Tizona
Tizona is one of two swords that have survived to this day (the second is called Colada ), which, according to tradition, were used in battle by Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1043-1099), called El Cid Campeador . It is now considered a national cultural asset of Spain and was exhibited in the Army Museum in Madrid for many years. In May 2007 it was acquired by the city of Burgos for 1.6 million euros and can now be viewed in the Burgos City Museum (Museo de Burgos).
According to legend, Tizona was captured in battle by a Moorish captain named Malik Bukar. The medieval epic about the Cid reports that he later presented the sword to his daughter's husband as a wedding present. After he had mistreated the young woman and was killed by his father-in-law in the court battle, the cid took it back and later gave it to his nephew Pedro Bermúdez.
The sword is 103 cm long and weighs 1.1 kg, the blade alone measures 78.5 cm in length and 4.5 cm wide. Traditionally, Tizona is believed to have been forged in Cordoba . The blade also contains a considerable amount of Damascus steel . According to the opinion of the Complutense University of Madrid , the sword dates from the time of the cid and is of high quality. However, the grip was replaced by a sword grip in the Renaissance style during the time of the Catholic Kings .
The sword has two inscriptions. The first inscription reads:
- IO SOI TISONA FUE FECHA EN LA ERA DE MILE QUARENTA
In medieval Spanish (Old Castilian) this means: "I am Tizona, made in 1040." However, the year refers (like practically all Christian medieval sources in Spain) to the calendar of the Spanish era , which means that the sword would have to be made dated to the year 1002 of our calendar.
The second inscription reads:
- AVE MARIA ~ GRATIA PLENA ~ DOMINUS TECUM
In Latin this means: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (beginning of the Catholic Ave Maria ).
See also
- Carrión de los Condes on the legend of the Cid's feud with his sons-in-law