What is the history of naming swords in King Arthur's period?

King Arthur had Excalibur, and Beowulf [from germanic myth] had multiple swords, all specifically named something or another. Is there any particular reason for this ritual?

What is the history of naming swords in King Arthur's period?
The general belief was that names held power and that by naming your weapon "voracious" (a rough translation of the word "excalibur" from the old gaelic for "hard-belly") you actually made it become voracious, as opposed to that old plain sword you found laying about and use to chop firewood. It's even evident in more modern literature. In Tolkien's novels all the swords have names that translate to things like "Biter" or "Flame" or "Foe-Hammer" (Granted he based a lot of his mythology on pre-existing mythologies like "Beowulf"). Basically, what it boils down to is a sword is just a bit of sharp metal, but a sword with a name has character and personality and therefore power. It's sort of like naming your car - it becomes more animate, more human. It's no longer a hunk of metal that you use for transportation. Would you rather fight some crazy people bent on your death with a regular old sword, or with you trusty friend "Foe-Hammer" helping you out? We know which one the legends prefer!





Another logical argument would be that germanic peoples are fond of names - riddle games or "kennings" where the name of something points to something else. For example "Beowulf" literally translates to "bee-wolf" which is a riddle or kenning for "Bear", so "Beowulf" really means bear. They are common poetic devices in nordic myth and poetry. There are over 450 known kennings for swords, over 1000 for warrior and almost 800 for battle. Kennings can be purely descriptive, such as naming a sword "harmer of shields", or they can compare past events to the event of the story, or include other mythologys and refrences.





Hope that helps!
Reply:So you can refer to them and tell them apart.


Also a person who makes a certain sword is proud of it and names it. I have a sword named Poindexter.
Reply:check out www.wikipedia.com on King Arther
Reply:Don't forget as well that swords and the metal in them were really really expensive and an important part of their adult lives. What is your cars name? Some people still name their houses. These are the types of price range we are comparitively talking about.