Blog posts of '2015' 'November'

Do you know that Damascus steel had first originated around two thousand years ago. It is also known as Pattern Weld, Damascene or Damast.  Some historians say that Wootz Damascus steel was made in the Middle East around A.D. 540, possibly even earlier. There are several theories on the origin of Damascus steel. It can be traced back to India and Sri Lanka (300-100 BC) where it was referred to as wootz steel. It then found its way to Damascus, Syria, which was the centre of trade in that region for war equipment such as knives, swords and armor. Damascus swords and knives dominated the weapon industry from the Iron Age to the Viking age. French and English armies first faced Damascus steel weapons during the crusades. During the Crusades, the crusaders first faced Damascus steel near Damascus (this is how it got its name, the steel was not necessarily made in Damascus) and were impressed by the remarkable properties of Damascus swords, even going as far to claim they had magical properties. However, Damascus steel had been a lost technology from the early 1700's up until World War II. It again has gained popularity since the mid 1970's. But since the techniques for making these swords have been lost for hundreds of years, no one is sure exactly know why these swords are so exceptional. Today, the term Damascus steel refers to the combination of two different kinds of steels that are welded and forged into a bar or rod with a multitude of layers. One of the most fascinating aspects of modern day sword making, particularly in regards to medieval swords is without question, Damascus steel. Nowadays, Damascus steel blades wielded by many movies, serials like Game of Thrones characters have become synonymous with the show itself, and hardcore fans across the world pay a lot of money to get their hands on replicas of the iconic swords, which each have their own special characteristics and names like Blackfyre, Dark Sister and Long claw. Windlass has produced several Damascus Viking swords over the years. Visit windlasssword.com to get more information.

As we know that The Middle Ages were fraught with many wars and battles and where the weapons were extremely valuable for success on those campaigns. In this blog we will discuss about medieval swords significance. The Medieval period of history was extremely violent. The quest for wealth and power was driven by the violent society of the European countries. Massive stone castles were built to act as power bases. Lands were subject to invasion leading to wars, battles and siege situations. But when someone refers to a medieval sword, they are generally speaking, of a sword that would have been carried by either a knight or a soldier during the Middle Ages. Although the exact start and end dates of the medieval age has been disputed for years, all Strong blade references (unless otherwise noted) refer to the period between 500 A.D. (around the time the Roman Empire was ending) to about 1500 AD (around the time when the Renaissance was beginning). Medieval swords are usually stereotyped as heavy and cumbersome while rapiers are thought of as feather-light and lightning-fast. But actually it is just the reverse: medieval swords tend to be very light and agile while real rapiers, at least in the 16th century, tended to be quite heavy and, to an untutored hand, often seem very ungainly. Medieval swords almost always have pommels, usually have well defined crosses and typically have long fullers. Of the many medieval swords that have been excavated or found, quite a few have engravings on the blades. Usually, these engravings were of a religious nature, with sacred phrases or sketches etched into the blade and usually filled with another metals, like silver. Weapons in the medieval period were designed to be as efficient and practical as possible, though personal weapons were often decorated and embellished as symbols of ownership and displays of wealth. So if you pretend yourself a swordsman or a warrior, then why not take a moment to browse our website: http://www.windlasssword.com/.