Executioner's Sword From 17th Century Features Etching That Tells the Story of the Blade in a Frightening Way

In the 17th century, swords rather than the axe were the popular choice of execution tool for medieval officials. One such execution sword is placed in the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, My Modern Met reported. Since swords were being used for killing and not combat, blacksmiths decided to lighten the load by incorporating motifs and legends in the design. The sword in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection also has a mysterious inscription. 

The sword was forged out of steel, wood, brass, and copper wire. It was given to the museum in 1916 as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance. The artifact weighs 5.07 lbs and has a length of 108.9 cm (42 7/8 in.) The blade on the sword is 85.7 cm (33 3/4 in.) in elevation. 

The mysterious inscription on the sword reads- "Wan ich Das Schwerdt thu auff heben so / Wunch ich Dem armen sunder das Ewege Leben." According to experts, it translates to "When I raise this sword, so I wish that this poor sinner will receive eternal life." The translation appears to be a prayer possibly by the executioner, for the salvaging of the punished's soul.

Such a merciful prayer for the punished could be because the typical victims of sword execution were elites. "Execution by decapitation was generally reserved for the nobility during the Middle Ages and Renaissance," the Cleveland Museum explained. "Although the axe was favored in England, for centuries swords were used throughout Central Europe. The blades were often etched with moralizing inscriptions and designs representing Justice (as here), the gallows, the rack, or the Crucifixion."

These kinds of swords were closer in appearance to axes and were eventually phased out by them in Europe. "By the early 1700s swords were no longer primarily used in Europe for executions, but they still functioned as symbols of power," the museum added. "This sword was probably ceremonial for a formal procedure or procession."