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| Sword Stone - Hand carved by Stone Mad Crafts |
When I’m carving stone shape often dictates the outcome. From certain beaches I collect long, slender pebbles, which suit sword motifs. Usually the motifs I use are a selection of bronze and iron age designs, often Viking or medieval Scottish designs like the claymore. The idea behind this motif is that of the warrior, taken in the essence of Friedrich Nietzsche's notion - summed up in this quote:
"I see many soldiers; could I but see many warriors! "Uniform" one calleth what they wear; may it not be uniform what they therewith hide!"
I think this rings true. Sure the sword is a suitable design for those out there putting their lives on the line, but it applies to those searching, seeking, questioning. This is what a warrior does. They don't use their belief system as a crutch, they struggle with it, they question it. Only this way does a belief system prove its worth. Surely any true warrior knows this.
Life can be seen as a battle even at the mundane level; the struggle to make a living, to fit in, to feel socially valued, to name but a few 'battlegrounds'.
But added to this weight my warrior symbols reflect the bearing of peace. The blade points down, something mentioned in Norse sagas; when war bands met, swords held with blades pointing to the earth as a sign for parley, a non-threatening gesture - but to come at each other blades raised… well that’s another matter.
At first this might seem contradictory, how can a warrior design have anything to do with peace? But this is exactly the intention here. You can be a warrior and sue for peace. Many of the World's champion martial artists, who combated hand-to-hand, never went seeking battle... but man, if you were to start on them they’d floor you.
Other posts of interest:
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| Sword stone with knotwork blade - Stone Mad Crafts |
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