Spanish Longsword - El Cid Sword - Damascus Steel 37"

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A 37-inch Spanish longsword in pattern-welded Damascus steel, with a horse-head guard, brass bolsters and a fitted leather sheath. Named for Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar — El Cid — and the sword he is said to have carried.

Specifications

• Length: 37"
• Blade: Pattern-welded Damascus, 352 layers, double-edged
• Steel: 1095 high-carbon with folded carbon steels (#40, #43)
• Hardness: 55–56 HRC
• Guard: Twin horse heads
• Grip: Steel with brass bolsters
• Included: Leather sheath

El Cid and Tizona

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar died in 1099, and by then he had already become something other than a man. Castilian by birth, he fought for Christian and Muslim rulers in turn, took Valencia, and ended his life ruling it. The Moors called him el sidi, the lord. Spain has called him El Cid ever since.

The Cantar de Mio Cid gives him two swords: Colada, taken from the Count of Barcelona, and Tizona — firebrand — won from the Almoravids. Tizona is the one that survived. It hangs today in the Museo de Burgos, a blade of 93.5 cm weighing just over a kilogram.

Its authenticity has been argued over for a century. A 2001 examination by the Complutense University of Madrid concluded the blade could genuinely be eleventh-century, though the hilt was replaced under the Catholic Monarchs some four hundred years later. Other scholars call the whole thing a sixteenth-century forgery. The argument has never been settled, which is arguably the most fitting thing about it.

What this sword is

This is a tribute piece, not a museum copy. Tizona is an eleventh-century blade; the cruciform two-handed longsword belongs to the centuries after it. What this sword takes from El Cid is the character — Spanish, straight, double-edged, built for use rather than display.

The guard carries twin horse heads, which is the detail most people notice first and the one that ties it to the story: no knight of the period is more closely associated with his horse than El Cid was with Babieca.

The Damascus

The blade is forged from a billet of eleven steel pieces — six of carbon steel and five of 1095 — folded five times to reach 352 layers. The 1095 carries the edge; the folding gives the blade its figure and its resilience. Every billet is worked by hand, so no two are alike.

At 55–56 HRC the blade holds an edge while retaining enough flex to take hard contact without cracking. That range is a deliberate compromise: harder steel takes a finer edge but becomes brittle in a blade this long.

Care

Damascus is carbon steel and will rust if neglected. Wipe the blade dry after handling, keep a light film of oil on it, and store it out of the sheath in damp conditions. The etched pattern softens over years and can be brought back; our guide on re-etching Damascus steel covers how.

What it's for

Collecting, display and re-enactment. Browse the full longsword collection, or read our guide to bastard sword vs longsword.

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