Hey there! Don’t know if this is the sub for it so am going to ask in a few other places too.

I have inherited these swords, this one in particular is a claymore. It has Gaidhlig writing carved into it, but I’m a bit stumped as to this symbol. It appears two times on the sword, one at the base of the blade and one halfway up the blade. For a bit of backstory if it helps, I am a Gunn, so maybe something in that vein?

I have considered the Celtic cross? But its not a full cross?? Maybe the creators markings? I am totally unsure, also, apologies if the terms I used are wrong, I’m not terribly familiar with swords.

Any help would be great!

by ThoseShowLights

35 comments

  1. You’re right, this is probably not the right sub (perhaps r/SWORDS would be a better bet?). I’m afraid I don’t recognise it. The only thing that springs to mind would be a maker’s mark, a symbol stamped or etched onto metalwork as a signature of the craftsman.

  2. ….dog napping gangs, shared in Tillicoultry hun xxx

  7. If your in Scotland, Someone from one of your local or even non local Uni’s may be able to help you.

  9. Russian sniper with mosin and PU scope nearby.

  10. The old BT logo. Sword were issued to the guys that emptied the phone boxes in rougher parts of Glasgow.

  11. That’s the sign of the urban cookie collective but it’s a secret.

  12. Aside from all the piss-taking going on with the replies, you haven’t provided anywhere near enough information for even people with specialist knowledge to make an educated guess.

    What kind of claymore? Is it a basket-hilted or a two-handed highland claymore? Who did you inherit it from, and were they the original owner? Do you know how old it is? What is the Gaelic inscription? Unless someone immediately recognises the symbol, you’re gonna need to narrow things down so folk know where to look it up.

    …also I hate to be the bearer of potentially bad news if you were hoping this belonged to Billy Wallace’s best pal or something, but the chances of you having a genuine (and extremely valuable) 13th century antique sword are *astronomically* low. Even up to 17th or early 18th century, it’s just incredibly unlikely that it would have survived unidentified and unauthenticated in some random emigrant family’s attic all this time.

    That means this probably has to be 19th/20th century. If it *is* 19th or 20th century, then even from this picture it doesn’t look like a Scottish regimental British army officers sword, both in shape and because the markings on those are incredibly standardised and very well documented. If it’s that recent and it’s *not* an army sword, chances are it’s basically the Victorian equivalent of a ‘mall katana’ that someone picked up from a Scottish-themed tourist trap in London or Edinburgh. Still pretty interesting in its own right, but perhaps not the ancestral weapon you might have wanted it to be.

  16. Gandalf the grey wizard is planning another meeting, this time at your house. Better get some food in

  22. It might be ogham? Though no clue why it’d be on a claymore

  24. At a guess i would say its probably a makers mark. Just a simple wee symbol the blacksmith puts on it to identify that its one of their blades. Of course they wouldnt do this for special commission work, only if they were mass producing them. Im assuming this is a relatively recent replica? As actual swords from that period are incredibly rare.

  30. This is the might ghailig claidheamh mor that cleaved heaven from earth and unleashed Uilleam Wallace and his woad-painted face upon stinking Edward’s sassenach army. A glorious artefact, OP!

  32. Looks like either;

    • a messed up “T” from the bionicle matoran language or,

    • an unfinished “escape route” shadowmark from the thieves guild in the elder scrolls

  34. Tennets extra ? The sword you need after drinking a few.

  35. So many joke answers that gave me a good laugh.

    Honestly, I think it’s the Blacksmith’s signature.
    Initials probably were T O or O T.

    Source: my dad has a hilted sword on the wall in their house. There’s a history there I’ve yet to unpack.
    🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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