Sword Swallowing
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Sword Swallowing
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How Stuff Works - Health - How Sword Swallowing Works
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How Stuff Works - Health - How Sword Swallowing Works
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sword swallowing , a magician’s trick dating back to ancient Greece and Rome , involving the swallowing of a sword without bodily injury. Capuleius, in his Metamorphoseon, tells of seeing the trick in Athens, performed by a juggler on horseback. In reality, sword swallowing is not an illusion or trick. Those who practice it must first overcome their reflex gagging at objects touching the back part of their mouths. Long practice controls this reflex. The pharynx must also be conditioned. Objects introduced here cause much pain, and only after several trials can they be passed without great discomfort. The stomach is conditioned in a similar manner. Sword swallowers employ slightly varying methods. While one may swallow a sword without using any intermediate apparatus , such as a gutta-percha tip, another will take this precaution. The majority of sword swallowers employ a guiding tube which they have previously ingested, and hence their performances are less dangerous. The tube is 45–50 centimetres (17.7–19.7 inches) long and is made of very thin metal. With a width of 25 millimetres (a little less than an inch), the tube permits easy entry of flat-bladed swords. Exhibits of sword swallowing, beyond their entertainment value, have helped to further medicine by demonstrating to physicians that the pharynx could be habituated to contact, thus making experimentation and exploration of the involved organs possible.
Sword swallowing is not just an elaborate visual trick. Trained performers really do stick at least 16 inches of blade into their bodies. The key? It’s all in the esophagus.
In order to master the ancient art of sword swallowing, enthusiasts spend years practicing and learning how to wield control over involuntary bodily reflexes. First, sword swallowers have to learn to master their gag reflex. As a 2006 study of sword swallowers describes, performers train by “repeatedly putting fingers down the throat, but other objects are used including spoons, paint brushes, knitting needles, and plastic tubes before the swallower commonly progresses to a bent wire coat hanger.” It goes on to note that “sore throats are common.”
The sword has to pass through the upper esophageal sphincter —the muscles at the top of the esophagus that you use when burping, eating, vomiting, etc. Then, the sword swallower has to bend their body so that the blade passes around their heart. Finally, the sword must move through the lower esophageal sphincter, the entrance to the stomach. These muscles move involuntarily—they’re what keep the contents of your stomach from creeping back up your throat—and when one weakens these, it can cause acid reflux.
Through intense training, sword swallowers learn to open this sphincter on command, allowing the sword to pass into the stomach. One practitioner told The Washington Post that she didn’t even know how she did it, using only intense concentration to relax the muscles. Eventually, a sword swallower can learn to hold multiple swords in his or her throat at once (the world record for most swords swallowed at once is 52, set by Red Stuart in 2009 .)
And yes, it’s dangerous. With one wrong move, sword swallowers can poke holes in their throats and otherwise damage their internal organs. But when done right, it’s an incredible feat of bodily control.
Read more about the lives of sword swallowers from The Washington Post .
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Sword Swallowers at our Times Square NYC Odditorium, Feb 2014.
February 27, 2015 at 8:29 pm — Reply
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Every year Sword Swallowers from around the globe meet at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditoriums for a Simultaneous Sword Swallow!
Join us Saturday, Feb 28th for a FREE SHOW!
Simultaneous Sword Swallow takes place at 2:28:15 PM local time.
Sword swallowing originated in India around 2000 BC by fakirs and shaman priests who developed the art along with fire-walking on hot coals, snake handling, and other ascetic religious practices.
According to Encyclopedia Britannia :
The majority of sword swallowers employ a guiding tube which they have previously ingested, and hence their performances are less dangerous.
Dan Meyer, President of the Sword Swallowers Association International emphatically disputes this “fact.”
It would actually be more uncomfortable to pre-swallow a sheath and attempt to walk out on stage or deliver an introduction for several minutes with a sheath down the throat than it is to actually swallow a sword.
Ripley’s has co-sponsored the event since 2009.
Sword Swallower Jack Wise performing in front of the Blackpool Odditorium.
Ever since three Sword Swallowers performed at the original Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Chicago World’s Fair in 1933.
When Thrill KIll is not performing with her husband, Tyler Fyre, she’s a doting mom of three.
Pregnant Thrill Kill Jill in Baltimore, Feb 2014.
Tyler Fyre, & Thrill Kill Jill with sons Hank Lightning & Duke Dynomite. No pictures of the newest family member yet!
There are less than a few dozen professional Sword Swallowers left actively performing the 4000 year old ancient art around the world today. To put that in perspective:
World Sword Swallower’s Day, Hollywood, California, Feb 2014.
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I’ll bet Haley and Jill are appreciated by their husbands and boyfriends.
Tom Roberts — don’t be a giant douche. Swsx is an insanely technical skill that takes a lot of training for both men *and* women.
Maybe you should go back to crushing beer cans on your mullet.
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