A medieval sword that carries a mysterious inscription has baffled historians for centuries.
Little is known about the double-edged weapon, least of all the meaning behind a cryptic 18-letter message running down the central groove which reads: NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI.
Now The British Library has appealed for the public’s help in cracking the conundrum.
So far it’s been suggested it may be a battle-ready phrase in medieval Welsh, the first letters from a poem or even complete gibberish fabricated by an illiterate craftsman.
The weapon was found at the bottom of the River Witham in Lincolnshire in 1825, but it’s believed the 13th century sword originally belonged to a medieval knight.
Can you solve the code in the sword? British Library appeals for help in cracking enigmatic 'NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI' inscription on mysterious medieval blade
A 13th century sword, found in 1825, has a cryptic 18-letter message on it
NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI is engraved down the weapon's central groove
It is on display at the British Library as part of the Magna Carta exhibition
By Sarah Griffiths and Sam Tonkin For Mailonline
7 August 2015
Daily Mail
A medieval sword that carries a mysterious inscription has baffled historians for centuries.
Little is known about the double-edged weapon, least of all the meaning behind a cryptic 18-letter message running down the central groove which reads: NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI.
Now The British Library has appealed for the public’s help in cracking the conundrum.
Little is known about double-edged weapon, least of all the meaning behind a cryptic 18-letter message running down the central groove which reads: NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI (pictured)
So far it’s been suggested it may be a battle-ready phrase in medieval Welsh, the first letters from a poem or even complete gibberish fabricated by an illiterate craftsman.
The weapon was found at the bottom of the River Witham in Lincolnshire in 1825, but it’s believed the 13th century sword originally belonged to a medieval knight.
'It's typical of the type of swords medieval knights and barons would have used at the time of King John and the Magna Carta, curator Julian Harrison told MailOnline.
It weighs almost 3lbs (1.2kg) and measures 38 inches (96cm) in length.
‘If struck with sufficient force, it could easily have sliced a man’s head in two,’ he writes in a British Library blog.
The sword (pictured) weighs almost 3lbs (1.2kg) and measures 38 inches (96cm) in length. ‘If struck with sufficient force, it could easily have sliced a man’s head in two,’ curator Julian Harrison said
The sword was found in the River Witham in Lincolnshire
The indecipherable inscription is inlaid with gold wire and experts have speculated the letters are a religious invocation since the language is unknown.
The sword was possibly crafted in Germany, meaning it could be written in a version of that tongue.
Harrison said the suggestions are coming in thick and fast and described some of them as 'weird and wonderful'.
'There's nothing that has hit the nail on the head so far.'
'The variety of languages that people are speculating its written in is interesting from Sicilian to Welsh'.
Janet Kennedy believes CHWDRGHD – in the middle of the inscription – is a misspelling of the German word for sword, making ORVI a name.
However, Joe commented on the blog: ‘It looks like medieval Welsh: “No covering shall be over me,” possibly meaning the sword and it's' owner will always be ready for battle’.
Harrison said this suggestion sounds plausible at first, but having studied the language, he could find no evidence to back up the suggestion.
The sword is on display as part of the library's exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy and is on loan from the British Museum. It’s displayed alongside a 14th-century manuscript (pictured) of the Grandes chroniques de France, open at a page showing the French invasion of Normandy in 1203
'For a moment you jump and think someone might have spotted something you have missed...but then, no,' he said.
Anne Robertson reckons the letters may be the first from each line of a poem – something that’s been seen on other medieval artefacts.
A number of people have picked out certain letters which had particular meanings in Latin at the time, such as ND standing for ‘nostrum dominus’ meaning our Lord, and ‘X’ for Christ.
Harrison thinks this is the most probable idea so far 'but then it gets more complicated'.
'It's been suggested in the past that it's a relgious inscription and the sword may have been dropped in the river on purpose [for religious reasons] which was not uncommon,' he explained.
There is some debate as to whether the letter looking like a ‘W’ is actually an ‘M’.
A Dutch scholar is working on drawing parallels between the mysterious sword found in Lincolnshire and those on display in museums in Berlin, for example, saying there are similar inscriptions.
However ‘Ring and Raven’ believes the inscription may be badly spelt or might not mean anything at all.
‘Saxon swords in particular often had inscriptions on them that didn't actually say anything because the people buying them (or making them) were illiterate.
‘People wanted swords with their names, or other cool inscriptions on them, and they could recognise the symbols but they couldn't actually read.
'So the blacksmiths just put any old letters on and called it a day,' they write, likening the practice to people accidentally getting meaningless Chinese symbol tattoos.
The sword is on display as part of the library's exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy and is on loan from the British Museum. Visitors can see the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta (pictured) together for the first time since 1215
Harrison said: 'I'm not optimistic we'll ever find a definitive answer [as to what the inscription means] but it's a lovely game to play.'
The sword is on display as part of the library's exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy and is on loan from the British Museum.
It’s displayed alongside a 14th-century manuscript of the Grandes chroniques de France, open at a page showing the French invasion of Normandy in 1203.
The men-at-arms in that manuscript are wielding swords very similar to the one with the strange inscription, Harrison says.
The exhibition closes on September 1.
THE MAGNA CARTA EXHIBITION AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY
The British Library's exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy runs until the end of the month.
Visitors can see the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta together for the first time since 1215.
Copies of the document - one of the first steps in the journey towards parliamentary democracy - have been brought together to mark the 800th anniversary since it was signed.
King John agreed the Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor, in June 1215 – a moment hailed as one of the most significant in English history.
King John agreed the Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor, in June 1215 – a moment hailed as one of the most significant in English history (illustrated)
Meaning 'The Great Charter', it brought an end to the unlimited power of the monarch and established the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law and had the right to fair trial.
The manuscript has a large influence on the rule of law in Britain today, giving all citizens the right to justice and a fair trial.
It says: 'No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no-one will we sell, to no-one deny or delay right or justice.'
Also on display are two of King John's teeth and a thumb bone (shown). The molars were extracted as souvenirs from King John's tomb at Worcester Cathedral in 1979 by William Wood, a stationer's apprentice
Once sealed by the king, scribes made many copies in medieval Latin, although only four are known to have survived.
Also on display are two of King John's teeth and a thumb bone.
The molars were extracted as souvenirs from King John's tomb at Worcester Cathedral in 1979 by William Wood, a stationer's apprentice.
Harrison said: 'John's tomb at Worcester Cathedral was opened for a brief period in 1797, and certain of his body parts removed as souvenirs.
Little is known about the double-edged weapon, least of all the meaning behind a cryptic 18-letter message running down the central groove which reads: NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI.
Now The British Library has appealed for the public’s help in cracking the conundrum.
So far it’s been suggested it may be a battle-ready phrase in medieval Welsh, the first letters from a poem or even complete gibberish fabricated by an illiterate craftsman.
The weapon was found at the bottom of the River Witham in Lincolnshire in 1825, but it’s believed the 13th century sword originally belonged to a medieval knight.
Can you solve the code in the sword? British Library appeals for help in cracking enigmatic 'NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI' inscription on mysterious medieval blade
A 13th century sword, found in 1825, has a cryptic 18-letter message on it
NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI is engraved down the weapon's central groove
It is on display at the British Library as part of the Magna Carta exhibition
By Sarah Griffiths and Sam Tonkin For Mailonline
7 August 2015
Daily Mail
A medieval sword that carries a mysterious inscription has baffled historians for centuries.
Little is known about the double-edged weapon, least of all the meaning behind a cryptic 18-letter message running down the central groove which reads: NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI.
Now The British Library has appealed for the public’s help in cracking the conundrum.
Little is known about double-edged weapon, least of all the meaning behind a cryptic 18-letter message running down the central groove which reads: NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI (pictured)
So far it’s been suggested it may be a battle-ready phrase in medieval Welsh, the first letters from a poem or even complete gibberish fabricated by an illiterate craftsman.
The weapon was found at the bottom of the River Witham in Lincolnshire in 1825, but it’s believed the 13th century sword originally belonged to a medieval knight.
'It's typical of the type of swords medieval knights and barons would have used at the time of King John and the Magna Carta, curator Julian Harrison told MailOnline.
It weighs almost 3lbs (1.2kg) and measures 38 inches (96cm) in length.
‘If struck with sufficient force, it could easily have sliced a man’s head in two,’ he writes in a British Library blog.
The sword (pictured) weighs almost 3lbs (1.2kg) and measures 38 inches (96cm) in length. ‘If struck with sufficient force, it could easily have sliced a man’s head in two,’ curator Julian Harrison said
The sword was found in the River Witham in Lincolnshire
The indecipherable inscription is inlaid with gold wire and experts have speculated the letters are a religious invocation since the language is unknown.
The sword was possibly crafted in Germany, meaning it could be written in a version of that tongue.
Harrison said the suggestions are coming in thick and fast and described some of them as 'weird and wonderful'.
'There's nothing that has hit the nail on the head so far.'
'The variety of languages that people are speculating its written in is interesting from Sicilian to Welsh'.
Janet Kennedy believes CHWDRGHD – in the middle of the inscription – is a misspelling of the German word for sword, making ORVI a name.
However, Joe commented on the blog: ‘It looks like medieval Welsh: “No covering shall be over me,” possibly meaning the sword and it's' owner will always be ready for battle’.
Harrison said this suggestion sounds plausible at first, but having studied the language, he could find no evidence to back up the suggestion.
The sword is on display as part of the library's exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy and is on loan from the British Museum. It’s displayed alongside a 14th-century manuscript (pictured) of the Grandes chroniques de France, open at a page showing the French invasion of Normandy in 1203
'For a moment you jump and think someone might have spotted something you have missed...but then, no,' he said.
Anne Robertson reckons the letters may be the first from each line of a poem – something that’s been seen on other medieval artefacts.
A number of people have picked out certain letters which had particular meanings in Latin at the time, such as ND standing for ‘nostrum dominus’ meaning our Lord, and ‘X’ for Christ.
Harrison thinks this is the most probable idea so far 'but then it gets more complicated'.
'It's been suggested in the past that it's a relgious inscription and the sword may have been dropped in the river on purpose [for religious reasons] which was not uncommon,' he explained.
There is some debate as to whether the letter looking like a ‘W’ is actually an ‘M’.
A Dutch scholar is working on drawing parallels between the mysterious sword found in Lincolnshire and those on display in museums in Berlin, for example, saying there are similar inscriptions.
However ‘Ring and Raven’ believes the inscription may be badly spelt or might not mean anything at all.
‘Saxon swords in particular often had inscriptions on them that didn't actually say anything because the people buying them (or making them) were illiterate.
‘People wanted swords with their names, or other cool inscriptions on them, and they could recognise the symbols but they couldn't actually read.
'So the blacksmiths just put any old letters on and called it a day,' they write, likening the practice to people accidentally getting meaningless Chinese symbol tattoos.
The sword is on display as part of the library's exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy and is on loan from the British Museum. Visitors can see the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta (pictured) together for the first time since 1215
Harrison said: 'I'm not optimistic we'll ever find a definitive answer [as to what the inscription means] but it's a lovely game to play.'
The sword is on display as part of the library's exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy and is on loan from the British Museum.
It’s displayed alongside a 14th-century manuscript of the Grandes chroniques de France, open at a page showing the French invasion of Normandy in 1203.
The men-at-arms in that manuscript are wielding swords very similar to the one with the strange inscription, Harrison says.
The exhibition closes on September 1.
THE MAGNA CARTA EXHIBITION AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY
The British Library's exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy runs until the end of the month.
Visitors can see the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta together for the first time since 1215.
Copies of the document - one of the first steps in the journey towards parliamentary democracy - have been brought together to mark the 800th anniversary since it was signed.
King John agreed the Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor, in June 1215 – a moment hailed as one of the most significant in English history.
King John agreed the Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor, in June 1215 – a moment hailed as one of the most significant in English history (illustrated)
Meaning 'The Great Charter', it brought an end to the unlimited power of the monarch and established the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law and had the right to fair trial.
The manuscript has a large influence on the rule of law in Britain today, giving all citizens the right to justice and a fair trial.
It says: 'No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no-one will we sell, to no-one deny or delay right or justice.'
Also on display are two of King John's teeth and a thumb bone (shown). The molars were extracted as souvenirs from King John's tomb at Worcester Cathedral in 1979 by William Wood, a stationer's apprentice
Once sealed by the king, scribes made many copies in medieval Latin, although only four are known to have survived.
Also on display are two of King John's teeth and a thumb bone.
The molars were extracted as souvenirs from King John's tomb at Worcester Cathedral in 1979 by William Wood, a stationer's apprentice.
Harrison said: 'John's tomb at Worcester Cathedral was opened for a brief period in 1797, and certain of his body parts removed as souvenirs.
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