Sceptre

Sceptre (Gr. skēptron, 'staff'), originally a staff or walking-stick, hence in course of time also a weapon of assault and of defence. At a very early period the privilege of carrying an ornamental sceptre came to be connected with the idea of authority and station. Both in the Old Testament and in Homer the most solemn oaths are sworn by the sceptre, and Homer speaks of the sceptre as an attribute of kings, princes, and leaders of tribes. The sceptre was frequently an ivory truncheon pierced with gold or silver studs. The sceptre of the kings of Rome, apparently derived from Etruria, and afterwards borne by consuls, victorious generals, and emperors, was of ivory and surmounted by an eagle. The sceptre, which has varied much in form, has kept its place as a symbol of royal authority through the middle ages and down to the present time. The English Sceptre Royal, surmounted by a cross, is 2 feet 9 inches in length, and is of gold, richly adorned with precious stones. This is placed in the sovereign's hand at coronation. St Edward's staff, carried before the sovereigns at coronation, is of beaten gold, 4 feet 7½ inches long, with a foot or pike of steel and the orb and cross at the top. There are also in the English regalia a king's sceptre with the dove, a queen's sceptre with the cross, the queen's ivory rod (the sceptre of the consort of James II.), and another found in 1814, presumably that of Mary, consort of William III. See REGALIA.