Sharpen-Up.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Terry Pratchett, best selling author of the Discworld series of fantasy novels infused the magical into his real life too.
In honour of being knighted in 2010, Pratchett set out to obtain what all self-respecting knights of the realm should have; a magical sword.
Not only that, Sir Terry decided he would create it himself using iron ore and bits of meteorite.
Of the meteorite he said: “thunderbolt iron, you see – highly magical, you’ve got to chuck that stuff in whether you believe in it or not.”
The process of forging the sword saw the author head out to a field near his home in Wiltshire, England to dig up 81kg of iron.
Then with the assistance of a friend that happened to be an expert in ancient metal-making techniques, Pratchett smelted the ore in a makeshift kiln in the grounds of his home.
“Most of my life I’ve been producing stuff which is intangible and so it’s amazing the achievement you feel when you have made something which is really real,” he said.
After sprinkling in the all important bits of meteorite, the metal was shaped into a sword by a local blacksmith.
It was then finished with silverwork and stored by Pratchett in a secret location; he feared that the authorities might interfere if they knew he had such a weapon at home.
“It annoys me that knights aren’t allowed to carry their swords,” he said. “That would be knife crime.”
Well we salute you Sir Terry, not only for your wonderful novels but for your commitment to all things magical and the fact you had your very own sword of Excalibur.
We wonder where it is now however?
TooShiftyForYou on July 3rd, 2018 at 12:58 UTC »
"At the end of last year I made my own sword. I dug out the iron ore from a field about 10 miles away - I was helped by interested friends. We lugged 80 kilos of iron ore, used clay from the garden and straw to make a kiln, and lit the kiln with wildfire by making it with a bow."
Colin Smythe, his long-term friend and agent, donated some pieces of meteoric iron - "thunderbolt iron has a special place in magic and we put that in the smelt, and I remember when we sawed the iron apart it looked like silver. Everything about it I touched, handled and so forth ... And everything was as it should have been, it seemed to me.
Terry Pratchett knew how to properly make a sword.
godfetish on July 3rd, 2018 at 12:40 UTC »
He's safely tossed it into a nearby lake so that some strange woman can distribute it appropriately in some farcical aquatic ceremony to establish a system of government.
SlappyMcFartsack on July 3rd, 2018 at 12:26 UTC »
I was expecting to see a pic of that sword. :(