The first weapons that can be classified as swords without any ambiguity first appeared in the Late Bronze Age. However, because of a lack of suitable materials, swords were impractical for most of history, up until the beginning of the Bronze Age (around 3000 BC.) Even then, the swords were only slightly elongated daggers as bronze had its inconsistencies.Ĭompared to other metals common today, bronze has a relatively low stiffness level ( Young’s modulus.) Hence, bronze swords that were significantly longer than daggers were prone to bending on minimal impact.
Thanks to their more extended profile, they also allow for new forms of executing an attack like slashing or thrusting the point. Unlike a traditional blade, daggers provide an increased ability to inflict damage as you can attack with both sides of the weapon singly or simultaneously.Ĭonsequently, swords were a natural progression as they provide significantly more reach. The first swords developed from the evolution of the dagger, a knife with two cutting surfaces. These weapons played a role in World War I and even featured in the Second World War where they served mainly in ceremonial use or as jungle machetes. Thanks to their efficiency in man to man combat, swords were the battlefield weapon of choice from the ancient Mesopotamian empires to the European wars of the early 20th century. However, away from fantasy, swords also have deep and extensive practical roots. More recently, the legendary Excalibur of Arthurian legend serves as the proof of Authur’s lineage and his claim to the rightful sovereignty of Britain. In Greek mythology, Zeus’s adamantine sword is how Perseus slew Medusa. In the biblical creation story, a flaming sword formed a fence around Eden that separates man from the tree of life. Hence, these blades feature, in various forms, and with different abilities, in a wide range of legends from different cultures around the world. Since these weapons take a great deal of practice to master, they also make excellent symbols for discipline and mastery, knighthood, and chivalry.įurthermore, on a more archetypal level, swords represent the power of will and intellect to reveal, conceal, unite, or to discriminate. However, watch a hero demonstrate authentic swordsmanship with a majestic sword once, and you will instinctively understand why these weapons are so deeply rooted in our collective consciousness.īy their in your face phallic design, swords symbolize power, protection, strength, courage, and authority. Yes, most swords, at first glance, may strike you as mostly unremarkable. From Katana-wielding ninjas and samurais to King Arthur’s Excalibur, the presence of swords in almost every legend is a testament to how much these blades have permeated our fantasies.
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