Executioner Swords - what are the 3 holes in the tip for?

I

Ian Sayers

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Sep 14, 2015
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Most German Executioner swords have 3 holes in the tip. I have heard various explanations for them:
-that they prevent the tip from being reshaped into a mundane weapon of war
-that they were for adding weights to the tip for a heavier swing
-they might make the blade whistle for dramatic effect
-that they represent the holy trinity and are purely decorative
I have problems with all of those explanations.

Some people say they have confirmed that the holes do NOT make the blade whistle, but it would be interesting to test. After all, they used to put whistles on bombs and sirens on Stukas just for the psychological effect, so why not?

If they are purely decorative, why drill them all the way through? Almost all these swords are covered with ornate inlays and stamped patterns (crosses, gallows, torture wheels, religious slogans, etc), so if it's for decoration, why not inlay or stamp it like all the other decorative accents? The through holes make me think they have some sort of mechanical purpose.

Adding weights to a sword tip? I guess that might be a way to adjust the power of the swing to the circumference of the neck, but it seems unnecessary and clunky.

It does not seem like these holes would really prevent you from reshaping the blade into a piercing tip.

Does anyone know anything about this? Any speculation is welcome.
 
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Karma & irony. Its the same sword.
Game-of-Thrones-game-of-thrones-32364100-700-467.jpg
thrones-ned-behead.jpg

Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison
Where the executioner’s face is always well hidden
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten

Read more: http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/hard-rains-gonna-fall#ixzz3n92lBnEl
 
The removal of the material shifts the harmonics of the sword, moving the "sweet spot" to a more ideal location for optimal chopping.

However, I'm not completely certain. Perhaps the holes have some sort of cultural significance.
 
One hole for ten heads, thirty heads you're haunted.

Its not a weapon but it cuts off heads, and its also not a tool, id say its haunted.
 
There are a couple of threads on executioner swords over at myArmoury.com. I don't recall anything about 3 holes, but there are a lot of historical sword resources there. Dangling the same question will probably lead to a more *ahem* scholarly response.
 
zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Ep%C3%A9e_de_justice_IMG_3471.jpg

My guess, Holy Trinity, the crowd & victim can see sunlight shining thru the three holes from a distance, implying the executioner is doing Gods justice.
 
[video=youtube_share;nt56RMbpq_0]http://youtu.be/nt56RMbpq_0[/video]
I got a warning for this haha
 
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Sosa said:
[video=youtube_share;nt56RMbpq_0]http://youtu.be/nt56RMbpq_0[/video]
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I was thinking about three-holed executioner swords!
 
does this forum not have a rule against troll posts?
Even the wiki I work on requires posts be relevant.

For my money, i'd guess that they're purely decorative and have no other purpose except to look neat
 
Something I think rates further inspection is how many actual antique executioner swords actually had them. My brief research shows on one particular antique sword with 3 holes. Being as it is the most complete, it's the most replicated. The 3 holes may very well be an anomaly for the form.
 
It's definitely not just the one sword. There aren't a ton of old executioner swords out there, but there are various specimens in private collections and museums that have the 3 holes in the tip, all from the 1600s and 1700s. All Germanic. Maybe there were all made by the same bladesmith and that was his maker's mark...
 
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