How to Identify the Parts of a Sword

For thousands of years, swords were a common military weapon. Until a few hundred years ago, a formally dressed military man wasn't considered polished without a sword hanging at his side. Swords are the reason we still mount horses on the left, even though most people don't know a quillon from a foible.

Instructions

1. Start at the tip of the blade and follow it to the handle, noting the following: the "back" is the dull edge of the blade. However, some swords are sharpened on both edges, making them "double-edged." The "foible" is the upper portion of the blade; it often has a "fuller," or a shallow central groove that runs its length. The "forte" is the lower portion of the blade, and the "Ricasso" is the dull section of blade just above the cross.

2. Move down to the handle and note these features: the "guard" is between the blade and the handle. It can be of various designs, but it's meant to protect the user from the opponent. The "grip" is the handle proper, and the "pommel" is the counter-weight at the end. The "tang" is the hidden section of blade that runs through the grip and attaches to the pommel. The "hilt" is the collective term for the cross-guard, grip and pommel.

3. Identify the special features of the sword: a guard that forms an extended cross perpendicular to the blade, or that curves and sometimes branches off toward the pommel is called a "quillon." The small rings occasionally attached to the quillon and that you wrap a finger through for leverage are "annelats."