A sword is more than a piece of sharp metal. Generally speaking, a sword is as artistic and varied as the cultures that use them. Though the sword differs, then, by geographical placement, it has some very common types and terminology. Some of the similarities and differences of the sword begin with the pommel and end in the point. Here are some of the parts of the “general” sword and some of the types of swords out there.
The sword is really compromised of two parts, the hilt and the blade, perhaps more commonly referred to as the handle and the cutting tool. The hilt, then, has three parts that pretty much make up the entire handle of the sword. These parts include the pommel (the knobby end of the sword, sometimes an emblem or symbol), the grip (the handhold area of the sword) and the cross guard (the perpendicular piece protecting the grip). These three parts combine together to form the bottom of the sword. Though these similarities exist, many swords differ entirely from one another.
The blade of the sword is compromised of seven different parts, making up the cutting tool. The first and lowest part of the sword’s blade is the rain guard. On older swords (and perhaps some today) this part of the sword was used to keep rain out. This could be made of anything from metal, plastic to leather and other animal pelts. The next part of the blade is the fuller and the edge. The fuller is a groove and it serves two concrete purposes: 1.) To make the blade stronger; 2.) To make the blade lighter yet remain stiff. The edge of the sword, on the other hand, is the part of the blade that is sharp. Some swords have one or two edges; the swords with one edge often have a strong (or forte), and this is the strongest point of the sword about a third of the way up from the cross guard.
The upper part of the blade includes the central ridge and the point. The central ridge is where the fuller groove stops and where the sword slowly forms the point—the part of the sword used for deadly thrusting or marked scratching. The upper part, or central ridge again, is considered fairly weak in comparison to the lower forte segment of the sword. This part of the sword, in that case, is assigned as the weak or foible portion of the sword. The entire blade and these seven parts vary highly on the necessity of the sword. A sword used in Japanese competitions would be useless in another competition, for example. Various cultures have varying reasons for making their swords the way they do, particularly when it comes to a certain style of combat or contest.
There are all kinds of swords out there, at that. One country, in fact, may have several different types of swords within their culture. The basic types of swords out there, however, can’t all be covered here, but here’s the gist: The favored (or favorite) of Asian swords, for example, is the Katana. Other Asian swords include the Saber and the Longsword (the Dao and the Jian). When the Egyptians weren’t using bow and arrows and such, the Khopesh was a sickle-sword hybrid used in battle. Other types of swords include the foil, the rapier, the Two Handed Sword, the Longsword and the Falchion and short sword, used in certain sections of the world, and still used by some today, namely in contests and tournaments.
