The importance of the genre of historical novel is self-evident due to its appeal to the historical memory of the nation. In this regard, noteworthy is the symbolic meaning assigned to diverse historical artefacts, among them being weapons. The military symbolism of Walter Scott, the inventor of the genre of historical novel, deserves marked attention, as experiencing his personal struggles related to historical memory, the author attempted to resolve it in his works. According to Kolhan & Matsokina, the role of military terminology (a segment of which is a weapon-related realia) in fiction is not sufficiently studied, while Scott’s works (exemplified by Ivanhoe) are rich with lexicon related to weaponry and war [1]. The application of the biographical method, in addition to a thorough analysis of Scott’s historical fiction and other history-related works, enables the identification of the following aspects: historically-semiotic, mythological, and personal ones.
The first premise for the weapon symbolism is connected with the historical era in which Scott lived and worked. Abundant positivist features can be observed in his writings, which, ahead of his time, contrast with Romanticism he belonged to historically. Nevertheless, it is the romantic tradition that Scott still represents. The great novelist’s interest in ordinary people, valorization of the past, as well as the development of passionate individualist characters in his novels, are really illustrative of this tendency.
Moreover, the importance of symbols in Romanticism is also applicable to Scott’s works. Notably, he employed a vast array of symbols varying from objects (the cup of sherbet offered to Sir Kenneth by Saladin (The Talisman)) to characters (Locksley representing the oppressed Anglo-Saxon people (Ivanhoe)), to locations (ill-famed Mucklestane-Moor (The Black Dwarf)), even to the overall pattern of the novel (the symbolic structure of Rob Roy) [3].
The second reason is of narrative-oriented nature. Since childhood, Scott was captivated by the folklore of the Scottish Border. The narrative tales he had been told later were combined with the local folk songs (and, subsequently, contributed to the author’s peculiar and ornate style of poetry). However, it is the mythologization of several aspects of history that deserves marked attention. It partially stems from Scott’s individual inner collision and ambiguity towards the effective loss of Scotland’s independence. This ambiguity consists in his embracing industrial and economic advance connected with the union, while concurrently acutely feeling the weakening of Scottish national consciousness and traditions. Thus, “he welcomed civilization, but he also longed for individual heroic action” [2].
This very thirst for heroism is largely responsible for the symbolism of multiple Scott’s characters and artefacts. According to May, hero is a myth in action [4]. Classically (and especially so in historical fiction), a hero is a warrior, a champion, a defender. Meanwhile, the most accentuated action in historical novels is military conflict, which inherently implies the use of weapons. Hence, when employed by a hero, the weapon acquires recurring positive or negative connotations and a special symbolic meaning (e.g. the axe was a royal weapon of Richard the Lionheart in Ivanhoe and The Talisman).
The final precondition of weapons’ symbolism analysis is Scott’s personal antiquarian interest. The writer’s obsession with collecting ancient artefacts (including weapon and armor) is partially responsible for his high literary productivity. Historically, the personal weapon of a warrior has been assigned a special symbolic meaning. One of such examples is described in Scott’s own essay on chivalry for Encyclopedia Britannica. The practice of initiation of a young representative of Gothic or German nobility bore a more substantial significance than a mere military ceremony. The religious leaders were present as the weapon was bestowed on him, turning the sword into the instrument of the defense of community and religion [5]. Moreover, the weapons were also widely used in burials, which made a further contribution to their symbolic meaning [3].
Ultimately, a sword (or any other weapon) is an inseparable attribute of the knight – the man of chivalry (one of the most common types of characters in Scott’s novels). For larger historical plausibility, the author also resorted to symbolism of weapons, thus creating a credible background for the main characters. This idea is proven by Scott’s descriptions of various rules and gestures involving weapons (e.g. during knight tournaments and battles in Ivanhoe).
Consequently, the detailed analysis of textual and extra-textual aspects allowed us to define the historically-semiotic, mythological, and personal factors of weapon symbolism in historical novels by Walter Scott.
References
1. Колган О. В., Мацокіна Ю. І. Терміни військової справи в романі Вальтера Скотта «Айвенго»: cтруктурна oрганізація. Термінологічний вісник: Збірник наукових праць. Київ, 2019, вип. 5. С.298–304.
2. Britannica Editors. “Sir Walter Scott”. Encyclopedia Britannica. URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Walter-Scott. (Accessed 17.06.2026).
3. Howard, W. The Symbolic Structure of Scott's Rob Roy. Studies in Scottish Literature: 1979, Vol. 14: Iss. 1. URL: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/ssl/vol14/iss1/7. (Accessed17.06.2026).
4. May, R. The Cry for Myth. New York : W. W. Norton & Company, 1991. 324 p.
5. Scott, W. “Sir Walter Scott on chivalry”. Encyclopedia Britannica, URL: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sir-Walter-Scott-on-chivalry-1987278. (Accessed 17.06.2026).
6. Scott, W. The Border Antiquities of England and Scotland: Comprising Specimens of Architecture and Sculpture, and Other Vestiges of Former Ages, Accompanied by Descriptions. Charleston: Nabu Press, 2013. 332 p.
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