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The garrison of a sword includes all the elements that serve to hold it and to protect the hand or hands of the person who wields it. The hilt, which is also called the fist, is the area of the fitting used to hold the sword.
The pommel is the generally spherical end of the handle of ancient swords that performs a double function: helping to balance it and allowing you to help yourself with the other hand when wielding it.
In modern swords it is called a monterilla and is smaller in size.
The pommel has not always been spherical, since depending on the time and the population we know a variety of swords with pommels of various shapes such as triangular, conical, rhomboidal, oval, lobed, square, walnut-shaped, etc.
The pommel obviously contributes to giving a special aesthetic to the sword, but its function is not only aesthetic, it also contributes to the weight and balance of the sword.
The pommel, being at the other end of the tip of the sword blade, also provides balance by counterbalancing the proper center of gravity, facilitating quick handling of the weapon with the combatant's hand and arm.
Warriors also used to use the pommel in hand-to-hand combat, using it as a blunt weapon with which they would hit their opponent, inflicting severe damage.
Knobs can be light or heavy, depending on the material they are made from. But the fighting or combat swords, especially from the 11th century, had their metal knobs so they formed, with the rest of the sword, its final balance.
It is believed that a large and heavy pommel helps to hold the sword well in the hand and perfectly balances the weight of the weapon, because the center of gravity of the sword must be perfectly calculated: if it falls too much towards the tip, it will make it much more forceful, but difficult to handle.
If it is the opposite, you will gain in manageability, but you will lose forcefulness. This, in a sword intended preferably to wound with an edge, is essential, so master swordsmiths had to achieve a perfect balance to achieve a manageable and, at the same time, effective weapon.
The material used to make the pommel was usually iron, which could in turn be decorated in various ways: engraved, gilded with bronze or gold, silver, or contain set stones, although these last two options were common in court swords, that is, for ceremonies and other events.
War swords used to have very sober and very solid knobs to help the firmness of the hand that wielded them.
With the images that we provide, you can see the diversity and beauty of the shape of the functional sword pommels. In the graphics that follow you will notice that the pommel of the sword is a very important part of it, because it marks its functionality.
SINGLE HANDED SWORD KNOBSO
KNOBS FOR HAND AND MEDIA SWORDSA
RENAISSANCE SWORD KNOBS
