Arms of Skanderbeg
surviving helmet and swords of Skanderbeg
Skanderbeg (Albanian: Skënderbeu) was a prominent figure in the history of Albania. His weapons have been subjects of mythical adoration. According to legends, his sword was so heavy that only his arm could wield it. It was also said to be so sharp that it could slice a man vertically from head to waist with little effort and cut a huge boulder in half with a single blow.
Of all of Skanderbeg's belongings, only four objects remain: two swords, a helmet, and a prayer book. Currently, the weapons (helmet and swords) are on display in the Imperial Armoury at the Weltmuseum Wien, but it's a collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, after having passed through the hands of countless noblemen since the 15th century when they were first brought over to Italy from Albania by Skanderbeg’s wife, Donika Kastrioti. The prayer book is archived at the Shelley Publishing House in Chelsea, London in England.
The sword
According to Dhimitër Frëngu, Skanderbeg's scribe and one of his biographers, the first sword was curved (In the original Italian: una scimitarra storta), with a sharp edge and elegantly made of Damascened steel. Some accounts report that at one point he kept two swords sheathed in the same scabbard. Frengu then adds, rather colourfully, that Skanderbeg brought a master sword-maker over from Italy, who produced three better swords for him.
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