Curtana

Curtana
This article is about the sword. For the fictional character, see Cortana.

Curtana, also Cortana or Courtain, is a Latinized form of the Anglo-French curtein, from Latin curtus, 'shortened', used for a ceremonial type of sword.

Famous curtanas

For the main article see Sword of Mercy

The "Sword of Mercy" or "Edward the Confessor's sword", is a symbolically broken sword that is part of the traditional English regalia, now included in the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

Curtana was also, according to legend, the sword of Ogier the Dane; it bore the inscription "My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal."[1] It is supposed to have originally been Tristan's sword, and gained the name "Cortana" when it was "cut down" to fit Ogier.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ Bullfinch's Mythology, Legends of Charlemagne, Chapter 24
  2. ^ Gardner, Edmund Garratt. Arthurian Legend in English Literature. -- Temple Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire. 1930. -- p. 172. Retrieved 6 December 2010.

Sources and references


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • CURTANA — aliis Curtein, Eduardi Confessoris gladius, qui in inauguratione Angliae Regum coeteris praefertur, a Comite Cestriae, Match. Paris. in Henrico III. sub A. C. 1236. Sic Arthuri Regis gladius Caliburn et Ron dictus fertur. Spelmannus. Ceterum… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Curtana — Cur*ta na (k?r t? n?), n. The pointless sword carried before English monarchs at their coronation, and emblematically considered as the sword of mercy; also called the {sword of Edward the Confessor}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Curtana — Curtana, das Schwert Eduards des Bekenners, wird den engl. Königen bei der Krönung vorangetragen …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • curtana — [kə: tα:nə, teɪnə] noun the unpointed sword carried in front of English sovereigns at their coronation to represent mercy. Origin ME: from Anglo Latin curtana (spatha) shortened (sword) , from OFr. cortain, the name of the sword belonging to… …   English new terms dictionary

  • Curtana — On of the royal swords of England, used in the Coronation ceremony. ♦ Coronation Ceremony Reference (14th 15th C.) ♦ The sword curtana was the pointless sword of mercy (as opposed to the pointed sword of justice) borne before the English king at… …   Medieval glossary

  • curtana — n. Brit. an unpointed sword borne before English sovereigns at their coronation, as an emblem of mercy. Etymology: ME f. AL curtana (spatha sword) f. AF curtain, OF cortain name of Roland s similar sword f. cort short (as CURT) …   Useful english dictionary

  • curtana — noun A short sword used for ceremonial purposes …   Wiktionary

  • Curtana — The blunt sword carried at the coronation of the monarch symbolising justice without vengefulness: having no point was a sign of mercy. It is sometimes referred to as the sword of Edward the Confessor. [< Lat. curtus = cut short] Cf. Armes… …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • curtana — pl.f. curtane …   Dizionario dei sinonimi e contrari

  • Curtana —    One of the royal swords of England, during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, that was used in the Coronation ceremony …   The writer's dictionary of science fiction, fantasy, horror and mythology

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