Six pointed Star

After the magic of the running wolf of Passau wore off . . . .

Hi Pogo!
Try googeling "Star of Damascus"! For reference though I would accept Dave's definition. With his knowledge and extended research into the saber, I'm sure he's come across the facts about that star. It is a nice touch and lends some authority to the blades. I own a couple of swords with the brass slug, or whatever its called, in the blade. One which I purchased from Weapon Edge, is an 1897 Infantry Officers Sword, and the brass "proved" button fell out of it. It turned out to be a very thin piece of brass cut out of a sheet of said material stamped with the word Proved in a circle and the letter "T." in the middle. I have yet to find a glue that will hold it in place, not even super glue works. I also have a 1902 US Army sword made in Germany with that button in it. I have no idea how they got that button in that little hole....it looks like its edge is overlapped by the blade material but that can't be so I've quit wasting mental effort about it.

Hello guyc!
Thanks for that info....I've read some of his post on SFI forum from time to time but I missed that one. FINALY we get to put this thing to rest, we have a definitive statement from one of the Wilkinson family members themselves....outstanding! CW

The eye of the beholder!

It's not the "Star of David"!!! The hexagram is an ancient symbol that was taken up by the Jews quite late in the 12th century, before that they used the symbol of the menorah.

The hexagram is an ancient alchemical symbol that represents the fusion of the four elements - earth, air, firae and water in perfect harmony. When you superimpose the four alchemical symbols for these over one another, you get a hexagram. It was most likely adopted by the Jews because it was a magickal symbol used on their from medieval Jewish protective amulets (segulot) around the 11th to 13th century.

Most likely quite separate from the alchemical symbol, the history of the two triangles as proof marks dates back to the ancient Persians who perfected Damascus steel and stamped it with this symbol. This was reportedly encountered by Alexander the Great three centuries before Christ.


From the Wikipedia article on Hexagrams (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagram#Usage_by_Jews):

"A six-point interlocking triangles has been used for thousands of years as an indication a sword was made, and "proved," in the Damascus area of the Middle East. Still today, it is a required "proved" mark on all official UK and United States military swords though the blades themselves no longer come from the Middle East"

And from those not up on their history, the ancient Persians became modern day Iran, so we can attribute the damascus steel proof marks to these peoples! Just giving credit to the right parties, not the late adopters!

Really? It's not a hype! :lol:

From USNA-Net Reference on Navy and Marine Corps SWORDS (www.usna.org/swords.html)

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why is the Star of David on the Navy Officer's sword?

That it is not the Star of David. It is the Star of Damascus, the symbol of world renowned steel and sword craftsmen. These craftsmen used two triangles joined together as a sign of their sword making guild which became know as the Star of Damascus. This symbol means the sword was fashioned with Damascus steel and over 1,000 years of craftsmanship.

Here's more from www.militarysabers.com/military- ... -star.html


Six-pointed star on U.S. swords

First, the star is not a Star of David because it is geometrically different. The Star of David does not consist of two triangles combined together, but rather two, separate, interlocking triangles (which, in recent history, and often when displayed in one-color designs, usually does appear to be two triangles combined together).

We cannot absolutely confirm the history of the star; however, we do know that the blade specifications for both the U.S. and British military swords require the six-pointed star with the word "Proved" etched on the blade.

As best we can tell, the specification for the six-pointed star is historical in nature and was likely used to signify that the blade was manufactured using the Damascus steel method. Today, there is no requirement for Damascus steel blades; however, the six-pointed "Proved" star is required in the etch to signify that the blade meets the current military specifications. Even this use has lost its meaning, however, since replica swords intended only for wall-mounting incorrectly bear the symbol.

Damascus steel was perfected by the Persians and was reportedly encountered by Alexander the Great three centuries before Christ. The Persians used the six-pointed star during these non-modern times. The Persian blade-making process of folding the steel many times - even hundreds of times - to layer the steel resulted in extremely tough blades with both strength and resilience. The term "Damascus steel" came from western traders first encountering the steel in Damascus...