A rapier by Pietro Hernandez

[Gonzalo G]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

While leaning toward these sorts of esoterica, I have always wondered about the 'Lobera' sword of Fernando III of Castile of the 13th c. His grandson writing of his exploits in 1337 described his sword as "Lobera", (=the wolf hunter"). Could there be any sort of commemorative or honorific allusion?

I forgot. According with the Catálogo Histórico-Descriptivo de la Real Armería de Madrid, by the Count of Valencia de Don Juan (1898), p.201, perhaps the term "Lobera" was used in the sense that the sword was to be carried with the costume used in the medieval Castile, known commonly as "Loba", which is more properly called a "traje talar" (search Internet with this words). The hilt with its guards is not the original, and the inscription on the blade can be interpreted as a way to say that a knight must keep his word, or as a quote from the bible (Mathew 5,37).

Regards

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Gonzalo G

I forgot. According with the Catálogo Histórico-Descriptivo de la Real Armería de Madrid, by the Count of Valencia de Don Juan (1898), p.201, perhaps the term "Lobera" was used in the sense that the sword was to be carried with the costume used in the medieval Castile, known commonly as "Loba", which is more properly called a "traje talar" (search Internet with this words). The hilt with its guards is not the original, and the inscription on the blade can be interpreted as a way to say that a knight must keep his word, or as a quote from the bible (Mathew 5,37).

Regards

Salaams Gonzalo ~ An interesting thread! I note we enter the whats in a word connotation around Lobera which comes out as being related to wolves and other fractions of that meaning such as;

1. Ana María García, la Lobera, who appeared before the Inquisition of Toledo in 1648 accused of controlling seven demonic wolves.

2. Wolf trap, funnel-like walls leading to a pit with stakes for hunting wolves in Spain
3. Wolf-slayer Lobera (sword)
4. A wolfs lair.

Naturally I would swerve toward its meaning as a powerful sword..

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Gonzalo G

I forgot. According with the Catálogo Histórico-Descriptivo de la Real Armería de Madrid, by the Count of Valencia de Don Juan (1898), p.201, perhaps the term "Lobera" was used in the sense that the sword was to be carried with the costume used in the medieval Castile, known commonly as "Loba", which is more properly called a "traje talar" (search Internet with this words). The hilt with its guards is not the original, and the inscription on the blade can be interpreted as a way to say that a knight must keep his word, or as a quote from the bible (Mathew 5,37).

Regards

Yes, the author mentions such possibility using the term "acaso" (by chance), with fair consistence with naming swords on a context and not referring to them by their use on the field. So we would have that, in such case, the Lobera term doesn't originate in Lobo (wolf) from the latin Lupu, but from Loba, originating in latin Alba, by french L'aube (alb) =white dress, such ancient judicial and clerical attire, to which this type of sword would be connected.

[Gonzalo G]

As it is the case of the ropera sword (rapier), since the castilian word "ropa", in this context, is the civil attire, by opposition to the uniforms used by the military. Originally the "espada ropera" was a civil sword, though latter it could have also uses on the battlefield.

The french word "L'aube" is pronounced more or less as "lob", which became "loba" in castilian, since in this language we don´t have words ending in "b", and a vocal "a" is added to naturalize it.

[fernando]

It's Loba also in portuguese ... and is the name of a Magistrate's robe.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

I was tricked by this wolf in sheep's clothing !!

[fernando]

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