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81

The pommel is not an ele-gantly finished piece of work: in the lower part, beneath the deep patina-tion of age, the smith's hammer-marks still show where he had a shot at forming it into a faceted shape, but it seems he soon gave up and, quite roughly, fashioned his massive cookie-like counterpoise to the great blade. Its point of balance is located just where the bladesmitiTs mark is, 31.125 inches (79 cm) up from the point. So, in spite of its weight, it handles sweetly.

The mark (Fig. 73) is a vari-ant of a symbol originating in the Bronze Age - maybe before - and in use until the 15th century and beyond. A cross set within a circle is a prehistorie sun symbol: it was adapted by Christianity and was often placed upon sword blades, thereby offering the sword 's owner the best of both worlds - protection by the Cross of Christ or by a most potent pagan symbol, as he might choose to believe. In this case, maybe Christ had the best of it, for the encircled cross is surmounted bv another free-standing one. These crosses on this mark have bifiircated ends (a Cross Fourche); another cir-cled cross appears on the blade of the well-known and exquisitely preserved sword known to generations as The Sword of St. Maurice, in the Schatzkammer in Vienna. This sword was used as a ceremoniał sword in the coronations of Emperors, and it is marked with a Cross Crosslet. The sword is illus-trated in practically everv book ever produced on arms and armour, so I will resist illustrating it again here, but it is a beautifi.il, long, Type XI and dates to the second half of the 11 th century. Pommel and cross bear arms and a legend added circa

Figurc 72. The Pontirolo sword. BL: 103cm. Shown alongsidc another (Type X) fig. 78, of ordinary proportions.