Even the BEST Swords BREAK! #sword #martialarts #history

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[RHCole]

This is why legendary unbreakable swords were so sought after and revered

[Im-Not-a-Dog]

There are two scenarios in which a blade lasts hundreds of years.
1) Its decorative.
2) It started as a zwihander or longsword and has gradually been ground down for repairs, and now its a shortsword or dagger with a comically large handle.

[Bob_Greasy_The_rd]

Fun fact: Even though swords weren't passed down, armor usually was. Armor was incredibly expensive back then, so it was a better deal to use old armor than to buy a brand new one.

[Aederex]

It's fun going to some Japanese museums and the info cards read something like "This blade was originally a tachi, which got damaged and shortened into a wakizashi, which got damaged and shortened into this tanto."

[amokriinprolgiid]

A sword passed down from generation to generation doesn't imply their family was constantly at war. Swords are tools, but tools often used for self defense if not war. And how often does an ordinary person need to fight in self defense? Also, if a sword breaks, the pieces can be collected and reforged. Back before modern steel production methods were invented, steel was pretty valuable, so most probably wouldn't just discard a broken sword, but would likely have it reforged if they could afford it.

[theaprentice]

“That was my grandfather’s axe!”
“I didn’t know that chief…”
“My father replaced the handle and I replaced the head, but otherwise it was totally original!”




From the Brotherband books if anyone is curious. Probably didn’t quote it correctly, but that’s the gist of it more less.

[FRM-bxgy]

Bad story idea: a knight who did in fact have a multi-generational sword passed down by his father. this blade was dull, worn, and on its last legs, but because of this knights pride he refused to let it go. the other knights all would make fun of him, telling him that it would be better off "scraping gunk off of a horses shoe". this blade lasts the knight a surprisingly long time, and often causes him more harm than good. when the blade finally gives in, its after defeating an enemy general(with skill and a lot of luck). but even after the sword is snapped in two, he carries it on him as a reminder that his family is with him in battle, even if the weapon cannot be used.

[JustinLaw]

And that's why unbreakable swords passed down through the generations is such a staple of fantasy: IT'S FANTASTICAL. Swords were expensive, took a long time to make, and needed a skilled blacksmith to properly make them, so the idea of a perfectly made sword that is completely unbreakable and doesn't need maintenance because it's magical or whatever became something that everyone dreams about but know is impossible.

Armor sets, on the other hand, especially in Japan, was passed down through the generations, because most armor sets came in pieces. If something broke, you replaced just the part that broke, a very Ship of Theseus situation.

[Patrick_Decam]

I mean, I think there are two ways a sword can realistically be passed down through a family line:

1.- The family sword could be a ceremonial item, not really being used as a tool, so it doesn’t wear out.

2.- As the sword degrades you fix it, until you have to remade it, now you can keep the used iron and just add a enough to make it the right size, and then shoot Theseus so he and his ship can shut their mouths.

EDIT: Didn't think about the quality of steel in the sword, so thanks for pointing that out.

ALSO, forgot that you can just replace the whole blade, so the joke about Theseus still works.

[wiltfang]

There was also a huge period of time that virtually no weapons can be recovered from because the metal was melted down to be turned into farming implements.

[TheYannir]

I always thought that the most basic enchantment of a magic sword would be that of preservation of its most functional state. Which is how an enchanted sword would always remain sharp and never break. Until the magic itself wears out, and that's how fantasy worlds aren't flooded by the most basic of magic weapons after thousands of years of people making them.

[jamesalexander]

Swords were side arms, they were the back up weapon. Even if a sword was in hundreds of battles it might not have been used once as the knight's primary weapon was never dropped.

[Gamerboi]

This is why I liked the Redwall series a bit more. The sword of Martin the warrior was not a special blade initially. Infact, it got snapped off, and Martin carried around the hilt until he found a legendary blacksmith, who reforged the sword with 'star metal'. After that, it only rarely got used. Usually, once every few generations, it would be retrieved and used to defend the abbey. Adding to that, the abbey almost always had a relative of the clan of blacksmiths living there, who could have repaired and maintained it. It is like a ceremonial piece, that they kept sharp, incase it ever needed to be used. Not a blade used in battle after battle through a war, but used in one battle, and then maintained and put away.

[IsaacR]

Fun fact that every single sword or anything of metal had its materials created in the heart of a dying star, so that's a cool way to make your weapon sound cooler

[quentinbonafede]

This here is one of my favorite ways to add fantasy or magic. Not fireball, a sword that never breaks or is of a metal so easy to melt and repair it can be done with any forge, and yet the metal cools hard enough it could break a shield. Enchantments in a way that isn't immediately noticeable but is DEFINITELY magic

[hilmarheathkliff]

apparently many original katanas used to be a lot longer than they are today. because they broke and got repaired. some were originally a polearm, some have been turned into wakizashi or tanto after breaking.

[smnio]

Now, if the metal was re-forged into a new blade for each family member that inherits it...

[LaneHicks]

what if the sword hilt was passed down through generations and it was just repaired and new blades were put in over the years so that its just the hilt that remains?


(edit: have they tried reverse grip mordhog or what ever it is called whenever they hit the person with the handle?)

[DJTourniquet]

They have multi-generational mechs in Battletech, but they did a really good job of both creating lore that supported their survival (Kill the meat, save the metal) and usually do a fair job of showing how rough and beat to shit they are after 300 years of fighting and repairs.

[szkox]

Quote from great book series called Brotherband "It's the battleaxe of my grandfather, my father replaced the axe head and i replaced the handle but it still belonged to my grandfather"