Thread by @heofonkoppe

So let's talk about a cool sword. Surprise! It's a Korean sword. Traditionally, Korea's been more about shooty weapons rather than stabby-slashy weapons. Bows, guns, cannons, and such.

But then we have this sword called 사인검 or THE FOUR TIGERS SWORD.

Thread!

I couldn't find many photos of authentic Four Tigers Swords, but this one comes from a military museum.

Sa-In Geom is called the Four Tigers Sword because it's only forged at the Hour of the Tiger, on the Day of the Tiger, in the Month of the Tiger, in the Year of the Tiger.

In the above photo, you see those sinic characters and constellations, right? Sa-In Geom is not meant to cut people down. It actually lacks any cutting edge. Instead, the Four Tigers Sword's purpose is to cut down EVIL SPIRITS. It's a sorcerous sword.

Hold on a sec, let me translate the INCANTATION that's etched onto each Four Tigers Sword...

Heaven grants Power; Earth fosters Spirit. / Sun and Moon are as they are; so are Mountains and Rivers.

Drive forward Thunder and Lightning and move the Cosmos. / Banish great evils, cut with mysterious wisdom, and set the world upright.

(Replica photo)

Fun fact: So it's made when Tiger-times align, right? The honor of forging a Four Tigers Sword was usually allowed for the foremost master blacksmith. The Hour of the Tiger is only 2 hours long, so it's a literal once-in-a-lifetime sword.

We've identified 30+!

The significance of the tigers is that the Tiger as a member of the zodiac is the most Yang animal. So it's super-Yang four times over. It's got what monsters don't crave.

Of course, it's figurative - the Four Tigers Sword is to cut away evils of indecision and temptation.

Or is it??? It might explain why there's so few monster folklore in the Korean Peninsula.

Anyways, the Four Tigers Sword would be granted by the monarch to those in decisive positions, usually military. It's a ceremonial sorcerous sword that can't actually hurt anyone.

It's a straight sword in form. It's supposed to be a metaphor for how those who can choose to kill must be upright and straightforward in all situations. The incantation urges them to speak and move with heavy certainty. The constellations shows that Heaven is watching.

There's actually a poem about someone being given a Four Tigers Sword.

There were literati in Korea who thought Four Tigers Swords were so cool that they wrote -fanfics- about them.

It's gotten to a point that, by modern history, it was unclear what about Four Tigers Swords was real history and what wasn't. Because people couldn't shut up about how awesome Four Tiger Swords are.

By the way the last time a Four Tiger Sword was granted was early 20th century.

We've been making MAGIC SWORDS up until Europeans showed up with battleships.

How cool is that? I mean, magic swords couldn't stop battleships, but w/e, MAGIC SWORDS.

Even now, replicas of the Four Tigers Sword is granted to newly promoted brigadier generals. They are purely ceremonial, but the message is still there - cut away the darkness in your heart and be straightforward in action.

Or y'know Korean military officers are SWORD WIZARDS.

It's actually fascinating how little about the Four Tigers Sword I see in popular culture, either in Korea or abroad. I repeat myself but ACTUAL SORCEROUS SWORDS WE FORGED AT AUSPICIOUS MOMENTS ONLY must be awesome enough that they would plundered by... D&D, I dunno.

Maybe it's that murky historicity that gets in the way. I mean, it's possible that half of all the records we have of Four Tigers Swords is pre-modern period fanon.

Cool sword, though.

END THREAD.

Hey! Thanks for agreeing with me that the Four Tigers Sword is hella cool. This thread is apparently going places and uh, I don't have Soundcloud but I do have a Ko-Fi page. If you'd like, buy me a coffee!

ko-fi.com/sangjunwithodd…

I'm going to mute this thread, thanks for taking interest. I can't use my notifications page. ☹️