Scimitar

This article is about the scimitar sword. For other senses of this word, see scimitar (disambiguation).

A scimitar is a sword with a curved blade from western Asia (Middle East).

The name is often used to refer to almost any Arabian sword. In reality, however, there is no such "historic sword" called a scimitar. The word "scimitar" is most likely a derivative from the Persian shamshir. See that article for more history. "Scimitar" has become a catch-all term for all swords with curved blades.

Scimitars in fiction

Arabs with scimitars from Boulanger's painting A Tale of 1001 Nights.

In fiction, warriors of Middle Eastern or Asian cultures often use scimitars, for example the character Yellow Robe in ''Journey to the West.

Scimitars are also common in the realm of fantasy fiction and role-playing games. The Calormen warriors and royalty fight with scimitars in C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, as does Prince Borric, the main character in Raymond E. Feist's The Prince of Blood. In gaming, Drizzt Do'Urden wields a pair of especially famous scimitars.

Characters

The name "Scimitar" has also been used to denote people or things not closely associated with the sword, including a wrestler, a minor Marvel Comics villain, and a space fighter in both the Star Trek and Wing Commander universes.

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