From the forge emerges a blade that is not just a weapon, not even a magical object, but a living being. What is missing from the narrative is exactly what the ‘magic swordsmith’ does, ritualistically and ceremonially, to actually produce such an entity. That gap in knowledge is the subject of this book: How does the swordsmith create a magic sword in the Western tradition?
‘The West’ and ‘Western tradition’ are highlighted here, not to make a comparison with Eastern practices in this area, but only to point out that it is especially in European sources that details of the smith’s ‘magical’ methods are scarce, to say the least. Using related European historical sources for context, and the more detailed records of some other traditions as a template, an ‘informed reconstruction’ – an educated guess – can be made.
What is offered here, to both the current and the aspiring bladesmith, as well as to the curious reader, is a starting point and a generalization of what the ritual construction of a sword in the Western tradition might look like.
