Has anyone ever threatened you with a deadly weapon?
For me it was when I was like 8 or 9. This guy who was a vietnam vet who lived in the neighborhood came out with a butcher knife and started yelling at all the kids outside that he was going to kill them.
yes a few times
Farewell fit for a hero: Vietnam veteran finally laid to rest after 39-year wait
Pallbearers carry the remains of Chief Warrant Officer Donald L. Wann to a horse-drawn caisson after the eulogy in Fort Gibson National Cemetery. Wann, who had been missing in action since he was shot down in Vietnam in 1971, was buried Saturday with full military honors.
When you start the fabulous hobby of sword collecting one of the first things you have to come to terms with is the words with which the various parts of the sword are known. This article will describe the following items:
- Pommel
- Grips
- a
Quillons - Cutaway
- Fuller
- Blade
- Point
Starting at the very top of the sword there is either a round or square item at the top of the handle and this in known as the pommel. The pommel performs two very useful functions.
The first is to stop your hand from slipping from the handle, and in fact your hand is sandwiched between two components of the sword, the pommel and the quillons, whose collective responsibilities are to stop your hand from slipping off either into your own blade or off the sword completely.
The pommel has another function which is to form a weapon for close quarters combat. It is used to strike down on the head of an opponent when they are close enough. This is where the term pommelling comes from and it means to strike down upon someone. The word is originates from the french word pommel as do so many words in the sword dictionary.
The next part of a sword is the handle or grips whose name describes the function for which it is used and that is to hold the sword.
The next part is the quillons, which is always spoken of in the plural as there are two halves of a quillon the left hand side and the right hand side. The quillons job is to both protect the hand from the blade and also to stop the hand from slipping off the sword.
Quillons can be made to look quite ornate and in the case of the old swashbuckling swords of the buccaneers they were very large and round and quite similar to the quillons used on an epee which is the sword used for the sport of fencing.
There is also something which in modern language terms would be described as a cutaway but in more traditional terms is known as a fuller. The job of the fuller is to give the blade flexibility and strength and also leads to a reduction in weight as well. It runs the whole length of the blade and is best described as a groove.
The blade is quite obviously for slashing or cutting and does not really require any further description as to the functionality. A more interesting perspective about the blade is what it can be constructed from. Whilst most blades are steel you can get everything from glass to gold although these more ornate structures are for ceremonial purposes rather than battle situations.
And finally there is the point which is the business end of the sword at the very tip of the sword.
The phrase "do you get my point" is believed originate from this part of the sword as in when asking someone if they understood what you mean, as in ancient times to get the point meant you really did understand what they meant.
Alex has been writing for about 3 years. His particular interest is in ancient swords and in particular the hattori hanzo sword. Why not visit his web site http://www.hattorihanzosword.com/ and learn more about this fascinating subject.
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