Hello,
I write my bachelor's project on topic "The Meaning and Symbolism of the Sword in Medieval Society" and I would appreciate some help from you. I've had some trouble with translating few sword inscription, I hope you can help me out. Here they are:

1. O MARIA BIT WIR UNS
2. GLADIVS, CVM QVO DECOLLATI FVERVNT NOSTRI PATRONI
3. BENEDICTVS DOS DES MEVS QVI DOCET MANVS
4. SOUEREYNE SOUEREYNE (sovereign?)
5. VIM VI PEPELLEPE LICET
6. AVE MARIA GARCIA PLENA DOMINI
7. AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLUM
8.BENEDICATNTIUS ET MAT

Probably some of them are not whole words...

And if anybody knows some other writings from sword (or where I could find some), please let me know. And if possible, with references, the period of the sword, the type of the sword etc.
Thanks in advance.

Hmmm -- the first inscription is German. Have to admit my German isn't what it used to be -- gotten a bit rusty from lack of use. Even so, the wording seems odd to me.

O = Oh
Maria = the Virgin Mary
Bit = ask; in this context, "plead for" is probably a better rendering ("pray" is a closely related word -- "Beten")
Wir = we
Uns = us

Oh, Mary, plead we us?? I know old German script can be hard to make out. Any chance the word WIR could actually be FUR (with 2 dots above the U)? This would make the inscription "Oh, Mary, plead for us."

If not, perhaps someone more scholarly than me can provide a better translation.

--Chris

gladius, cum quo decollati fuerunt nostri patroni (u=v in latin)
(the) sword, with which our leaders were beheaded
I'm not sure that "patroni" means leader, because I have no latin dictionnary, it looks like the french "patron" meaning the boss or the leader.

AVE MARIA GRACIA PLENA DOMINI
I agree with Thomas for the beginning: Hail Mary, full of graces, but I think rather DOMINI is for DOMINI (MATER) which means mother of The Lord.

Hi all,

Maybe..
5. VIM VI [R]EPELLE[R]E LICET = it is lawful to repel the force(violence) with the force(violence)

7. AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLUM = but Him passing between them (from Gospel Luke 4,30)

Ciao
Alberto...

Hi again,
Alberto's translations look very fine, and he is an Italian...
I found "Patronus" (plural=patroni) on a latin/english dictionary on-line, with the following meanings : a protector, defender, patron.
When the vikings became christians it seems that some of their blades beared the inscription IN NOMINE DOMINI (In the Name of the Lord). You can look at Swords of the Viking Age by Ian Peirce.

The only one i could get figured out with some substance was

Gladivs cvm quo decollati fvervnt nostri patron

gladivs = sword
cvm = sing
quo = which/where
decollati = to behead
fverunt = ?
nostri = our
partoni = patron / protector

Wish my 14 yr son was here, he's a Latin wiz........


Bill

Hi all,

Maybe...
3. BENEDICTVS DO[MINU]S DE[U]S MEVS QVI DOCET MANVS [AD PROELIUM DIGITOS MEOS AD BELLUM] = Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war.
It's from Holy Bible, David vs Goliath, psalm 143 (144).

Thank Jean :)

Ciao
Alberto...

"BENEDICTVS DOS DES MEVS QVI DOCET MANVS" appears on the lower edge of the pommel of the St. Maurice sword in Vienna. Unfortunately, my Latin is limited to medical terminology...

Benedict ..... ..... my which/what/that ..... hand

If Docet is actually Decet, that would be "proper, suitable"

If Des is Deus, that would be "God"

Hopefully that will give someone more to go on - of course, I'm FAR from an authority on Latin.

I was able to turn up this tidbit, though... appearing across the cross of the same sword is the following: "CHRISTUS VINCIT. CHRISTUS REINAT." on one side and "CHRISTUS INPERAT."

which, according to the webpage's author, translates to: "Christ Conquers. Christ Rules. Christ (is the) Emperor"

Source: http://swordforum.com/summer99/st-m.html

Thanks!
Translations and especially these Bible references were really great and helpful!
My Latin is more than rusty and the translations I got were... well, funny at best :).

Perhaps the most apprporiate (if not literal) translation might use "just" instead of "lawful"? - that would incorporate the moral dimension you're suggesting. Hence:

"It is just to meet force with force"

Not a bad motto to have engraved on a sword really.... ;)

Hey, If you are doing a progect on swords and their inscriptions, Can you post ALL the transilations you have for those of us who are interisted?

Once you have them all transilated of course. A list of the originals and the translations would be very interisting to me.

Sure, but not before next week - I am currently away from my own computer with the list.