A Fasination with Swords
Believe it or not, I’ve actually heard a number of debates regarding which sword is the best. The truth is, it is a matter of opinion. Swords were developed differently, in different periods, and with different cultures. Each sword was created for a reason specific to that culture. Some swords, like the rapier, were created for thrusting attacks, to pierce. The Viking sword was shorter and actually quite light, but it was perfect for slashing and hacking at one’s foes. Samurai swords, also known as the katana and wakizashi, were forged specifically for that warrior class. Ninjas preferred a smaller, straight bladed sword that was easy to conceal. In the Aztec culture, they didn’t forge iron or steel, they embedded chips of obsidian into flat pieces of wood. So, really, since swords are not used for everyday defense, the best sword is the one that you prefer and want hanging on your wall.
When one thinks of swords, they usually think of the long swords used by people of the Middle Ages in Europe or perhaps of the cutlasses used by pirates, thanks to the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Not many people know exactly how widespread the used of the sword really was. Even in cultures of the Mayans and the Aztecs, weapons very similar to the sword were employed in warfare. Though not made of steel, the Aztec sword (macuahuitl) was a very efficient weapon. It was about three feet long and made of a flat piece of wood. Pieces of obsidian were then set into the wood, which gave it a very sharp slashing edge. Like the swords of Europe, there were both one handed and two-handed versions. When the Spanish chronicled their encounters with the Aztec warriors, they said that the swords were sharp enough to cleave off the head of a horse. While this last bit of anecdotal evidence can’t be substantiated, it proves that the sword was a universal weapon throughout much of the planet’s inhabited history.