s death. They could reveal Fulke wrote Anthony And Cleopatra and other works of Shakespeare. My dream is to find those documents before I die. Fulke was at the centre of everything and what he says could change history as we know – even at my age it’s so fascinating.’

- Rene

Source: Descendant of 17th century Freemason spy Fulke Greville has won a legal battle...

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #42 - a metal detectorist finds a 5th century Anglo-Saxon giant.

In 2018, a the  Maidenhead Search Society (A metal detection club in southern England) managed to beep their way onto an unusual find for the area. Sue and Mick Washington, two member, had previously gotten strong signals there that their high-end metal detectors hinted might be iron, but circumstances had not favored a more in-depth investigation. The third visit, however, worked in their favor, and they started digging. Soon after breaking ground, they found metal bowels and pots that were well over a millennium old, telling them that this would not be any normal day in the field. 

The find, which was turned over to Portable Antiquities Scheme  Officer for Buckinghamshire turned out to be more than just a small collection of rare artifacts. Headed up by archaeology department at the University of Reading, the site was established to be a formal burial site, and the interred had been buried with several ornate pots and jars, as well as a sword in an decorated scabbard, two iron-headed spears and a complete human skeleton. The finds were tentatively dated to the 5th, or 6th centuries, just after the fall of the roman empire. When compared to what is already known of the people, the time, the region, and the natural elements of the region, the burial site is likely to have been someone of considerable import and wealth for their day. The unnamed figured was dubbed the "Marlow Warlord".

We had expected to find some kind of Anglo-Saxon burial, but what we found exceeded all our expectations and provides new insights into this stretch of the Thames in the decades after the collapse of the Roman administration in Britain.This the first burial of its kind found in the mid-Thames basin, which is often overlooked in favour of the Upper Thames and London. It suggests that the people living in this region may have been more important than historians previously suspected. This guy would have been tall and robust compared to other men at the time, and would have been an imposing figure even today. The nature of his burial and the site with views overlooking the Thames suggest he was a respected leader of a local tribe and had probably been a formidable warrior in his own right. -Dr Gabor Thomas, specialist in early medieval archaeology, U. of Reading, 

The sword is described as having an exceptionally well-preserved scabbard - making it one of the best-preserved sheathed swords known from the period -made of wood and leather with decorative bronze fittings. The detail work and the tooling are likely to offer new insights into the levels of sophistication for regional craftsmen of the time.

From EurekAlert, which covered this story:

The early Anglo-Saxon period was one of great change in England with significant levels of immigration from the continent and the formation of new identities and power structures in the vacuum created by the collapse of the Roman administration around 400 AD. Around a century later - the period in which the Marlow Warlord lived -England was occupied by local tribal groupings, some of which expanded into Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, such as Wessex, Mercia and Kent.

The region of the mid-Thames between London and Oxford was previously thought to be a 'borderland' in this region, with powerful tribal groups on each side. This new discovery suggests that the area may have hosted important groups of its own. It is likely that the area was later squeezed out or absorbed into the larger neighbouring proto-kingdoms of Kent, Wessex and Mercia.

Bloggers note: One of the things I, as a historian, have been sensitive to since I started talking about archaeology in this series is the assumptions about gender with regards to burial sites. There was a time when if a weapon was found with a skeleton, the body was immediately marked as 'male' and no other effort was made to further verify that assertion. Furthermore, there were multiple accounts out of Europe and the US of younger graduate and doctoral students who found themselves bullied, or even officially censored for 'daring' to question the genders of the interred in certain burial sites. 

To be clear, I accept as fact that the academic community as a culture (across almost all disciplines) has some level of sexism still invested in it, weather it be born of malice, traditionalism, unconscious bias, or some mix of the three. I also believe that when the technology becomes more widely available, readily held assumptions about sex, gender roles, and even gender identity across history might well be in for some rude awakening for many of us. 

That being said, the determination here of the interred as male is likely not without merit.

First, there are structural differences between the male and female skeletons, including cranial and pelvic shape. If the remains were intact enough to measure those areas, a strong indication can be argued for gender that way. 

Photograph of the excavation site and the remains.

Second, while it is by no means impossible for a woman to stand six feet tall, when you consider the fact that the average Anglo-Saxon of the period was closer to 5'-4", and as an average, men to grow taller than women, the presence of a six-foot tall person makes the strong argument for the figure being male. 

Third, while there are documented cases of women in history having marshal prowess, and taking on the roles of military or political leaders, it is also understood that these were the exceptions that proved the rule. While a sword, or weapon of any type is not irrefutable, rock solid evidence of gender, it does strongly suggest a man based on the known patriarchal structure of the Anglo-Saxon tribes at the time. 

The two key articles I researched for this post did not specifically call out how the body was gendered, or even if there was any scientifically accepted evidence of gender beyond the presence of weapons. Time, and hard science will hopefully tell a more detailed story of life of this formidable figure. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #41 - The twilight hours of Toledo Steel

The name "Toledo" is as iconic as its heritage is enigmatic in the American lexicon, but none the less, the history behind it is nothing to be overlooked if you are a sword enthusiast.

For most Americans of a certain generation, the name is probably best recalled as Corporal Maxwell Klinger's favorite exclamation on the hit series M*A*S*H.Of course, he was referring to Toledo, Ohio. The fact of the matter is that the North American city was named after the European City of Toledo, Spain. 

And this of course segue's back to another, slightly more modern reference from the 1991 "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves".

"Spanish Steel, *much* stronger than our native blades" - Alan Rickman, as the Sherif of Nottingham. 

Say what you will about the movie (and I confess to mixed emotions on it myself), but this one line actually has some solid historical precedence to it. 

In fact, the phrase "Toledo Steel" is one of the linguistic artifacts from the days when swords were still valued combat arms militarily. In wahtever language it weas spoken, it the words were one of the bnechmarks for blade strength, sharpness, and durability, in the same theme as (though for slightly different reasons then) "Damascus".

The fact of the mater is that the naturally occurring metal deposits in the central and eastern Iberian peninsula do, in fact, produce stronger types of steel than the metals produced in England, and most of northern Europe.  The city of Toledo itself, which has roots in the early Roman period (circa 50 BCE),  is located almost in 'the dead center' of Spain, and has a tradition of high-end weapon's type metalwork that dates back to the 4th century. 

While numbers and figures obviously vary wildly based on time period, records, and situation, it is a known fact that the blacksmiths of the city crafted an appreciable fraction of the weapons for, or that were used by some of the greatest royal guards, knights, footmen and duelist in the European sphere of influence. Spanish blades, and specifically Toledo steel swords, have been found, in historical context, as far away as Iceland, Moscow, and the northern edge of the Sahara dessert. 

And this work didn't stop with the rise of firearms, though of course it did shift focuses. All the way into the 1980s, the city still was home to a few hundred career blacksmiths who produced swords full time. Masters of their art, they provided movie props, collectibles, replicas, and in some cases, fantastical constructs to customers around the world.  

2020, however, might yet add "Toledo Sword making" to its list of causalities. Already facing stiff competition from a global market and a thoroughly industrialized Chinese replica blade industry, the massive economic slump caused by the COVID-19 epidemic (which is still an ongoing problem as of this writing), is likely to bring the era of Toledo Steel to its twilight, and possibly its end.

A Business Insider article this month chronicled the story of the last two (yes, you read that right, T W O, 2) sword makers in the city. José Ramón Moreno, and Mariano Zamorano, per the article, are the last two, full time, professional swordsmiths in the city. They learned from the men who came before them, but tell a grim story of no one having the ability and the interest to learn what they have to teach now. It is likely, they both say, that the next five years will see the definitive end of the era of Toledo as a sword making center in the world. 

After fifteen hundred years of forging swords, and the legacy that went with them, the city of Toledo looks like it may be in thee final hours as part of the world's master blade makers circle, brought down not by better blacksmiths, but by Chinese industrial competition, and the shock of the COVID pandemic.

Or maybe not, only time will tell that tale. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #40 - "No cuts", a movie, a sword, and a legacy.

Sometimes, a sword never has to leave its scabbard in order to serve its purpose. 

For a case in point, allow me to take you to the end of the 20th century, and a meeting between two men who's names are now known across the United States, though for drastically different reasons. 

The traveler, or visitor, is the soon to be internationally famous Japanese animator and director Hayao Miyazaki. He is several days into a trip across the Pacific ocean, on his way to a face to face meeting with the head of Miramax Pictures. The conversation would be tence, and combative, but the japanese artists was going into this conversation with an iron clad resolve.

In 1985, a much younger Miyazaki has sold the US distribution rights to his environmentally minded  "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" with the hopes of widening his audience. 

The results were, to be polite about it, disastrous. Having sold part of the creative control with the early contract, US producers edited over twenty minutes from the film, rearranged several key scenes to the point where the plot was bordering on nonsensical, and released a marketing poster that had 5 figures on it, none of whom were in the film or had anything to do with the story being told. The US edit was named "Warriors of the wind", which was salt in the would for the pacifist director who had written a movie he intended to tell a message of peace. 

Now a decade later, and just as much wiser, Miyazaki was taking another bite at the US market apple.

And again, the 'suits' in the american movie industry had a very clear idea of how this was going to happen. 

Only this time, they were not ready for Miyazaki.

The stakes this time were even higher, though. The film was another heartfelt work for the career animator and director. Again tapping into the themes of environmentalism, it also drew heavily on human psychology, and themes of Japanese spirituality. The tale was a gripping, gory, violent, and disturbingly emotional tale of the will to live, the fight to do so, and the losses encountered along the way. With a budget that dwarfed his earlier works, this one, he knew, was of the quality that would make it engaging for a mainstream, mature US audience. 

The Movie was "Princess Mononoke". 

No sooner had the first copy for Princess Mononoke made it to the US than Miramax studios went to work with edit orders. Scene of female cleavage, flirting, gore, violence, and anything that could be called intense needed to be cut out, or have the sound design changed in order to not scare off 'the kids'. The art department was already working on posters with a target audience of 8 to 16, though half of them reportedly had not seen any version of the film when they begin their drawings. And at the head of the effort was the head of the studio, supremely confident that he was going to get his way, no matter what. 

Then, the unthinkable happened. 

Miyazaki said 'no'. 

The studio head was, per several reports, flabbergasted that his requests were being "slowed down". He sent another letter, and this one was much more direct. 

Again, the reply came back that Miyazaki would accept none of the the suggested edits. 

Not one.

The Studio (and specifically its head) was now thoroughly bothered by this, a meeting was requested so that Miyazaki could be convinced in person to the suggestions.

He agreed and flew to the US. 

But as this trip was shaping up, another player stepped into the picture. One of Miyazaki's producers went to he trouble of purchasing a authentic Japanese Katana, the world-famous sword type best known for its use in the hands of the Samurai warriors of the Japanese feudal era. He had the item boxed, and expressed mailed to the head of Miramax Studios, with a note place on the blade. 

The note had only two words.

"No Cuts"

By all accounts, the timing of the message was what it needed to be. The Sword arrived ahead of Miyazaki, and no doubt conveyed the message with the type of clarity that the American had not seen before. 

But the studio head would not budge, and pressed on with the meeting, confident he would bend Miyazaki to his will and go on to market Princess Mononoke  to the traditional US animated film market of children 8 to 16 years old. 

Miyazaki Would describe the meeting in simple terms, but his words were telling.

I did go to New York to meet this man, [...] , and I was bombarded with this aggressive attack, all these demands for cuts. I defeated him." 

-Hayao Miyazaki 

Princess Mononoke would go on to begin the process of Catapulting Hayao Miyazaki to world wide recognition, and then on to international stardom in both the animated film industry, and then among film directors across the board. It would be released in the US with an all-star voice cast, additional screen play work done with the help of Neil Gaiman, and a MPAA rating of PG-13, appropriately reflective of the powerful subject matter and story telling methods chosen by the Miyazaki. 

And the Studio head? 

Sadly, his stubbornness with Miyazaki proved to be but a small symptom of a horrific man's destructive need to control almost anything. or anyone he encountered. 

On February 24, 2020, the former Head of Miramax Studios was convicted of 5 counts of sexual assault. Harvey Weinstein, who's headstrong and bullish personality had been tolerated for years because of the cash flow he could generate, had ultimately become the focal point for one of the most intense  call-outs of the #metoo movement.  Coworkers and colleagues have also verified that he was notorious for accepting little if any compromise in business dealings, and openly bragged about ruining people who argued with him.  Hundreds of accounts have surfaced that his 'you will not say no to me' attitude was visited ten-fold on women he was sexually drawn to. 

Few  have ever claimed to have be able to best the once powerful business man on ground of his choosing. 

So, in this strange and convoluted story, it is, in fact, accurate to say that Hayao Miyazaki, the master of modern animation, did do battle with the villainous Harvey Weinstein, and with the help of a sword, defeated him. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #39 - Famous blades from across the world

Author's note: much of the base information here is from the article posted on Feb 7th, 2019, by Faen Aelpha. 

There is probably no more famous blade name in the western world than Excalibur. The legendary sword of King Arthur, the name is recognized from the Ural mountains of Russia to the Western coast of North America. The sword itself has been depicted in nearly every form imaginable on the silver screen, and the name Excalibur has gone on to grace modern weapons, literature, airplanes, military operations, cars, and musical albums, and even one of the more conspicuous films of the 1980s telling one version of the tale of King Arthur. 

If Excalibur ever was a real sword, it would most likely be fashioned after the pattern of the roman gladiolus, the single most common, and advanced sword type of the time contemporary to the birth of the Arthurian legends. 

But not surprisingly, the blade born of British folklore before the times of the Normans is not the only sword to leave its mark on history by name alone. 

Joyeuse

There are actually two Joyeuse swords. The first is the one said to have been the personal sword of Charlemagne, the king who founded what has today become France in the 9th century CE. The second, made in the 13th century, was created as a (then) modern invocation of the original storied blade, and used as a sword of state, or ceremonial sword by the french monarchs. The replica (which some say has the original blade in it, but that is disputed) is on display in the Louvre.

Durandal

Another sword name with a lot of aplicatons today, "Durandal" as a name has been applied to ships of two generations, a anti-runway bomb used by NATO forces, and even a soccer (futbol) star's surname. 

Per the "Song of Roland" (Champion to king Charlemagne) an angel gave this sword to the king. It was made of numerous relics from the Christian tradition, including a tooth from Saint Peter and part of the vestments of the Virgin Mary. In literature, Roland uses it to defend himself against a horde of Muslim fighters. In one very old legend, Durandal was thrown from a cliff by Roland, and may be embedded in a rock face in the mountain village of Rocamadour, in France, even today.

While the amazing (and in the later case, fantastical) stories of both of these blades are largely believed to be more fable than fact, any audience contemporary to the time who heard the word  'sword' would likely have envisioned the the arming, or knightly sword, one of the most common types of single-handed blades in western Europe. 

Zulfiqar

A sword as steeped n history as the religion that helped make it, Zulfiqar was/is a two pointed scimitar that belonged to Hazrat Ali, the cousin of the profit Muhammad. Muhammad himself is reportedly quoted as saying "There is no warrior like Ali and there is no sword like Zulfiqar." The location of the blade is unknown today, at least publicly, but it is believed to be held in a private collection. 

(an artistic reproduction of the blade Zulfiqar. The exact design is unknown)

The Sword of William Wallace

Five foot, four inches long, with a four foot and four in handle, this massive Scottish weapon is as real as the people is killed. Massive, fast moving, 2-handed weapons like this were common in the middle ages, especially among wealthier combatants such as knights, landed nobles, and royal guards. This one, of course, was made famous for its owner, William Wallace, the Scottish warrior who fought the English in the 13th centuries. 

There is a sword on display in Scotland claiming to be the same weapon, but strong evidence exists to suggest that it is not the same blade that William Wallace used, and that it may never have even been a viable combat sword at all. 

Tizona and Colada

Another set of blades with as much fable as fact in their makeup, Tizona and Colada were the Spanish single swords owned, and wielded by Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, also known as Cid the Champion during the time of the expulsion of the moors from the Iberian Peninsula. The story of the man himself is told in "The Song of My Cid", one of the oldest surviving epic poems from the Castilian Region of Spain. 

While one of the two blades named in the poem is on display in Barcelona, the authenticity of its heritage, like so many artifacts of that time and place, is in dispute. Like its northern European contemporaries, a real life blade of that time would likely be between 20 and 30 inches long, straight, and with a fuller to reduce weight and increase strength. 

Skofnung

Having once belonged to the legendary Danish king, Hrólf Kraki, Skofnung is one of Icelandic literature’s most famous swords, a regional counterpart to Excaliber in terms of social standing and gravitas. 

Even if we peel away the fable and magic of the stories that swirled around the regional monarchs, the story of Hrólf himself is fascinating in that he is mentioned in Beowulf, the works of Widsith, and the Chronicon Lethrense and Annales Lundenses, three separate stories from three different authors at different times in history. 

The sword itself is said to hold the spirits of 12 of the king’s bravest bodyguards, and is forbidden from ever being drawn int he presence of women.

Hrunting and Naegling

A pair of swords, they were once the weapons of the mythical hero Beowulf. According to tradition, both were mystical swords though they were unable to defeat the hero’s enemies. In fact, Naegling was broken during a confrontation with a dragon.

Today, no artifacts claiming any of this heritages exist, but a sword from the early 6th century in Iceland would be build along very conservative lines, and possibly even imported (or stolen) from central Europe. 

The sword of Gou Jian

Gou Jian,was the king of Yue (modern northern Zhejiang, China) from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. 

[ For reference, he and his court would be roughly contemporary with King Leonidas and the Battle of Thermopylae in ancient Greece. ] Gou Jian's word was rediscovered in the 20th century by archaeologists. Legend is that one of them lost a finger to the blade when handling it, but this is unconfirmed. 

The blade is case in an unusual  tin bronze alloy that has proved unusually resistant to tarnish or rust. One of the most interesting aspects of the weapon is actually its scabbard. The wood sheath was so finely made that it formed an air tight seal around the blade, which is believed that the weapon was so well preserved, even though the grave site it was found it was under water at the time. 

The weapon was authenticated by scholars, and is believed to be the authentic weapon of the royal court of Gou Jian. It is on display in china, and is considered a national artifact. In 2013, while on load to Singapore for exhibit, the weapon was damaged, leaving a 7cm crack in the blade itself. As a result, it is not on the list of restricted artifact never to leave mainland china. 

It weighs less than a kilo and measures 58 cm in length, 4.6 cm in width, and 8.5 cm at the handle.

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk

Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"