The scientists would be keen to hear from European experts who could throw more light on its origins. Picture: The Siberian Times
Posted on 11/24/2014 3:37:22 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Intrigue over how German-made 12th century blade, adorned in Sweden, reached Siberia...
An exciting new theory has now emerged that it could have belonged to Tsar Ivan the Terrible, and came from the royal armoury as a gift at the time of the conquest of Siberia. The hypothesis, twinning an infamous Russian ruler and a revered battle hero, could turn it into one of the most interesting archaeological finds in Siberian history, though for now much remains uncertain.
What Siberian experts are sure about is that the beautifully engraved weapon was originally made in central Europe, and most likely in the Rhine basin of Germany before going to the Swedish mainland, or the island of Gotland, to be adorned with an ornate silver handle and Norse ruse pattern...
'Both sides of the blade have 'rune' inscription which was abbreviated', said archaeologist Vyacheslav Molodin, the man who led the excavation - in Vengerovo district - which found the weapon. 'The style of calligraphy proves that it was made by people with knowledge of advanced epigraphic writing techniques'.
Russia's leading experts at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg decoded the Latin wording on the one metre long blade.
The main inscription reads: N[omine] M[atris] N[ostri] S[alva]t[ORis] Et[eRni] D[omini] S[alvatoRis] E[teRni], with an additional one on the same side of the blade saying C[hRis]t[us] Ih[esus] C[hRis]t[us]. This means:'In the name of the mother of our saviour eternal, eternal Lord and Saviour. Christ Jesus Christ.'
The inscription on the reverse side is harder to read, but the first word 'NOMENE' - clearly seen - helps reconstruct the rest as 'N[omine] O[mnipotentis]. M[ateR]. E[teRni] N[omin]e', which means 'In the name of the Almighty. The Mother of God. In the name of Eternal'...
(Excerpt) Read more at siberiantimes.com ...
The scientists would be keen to hear from European experts who could throw more light on its origins. Picture: The Siberian Times
Surprised they are holding the sword in bare hands!
Surprised also that they are assuming the words (the dedication) is accurate from just the initial letters.
The shape is still much the same as a roman gladius.
CC
Me2. Looks like another sworded affair...
They found my sword. Who do I need to send my proof of ownership to?
Does look a bit like an Ulfberht sword.
Either way, it’s nicer than finding one of Vlad the Impaler’s 2x4’s.
Obviously, the sword was owned by a “Highlander”-style immortal from 12th century Germany, who had to flee his homeland after rising from the dead and being labeled a vampire by the townsfolk. He fled to Sweden, where he was trained by another immortal, and then wandered the world before the Kurgan tracked him down in Siberia and lopped his head off to acquire his power.
Not enough blood on the sword.
That’s mine!! I bought that on E-bay and they shipped it to the wrong address.
LOL!
/johnny
How awesome is THAT?
It’s a nice find, but of course, there’s no way this could ever be verified.
Odd to see the “Mother of God” invoked on a weapon of war. Beautiful sword, nonetheless.
Not today, perhaps, but the future possibilities are endless. I never lose hope of finding proof... :o]
When did the Cyrillic Alphabet come into the picture. It just might be Ivan the Terrible? Peter the Great brought many changes to Russia, his son was later killed because he refused to become Czar, he ran off to Poland and sought sanctuary there and later was returned to Russia where he was killed. His son from Catherine became the new Czar after Catherine died a natural death. The oddity is Catherine was not a royal, she was a peasant girl that got Peters attention.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrillic_script
Cyrillic is derived from the Greek uncial script, augmented by letters from the older Glagolitic alphabet, including some ligatures. These additional letters were used for Old Church Slavonic sounds not found in Greek. The script is named in honor of the two Byzantine brothers,[5] Saints Cyril and Methodius, who created the Glagolitic alphabet earlier on. Modern scholars believe that Cyrillic was developed and formalized by early disciples of Cyril and Methodius.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_the_Terrible
In one such outburst, he killed his groomed and chosen heir Ivan Ivanovich. This left the Tsardom to be passed to Ivan’s younger son, the weak and intellectually disabled[6] Feodor Ivanovich. Ivan’s legacy is complex: he was an able diplomat, a patron of arts and trade, founder of Russia’s first Print Yard, a leader highly popular among the common people of Russia, but he is also remembered for his paranoia and arguably harsh treatment of the nobility. The Massacre of Novgorod is regarded as one of the demonstrations of his mental instability and brutality.
What’s in your wallet?
Wonder if his DI would like to have some words with him about the rust and pitting on his weapon?
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