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Cultural Traditions and Sword Rituals
Throughout time swords and daggers have been ingrained into the cultures and rituals of many historic eras creating traditions involving honor, and others which were more humiliating or deadly. Swords were a big part of everyday life just as cell phones are today. Some of the better known sword traditions include:
- 'On my honor': Taking an oath of honor upon your sword (pledge, swear). This was done by either gripping the handle of your own sword (remaining in the scabbard), or by kissing the blade of the other persons sword (typically a person of royalty). If such an oath was broken, the individual was to be executed by his own sword.
- 'Dubbing' a Knight: This was the formal process of conferring knighthood upon an individual. The ceremony could be very formal with lots of pageantry as the 'adoubement' of the knight occurred. The giving of 'adoubs' (core part of the ceremony) was the process of giving a knight his new armor and weapons. Presenting the sword was the central act of adoubement often performed by royalty (or another knight) quoting traditional rhetoric while tapping ones shoulders with a sword. (Historical evidence shows the majority of knights were dubbed on the battle field with little formality.)
- Kiss the sword: The highest form of confirming an oath or ones loyalty.
- Sword and Bride: At marriages, a sword would be used to represent a bridegroom in his absence.
- Surrendering your sword: To yield your weapon to the requestor as part of submitting or being placed under arrest. Victors required the conquered to submit their sword which was then broken in a formal ceremony of degradation. This is especially true for internal military expulsions since a sword was the mark of an officer and a gentleman.
- Rite of passage: The sword is the symbol of Knighthood (or of being a 'warrior' in more primitive periods) and when ceremonially presented for the first time, the recipient was confirmed to a higher social standing. To qualify for this opportunity, it often required proof of a specific bloodline (heritage) and training, but in special situations these formalities were omitted.
- Put to the sword: To be executed.
- Fall upon your sword: To commit suicide.
- Fell by the sword: To have been killed in battle.
- Sentenced to 'The Sword' (or 'Put to the Block'): Death by sword execution, specifically beheading. (The guillotine eventually replaced a sword in this capacity during the Middle Ages.)
- Blood Oath (Blood Brothers): Pirates and many cultures were known to use blood to confirm solemn oaths. The most common ceremony involved two people in an oath taking their own daggers, slicing open one of their own palms and then clasping the other person's cut palm allowing the blood of both people to mix together. With their blood being united, so were their souls - upon penalty of death (if the oath was broken).
- Dueling: A process of dispute resolution typically between two people which involves fighting with 'weapons of choice' until the offending party yields and makes restitutions, or someone gets killed. Although swords and daggers were very common, exciting stories of dueling with pistols overshadowed their memory.
- Fencing: The sport of swordsmanship. Swords used include the rapier, foil and saber.
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