Art and Culture Articles - The Anatomy of a Sword


by AUTUMN ROSE - Date: 2009-11-20 - Word Count: 366 Share This!

A sword is basically a long piece of metal that is used by many civilizations throughout the world as a cutting device or more frequently, as a weapon. Unlike the spear or the bow, swords are used purely as a military weapon. The shape of a sword is typically symbolic of warfare or a culture's state of power. There are multiple types of swords from all over the world, from all different times. However, the anatomy of all swords is pretty similar across the globe.

The traditional sword is made up of a blade and a hilt. One can perform three types of attacks with the blade; that is striking, thrusting, or cutting. The blade has many grooves which are also known as fullers and those are made for lightening the blade while maintaining a sturdy strength. The part of the blade that's between the Center of Percussion and the sword's point is called the foible, or the weak portion of the blade. The section between the Center of Balance and the hilt is the forte, or strong point. The ricasso is another word for the sword's shoulder and it is located directly in front of the guard and is left completely unsharpened. To increase the tip control one can grip this part with his hand. It is also where the marker's mark would be present, that is the trademark of the persona. However, most standard swords do not have a ricasso.

It is common to see a sword accompanied by other accessories. A scabbard is the cover in which the sword is held when it is not in use. The throat is the place where the blade enters the leather or metal scabbard and the chape is the metal tip that protects the blade's point. A sword belt is also for carrying it when it is not in use and it is usually worn in battles to provide a fast means of drawing the sword.

Swords are usually named through means of mythology, literature, and history. It depends on the culture, location, and the high prestige of the weapon. Follow the link above to wisit swordssouce.com for more about samurai, medieval, and japanese swords.


Related Tags: sword, swords

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: