Colada is one of the two best-known swords, along with

Tizona ''Tizona'' (also ''Tizón'') is the name of one of the medieval sword, swords carried by El Cid, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid, according to the ''Cantar de Mio Cid''. The name of the second sword of El Cid is ''Colada''. A sword identified a ...

, of

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar ( – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and ruler in medieval Spain. Fighting both with Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ("the Lord" or "the Master"), which would evolve i ...

. Won in combat from the Count of Barcelona, the sword was presented (along with Tizona) to his sons in law. According to the heroic verses of the

Cantar de mio Cid ''El Cantar de mio Cid'', or ''El Poema de mio Cid'' ("The Song of My Cid"; "The Poem of My Cid"), is an anonymous '' cantar de gesta'' and the oldest preserved Castilian epic poem. Based on a true story, it tells of the deeds of the Castilian h ...

, after his sons-in-law beat his daughters and then abandoned them on the side of the road, El Cid asked for his gifts to be returned. Afterward, he bestowed the sword upon one of his knights, Martín Antolínez. Though its authenticity is doubted, a blade named ''Colada'' and traditionally identified with that of El Cid, with the addition of a 16th-century hilt, is preserved in the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid () is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest royal palace in Eu ...

. It is necessary to add that El Cid's sword is displayed in the Museum as the "Tizona" Sword, the name Colada could have easily been appointed by popular culture since bards of the time shared stories of folklorical nature which were far from being based on historical facts. According to Sebastián de Covarrubias,Sebastián de Covarrubias. ''Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española'', 1611. ''Colada'' clearly means a sword made from "acero ''colado''" ("cast steel"), a process of alloyed steel without impurities. As with

, Colada appears in the

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

'' as a sword that frightens unworthy opponents if wielded by a brave warrior. El Cid gives the sword to Martín Antolínez as a present, and he uses it in the duel against the

infante Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...

Diego González.

References

Cantar de mio Cid Medieval European swords {{Spain-hist-stub

See also

References