Thanks Geoff. Knack it is. What a great sword song.

Both of my swords are very dear to my heart so I've named them. My first sword which is a AT Lady Ash got the name of "Lady Helen" after my dearly departed dog.

My second AT sword was a second hand gift to which she was already named. I kept the name out of respect to the previous owner. Her name is "Sarah."

Here are some documented Germanic/Viking sword names from the Saga'setc, you might like to consider

'Hviting' sword belonging to Bersi,
'Skofnung' sword taken from he grave mound of Hrolf Kraki by Skeggi.
'Gram' Odinn's sword used by the hero Sigmund.
'Legbiter', Magnus Barefoot's sword.
'Quernbiter', the sword of Olaf Trygveson
'Aettarttangi' meaning Sword of Generations, the hero Grettir the Strong's sword
'Hrunting' the sword belonging to Unforth and borrowed to Beowulf
'Fishback' belonging to King Magnus Erlingsson

Best

Dave

Ah that's funny Edward!

I did the same thing to my chin- and the scar is unfortunately permanent.
On the subject though, I don't name any of my weapons- feels to D&D for me.
Jeremy

I have pondered this off/on over the years as well.......generally I consider sword names in the "don't ask don't tell category" but I don't know if its always overly melodramatic to name swords.............depends a bit on the context. for example, if you are a very dedicated martial artist who has 4,5,6 swords of the same type, then nicknames can have a real functional value vs............ foil1 foil2 foil3 etc. mental constructs such as names do have their place...........for example as a geologist what is to me "a pinnacle of tertiary volcanic basalt of the sanders mesa formation" is to most people "thumb butte". and honestly, if I needed to give someone directions I would tell them to look out for "thumb butte" not "the pinnacle of tertiary volcanic basalt of the sanders mesa formation".

btw, in violation of my "don't ask don't tell sword naming policy" I have the polar opposite sword to ceiling biter. its called "nick-a-brick". (I have a brick patio in the backyard).

postscript. there is one other very legitimate reason to name a sword imho, and that is when you have an antique with a specific provenance. for example, I have a wilkinson (#36011) that was initially bought and carried by Robert Francis Carnegie to the Boer War. so I think it is totally legit to call this sword the "RF Carnegie sword" rather than "Victorian baskethilt broadsword by Wilkinson number 36,011"

I don't name my swords anymore. I did name one early in my collecting days. It was a Bob Egnath katana that I had Fred Lohman mount. I went with the dragon theme. This was before I took lessons and all, and called it "Walking Dragon".

Now as I look back I kind of chuckle at the whole naming the sword thing. I mean to each his own, but for me personally, when I have company over, I tell people that this sword is an example of this era or that era. Just my thing you know.

I have an axe that could be called "chickenbane", but that would not seem very heroic... I do however call it "Knuffeltje" (cuddly) because I got it on my birthday during a canoetrip in sweden and was immediadely very fond of it (sought out every opportunity to use it).

I note that some of you have chosen female or vaguely feminine names for a favorite sword. What is the general view of the gender of swords? I see some items in my collection that definitely give off a feminine vibe, while others seem obviously butch and masculine. Plainly they are not all female, the way naval vessels are customarily viewed.

Is there a history in pre-Renaissance time of giving female names to swords used by men for serious military work? Does the naming pattern stem from the variations in use of gendered nouns from language to language, or is it independent of culture and linguistic bias? I know that a Schwert is neuter in German, but don't recall the gender of any other bladed weapons.

The swords I have named are: a nice,sharp gothic arming sword called "Silver Wolf" a French infantry hanger called "Perseus" , and my 1818 Nathan Starr Cavalry sabre that I call "The Star Sword." Also I have an old CAS Iberia bastard sword from the early 90s that I call "Flash Gordon". I bought for myself after winning a Fencing tournemant as a lark and a pat on the back.

My Regent is named "Damn!" because that is the first word I uttered upon pulling it out of the shipping box and hefting it for the first time. To date this is the only sword I have bothered to name, because, let's face it, they simply won't respond no matter what you call them.

My daughter named my Bastard Sword "Frank".
Don't ask me why, she just did. It's been "Frank" all this time. She was 15 when she named it, she's in her 30's now.
[ Linked Image ][ Linked Image ]

After much thought and many suggestions I named my Tinker Type XIV longsword "Schlawack". It's Swabian German for "Slut" since the sword gets many admiring glances and praise from others. ;-)

Sorry about the crude post.
I think naming a handcrafted ,unique weapon is very acceptable..by unique I mean not crafted in lots...albion has beautiful weapons but I would not name a sword that has 100 sisters.
Part of me thinks that it should only be the maker of the blade that gets to name it....if he/she thinks a blade has some defining character or feel that it warrants a name.
Now if others name your blade, that's just plain cool.
I have a rattan club I use for estrella war and hopefully one day against the tuchux at pennsic(I'm a Calontiri and there is a long history with us and the chux. Not bad blood per say,but definatley a willingness to go out of the way to fight each other)....Anyways the shortsword/club was christened "MULLETOR" after I got to bash a bunch of dudes in greco-mad max -gwar armor.....They had weird skull face plates and these huge freakin crests that allmost dragged the ground.....Which would be so cool to see how quikly a person would get slammed into the ground in real combat because they put a 4' leash on their helmet :p
On the other hand....If you encounter someone who names a blade from a work of fiction(scalpel,graywand, whatever the hell moorcock's albinos sword was called,snaga...etc,etc ad nauseum) should be punished severley for having no originality....and no "dragonsbane" or "widow maker" or along those lines...played out.....

I've owned so far three swords. Two of which were sharp. Of those three, I;ve only named one, my eljay basket hilted saber. I named it "An Stob", which means a thorn, and at the same time, a thrust or stab. It felt right. I rarely refer to it as an stob, but often as thorn.

I have my heart set on another longsword to buy, and I know the name I would choose if I got my dream sword (an Albion earl) which is odd. picking a name before the sword is in your hands. But my last longsword, even though it was my very first real sword, I never felt connected to to name. For me, naming isnt imbuing some sort of character to a cold piece of carefully formed minerals, it simply sets that particular blade aside in my mind as truly belonging to me, one that I would pick up without hesitation. I may own many basket hilts one day, but I only have one thorn.

I got quite a kick out of this thread! I can't say that I'm overly worried about being accused to melodrama (folks say the same things about my penchant for wearing vintage suits, bow ties and fedoras just 'cuz), but at the same time, I can't say that I've ever really considered naming my sword (presently, I only own one that is qualified to bear such a classification, an Albion Gaddhjalt).

However...

Sam Barris wrote:

I think that some weapons certainly deserve names, but the ones that do have a tendency to let you know that on their own.

After reading the rest of this thread, and this post in particular, I have decided that, perhaps, my gaddhjalt is due a name. In a sidelong nod to Magnus Barelegs, it should be known henceforce as, how would it be... fótbitr.

Please don't ask ;)


PS~

Quote:

I haven't named my hunting shotgun, even though it's a very nice gun that I've had since I was sixteen. I just call it Fox, since that's it's model.

Couldn't pass this by. I hunt with a Winchester Model 12 named Meat-in-the-Pot, which my father bestowed on it years ago :D