[Michael Ekelmann]

Hi all,
I've always loved the shape of the Colada del Cid http://www.netlinkenterprises.com/prodimages/SG1100.jpg I worked my way through several wallhangers that were styled after this sword, dating back from when I was teen at the local renfaire. What I'm wondering is there are any makers who have a not wallhanger sword that follows the same pattern?
Thanks,

[J.D. Crawford]

Here's a sword from a good company that captures some of the flowing lines of your hilt:

http://www.arms-n-armor.com/sword192.html

But these look like Renaissance swords to me. We're talking about the El Cid that died in 1099, right? The laws of probability predict that he would have carried a much more primitive looking sword in that period - probably an Xa or XI with a simple straight or curved guard and likely a Brazil nut or simple wheel pommel.

Wikipedia shows quite a different 'El Cid' sword. That one looks like a 13/14th century XIII that has been re-hilted at some later date to look showy.

This seems to be a trend with these 'swords of a famous person' - often they are composed of different components from various periods after the person had died (other examples would be swords of Charles the Great, William Wallace).

[Paul Hansen]

El Cid had two sword. One called Tizona, one called Colada. The one featured on Wikipedia:

is the one usually called Tizona. It is now in the Army Museum in Toledo (formerly Madrid). It is clearly a rehilted older blade, but the attribution is quite old, I think from the 16th C. at least.

There is also the blade G.180 in the Real Armeria in Madrid, which is also associated with El Cid, and might be either Tizona or Colada.

The reproduction of the Colada that you posted is a "modern" version without any real historical basis. But it's a nice looking sword. I also have one hanging on my wall.

There is, as far as I know, one maker of these swords that are properly made. His name is Mariano Zamorano.
http://www.marianozamorano.com/

If you are interested, I have some pictures of his Colada dismantled, so that you can see the tang.

[Michael Ekelmann]

J.D.,
I agree that the Coloda del Cid is a Renaissance style sword. I think like other famous historical figures swords, somehow it became associated with the person and it sticks, no matter tha actual historical context. I admit that I bought my first one because of the Heston movie, though. Thanks for pointing out the arms and amour sword, that's the look I'm after at a decent price point too.

[Iagoba Ferreira]

This is a rather tricky thing...being Spanish there has been a lot of controversy around those swords for a time.

There were two swords, one the "Tizona" (probably meaning "blackened" or "burning wood") and the other the "colada", (probably related to the hierro or acero "colado" i.e. refined steel).

The swords traditionally called Tizona are currently in Burgos, after being bought for 1.6 millon € (!) and the Colada is at the Armería Real in Madrid.

That some swords having those names were in the Alcazar Real at Segovia in the late XV century is documented, but no drawings survive. The Tizona was asked as a present by the first Marqués de Falces, a close friend of King Ferdinand in such times, so that may explain the hilt style. The blades seem to be genuine from the XI or XII th centuries.

Besides this, there are some more unhilted blades at the Real Armería, that could be also such swords.

Of course, and unlike other mithic swords, no description or contemporary drawing survives, so they may not be related to El Cid at all...

In the Cantar del Mío cid the hilt of the Tizona is described as las maçanas e los arriazes todos d´oro son (3180) i.e. that the pommel (in the form of an apple or spherical, simmilar to the arabic swords) and the crossguards were all gilded.

To end, here you have a drawing of a sword of a sword, probably Iberian, that may look like such swords looked like in their best times:


It is currently at the Museo de Armería de Alava. The length it's about 1 metre and the weight around 1 Kg. The pommel and crossguards hdecorated with silver thread.

AFAIK, all the commercial sword are wallhangers. Unless you place an order....

[Paul Hansen]

[Iagoba Ferreira]

[Paul Hansen]