A sword is a cutting tool. Obviously it has some heft behind it (some swords more than others. I'd never want to compare a Claymore with a Rapier) but does have an edge that it counts on for cutting the opponent.
Well, in battle or any other combat, it would have been whacked against all manner of hard things. Two swords clashing (parry), striking a piece of armor, a missed swing that hits a rock, etc...
Now, I know how careful we all are about protecting our blades because the edge of the blade hitting something hard can chip or roll an edge, or otherwise dull the edge.
So it stands to reason that edges of swords saw lots of abuse and would likely have dulled considerably in battle. Sure you'd want to sharpen it before going to battle, but some of these fights lasted hours if not days, and I would think the edge of a sword would get pretty well buggered during that time. Is this accurate? If so, did the sword just become a dull, blunt impact weapon during the fight and get used to strike and potentially break skin and bones rather than counting on the edge to sever or cut through?
So long story short, I'd love to know how the issue of edge sharpness was address back in the days when swords were one of the primary weapons used in battles.
Well, in battle or any other combat, it would have been whacked against all manner of hard things. Two swords clashing (parry), striking a piece of armor, a missed swing that hits a rock, etc...
Now, I know how careful we all are about protecting our blades because the edge of the blade hitting something hard can chip or roll an edge, or otherwise dull the edge.
So it stands to reason that edges of swords saw lots of abuse and would likely have dulled considerably in battle. Sure you'd want to sharpen it before going to battle, but some of these fights lasted hours if not days, and I would think the edge of a sword would get pretty well buggered during that time. Is this accurate? If so, did the sword just become a dull, blunt impact weapon during the fight and get used to strike and potentially break skin and bones rather than counting on the edge to sever or cut through?
So long story short, I'd love to know how the issue of edge sharpness was address back in the days when swords were one of the primary weapons used in battles.