El Cid Tizona (11th-Century)

"This is a faithful reproduction of the sword in the Royal Armoury in Madrid. "

History:

"A sword which, alongside La Colada, was attributed in the Poem of El Cid and subsequent tradition to Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid. It is part of the Treasury of the Catholic Monarchs at the Alcázar in Segovia."

Craftsmen Records:

The hilt has a cross-guard with two flat quillons, curved towards the blade. Both the guard and the pommel are openwork, with Gothic-style motifs.

Blade which is almond-shaped in cross-section, with a shallow central fuller from the tang to the middle part and with a rounded point. En este canal está grabada la leyenda «'IO SOI TIZONA Q[ue] FUE FECHA EN LA ERA DE MIL E QVARENTA'» (I am Tizona, made in the year 1040) on one side, and on the other «'AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA DOMINUS MECUM'» (Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee) .