For the emitter: try selecting the upper vertx of the sword, and then 'emit from object' as an emitter.
For the showing up do you have the right time selected, and try creating the fire thing yourself to see if that works. Do all s/w particles not-appear, or all particles in general?
For the bluish tint, if you're making you own, what I recommend, just create a color for the particle shape of the fire, or a ramp if you want a more realistic effect.. and set a higher glow intensity to make it more fire-ish as well.
If you're using the flame effect, try deleting the nodes color and glow intensity, in the hypershade that connect to the particle you're using for your fire ( and replace that with a blue texture, and your own glow intensity you want ). I hope I could help you!