I was wondering if anyone could post all the sword related words they know and define/explain them for example a swordsman and like other words that are synonyms i.e. a word thats a higher rank than a swordsman or something like that. Thanks...

Hi, Kurt, and welcome aBoard. I'm afraid you're asking rather a lot, unless someone I don't know about here happens to be heavily involved in this sport.

I did run the word swordsmanship through Google; here's the link, to save you the trouble. Perhaps one of these links will give you what you're looking for.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=swordsmanship

Yes, that's a pretty general yet extensive enquiry.

Sword comes from the Germanic language, is still used today in those languages (e.g. German: 'Schwert') and is onomatopoeic in these languages still - 'schw-' is deifnitely a cutting sound.

Special types of swords are a rapier, épée, and saber. In fencing it's usually a foil I think. If you want further information on these you'll have to look for yourself. I don't enough to tell you anything.

I read an interesting article recently that put forth the claim that the high quality (particularly the hardness) of the Viking sword (sverð), that made them far superior in battle was due to the fact that they used metal from a massive meteor that is well documented both by science and in pagan mythology. Apparently this claim is completely unfounded, but it is a fact that their swords were highly coveted by the Romans who paid top dollar for them. I'm sure they kept their techniques pretty secret, and presumably Viking metallurgy and forgers were just that much better.

are (were?)viking swords steel? did the vikings also stumble onto a way of making steel (in small quanties) long before steel was invented(officially)?

Japanese swords are.

there was an almost religious ritual to making a japanese sword, with something like a 10 year apprentiship. the whole process was secret.

scientist who have now seen and learned the process, realize, that the japanese method of heating, cooling, burying in banked fires (which smoldered rather than burned) created pure carbon, and the whole process resulted in adding that carbon to the iron, and creating steel.

steel, that was stronger and more flexible (on average) than modern steel (since the sword had slightly uneven steel, the back egde of the sword was slightly denser, (and stiffer) and the front edge (cutting edge) was slightly more flexible (and took as a result, an extremely sharp edge).

the japanese forgers didn't know about alloys, they just knew their long intensive process resulted in stronger, sharper swords.

>>I don't enough to tell you anything<<

And that's a pretty general yet extensive typo! lol

Wilt Chamberlain > Gene Simmons > Hugh Hefner > Warren Beatty > Magic Johnson > Pablo Picasso > John F, Kennedy > Bill Clinton > Bill the Cat > Opus

huh?

think he's talkin' a different kind of bladesman, eta!

heh. thanks.

Quote:

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Wilt Chamberlain > Gene Simmons > Hugh Hefner > Warren Beatty > Magic Johnson > Pablo Picasso > John F, Kennedy > Bill Clinton > Bill the Cat > Opus

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The penis mightier than the sword?