Sword Dancing in Europe: A History

Sword Dancing in Europe
A History

Sword dancing, one of the most far-reaching and dramatic styles of folk dance performance throughout Europe, is by no means an ancient, timeless mystery, deriving from the magical rituals of primitive humanity, insusceptible to historical study. It is a relatively modern phenomenon, widely distributed from the mid-fifteenth century on, and popular in different eras in many parts of western, northern, and central Europe and Britain, in cities, towns, and villages.

Sword Dancing in Europe surveys the history of European styles of linked sword dancing, from its recorded beginnings in the late Middle Ages, to the present day, drawing on original sources in over ten different languages.