David Hoffman Mrs. McQuiggan Public speaking February 26 History of Swords I.What comes to your mind when you think of a king or a great leader? The first thing that most likely comes to mind is a crown, or a fortress, or even power. For me it is the most versatile and most common weapon that was found in the medieval ages and beyond, The sword. A.How do you think that leader or king got to where he was? Yes some are born into power and some talk their way up but the sword has been the most used tool in fighting for honor and respect. B.The sword has rallied men, defeated men, led men, and respected men. Throughout the ages the sword has been the most respected gift for a family and the tragedy of another. C.With what time I …show more content…
Even tho copper was duller and softer than most metals compared to it (Tyson 2018) it was the most common type of metal the kingdom had access to. B.Then from copper they went to bronze. With a mixture of tin and copper bronze was created for blacksmiths to exploit for stronger and more flexible swords (Gonzalez 2011). C.Then further down the timeline comes the iron age. The time has finally come for smiths to find a way to make iron swords. But sadly these swords were soft and couldn't even be sharpened well enough. D.Now finally steel has been found. After mixing ferrite wich is iron and cementite which is carbon the era of steel has been born. From this discovery onwards steel swords were the best you could get because they were stronger, sharper, more flexible, and could even be shaped and worked with better without it losing shape. Transition: Even tho it seemed through the timeline that it looked pretty quick, scaling to real time shows that it to literal decades and maybe even centuries to go through each era. Now that we know the different types of metals, let's find out how one is put together. III.The different components are pretty simple. You have the blade and the …show more content…
4.The pommel is also used to counter weight the sword so it is balanced (Anatomy of a Sword 2018). B.The blade itself runs through the hilt to add more strength to the sword. C.However, different swords can sport different types of blades. 1.For example the Falchion, instead of the classic european style double edge blade it is a single edged blade that is curved like an axe head (Sword History 2011). 2.And for an example for a simple double edged european styled sword would be a viking sword. They were usually used with one hand and was generally supported with a shield for protection because of the smaller than average blade size, depending on what viking sword you refer to for some viking blades can be a pretty go length (Hurstwic 2018). Conclusion: In review the sword has a pretty lengthy list on its shoulders. After being made by so many different metals to being used by so many leaders, Swords have been around for centuries and most likely for many more to come. With advancing weapons and technology they will try to get in the way like nukes for example or guns, but none of them will have the legacy of a thousand kings on its