The Weapon Dances of Europe

Abstract

From the ancient times Europe possesses a great deal of information n weapo -da ces, most of it from Greece. Xenophon alone describes six different kinds of weapon-dances in his Anabasis. Tacitus tells us about dances among swords and lances, performed by the Germanic tribes. In today's folk-dances, Europe differs from the rest of the world insofar as it has not only dances imitating battles, but also dances in which the weapons represent equipment for the dance rather than instruments of war. In the most important non-fighting weapon-dance swords or sabres are held hilt and point, as a connecting link from man to man, so that the dancers form a chain. Without breaking the connection, this chain or circle forms complicated figures and attains an unrivaled artistic perfection in the NorthEnglish short-sword dances. Many of these figures probably have symbolic character; but the mock-killing, the resurrection, and the lifting of a dancer on intertwined swords definitely are symbolic. In the English sword-dances the crossed swords alone are lifted up and shown. If half-hoops, decorated with green are used instead of swords, we have the famous garland-dances, which are so popular with the guilds. Most of the figures in these garlanddances are the same as those in the chain-sword-dance (Kettenschwerttanz). Both dance forms are found only in part of Europe, (England, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, three examples in southern France, three in northern Italy, two in the Dalmatian Islands)not in eastern Europe. The Slavs-except for Dalmatia-do perform these dances, but only in the neighborhood of German-speaking settlements in the Carpathians, which is where they probably obtained them. The Spanish and Portuguese brought these dances also to South America. Historically the Kettenschwerttanz appears in the 14th century. Everywhere it is connected with men's societies (guilds, Zuenften, miners' and young farmers' societies) and is part of their rituals, especially their initiation ceremonies. From this we suspect them to be much older than the earliest written documents which mention them.