Main > The Round Table
Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor.
Sir Edward:
Coronado Sword
http://www.kshs.org/p/cool-things-coronado-sword/10342
Many Spanish swords bore an inscription on the blade that read "No me saques sin razon; no me enbaines sin honor", which translates to "Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor."
In a way this simple statement is a very good summary of chivalry, as it pertains to armed conflict. The chivalrous knight needed to know when to fight and when not to. And if the fight was needed, he needed to fight with honor, and fight to win (we have to remember that in the medieval sense, there was little honor in losing).
I think it would be cool to have this etched on my own swords, perhaps in Latin. :)
Joshua Santana:
--- Quote ---"No me saques sin razon; no me enbaines sin honor"
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---"Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor."
--- End quote ---
I like that phrase, and I agree that is another aspect of Chivalry in relation to fighting.
--- Quote ---And if the fight was needed, he needed to fight with honor, and fight to win (we have to remember that in the medieval sense, there was little honor in losing).
--- End quote ---
I agree on that point!
Sir William:
Seeing as one of the Latin words for sheath is 'vagina', I wonder what these online translators will come up with. Here's one:
Duco mihi non frustra ; tondeo mihi non vacuus veneratio
The 'mihi' doesn't seem to be...real?
Sir James A:
--- Quote from: Sir Edward on 2011-05-05, 14:16:30 ---I think it would be cool to have this etched on my own swords, perhaps in Latin. :)
--- End quote ---
I was thinking the same thing, but I never learned what sheath was when I took latin in school, so I turned to a translator. Uh... you may want to rethink it, or we may want to come up with an alternate word for sheath....
"Traho non sin causa; me vagina ignobil" (this is my best shot at it, using "cause" instead of "reason" and looking up what "sheath" is)
"Eripe me non sine causa; me vagina ignobilis" (this is what google translate gave - which is odd because i thought eripe is "save")
You could use "return" instead of "sheath", and "Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor" would be similar to "Eripe me non sine causa; me redire ignobilis".
It's a very cool phrase. I vaguely recall something similar in an asian martial arts movie where something was said along the lines of "Don't draw your sword in anger, but when drawn, don't sheath it until your enemies have fallen" - I know I've butchered the exact wording, but that was the gist of it, and it was an older movie.
EDIT: Doh! Ninja'd by Sir William. I also looked up scabbard, and it gives the same word. I don't recall ever seeing "mihi" in latin at school.
Sir Edward:
Does Latin at all make a distinction between "sheath" as a noun, and "sheath" as a verb? I think "return" or "put away" have the right connotation.
Otherwise, I suppose you don't need to store the sword in a sheath. You can also put it in a box. :)
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version