A scimitar (IPA: /ˈsɪmɪtə/) is a sword with a curved blade design finding its origins in Southwest Asia (Middle East). Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia (largely overlapping with the Middle East) is the southwestern portion of Asia. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.
The name can be used to refer to almost any Middle Eastern or South Asian sword with a curved blade. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. They include Arabic saif, Indian talwar, Persian shamshir, and Turkish kilij and yatağan, among others. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Arabic word saif (سيف and variations Saif Sayf Seif generally means Sword. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country A talwar, talwaar, or tulwar is a type of Sword, equivalent to the European Sabre (or Saber) originating in medieval South For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. for other uses see Shamshir (disambiguation A Shamshir is a type of Sabre with a curve that is considered radical for Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The kilij (from Turkish kılıç, literally "a sword") is a Sword used by the Ottoman Empire and Turks. The yatagan or yataghan (from Turkish yatağan) is a type of Turkish sword (which became known in other countries as the 'Turkish sword' These blades all were developed from the ubiquitous parent sword, the Turko-Mongol saber. Dao ( "knife"is a category of single-edge Chinese Swords primarily used for slashing and chopping ( Sabres, often called a broadsword
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Etymology
The word "scimitar", known in English since 1548, derived from Medieval French cimeterre (15c. ) or directly from Italian scimitarra, of unknown origin. Ottoman Turkish would be the expected source, but no such word has been found there.
A possible origin of 'scimitar' is from the Persian shim- or shamshir. for other uses see Shamshir (disambiguation A Shamshir is a type of Sabre with a curve that is considered radical for This, in turn, is said to be derived from Middle Persian "shafshēr" meaning; "lion's claw" (sham = claw, shir = lion), in reference to the sword's curve. Middle Persian is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times (224-654 CE became a Prestige dialect However, this is likely a folk etymology, as the word is already attested in Middle persian with the meaning "sword". Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. for other uses see Shamshir (disambiguation A Shamshir is a type of Sabre with a curve that is considered radical for
The following swords are usually called scimitars:
Scimitars in history
In the form of the khopesh, the scimitar started playing a sometimes significant role in Middle Eastern warfare more than two millennia before the advent of Islam. The Arabic word saif (سيف and variations Saif Sayf Seif generally means Sword. for other uses see Shamshir (disambiguation A Shamshir is a type of Sabre with a curve that is considered radical for The kilij (from Turkish kılıç, literally "a sword") is a Sword used by the Ottoman Empire and Turks. A talwar, talwaar, or tulwar is a type of Sword, equivalent to the European Sabre (or Saber) originating in medieval South A Nimcha is a single-handed sword from northwestern Africa, esp A pulwar (also spelled pulouar) is a single handed curved sword from Afghanistan. Khopesh ( ḫpš) is the Egyptian name of the Canaanite " sickle-sword " (actually more like a type of axe Famed scholar and Egyptologist, Zahi Hawass asserts that the Egyptians of the 18th Dynasty (circa 1600 B. Zahi Hawass ( Arabic: زاهي حواس (born 28 May 1947 in Damietta, Egypt) is an Egyptian archaeologist and This article is about the contemporary North African ethnic group "Amarna period" redirects here For information on Amarna see Amarna The Eighteenth Dynasty (1550-1292 BC is perhaps the best known of C. ) used new weapons technologies borrowed from the Hyksos, including "the scimitar" as important tools in fostering Egypt's regional domination which characterized much of the New Kingdom period (p 21-22). The Hyksos ( Egyptian heqa khasewet, "foreign rulers" Greek,, Arabic,) were an Asiatic people who invaded the eastern Nile This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The New Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in Ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and Some might judge that Hawass' use of the term anachronistic but nonetheless this provides evidence for the use of something akin to the scimitar in well before the development of the Persian shamshir. Many Islamic traditions adopted scimitars, as attested by their symbolic occurrence, e. g. on the Coat of arms of Saudi Arabia or the traditional surik in the Coat of arms of East Timor. The Saudi Arabian Coat of arms ( شعار السعودية) was adopted in 1950 The coat of arms of East Timor (officially Timor-Leste was introduced on 18 January 2007 under the Law 02/2007
The scimitar in fiction and popular culture
In fiction, warriors of Middle Eastern cultures often use scimitars, for example the character Yellow Robe in Journey to the West. Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. Journey to the West ( is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. (Chinese)
Scimitars are also commonly used when the inclusion of a fairly exotic weapon is desired by authors of fantasy fiction and role-playing games. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. The Calormen warriors and royalty fight with scimitars in C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, as does Prince Borric, the main character in Raymond E. Feist's Prince of the Blood. In C S Lewis 's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels Calormen (pronounced) is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 Raymond Elias Feist (born 1945 Los Angeles California) is an American Author who primarily writes fantasy fiction Prince of the Blood is a fantasy novel by Raymond E Feist It is the first book of the Krondor's Sons series and was published in 1989 Fantasy author R. A. Salvatore's dark elf protagonist Drizzt Do'Urden wields a pair of enchanted scimitars named Icingdeath and Twinkle (the blades are slightly curved). Drizzt Do'urden (dʒrɪszt doʊˈɝdɪn is a character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, most Orcs wield scimitars. The Lord of the Rings is an epic Also, in the Redwall series, the vermins' typical weapon is the scimitar. Redwall is a series of Fantasy novels by Brian Jacques. It is the title of the first book of the series published in 1986 the name of the Abbey Scimitars are also a weapon in RuneScape, an online video game, and can be bought in a shop located in an Arabian styled area. RuneScape is a Java -based MMORPG ( Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) operated by Jagex Ltd In the games of Prince of Persia the player's/prince's blade is a scimitar. In the Diablo II game/s, A scimitar is an early weapon, promoting fast attack speed and low damage. Diablo II, sequel to the game Diablo, is a Dark fantasy -themed Action role-playing game in a Hack and slash and "
Additionally, the scimitar has been a fairly popular namesake employed by comic book and science fiction writers. A wrestler, a minor Marvel Comics villain, and space craft in the Star Trek, Star Wars and Wing Commander universes have all been named after the scimitar. Champions of the Galaxy is a collectible card game that incorporates dice situation charts and over three-hundred wrestlers from a myriad of planets and galaxies Scimitar is a Supervillain in the Marvel Comics. Scimitar is a master of bladed weapons who serves Master Khan. Star Trek Nemesis ( 2002) is the tenth feature Film based on the Star Trek television series Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Wing Commander is a Media franchise consisting of Space combat simulation computer games from Origin Systems Inc Jafat also uses a Scimitar in the "Hadrabubdla - Ashti's quest" comics.
The scimitar was also used in Arabia as a form of gladiatorial combat similar to the Roman fashion.
Sources and references
- Etymology OnLine
- Hawass, Zahi. (2005). Tutankhamun And the Golden Age of the Pharoahs. Washington DC: National Geographic Society
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