Scimitar
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- This article refers to the scimitar sword. For other uses, see Scimitar (disambiguation).
The term scimitar refers to a sword with a curved blade from western Asia (Middle East).
The name "scimitar" is quite prevalent when speaking of Arabian swords. In reality, however, there is no such "historic sword" called a scimitar. The word "scimitar" is most likely a derivative from the Persian shamshir. This is indeed a deeply curved sword found in Middle Eastern history; however, "scimitar" has become a catch-all which often includes the Indian talwar and the archetypal Turkish kilij. Modern vendors sell scimitars which in fact have no historical bearing. These often come from stylized artistic representation of Arab arms (paintings, and film); similarly the romanticized notion that these curved swords were used to combat the crusaders in the 11th to 13th centuries is inaccurate (swords of the time were mostly straight with a slightly curved tip).
Scimitars can be found in one or two handed variants, with blades typically ranging in length from 30 to 36 inches (76 to 92 centimetres), and the blades, while commonly depicted as being very wide (from cutting edge to the rear of the blade), seem most often to have been very thin. The Mameluke sword carried by officers of the United States Marine Corps as part of their dress uniform is an example of this type.
Scimitars in fiction
In fiction, warriors of Middle Eastern cultures often use scimitars.
A notable example of a character who does not come from a Middle Eastern culture who uses scimitars is Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow who is the main character of several Forgotten Realms fantasy novels by R. A. Salvatore. Drizzt Do'Urden is a master of the use of scimitars; a pair of them, Twinkle and Icingdeath, are his preferred weapons. On the covers of the Hunter's Blades Trilogy softcovers, the pictures of Drizzt fighting orcs has lent credibility that his scimitars are Shamshir.
Scimitar is also a fictional character in Tom Filsinger's Champions of the Galaxy wrestling game. Filsinger Games Scimitar is a knife thrower in a circus act who also wrestles part time for Vin Strutter's "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy".
In C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, the Calormen warriors and royalty fight with scimitars.
In the popular MMORPG RuneScape, the Scimitar is one amongst an array of available weapons, and is one of the most widely used. Non-Player character warriors in the fictional desert town, Al Kharid use Scimitars.
In Journey to the West, the fiend Yellow Robe uses a giant scimitar.
In the MMORPG "Maplestory", the scimitar is a chooseable weapon for warriors. It is also the most expensive weapon for it's level.
The scimitar is also used in Raymond E. Feist's The Prince of the Blood by Prince Borric, the main character on the world of Midkemia.
Scimitars are often used by orcs and Uruk-hai in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Elven blades also resembles scimitars in the Lord of the Rings series.
Scimitar was the name of the Reman war ship in Star Trek: Nemesis. A Bat'letH (also from Star Trek) has been described as a crescent-shaped, two-ended scimitar.es:Cimitarra fr:Cimeterre it:Scimitarra la:Cymitharra ja:???? pl:Sejmitar pt:Cimitarra sl:Handžar