|
The type of sword popular during the migration period and the Merovingian period of European history (c. 4th to 7th centuries), particularly among the Germanic peoples was derived from the Roman era Spatha, and gave rise to the Carolingian or Viking sword type of the 8th to 10th centuries. The blade is normally smooth or shows a very shallow fuller, and often has multiple bands of pattern-welding within the central portion. The handles were often of perishable material and there are few surviving examples. Blade length measured between 28" and 32" (710 and 810 mm) in length and 1.7" to 2.4" (45 to 60 mm) in width. The tang has a length of only some 4" to 5" (100 to 130 mm) long. The blades show very little, usually ending in a rounded tip. Surviving examples of these Merovingian-period swords have notably been found in the context of the Scandinavian Germanic Iron Age (Vendel period). ==Names and terminology== There is no single term that can be reconstructed as having referred specifically to the spatha in Common Germanic. There are a number of terms and epithets which refer to the sword, especially in Germanic poetry.〔A monographic treatment of the question can be found in May Lansfield Keller, ''The Anglo-Saxon weapon names treated archæologically and etymologically'' (1906). See also C. Brady, '"Weapons" in "Beowulf"' in: Martin Biddle, Peter Clemoes, Julian Brown (eds.) ''Anglo-Saxon England'', Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-03865-2; Viktor Lewizkij, ("Germanische Bezeichnungen für ''Schwert'' und semantische Typologie" ), ''RASK – International journal of language and communication'' 34 (2011), 3–22.〕 * '' *swerdan'' "cutting weapon" (whence sword). ''Beowulf'' has the compound ''wægsweord'' (1489a) referring to a pattern-welded blade (the ''wæg-'' "wave" describing the wave-like patterns). A ''mære maðþumsweord'' "renowned treasure-sword" (1023a) is given to Beowulf as a reward for his heroism. The same sword is called a ''guðsweord'' "battle-sword" later on (2154a) * ''heoru'' (''heoro'', ''eor''), tentatively associated with the name of Ares (identified with Teiwaz) by Jacob Grimm * ''maki'' (''meki'', ''mækir'', ''mece''; also ''hildemece'' "battle-sword"), found in Gothic as well as in Old English and Old Norse, perhaps related to the Greek μάχαιρα; in any case, Gothic ''meki'' in Ephesians 6:17 translates this Greek word. The compound ''hæftmece'' in Beowulf, literally "hilt-sword", presumably describes a sword with an exceptionally long hilt. Slavic ''mьčь'' is usually regarded as a loan from the Germanic word.〔a survey of alternative views is given by Lewizkij (2011).〕 Terms for "blade", "point" or "edge" which ''pars pro toto'' could also refer to the sword as a whole include *'' *biljo'' "splitter, cleaver" (West Germanic only); a ''bill'' could be any bladed tool, especially farm implements such as scythes or sickles; the compound ''guðbill'', ''wigbill'', ''hildebill'' "battle-blade" refers to the sword, but also the simplex ''bill'' is used. Heliand (v. 4882) has ''billes biti'' "sword-bite". The Hildebrandslied has a parallelism establishing ''bill'' and ''suert'' as synonyms (v. 53f. ''suertu hauwan, bretun mit sinu billiu'' "(shall ) hew (me ) with () sword, lay () low with () blade"). * '' *þramja'' "edge, blade", perhaps Tacitus' ''framea'' "spear, lance", but Old Norse ''þremjar'' means "edges, sword blades" *'' *agjo'' "edge". * ''ord'' "point" * '' *gaizo-'' meaning "cutter", the normal term for "spear", but in the early period may also have referred to the sword (see Bergakker inscription) From the testimony of Germanic mythology and the Icelandic sagas, swords could also be given individual names. Examples include the magic sword of Högni, named ''Dáinnleif'' after the dwarf Dáinn (''Skáldskaparmál''), ''Skofnung'' and ''Hviting'', two sword-names from the ''Kormáks saga'', ''Nægling'' and ''Hrunting'' from ''Beowulf'', and ''Mimung'' forged by Wayland the Smith. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Migration Period sword」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|