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Swords

Page history last edited by AveMaria 13 years, 2 months ago

Back to Famous Weapons

Swords

I like swords.

- Tycho Brahe

 

 

Throughout Tycho Brahe's Elemenstor Cycle, there are an unusually large number of swords--even for a fantasy epoch. Rather than a single magical sword, or even a circle of magical swords, virtually every sword Brahe writes into the tale is imbued with magical strength, blessed with holy powers, cursed with infernal consequences, forged from meteoric iron, or persisting in some way contrary to accepted principles of physiks. And while it is not unusual to depict characters as wielding two or three or even four swords, there are no fewer than twelve distinct individuals depicted in the Cycle as routinely carrying (and in some cases simultaneously wielding) more than five swords, each with a unique name and power.

 

For further background information regarding swords and their role in Tycho Brahe's Elemenstor Cycle, consider Sepathok (sometimes Sabembermoff), the Magic Sword Kings (along with their kingdom and its history), the Forge-Kings (especially Gragnakas), and of course the somewhat tangential Cardboard Tube Samurai and his sword which is not a sword (see below).

 

Schools of Thought

 

The plethora of pointy weapons has given rise to questions, which in turn have led to debate, which, after passing well beyond Godwin's law and into the realm of mudslinging, flaming, and trolling, has given rise to several schools of thought.

 

On Symbolism

 

The first of these schools refer to themselves as strict interpretationalists. They claim that sometimes, a magic sword is just a magic sword. Their insistence that Brahe's writings are metaphor free and unfettered by Brahe's many, many, many well-documented homoerotic tendencies is as adamant as it is simplistic.

 

Somewhat more common are those who believe the veritable orgy of swords present in The Elemenstor Cycle are intended to represent just that: an orgy. The phallic nature of swords has long been recognized and reluctantly accepted by fantasy readers in general, and with the existence of the Furnies to back up their claims, these critics cling to the phallic sword theory. A number of sub-categories of this school of thought exist, mostly separated by their metaphorical interpretations of the Tube, Bix Short Sword For Her, and of course the widely discussed 100 Swords of Sepathok (or Sabembermoff) as they relate to Brahe's repressed sexuality.

 

Less common but no less vocal are those who disagree with both the "simpletons" and the "prickwavers" (which in their nomenclature refer to the first and second schools of thought, respectively). This third school suggests that The Elemenstor Cycle is all in fact incidental to the swords themselves, which are the real message of Brahe's work. What message they are intended to convey, however, is a subject upon which this school of thought remains silent.

 

The Sepathok Debate

 

One common debate among critics is the question of the 100 Swords of Sepathok--there is a split over the question of which swords comprise "the 100." The indisputable canonical facts are these: King Selent the Cedricellian commissioned 100 swords epic power, in exchange for which the legendary Forge-King Gragnakas would be restored his family. The 100 Swords of Sepathok is an intentional reference to that set of swords. These swords are the "set" to which Brahe refers when Sepathok's name is invoked, though certainly Gragnakas forged more than 100 swords.

 

The real-world fact is this: prior to the card game, not all 100 swords were named. Within the game, only 99 swords were named. This leaves one spot over which fans and critics spar incessantly, even though that spot is usually given to The Cardboard Tube of Unusual Sharpness and Popularity.

 

Thus there are in fact four instances of the 100 swords which are not always easy to reconcile as one and the same: the swords as originally commissioned, the swords as wielded by Sepathok himself, the swords as they appear in the card game, and the swords as they (incompletely) appear in the books. Of course minor inconsistencies appear when comparing the various sources, hence the confusion surrounding these swords.

 

In an attempt to reconcile the various renditions, some fans note that Sepathok is one of the great literary figures of Battal, and as with all great literary figures, some confusion (such as the generation of alternative names) is to be expected. Gragnakas forged more than 100 swords while under Selent's commission, making the claim that "this set of 100" comprises "the set of 100" is difficult to do. It is possible, these fans assert, that 100 is just a conveniently round number meant to imply, not exactly 100 swords, but "a whole lot of swords, around 100 (or originally commissioned as 100)."

 

Other fans, who usually refer to themselves as "purists," insist that such theories dilute Sepathok's epicness by attempting to bind Sepathok's tale to rational claims. Most importantly, these fans wonder, how is anyone supposed to collect the whole set with such ambiguous guidelines? They exclude certain of the swords listed below from "the" 100 in order to achieve an exact count. They also suggest that any confusion is a result of the powers of The Forgotten Falchion, Inothar's Blade of Correct Enumeration, Grince, Sword of Ambiguity, or some combination of the three.

 

Even among purists, there is some dispute as to whether The Plain Ol' Sword or Undarhwhom should be considered the "true" hundredth sword. In fact, there is a third argument suggesting that The Plain Ol' Sword and Undarhwhom are both part of the "official one hundred" and that it is in fact The Forgotten Falchion which is the odd blade out seeing as Sepathok never possessed it and these are, after all, the 100 swords of Sepathok.

 

Eventually, someone fails to suspend their disbelief and notes that the 100 Swords of Sepathok are fictional swords in a fictional world based on a fictional game (and vice versa). They sagely note that inconsistencies are bound to appear as various individuals retcon the universe for personal, creative, or monetary reasons. Most fans simply respond that such an easy answer is "no fun" and proceed with their attempts at canonical reconciliation.

 

The Tube Debate

 

Perhaps most perplexing of all the sword debates, however, is the debate surrounding the Tube. While some critics focus on the canonic history of various swords which may or may not be the same entity, most exegesis and metaliterary analysis of the the Tube explores its dual nature as both phallic and yonic. Whether this duality was intentionally brilliant or psychologically disturbed on Brahe's part is almost incidental to the larger debate of just what it means for a weapon to represent, not one gender or perspective, but two.

 

Notable Swords (see also Famous Weapons)

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