The classical suicide, to fall on your sword. People don’t have swords anymore, I’ve never even seen one except in the movies. But it’s part of historical literature.
Shakespeare: For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin?         bodkin = dagger
Also Juliet stabbing herself with Romeo’s dagger
Saul’s suicide in the Bible: Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him.
— 1 Samuel 31:1-5
Japanese ritual suicide by Seppuku: consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a tantÅ, into the abdomen and moving the blade from left to right in a slicing motion. Oh my god. Â
I am sure you guys can think of other examples. In the movies and books it’s made out to be such a simple thing. “He fell on his sword.” Sounds quick, elegant and easy. In Romeo and Juliet movie she sticks it through her heart like it’s the easiest thing in the world. That can’t be the reality, can it?  It’s got to be excruciating and horrifying. Definatley not something I would try. Does anyone have any information or ideas about what suicide by sword would really be like?
3 comments
I read a few years ago that people always used to mount horses by throwing their right leg over the left side of the horse. Riders usually carried a long sword on their left hip, which would make it very difficult to get on the horse from the horses right side.
To this day, a motorcycles kickstand causes the bike to lean to the left; riders mount their bike from the same approach as medieval horsemen wielding swords.
This comment is off topic, I just thought that was interesting.
Seppuku and falling on swords could obviously be painful but the method was well reaserched and even respected therefore it was well known what area and artery to cut for a rapid bleedout. Unlike a gun shot wound to the gut, “gut shot”, which if no major artery were clipped or destroyed it could take days of agony before one died.
Female ritual suicide known as  was practiced by the wives of samurai who have committed seppuku or brought dishonor.
Some females belonging to samurai families committed suicide by cutting the arteries of the neck with one stroke, using a knife such as a tantÅ or kaiken. The main purpose was to achieve a quick and certain death in order to avoid capture. Women were carefully taught jigaki as children. Before committing suicide, a woman would often tie her knees together so her body would be found in a dignified pose, despite the convulsions of death. Jigaki, however, does not refer exclusively to this particular mode of suicide. Jigai was often done to preserve one’s honor if a military defeat was imminent, so as to prevent rape. Invading armies would often enter homes to find the lady of the house seated alone, facing away from the door. On approaching her, they would find that she had ended her life long before they reached her.
“Falling on your sword” is much less elegant than it might seem. In European history swords were too long to stab yourself with, and too heavy to simply fall on. You had to prop them up at a near 40 degree angle. This resulted in more of a running into your sword. If the sword was more like a Roman short sword, it would be more practical to fall on it. If it is like a Japanese sword, it would be sharp enough to cut through the intestines and arteries. The term comes from the European use of propping up the long-sword.
All in all, it would be hard to kill yourself with a sword. It would be painful to do the act yourself. This is why in modern Japanese culture important figures have someone whose soul purpose is to kill them if they reach for the symbolic sword to end their life. It is seen as more dignified I guess.
I have thought about this a little more than others cause I have a few swords. A rapier, a saber, and a long sword. All sharp enough to do the job.