A sword-kladenets, an assistant to the courageous heroes of many Russian fairy tales, the dream of any warrior. According to ancient legends, this weapon helps to win in any battle. It was used by many famous heroes from Russian epics.
Only with such a sword can you defeat most of the fabulous monsters and villains who remain invulnerable to other types of weapons.
Historians and researchers of the Russian language cannot agree on why this blade has such a name.
According to one of the official versions, his name comes from the word "treasure" and means a hidden treasure. In many legends it is really required to be found in some secluded place or in an unfamiliar country, and not everyone could get it, but only the hero who is recognized by this intelligent weapon and who can cope with it
Other researchers argue that "kladenets" is from the word "lay", that is, such a sword is a powerful weapon capable of putting down all the innumerable enemy troops with just one swing.
One of the dictionaries of Russian folklore says that this name was given to the sword for the peculiarity of its manufacture, in which the material, cheap iron, was buried in the ground for several years. The low-quality metal was eaten away by rust, leaving only wear-resistant and ageless steel, which was then used to make an expensive blade.
Perhaps the word comes from the Old Russian "stacked", which means steel and simply indicates a material, rare for those times, from which it was forged. For an ancient warrior, a sword that could cut through steel armor was indeed a very good helper that could save lives and decide the outcome of a battle.
Another variant of the origin of the name of this sword is associated with the word "fold" and indicates the special technology by which it was forged. It is similar to the ancient methods of making damask and Damascus steel. The blacksmith repeatedly subtly flattened and then bent in half the metal blank of the blade. It turned out to be especially strong, beautiful and sharp steel with an intricate pattern, from which a hair could be easily cut with a sword on the fly.
Promotional video:
Also, the origin of the name "kladenets" can be associated with the Old Irish word claided and the Latin gladius, translated into Russian, meaning a sword.
In some legends, he is called Samosek, because he could independently fight the enemy and kill even without the help of his master.
In one of the legends, about Babylon there was a blade called the Asp-serpent, which turned into this poisonous animal.
The heroic sword is a symbol of valor and military glory. In ancient times, it was the most common type of weapon. He could not get it just like that, such a blade had to be earned. In all epics, the path of acquiring such a weapon was very difficult. Sometimes it was a very long search and indeed, in order to find his way, a real warrior needs a very large amount of time, strength and prudence.
In other legends, in order to obtain the Infant Sword, which gives invincibility, it was necessary to get it from the grave or the underworld, in other words, to defeat death. Thus, this blade was something like a bridge connecting two worlds, the world of the living and the world of the dead, it could sow death itself and gave its owner supernatural power.
Eruslan Lazarevich, a fairytale hero, found this sword under the body of the slain warrior Roslaney. Where to look for him, told the head of a huge hero on the battlefield. This is a symbol of gaining knowledge in military affairs from the dead to the living.
To cope with such tasks, remarkable strength and great wisdom were required; during the search, the warrior himself gained courage and invaluable experience. By going through this initiation one can truly become invincible. Trials add wisdom, without which any power loses its meaning, and prudence can defeat any enemy.
In some epics, the protagonist inherited it from his father, a valiant hero, but with one condition. It was possible to get a weapon only when the young man's strength was strong enough to lift a huge boulder, under which the wise warrior put his blade. This means that every man, learning the martial art, must have patience and try not to get ahead of the events, waiting for his knowledge to become perfect.
There is a legend about the Agriculture sword, a lost artifact of antiquity. According to legend, it was made by Agrik, the son of King Herod, known for his cruelty as a king. This blade could cut steel armor like butter, glowed in the dark with a bright bluish light and gave such an advantage in battle that with its mere sight it could put absolutely any army to flight. Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky, surrounded by enemies in 1149, was able to escape from death or captivity by simply raising his sword high above his head. This artifact was also mentioned in the legend of Peter and Fevronia. The invincible blade tried to find Adolf Hitler; he even sent a special expedition on the banks of the Oka River. As expected, this did not bring any results.
There were a lot of legends about the invincible sword in Russia. Now no one can know for sure whether this image was collective or there really was a great magical artifact of unprecedented power, capable of giving unlimited power.