the.com/crossguard
the bar that stands between your knuckles and someone else's bad intentions.
means The horizontal bar set at right angles to a sword's blade, separating grip from edge to protect the hand and catch an opponent's blade.
from A plain English compound of "cross" and "guard" — "cross" from Latin "crux" (a stake or cross), "guard" from Old French "garder," to watch or protect, itself of Germanic roots and a cousin of our "ward" and "warden." So the word does exactly what the thing does: it crosses the blade to guard the hand. Older and more romantic names like "quillon" came through French fencing vocabulary, but "crossguard" is the blunt, descriptive cousin that just says what it is.
- job
- Stops blades sliding down onto your fingers
- medieval origin
- Appeared as European swords grew longer
- cruciform shape
- Doubled as a portable crucifix for prayer
- sci-fi fame
- Kylo Ren's lightsaber got a glowing one
- name games
- Also called a guard or quillon
sword of muromachi period — japanese tsuba crossguards from 1336-1573 featuring intricate metal work designs
european longsword crossguard — straight or slightly curved metal bar on medieval swords like the oakeshott type xiv