Sword, 14th Century / History

The first swords to appear in Poland came from Scandinavia in the 9th century, and the Polish word for sword - miecz – originates from the Gothic word meki for a double-edged weapon. Initially, one-handed swords were mainly used, and it was not until the 8th century that longswords and eventually two-handed swords came into wider use as the length of the hilt was extended. Over time, the sword became a symbol of power and justice, often it was given a name and during the funeral of the last male descendant, the sword was intentionally broken.

The sword presented here has a simple cross-guard, a two-handed hilt and flat tang. There is a brass-inlaid image of a wolf on one side. The symbol of a wolf, in brass or copper, that appears on blades is known from the work of the sword makers of Solingen and Passau in Germany. The quality of these blades was so widely recognised that the wolf became a symbol of quality and it began to be used by other makers. As it was applied across such a wide geographical region the image of the wolf varied significantly from place to place. It is interesting to note that even in Solingen and Passau the image differed which probably reveals the level of skill, particularly artistic skill, of the sword makers.

Sword

14th century