17th century (?) sword blade

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Marcus den toom

The "fuller" are also inscribed, one side seems to read "si deus pro nobis quis contra nos" which translates to "If God be for us who can be against us?"

This saying, along with "pro Christo et Patria" and "Vincere aut mori" are also on the blade of the Polish saber I referenced above.

It is likely that the style of decoration was widely copied by artisans working in different parts of Europe, as were the "running wolf" mark and other symbols on other blades. The name Solingen on the above-referenced blade in katana fittings might not indicate its true origin. The author of the Vaabenhistoriker Aarboger article opines that this blade, despite its markings, could well be Dutch as well as German. The clumsily-scribed and often misspelled wording on many similar specimens points to pattern-book copying by artisans whose fluency or literacy in Latin left something to be desired.