Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanspaceman
This is a very important thread re. talismanic numbers. It appears no-one has fully plumbed these depths. Jim, you were the first person I encountered who suggested talismanic sigils and numerology etc. I know a lot about the so called esoteric so it has never surprised me that, when going into a life and death situation, every little helps. I hope there is more to come Chaps, keep up the good work.
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Thank you Keith! Indeed, I have ventured into this rabbit hole countless times over decades, and there are few who have queried these matters soundly. Many cursory entries in various works simply shrug off the meanings under the vague 'cabalistic' term, while there are as many cases of tailoring the numbers to important dates or Biblical passages.
There are these references, which I had translations etc years ago but have yet to find them in my maelstrom of decades of notes!!! madness!
"Die Klingenmarke 1414(1441) und Related Numerical Signs"
Walter Rose, ZHWK, Vol.14, #3
"Waffen mit Astral Ogischen und Kabbalistchen Zeichen"
"Count Karl Rambaldi ,
Zeitschrifte fur Historichen Waffen und Kostumkunde (ZHWK)
Vol. 9 p.128-38 (1921-22)
These references cited..... in "Cut and Thrust Weapons" (Eduard Wagner, Prague 1967)
On p.76 Wagner notes the first blades with running wolf (he adds fox=fuchs) popular in England for King James I and courtiers were by Klemens Horn (1580-1630) of Solingen. Not sure how accurate this is as obviously the mark was known in Passau long before, and used spuriously by Solingen.
Wagner goes on to suggest 'magic numbers' associated with certain makers, which seems tenuous at best, but I add it here for reference.
1479...Johannes Wundes
1495...Johannes Kueller
1506...both Meves Berns and Johann Hartkop
1515....Mathias Wundes
1436....Peter Munich
In Hounslow Johann Kindt 1630-40 used running wolf and 1636, which of course may indeed be a date.
Meanwhile most running wolf marks with 'magic numbers' seem to be most ubiquitously 1414, which seem most often suggested as from the Biblical passage from old Testament Job 14:14, "if a man dies, should he live again".
A sound consideration for a blade carried into battle, but as far as its intent...apocryphal at best.
Its palindrome, 1441, also occurs frequently, but only adds to the endless speculation.
Once these numbers became popularized, whatever their original intent might have been, they undoubtedly became moot as far as meaning and became a suggested imbuement of quality, magic or any number of perceptions to potential users of the blade.
The awareness of these numbers being used in this manner may be seen as early as 1836,
"..a sword of the time of William III with Passau wolf blade marked 1414, a manufactory number often mistaken for a date".
"The Gentlemans Magazine" (1836)
I do not have the cite for this, but may be from the Catalog of Doucean Museum, apparently passim.
From p.324 "History of the Huguenot Immigration to America"
Charles W. Baird (1885)
"...the sword of Gabriel Bernin which is in the possession of his ancestor Charles Bernon Allen of Providence, R.I. ....
it bears the figures 1.4.1.4
it is noticeable that the date synchronizes with that of the wars of Burgundy from whom Bernons claim descent. In 1414 John the Intrepid came to Burgundy with 20,000 horse.
There are the Masonic versions, 1441 has to do with the year of appointment of William St. Clair etc.
One version claims 1441 the year of Lutheran martyrdom, but as Martin Luther was not born until after that time, this falls flat. It does however reveal the lengths to which people will go to tailor these numbers to suit their agenda.
The unavoidable fact is that these are typically number combinations used in various applications based on lucky or talismanic numbers in magic or occult esoterica. The cabalistic notions come from the fact that gemetria or the use of alphabet letters with numeric values was part of the coded system.
This carried to the use of acrostics or combining the first letter of each word in a phrase, motto or invocation. In Italy, this practice was well known with letters with letter combinations which when trying to be read conventionally were jibberish, but as acrostics, and the reference phrase known, it was clear what it meant to the initiated.
Well ,for those of you intrepid readers still awake, that is the short version of what arcane notes I have gathered over years on this topic.
There is SO much more to learn!