In which fairy tale is there a treasure sword? Treasure Sword

In Russian epics and legends it is called a treasure sword or a self-cutting sword. And it was forged by Agric, the son of King Herod, a cruel tyrant, known from biblical texts and the works of the Roman historian Josephus.

According to legend, this sword emitted a bluish glow in the darkness and had supernatural properties: it could cut into pieces any military armor. The enemies did not even enter into battle with the hero, armed with the sword of Agric, but turned back. How did the sword end up in Rus'?

There is no answer to this question. In epics there are only stories about how heroes receive a treasure sword from the hands of Svyatogor or find it in a deep cave. But here's what's interesting. Chronicles indicate that one of the most fearless commanders of Ancient Rus' was Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky (born around 1109).

In 1149, “surrounded” (surrounded) by enemies, on a wounded horse, the prince pulled out a sword and, simply holding it high above his head, managed to break through to his own. Obviously, this was the very moment when to intimidate the enemy it was enough just to demonstrate a miracle weapon.

In the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, a youth appears to Prince Peter and shows Agrikov the sword lying in the crevice of the altar wall

So under what circumstances did Andrei Bogolyubsky acquire the treasured sword? But under what conditions? Andrei's father was Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky, prince of the Rostov-Suzdal land.

Until 1149, chronicle sources say nothing about the life of the young prince. Researchers A. Rybalka and A. Sinelnikov in the book “Secrets of Russian Cathedrals” make the assumption that after the death of his Polovtsian wife, Yuri Dolgoruky sent a wedding embassy led by his youth son Andrei to Byzantium, to Elena Komnenos.

The matchmaking was successful, and the bride took to Rus' as a dowry, among other things, the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”, painted by Luke the Evangelist himself, which later became famous as the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.

But after this, what was the fate of Andrei Bogolyubsky himself, “the founder of organized Russian statehood” (as the famous Russian historian SM Solovyov called him)? According to the above-mentioned researchers, Bogolyubsky took part in the Crusades and joined the Templar Order.

In support of their point of view, these authors cite the following lines from the Old Believer “Life of Andrei Bogolyubsky”: “For many years in the Holy Land of Jerusalem, I visited the Holy Sepulcher in fasting and prayer, serving the Virgin Mary the Mother of God truly and without self-interest, gaining much wisdom, as Be Sholomon king, in his temple the Holy of Holies abided.” It would be useful to recall that the full name of the Templar Order is: “The Brotherhood of the Poor Servants of Christ, Horsemen of the Virgin Mary, the Jerusalem Mother of God of Solomon’s Temple.”

It is known that the Templars carried out excavations at the site of Solomon's Temple, and, according to some sources, with great success. The Order became the owner of the Holy Grail, the Shroud, later called the Turin Shroud, and the Sword of Agrikov. When the time came for Andrei Bogolyubsky to return to Rus', the Templars presented him with the treasured weapon as a reward for his services.

Well, after the murder of the prince, with the beginning of the strife, during which the city of Vladimir, beloved by Prince Andrei, passed from hand to hand, the sword was hidden in one of the monasteries of the city of Murom.

“I will die from Peter’s shoulder”

Several decades later, the fate of the sword was intertwined with the fates of the Murom prince Peter and his wife Fevronia (late 12th - early 13th centuries). The content of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” written by the church writer Ermolai-Erasmus, is known to readers. Its beginning, based on Murom traditions and legends, contains a mention of Agric’s sword.

It all started in Murom during the reign of Prince Paul, Peter's elder brother. Paul had a beautiful wife, to whom, in the absence of her husband, a winged serpent took the form of flying to her. The princess told her husband everything. The prince thought for a long time about how to kill the “enemy of the human race,” and came up with an idea.

“Find out from the serpent,” he told his wife, “what kind of death he is destined to die.” Although the task was very difficult, the princess managed to find out the secret. “I will die from Peter’s shoulder, from Agrikov’s sword,” the serpent admitted. Pavel's younger brother Peter heard about Agric's sword, but did not know where to look for it. Deciding to trust in God’s help, the young prince went to church and began to pray in solitude. And an angel appeared to him in the form of a youth and said: “I will show you where Agric’s sword is hidden, follow me.”

He led Peter to the altar, where this sword lay in the gap between the stones of the altar wall. After talking with Pavel in his chambers and showing him the sword. Peter went to visit the princess. And what does he see? Next to the princess sits his brother, whom he has just left in the distant chambers.

Having made sure that there was a werewolf in the princess’s chambers, Peter struck him with the Agric sword. But in his death throes, the snake splashed the prince with his blood, and he was covered with festering ulcers. Well, then - the story of the prince’s recovery thanks to the healing of the maiden Fevronia.

What is hidden behind this legend? Maybe in the “reserved and dense, terrible Murom forests” there really were winged snakes that took on human form? Or maybe there are completely earthly matters hidden in it?

Some enemy of Paul could have infiltrated the prince’s entourage and tried to seduce the princess in order to find out where the treasured sword was kept. Did not work out. But with his “last gasp” this werewolf could, for example, throw some poison in Prince Peter’s face...

And Khostovrul and Evpatiy got along

It is clear that the precious relic is being taken care of more than ever. True, the sword did not have to lie “motionless” for long. In the winter of 1237, 140 thousand Mongol horsemen, led by Batu, approached the borders of Rus' (many researchers also name another figure - 300 thousand people). The Murom-Ryazan principality desperately resisted. And yet, on December 21, Ryazan fell.

But soon one of the governors of the Ryazan prince Yuri Igorevich, Evpatiy Kolovrat, who was away for a long time, gathered a squad of 1,700 people, and on January 15, 1238, five thousand Mongol soldiers, led by Batu Khostovrul’s brother-in-law, fought in battle with Evpatiy’s warriors. The chronicle reports: “And Khostovrul and Evpatiy came together. Evpatiy was filled with force and cut Khostovrul into half (in two halves - A.O.) to the saddle. And he began to cut down the power of the enemy, and beat many of the famous heroes of the Batyevs here, cut some in half, and chopped others to the saddle.”

In the fast-paced battle, Khostovrul’s detachment was almost completely destroyed, which puzzled Batu. Even if we admit that Evpatiy Kolovrat was a hero of heroes, how could he deal with dozens of well-armed enemies alone? Maybe Kolovrat had Agrikov’s sword in his hands? Maybe he was leaving Ryazan behind him when he learned about the impending threat?

Faced with unprecedented resistance, Batu decided to surround the camp of Kolovrat’s detachment, which had only four hundred warriors left alive, with an army of thousands and bring up “vices” (throwing weapons). Without engaging in open battle, the Mongols threw stones at the brave Russians. And then, on the orders of Batu, the soldiers brought the body of Evpatiy Kolovrat to him.

The “Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu” says: “And Tsar Batu said, looking at the body of Evpatievo: “Oh, Kolovrat Evpatiy! You treated me well with your small retinue, and you beat many heroes of my strong horde, and defeated many regiments. If such a one served with me, I would keep him close to my very heart.” And he gave Evpatiy’s body to the remaining people of his squad, who were captured at the massacre. And King Batu ordered to let them go and not harm them in any way.”

Hitler's Directive

Did Batu know about the existence of Agrikov's sword? Hard to say. At least, the quoted words from “The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan” inspire hope that the miracle sword was taken from the battlefield by the surviving Russian soldiers.

Confirmation that the sword did not leave the borders of Rus' are the events that happened more than seven hundred years after that battle.

According to some data (materials from the secret organization Ahnenerbe, which operated as part of the SS), in December 1941, Field Marshal von Bock received a directive from Hitler banning shelling and bombing of a five-kilometer zone along the Oka, from Ryazan to Murom.

A group of commandos from the Ahnenerbe, which was engaged in the most secret affairs of the Reich, was parachuted into these places: from the creation of “techno-magical” disc planes and other Wunderwaffe (“miracle weapons”) to the search for the Holy Grail and Agrikov’s sword. December, of course, is not the most suitable month for searches and excavations, especially in conditions of hostilities.

But, apparently, the Nazis had reliable information about the location of the miracle sword in the Ryazan region. Some researchers believe that they could have gleaned such information from the Russian chronicle, which migrated abroad during the 1917 revolution and the civil war.

Indeed, “researchers” from Ahnenerbe scoured all the occupied countries of Europe, trying to find these artifacts or evidence of them. Why did Hitler need the weapons of bygone days? Could it compete with the Katyusha or the T-34?

You need to know that the ideology of fascism grew from occult-mystical roots, fed by everything: from the theory of the superiority of the “Nordic race” to the “revelations” of German pagan priests. There was also a place in it for artifacts that Hitler wanted “to place next to himself to feel the universal strength and power.”

As for the Nazi commandos sent into the Murom forests, they say that only two of them, with frostbitten and empty hands, were able to get beyond the front line.

From the magazine "Miracles and Adventures" (2013)

And give the owner invincibility. Usually they fell into the hands of the owner from some hiding place.

Treasure Sword
Nikitich . Fragment of a painting by Viktor Vasnetsov "Bogatyrs"
Information and data
Author	folklore
general information
Type	magic sword
Purpose	steel arms

Name

Written with a small letter and a hyphen: treasure sword.

A large number of references to the treasure sword in fairy tales and epics relating to various characters clearly indicates that treasure trove- was not a proper name for a weapon, a specific single sword, like, for example, Excalibur, but just a definition of a certain category of blades.

IN "Tales of Babylon-city"- he goes by the nickname "Aspid-snake" and can turn into a snake. Also called "Samosek"- since he could chop it himself.

In some later dialects it became spoken in "sword-cleavers".

Owners

In later fairy tales, which arose much later than the heroic epics, the treasure sword becomes an almost obligatory attribute of the main character:

In modern culture

• The treasure sword also appears in some fantasy novels, such as “Island of Rus'” (Yuliy Burkin, Sergei Lukyanenko).
• In the 2017 film “The Last Bogatyr” the plot is built around the search for the treasure sword - only the true son of the hero, who turned out to be the main character Ivan, was able to find it.

- "treasure..."- usually associated with the word “put”, that is, with the idea of ​​​​something hidden, obtained from a treasure or burial. We should also consider another meaning of the word “put down”, namely, the treasure sword puts down the enemy army with one swing of the hero. But the dictionary of the Code of Russian Folklore published by the Russian Academy of Sciences indicates the origin of the word "stacking", which simply means “steel” - perhaps at some time steel swords were impressive due to their rarity. However, there is no clarity in the etymology of the word; its connection with the Old Irish word is noted claideb(sword) and Welsh Cleddyf(sword), and lat. gladius.

IN "Tales of Babylon-city"- he goes by the nickname "Aspid-snake" and can turn into a snake. Also called "Samosek"- since he could chop it himself.

In some later dialects it became spoken in "sword-cleavers".

Owners

In later fairy tales, which arose much later than the heroic epics, the treasure sword becomes an almost obligatory attribute of the main character:

• Prince Oleg the Prophet
• Ilya Muromets - owns a treasure sword, which previously belonged to Svyatogor.
• Ruslan from A. S. Pushkin’s poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”
• Storm the hero, son of a cow
• Prince Peter from “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”

In modern culture

• Romanov V. "The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Treasure Sword"- modern "epic".
• Yuliy Burkin, Sergey Lukyanenko. "Rus Island", where it belongs to Ilya Muromets
• Dmitry Yankovsky. "Voice of Bulat", in which an animated sword helps a young man become a hero at the court of the Kyiv prince.
• “Sword-Kladenets” is the title in Russian distribution of the film “Sword of the Valiant: The legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” (Sword of the Brave: The Legend of Guyven and the Green Knight), 1982.
• In the novel by Alexander Rudazov “Legends of Deep Antiquity,” swords that have certain magical characteristics are called treasures. Two such swords are mentioned: Aspid-Snake - “the treasured treasure of Kashchei”, which turns into a five-fat black snake, and Samosek, belonging to Ivan, nicknamed the Fool, who has his own will.

see also

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Links

• Dolgov V.V.// Bulletin of UdSU. Series "History". - 2005. - P. 118-125.

Notes

Existing in fact South America Mythical and legendary

Excerpt characterizing the Treasure Sword

By morning, the night fog had left only frost on the heights, turning into dew, while in the hollows the fog still spread out like a milky white sea. Nothing was visible in that ravine to the left, where our troops descended and from where the sounds of shooting came. Above the heights there was a dark, clear sky, and to the right a huge ball of the sun. Ahead, far away, on the other side of the foggy sea, protruding wooded hills were visible, on which the enemy army should have been, and something was visible. To the right the guards entered the area of ​​fog, sounding with clatter and wheels and occasionally flashing bayonets; to the left, behind the village, similar masses of cavalry approached and disappeared into the sea of ​​fog. Infantry moved in front and behind. The commander-in-chief stood at the exit of the village, allowing troops to pass by. Kutuzov seemed exhausted and irritable that morning. The infantry marching past him stopped without orders, apparently because something ahead delayed them.
“Finally, tell them to form into battalion columns and go around the village,” Kutuzov angrily said to the general who drove up. “How can you not understand, Your Excellency, dear sir, that it is impossible to stretch out along this defile of the village streets when we are going against the enemy.”
“I intended to line up outside the village, Your Excellency,” answered the general.
Kutuzov laughed biliously.
- You will be good, deploying the front in sight of the enemy, very good.
- The enemy is still far away, Your Excellency. By disposition...
- Disposition! - Kutuzov cried out biliously, - who told you this?... If you please, do as you are ordered.
- I’m listening s.
“Mon cher,” Nesvitsky said in a whisper to Prince Andrei, “le vieux est d”une humeur de chien. [My dear, our old man is very out of sorts.]
An Austrian officer with a green plume on his hat and a white uniform galloped up to Kutuzov and asked on behalf of the emperor: has the fourth column set out?
Kutuzov, without answering him, turned away, and his gaze accidentally fell on Prince Andrei, who was standing next to him. Seeing Bolkonsky, Kutuzov softened the angry and caustic expression of his gaze, as if realizing that his adjutant was not to blame for what was happening. And, without answering the Austrian adjutant, he turned to Bolkonsky:
– Allez voir, mon cher, si la troisieme division a depasse le village. Dites lui de s"arreter et d"attendre mes ordres. [Go, my dear, see if the third division has passed through the village. Tell her to stop and wait for my order.]
As soon as Prince Andrei drove off, he stopped him.
“Et demandez lui, si les tirailleurs sont postes,” he added. – Ce qu"ils font, ce qu"ils font! [And ask if the arrows are posted. “What are they doing, what are they doing!],” he said to himself, still without answering the Austrian.
Prince Andrei galloped off to carry out the order.
Having overtaken all the battalions in front, he stopped the 3rd division and became convinced that, indeed, there was no rifle chain ahead of our columns. The regimental commander of the regiment in front was very surprised by the order given to him from the commander-in-chief to scatter the riflemen. The regimental commander stood here in full confidence that there were still troops ahead of him, and that the enemy could not be closer than 10 miles. Indeed, nothing was visible ahead except a deserted area, sloping forward and covered with thick fog. Having ordered on behalf of the commander-in-chief to fulfill what had been missed, Prince Andrei galloped back. Kutuzov stood still in the same place and, senilely slumped in the saddle with his corpulent body, yawned heavily, closing his eyes. The troops no longer moved, but stood at gunpoint.
“Okay, okay,” he said to Prince Andrei and turned to the general, who, with a watch in his hands, said that it was time to move, since all the columns from the left flank had already descended.
“We’ll still have time, Your Excellency,” Kutuzov said through a yawn. - We'll make it! - he repeated.
At this time, behind Kutuzov, the sounds of regiments greeting each other were heard in the distance, and these voices began to quickly approach along the entire length of the stretched line of advancing Russian columns. It was clear that the one they were greeting was traveling quickly. When the soldiers of the regiment in front of which Kutuzov stood shouted, he drove a little to the side and looked back with a wince. On the road from Pratzen, a squadron of multi-colored horsemen galloped along. Two of them galloped side by side in front of the others. One was in a black uniform with a white plume on a red anglicized horse, the other in a white uniform on a black horse. These were two emperors with their retinue. Kutuzov, with the affectation of a soldier at the front, commanded the troops standing at attention and, saluting, drove up to the emperor. His whole figure and manner suddenly changed. He took on the appearance of a commanding, unreasoning person. With an affectation of respect that obviously struck Emperor Alexander unpleasantly, he rode up and saluted him.
An unpleasant impression, just like the remnants of fog in a clear sky, ran across the emperor’s young and happy face and disappeared. He was, after ill health, somewhat thinner that day than on the Olmut field, where Bolkonsky saw him for the first time abroad; but the same charming combination of majesty and meekness was in his beautiful, gray eyes, and on his thin lips, the same possibility of varied expressions and the prevailing expression of complacent, innocent youth.
At the Olmut show he was more majestic, here he was more cheerful and energetic. He became somewhat flushed after galloping these three miles, and, stopping his horse, sighed with repose and looked back at the faces of his retinue, just as young and as animated as his. Chartorizhsky and Novosiltsev, and Prince Bolkonsky, and Stroganov, and others, all richly dressed, cheerful, young people, on beautiful, well-groomed, fresh horses, talking and smiling, stopped behind the sovereign. Emperor Franz, a ruddy, long-faced young man, sat extremely straight on a beautiful black stallion and looked around him with concern and leisurely. He called one of his white adjutants and asked something. “That’s right, what time did they leave,” thought Prince Andrei, observing his old acquaintance, with a smile that he could not contain, remembering his audience. In the retinue of the emperors there were selected young orderlies, Russian and Austrian, guards and army regiments. Between them, beautiful spare royal horses were led by riders in embroidered blankets.
It was as if, through the open window, the smell of fresh field air suddenly came into the stuffy room, so the gloomy Kutuzov headquarters smelled of youth, energy and confidence in success from these brilliant young people who had galloped up.
- Why don’t you start, Mikhail Larionovich? - Emperor Alexander hastily turned to Kutuzov, at the same time looking courteously at Emperor Franz.
“I’m waiting, Your Majesty,” answered Kutuzov, leaning forward respectfully.
The Emperor lowered his ear, frowning slightly to indicate that he had not heard.
“I’m waiting, your Majesty,” Kutuzov repeated (Prince Andrei noticed that Kutuzov’s upper lip trembled unnaturally while he said this, “I’m waiting”). “Not all the columns have assembled yet, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor heard, but apparently did not like this answer; he shrugged his stooped shoulders and glanced at Novosiltsev, who stood nearby, as if with this glance he was complaining about Kutuzov.
“After all, we are not in Tsaritsyn Meadow, Mikhail Larionovich, where the parade does not begin until all the regiments arrive,” said the sovereign, again looking into the eyes of Emperor Franz, as if inviting him, if not to take part, then to listen to what he speaks; but Emperor Franz, continuing to look around, did not listen.
“That’s why I’m not starting, sir,” Kutuzov said in a sonorous voice, as if warning against the possibility of not being heard, and something trembled in his face once again. “That’s why I’m not starting, sir, because we’re not at the parade or in Tsarina’s meadow,” he said clearly and distinctly.
In the sovereign's retinue, all the faces, instantly exchanging glances at each other, expressed murmur and reproach. “No matter how old he is, he should not, in no way should speak like that,” these persons expressed.
The Emperor looked intently and carefully into Kutuzov's eyes, waiting to see if he would say anything else. But Kutuzov, for his part, bowing his head respectfully, also seemed to be waiting. The silence lasted for about a minute.
“However, if you order, Your Majesty,” said Kutuzov, raising his head and again changing his tone to the previous tone of a stupid, unreasoning, but obedient general.
He started his horse and, calling the head of the column, Miloradovich, gave him the order to attack.
The army began to move again, and two battalions of the Novgorod regiment and a battalion of the Absheron regiment moved forward past the sovereign.

Sword-Treasurer - a special mythical sword, a heroic weapon, with which only one can defeat one or another evil spirit. The hero must first get himself this sword. As a rule, Baba Yaga helps him in this matter, who tells the hero where these weapons are stored and how they can be taken possession of, what dangers await along this path and how they must be overcome. The one who takes possession of this enchanted, magical sword emerges victorious from all battles.

Sometimes only such a sword can cause death to some monster or giant. Thus, the fairy-tale hero Eruslan Lazarevich obtains the Kladenets-sword from under the head of the giant Roslaney, and with this weapon kills the treacherous king Fire-Shield; Bova the prince finds a similar sword in the dungeon where he was imprisoned. Under the dominance of the mythological interpretation of fairy tales, the treasure-sword, as well as other similar weapons found in fairy tales - the self-cutting ax, the self-breaking club - was seen as a representation of lightning cutting through the clouds, and in the heroes armed with it - the personification of the thunder god, armed with Perun... The name kladenets is in connection with the verb to put (cf. kladen - a beam or log placed at the base of something; kladenets - a large knife with which to cut cattle).

Sometimes in Russian folk tales it appears as a self-cutting sword, which, by order of its owner, can cut down even an entire forest, even an entire enemy army.

Sword spell:

“The sun rolled out from behind the Khvalynsky Sea, the moon rose over the stone city, and in that stone city my mother gave birth and, giving birth, said: “May you, my child, be safe and sound: from arrows and swords, from fighters and wrestlers. My mother girdled me with a treasure sword. You are my treasure sword, turn and turn, like the millstones of a mill turn, you crush and crumble all steel, and lay, and iron, and copper; pierce, cut through all kinds of meat and bone; and let the enemy’s blows fly away from you like stones from water, and so that you won’t get a scratch or a nick from them. I speak to the slave (such and such), and gird him with a treasure sword. Never mind the end of the word, the crown of my work.”

The explanation for the weapons of ancient Russian heroes is logical and simple. The name “kladenets sword” comes from the word steel, which is “way of life” in Old Russian. Who knows, maybe the family way of life came from here, because it is something unshakable and strong, like steel.

If you turn to the Old Russian dictionary, you can find the translation of the word “way of life” - steel. And “laying” is, accordingly, steel. In Rus' they called “Kladenets” not only a warrior’s sword, but also a large steel knife for butchering cattle. Some linguistics experts are trying to find a connection between the appearance of this word in Old Russian from other languages. So, there is some consonance with the Old Irish claided and with the Latin gladius, but these versions are quite controversial.

Experts are sure that in Rus' there were blacksmiths-gunsmiths who mastered the technology of making special, durable swords from welded damask steel. To do this, they alternated laying steel on iron several times, and then forged it, twisting it many times. If, after firing, some pieces of steel broke off, then the master would arrange them in a special way and perform the forging operation again and again. This took a lot of time and effort, but the treasure sword turned out to be excellent.

Svyatogor, who is leaving for another world, gives the sword to Ilya Muromets: “And now farewell, wield my treasure sword.” But we know from epics that Ilya Muromets had an affair with Svyatogor’s wife. Could it be that the incident with the murder of an unfaithful wife is a later development, while the very moment of handing over the sword on his deathbed is a symbolic reflection of the handing over of the wife to the younger brother? In this case, the intimate relationship between Svyatogor’s wife and Ilya Muromets takes on a slightly different meaning.

And finally, the head of the giant hero says to Eruslan Timofeevich: “You will see my body, under it is my treasure sword, there is a secret hidden in it, it will be useful to you.” These words clearly indicate the location of the notorious “sword”.

A treasure sword, an assistant to courageous heroes of many Russian fairy tales, the dream of any warrior. According to ancient legends, this weapon helps to win any battle. It was used by many famous heroes from Russian epics. Only with such a sword can one defeat most fairy-tale monsters and villains who remain invulnerable to other types of weapons. Historians and researchers of the Russian language still cannot agree on why this blade has such a name. According to one of the official versions, his name comes from the word “treasure” and means hidden treasure. In many legends, it really needs to be found in some secluded place or unfamiliar country, and not everyone could get it, but only that hero who is recognized by this intelligent weapon and who can cope with it

Other researchers claim that “kladenets” comes from the word “to put,” that is, such a sword is a powerful weapon, capable of putting down the entire enemy’s countless army with just one swing. One of the dictionaries of Russian folklore says that this name was given to the sword because of the peculiarity of its manufacture, in which the material, cheap iron, was buried in the ground for several years. Low-quality metal was eaten away by rust, leaving only wear-resistant and ageless steel, which was then used to make an expensive blade. Perhaps the word comes from the Old Russian “ukladny”, which means steel and simply indicates the rare material at that time from which it was forged.

For an ancient warrior, a sword that could cut through steel armor was indeed a very good helper that could save lives and decide the outcome of a battle. Another version of the origin of the name of this sword is associated with the word “fold” and indicates the special technology by which it was forged. It is similar to the ancient methods of making damask steel and Damascus steel. The blacksmith repeatedly thinly flattened and then bent the metal blade blank in half. The result was particularly strong, beautiful and sharp steel with an intricate pattern, with a sword from which one could easily cut a hair on the fly.

Also, the origin of the name “kladenets” may be associated with the Old Irish word claided and the Latin gladius, translated into Russian meaning sword. In some legends, he is called Samosek, because he could independently fight the enemy and kill even without the help of his master. In one of the legends about Babylon there was a blade called the Asp-Snake, which turned into this poisonous animal. The heroic sword is a symbol of valor and military glory. In ancient times it was the most common type of weapon. He couldn’t get it just like that; such a blade had to be earned. In all epics, the path to acquiring such weapons was very difficult. Sometimes it was a very long search and indeed, to find his way, a real warrior needs a very large amount of time, effort and prudence. In other legends, in order to obtain the Kladenets Sword, which gives invincibility, it was necessary to get it from the grave or the underworld, in other words, to defeat death.

Thus, this blade was something like a bridge connecting two worlds, the world of the living and the world of the dead, it could itself sow death and gave its owner supernatural power. Eruslan Lazarevich, a fairy-tale hero, found this sword under the body of the murdered warrior Roslaney. The head of a huge hero on the battlefield told where to look for him. This is a symbol of gaining knowledge in military affairs from the dead to the living. The head of a huge hero told where to look for him. To cope with such tasks required remarkable strength and enormous wisdom, during the search the warrior himself gained courage and invaluable experience. Having gone through such an initiation, you can truly become invincible. Trials add wisdom, without which any power loses its meaning, and prudence can defeat any enemy. In some epics, the main character received it as an inheritance from his father, a valiant hero, but with one condition.

It was possible to receive the weapon only when the young man’s strength became strong enough to lift a huge boulder, under which the wise warrior placed the blade. This means that every man, when learning martial arts, must have patience and try not to get ahead of things, waiting for his knowledge to become perfect. There is a legend about the Agric sword, a lost artifact of antiquity. According to legend, it was made by Agric, the son of King Herod, known for his cruelty as a king. This blade could cut through steel armor like butter, glowed in the dark with a bright bluish light and gave such an advantage in battle that with just its appearance it could put absolutely any army to flight. Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, surrounded by enemies in 1149, was able to escape from death or captivity by simply raising his sword high above his head. This artifact was also mentioned in the legend of Peter and Fevronia.

Adolf Hitler tried to find the invincible blade; he even sent a special expedition to the coast of the Oka River. As one might expect, this did not bring any results. There were a huge number of legends about the invincible sword in Rus'. Now no one can know for sure whether this image was a collective one or whether there really was a great magical artifact of unprecedented power, capable of giving unlimited power. Historical swords of Europe Grus - the sword of Boleslav III Wrymouth. Jeweled Sword of Offering - the coronation sword of the English kings, made in 1820. Curtana ("Sword of Mercy") - the blunt sword of Edward the Confessor, a symbol of mercy, which is still solemnly worn in processions during the coronation of British kings . Licorne is a historical sword of the Burgundian princes. Shoyce is the sword of William of Orange. Szczerbiec, coronation sword of the Polish kings. (The sword of King Boleslav, which was discussed above, was given to him by an angel and received the name “Szczerbiec”, since he, Boleslav, having come to Rus' at the inspiration of an angel, was the first to strike the Golden Gate, which locked the city of Kyiv in Rus', and In this case, the sword received slight damage; damage in Polish means “sherbina”, and therefore the sword began to be called “Szczerbets”).

Legendary and fictional swords of the European epic Ascalon (Ascalon) - the sword of St. George (according to medieval legends). Ishten Kardja (Az Isten Kardja, “Sword of the God of War (Mars)”) - the weapon of Attila (according to Jordan, medieval legends). Azoth - the magical sword of Paracelsus (according to medieval legends). Vorpale is the sword of the headless horseman from the Dutch-American legend of Sleepy Hollow (in American folklore). Sword of Damocles Sword-treasure-sword of Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets (in Russian folklore). The fiery sword belongs to an angel (cherub) assigned to guard Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled from there (in the Book of Genesis). Tizona, Tizona - the sword of El Cid, the national treasure of Spain. He was taken from King Bukar (in the Spanish epic).

His second sword: Colada is a lesser known blade. Obtained by Cid from Count Raymond Berengaria the Fratricide (in the Spanish epic). Chrysaor - the golden sword of the fairy queen, a symbol of higher spirituality, belonged to Artegal. Another sword from The Fairy Queen, Sanglamore, belonged to Braggadochio. (Edmund Spenser, "The Faerie Queene"). Celtic Swords Caladbolg - Fergus' ghostly spiral sword. In the original versions of the myth it was used by Cuchulainn. Identified with the later Excalibur. Had enough strength to cut down three hills. Fergus's other sword was called Leochain. Balmung - Siegfried's sword (based on the "Song of the Nibelungs"). In the Edda it is called Gram, in the Wagnerian cycle it is called Nothung, and is also called Mimung. Balmung was forged by Volund for Odin, broken and reforged by Regin.