EDGED WEAPONS

Most of the edged weapons used in chivalric combat are derived from mankind's earliest and most constructive tools, the knife and the axe. The sword, however, is the first true weapon, designed purely to kill men and useless as a tool or a hunting arm. Perhaps for that reason, it was regarded as noble, even magical. It was so highly prized as a symbol of status that knights persisted in wearing a sword, even after plate armor had rendered it virtually useless.