The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-08-31
Famous Swords.
Wonderful Stories Related of the Damascus
Blades-Japanese Swords.

Wonderful Stories Related of the Damascus
Blades-Japanese Swords.
The art shown in sword-making was
not by any means confined to beautiful
forms and elaborate ornamentation.-
The greatest skill was exercised in the
manufacture and temperament of the
blade, which in the days when swords
were not only worn but used, was more
important than any other part of this
weapon. In Europe, the sword manu-
facturers of Spain first began to have u
reputation for producing work of supe-
rIor quality, and the armorerS of Toledo
stood foremost among their countrymen.
A Toledo blade" was considered to be
a weapon Of great value, and even now,
when we wish to speak of something re-
markably tine-tempcred and sharp, we
compare it to one of these swords. The
popularity of the Toledo blade was not
only its extreme hardness, which ena-
bled it to receive and retain the sharp
est and most delicate edge, but its elas-
ticity, which allowed it to be bent with
out being broken. Some of the most
famous of these swords could be bent so
that the points touched the hits, and
yet they would spring back to perfectly
straight line. 1t is said that in To-
ledo sword-blades have been seen in the
cutters shops coiled in boxes like watch
springs, and, although they might re-
main in this position for some time, they
would become perfectly straight when
taken out. Other places in Europe were
also famous for producing good swords.
Many excellent weapons were made in
Italy, and Andrea Ferrara, the Italian
ard ,al- H. hae,
before, was better known throughout
Europe than any other of his craft. To
possess q genuine Ferrara blade was
considered great thing by the mobiles
of France and England.
But it is to the east that the world
owes the production of the most finely
tempered swords it has ever seen; and
the steel of Damascus has been cele-
brated for many hundred years as su-
perior to any metal that has ever been
made into sword-blades. Even the cut
lers of Toledo doubtless owed their skill
and knowledge to the Moors, who
brought from Damascus the art of
making blades that were as hard as dia-
monds, as sharp as razors, and as elias
tic as whalebone.
Wonderful stories are related of these
Damascus swords. We have been told
that with one of them full-grown
sheep could be cut in half at Single
blow, heavy iron chain could be sew
cred without turning the delicate edge
of the sword, and a gauze veil floating
in the air could be cut through by one
gentle sweep Of the glittering blade
The wonderful cimeters are not manu-
factured now, but their fame has ex-
ceeded that of any other weapon of
their kind, and it is quite certain that
their extraordinary excellence has not
been exaggerated. 1t is probable that
the workers in steel of the present day
might be able to discover the peculiar
methods by which the Damascus steel
was made, but as there would be little
use or demand for the blades after they
had been produced it is not likely that
their manufacture will be attempted
We should consider, however, that al
though the present age is preeminent as
an inventive and manufacturing period,
there are some things which have been
| produced by the ancients and the artiti.
| GERS of the middle ages which we of the
| present day have not been able to equal
| It is possible, therefore, that our steel
! workers might never be able to make
Damascus blades, even if they wanted
| to.
| Some of the swords of Japan are said
to possess wonderful qualities of hard
ness and sharpness. The story is told
| that if one of these celebrated blades is
held upright in running stream the
leaves floating gently down with the
current will cut themselves in two when
they reach the keen edge of the sword
But these Japanese swords, some oi
which were held in such high esteem
that they were worshiped, and temples
were built in their honor, were only
hard and sharp; they had no elasticity
they could not bend, and they might
break, and in this respect they are fal
inferior to the splendid cimeters OF the
Moors and Saracens.-iSt Nicholas.