Swords in the Dreamlands

Before the development of firearms, swords were the quintessential battle weapon. Though many weapons had been used on the battlefield, the sword was often the most prevalent, and it is the one weapon most people think of when they imagine warfare without firearms. It is not the oldest weapon; spears, daggers, and axes all predate it. However, it is one of only four implements designed for killing (the spear, bow, and gun are the other three) and one of only two designed for war (the other is the gun). Aside from the dagger, the sword was the primary weapon for self-defense before firearms took over that task, but it was also the weapon most closely associated with the ruling class. Peasants and merchants could make use of staves, knives, axes, bows, hunting spears, even makeshift pole-arms derived from improvised farming implements, but for the most part only aristocratic warriors used the sword. In fact, in some places in the Waking World it was illegal for anyone except a knight or a lord to bear a sword. Even in later ages, when swords became more common and were used by civilians for dueling, ownership of a sword conveyed a certain respect that could overcome other class distinctions. (However, it also incurred a certain risk, in that other swordsmen could challenge anyone who wore a sword without provocation.) This has carried over into modern times, in that an ordinary soldier is equipped with a bayonet and often a knife, but only officers and high-ranking noncoms wear swords (which tend to be purely ceremonial).

As a side note, it should be mentioned that, while the dagger is classified as a form of knife, swords and daggers are inextricably linked. They not only share the same basic design and similar origins, they serve the same general purpose, and they are often used together. Also, the distinction between a long dagger and a short sword is not clear, and some scholars have argued that, for all intents and purposes, a sword is simply a very long dagger (or a dagger a very short sword, depending upon your perspective). As such, daggers will be mentioned throughout this essay even though technically they are not the proper subject.

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