I have enjoyed the classic stories about famous and infamous swordsmen.
It is more than their flamboyance that attracts me. It is their courage.
I can’t really defend my taste, but they are a deep part of me and the stories go beyond entertainment. The swashbucklers seem to stand for something noble and are willing to put their expertise to use for good against all the odds.
Pictures of swords:
http://www.toptenz.net/...
Perhaps the most famous sword in fiction is King Arthur’s Excalibur.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
In Arthurian romance, a number of explanations are given for Arthur's possession of Excalibur. In Robert de Boron's Merlin, Arthur obtained the throne by pulling a sword from a stone. In this account, the act could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon. This sword is thought by many to be the famous Excalibur, and its identity is made explicit in the later so-called Vulgate Merlin Continuation, part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle.
However, in what is sometimes called the Post-Vulgate Merlin, Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign. She calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel." In the Vulgate Mort Artu, Arthur orders Girflet to throw the sword into the enchanted lake. After two failed attempts (as he felt such a great sword should not be thrown away), he finally complies with the wounded king's request and a hand emerges from the lake to catch it, a tale which becomes attached to Bedivere instead in Malory and the English tradition.
Malory records both versions of the legend in his Le Morte d'Arthur, and confusingly calls both swords Excalibur...
History
Caledfwlch
In Welsh legend, Arthur's sword is known as Caledfwlch. In Culhwch and Olwen, it is one of Arthur's most valuable possessions and is used by Arthur's warrior Llenlleawg the Irishman to kill the Irish king Diwrnach while stealing his magical cauldron. (Irish mythology mentions a weapon Caladbolg, the sword of Fergus mac Roich. Caladbolg was also known for its incredible power and was carried by some of Ireland's greatest heroes. The name, which can also mean "hard cleft" in Irish, appears in the plural, caladbuilc, as a generic term for "great swords" in the 10th century Irish translation of the classical tale The Destruction of Troy, Togail Troi.
Though not named as Caledfwlch, Arthur's sword is described vividly in The Dream of Rhonabwy one of the tales associated with the Mabinogion:
Then they heard Cadwr Earl of Cornwall being summoned, and saw him rise with Arthur's sword in his hand, with a design of two chimeras on the golden hilt; when the sword was unsheathed what was seen from the mouths of the two chimeras was like two flames of fire, so dreadful that it was not easy for anyone to look. At that the host settled and the commotion subsided, and the earl returned to his tent.
—From The Mabinogion, translated by Jeffrey Gantz.
Excalibur in Cornwall
In the late 15th/early 16th century Middle Cornish play Beunans Ke, Arthur's sword is called Calesvol, which is etymologically an exact Middle Cornish cognate of the Welsh Caledfwlch. It is unclear if the name was borrowed from the Welsh (if so, it must have been an early loan, for phonological reasons), or represents an early, pan-Brittonic traditional name for Arthur's sword.
Caliburn to Excalibur
Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain is the first non-Welsh source to speak of the sword. Geoffrey says the sword was forged in Avalon and Latinises the name "Caledfwlch" as Caliburnus. When his influential pseudo-history made it to Continental Europe, writers altered the name further until it finally took on the popular form Excalibur (various spellings in the medieval Arthurian Romance and Chronicle tradition include: Calabrun, Calabrum, Calibourne, Callibourc, Calliborc, Calibourch, Escaliborc, and Escalibor). The legend was expanded upon in the Vulgate Cycle, also known as the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, and in the Post-Vulgate Cycle which emerged in its wake. Both included the work known as the Prose Merlin, but the Post-Vulgate authors left out the Merlin Continuation from the earlier cycle, choosing to add an original account of Arthur's early days including a new origin for Excalibur.
Differing stories
The story of the Sword in the Stone has an analogue in some versions of the story of Sigurd (the Norse proto-Siegfried), whose father, Sigmund, draws the sword Gram out of the tree Barnstokkr where it is embedded by the Norse god Odin.
In several early French works such as Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail and the Vulgate Lancelot Proper section, Excalibur is used by Gawain, Arthur's nephew and one of his best knights. This is in contrast to later versions, where Excalibur belongs solely to the king.
Wiki discusses Charlemagne’s sword,
Joyeuse:
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
A sword identified with Charlemagne's Joyeuse was carried in front of the Coronation processionals for French kings, for the first time in 1270 (Philip III), and for the last time in 1824 (Charles X). The sword was kept in the Saint Denis Basilica since at least 1505, and it was moved to the Louvre in 1793.
This Joyeuse as preserved today is a composite of various parts added over the centuries of use as coronation sword. But at the core, it consists of a medieval blade of Oakeshott type XII, mostly dated to about the 10th century. Martin Conway argued the blade might date to the early 9th century, opening the possibility that it was indeed the sword of Charlemagne, while Guy Laking dated it to the early 13th century. Some authors have even argued that the medieval blade may have been replaced by a modern replica in 1804 when the sword was prepared for the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Louvre's official website dates the pommel to the 10th to 11th centuries, the cross to the second half of the 12th, and the grip to the 13th century.
Roland had a sword called
Durendal.
http://www.medievalweaponinfo.com/...
The hero in the epic poem “The Song of Roland” also wielded a sword that was attributed to Charlemagne. Legend has it that Charlemagne gave a massive sword to Roland because of his brave service to the crown. Roland’s sword also had a life of its own like Excalibur and Joyeuse. The sword was named Durendal. At Roland’s tragic death he talked with the sword as if it were an intelligent being. Two centuries later this massive type of sword was later named the Flamberge by Egerton Castle who wrote a history of sword play.
A list of swords is here
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Some from the list:
Lloyd Alexander: The Chronicles of Prydain
Dyrnwyn: the sword of Prince Gwydion, made by Govannion the Lame by command of King Rhydderch Hael.
Michael Ende: The Neverending Story
Sikanda, wielded and named by Bastian Balthazar Bux. It was given to him by Graograman in Chapter O. Sikanda is drawn by itself, at the sense of danger, jumping into the hand of his bearer, but it must never be forced out of its sheath.
Brian Jacques: Redwall
The sword of Martin the Warrior is given to the champion of Redwall Abbey. It was remade made from the metal of a falling star, after it was broken by Tsarmina and now is said to be unbreakable. It is passed down from Warrior to Warrior, and is of great importance to all the Redwall inhabitants. The sword is said to be magical, but it has been proven that its true power comes from the wielder. Although lost for a long time after Martin's death, the mouse Matthias manages to find the sword and its sheath. Its first owner was Martin's father, Luke, but it was given to Martin when Luke went to sea.
Robert Jordan: The Wheel of Time series
Callandor — A powerful sa'angreal, also known as The Sword that is not a Sword resides in the Stone of Tear (heart of the stone)
Heron Mark Sword — Swords borne by blademasters. Some are Power-wrought blades of Aes Sedai make, and thus unbreakable. A majority are crafted of more mundane stuff.
Sword of the Malkieri Kings — Lan's sword, Aes Sedai work and unbreakable. Not heron-marked.
Justice — The sword of Artur Paendrag Tanreall, Artur Hawkwing.
Terry Pratchett: Discworld books
Kring - Forged from a thunderbolt, Kring is a black magical sword which parodies many other such swords, including Excaliber and Michael Moorcock's Stormbringer. It is intelligent, rather evil and can control its wielder's body, but secretly wants to be a ploughshare. Born by Hrun the Barbarian and later unwillingly by Rincewind the Wizard. A similar sword was to be found in the Wyrmberg.
Captain Carrot's Sword aka The True Sword - Extraordinary among fantasy swords in that it possesses NO magic properties at all, although it is always razor sharp and is capable of being driven into a solid stone pillar. This makes it unusual on Discworld even among mundane swords; a witch described it is the most unmagical sword she had ever seen. Possibly the ancestral True Sword of the Kings of Ankh-Morpork, though its wielder would rather this never became widely known.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Green Destiny
Star Wars
Lightsabers, the energy-based swords used by the Jedi and Sith in the Star Wars franchise.
J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter series
The Sword of Gryffindor - a sword in the Harry Potter series. Can only be wielded by a "True Gryffindor". In the last book, it is revealed that it is goblin-made, and therefore, goblins take ownership of it. However, when a true Gryffindor arises, it comes out of the sorting hat. It is first pulled out by Harry Potter in Chamber of Secrets and then by Neville Longbottom in the Deathly Hallows and used to kill the last horcrux - Nagini the snake. The sword absorbs any substance that will strengthen it; for example, if immersed in poison, it gains the ability to poison its target, and rejects any substance that would damage or tarnish it.
Roger Zelazny: Chronicles of Amber
Grayswandir used by Corwin of Amber. Grayswandir is associated with the moon and the night.
Werewindle used by Brand of Amber. Werewindle is associated with the sun.
Fred Saberhagen: Books of the Swords
The Twelve Swords of Power, each with a unique magic property, were forged by Vulcan and capriciously scattered across a world in which technology had been replaced by magic and the deities of classical antiquity returned.
Coinspinner - a sword which brings luck to its wielder but may desert him at any moment.
Doomgiver - the "sword of justice," which turns any attack back on the attacker.
Dragonslicer - a sword which transcends dragons' resistance to normal weapons (but does not protect the wielder in any way).
Farslayer - a sword which kills a named victim, regardless of distance, when it is thrown by its wielder... Who may, of course, become the next target.
Woundhealer - a sword which heals diseases and injuries and cannot be used as a weapon.
Mindsword - the "Sword of Glory" or "Skulltwister," which inspires instant and fanatic loyalty to the wielder.
Shieldbreaker - a sword which destroys any weapon, including other Swords... but which cannot harm any creature not bearing a weapon, nor will it allow its wielder to use any other method than itself to attempt to attack another being, even if that being is unarmed.
Sightblinder - a sword which causes its wielder to be perceived by observers as someone they either fear or trust, giving the power of disguise but not the power of stealth.
Soulcutter - the "Tyrant's Blade," which imposes instant and unbreakable depression on anyone nearby—including the wielder.
Stonecutter - a sword which can cut through stone.
Townsaver - a sword which will protect the innocent from any number of attackers... But does not protect its wielder.
Wayfinder - a sword which leads the wielder to whatever he seeks... But by the most dangerous way.
Note: I loved these Saberhagen stories:
Complete Book of Swords has
First, Second, Third Books
Lost Swords: First Triad
Woundhealer’s Story
Sightblinder’s
Stonecutter’s
Lost Swords: Second Triad
Farslayer’s
Coinspinner’s
Mindsword’s
Lost Swords: End Game
Wayfinder’s
Shieldbreaker’s
Wiki says:
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Classic swashbucklers
The genre has, apart from swordplay, always been characterized by influences that can be traced back to the chivalry tales of Medieval Europe, such as the legends of Robin Hood and the King Arthur. It soon created its own drafts based on classic examples like The Three Musketeers (1921), Scaramouche (1923) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934).
Some films did also use motifs of pirate stories. Often these films were adaptations of classic historic novels published by well-known authors such as Alexandre Dumas, Rafael Sabatini, Baroness Emma Orczy, Sir Walter Scott, Johnston McCulley, and Edmond Rostand. Swashbucklers are one of the most flamboyant Hollywood film genres, unlike cinema verite or modern realistic filmmaking. The genre attracted large audiences who relished the blend of escapist adventure, historic romance, and daring stunts in cinemas before it became a fixture on TV screens.
As a first variation of the classic swashbuckler there have also been female swashbucklers. Maureen O'Hara in Against All Flags and Jean Peters in Anne of the Indies were very early action film heroines.
Modern swashbucklers
Eventually the typical swashbuckler motifs were used up because they had so often been shown on TV screens. Late films such as The Princess Bride, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Mask of Zorro had to modify the classic archetype to attract a big audience.
Maureen O’Hara
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
At Sword's Point as Claire
"The plot of the movie is a little hard to swallow, but it was fun as hell. The sons of the original Musketeers ride to the rescue, with just one exception. I play Claire, the daughter of Athos. Cornel Wilde was cast as my leading man, (D'Artagnan). I trained rigorously for six weeks with Fred Cavens and his son to perfect my stunt sequences. Fred Cavens was an outstanding Belgian military fencing master and had trained all the great swashbucklers in Hollywood. Physically, I've never worked harder for a role."
I enjoyed The
Sunsword series by
Michelle West:
Hunter’s Oath (the first two are prequels to the series)
Hunter’s Death
Sun Sword series
Broken Crown
Uncrowned King
Shining Court
Sea of Sorrows
Riven Shield
Sun Sword
Who are your favorite swashbucklers or swords?
Diaries of the Week
Write On! psychological distance
by SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Thursday Classical Music OPUS 74: Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor
by Dumbo
http://www.dailykos.com/...
NOTE: plf515 has book talk on Wednesday mornings early