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A GERMAN EXECUTIONERS SWORD C.1600
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Item Number: 09-591
The end of the 16th century in Northern Europe brought a trend for replacing the axe with the sword for executions. It also corresponded with a surge in the popularity of witchcraft with the attendant executions and desecrations of those convicted of its practice. The blade of this sword is chiseled with the image of a gallows on one side and a torture wheel on the other. Many executioners swords bear mottoes or couplets alluding to justice, mercy and the prospect for a better life in the hereafter. This example bears a large SOLE DEO GLORIA on each side of the blade. That phrase (Glory to God alone) is a rebuttal of the Satanic belief prevalent at the time, rather than a promise of an eternal reward, and was surely chosen in response to witchcraft for which there is no redemption. GC.201
Blade length: 33
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