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1. Sword and Spirit

The sword is a living thing. Although a product of man's technical precocity, it is far more than just a tool, a fusion of carbon and metals hammered and shaped into utilitarian form. A sword is a conduit of power. It pulses with the psychic energy of its wielder, and takes on the nuances of that individual. It transforms the holder, investing the swordsman with a form of force that is the result of some occult melding of body and blade. The Japanese tell tales of swords that sing in their scabbards to warn their owners of danger, of blades forged by evil men that do evil deeds, of other swords, created by beneficent smiths, whose razor edges would not cut a leaf innocently borne to them by wind or water. The sword augments our strengths, it magnifies our faults. It is an implement of discipline, a symbol of courage, a tangible representation of justice.

The human fascination with the sword transcends cultural boundaries and time. The magic of Excalibur and the failed quest of Arthur are as compelling now as they ever were. A new generation of children respond viscerally to the power and danger of the Force and light sabers. It is the skill of a master fencer (and true love) that rescues the Princess Bride. Watch the eyes of any child as a sword is drawn from its sheath. What you will see there expresses the power of the sword far more powerfully than any prose: the recognition of beauty, danger, and potential embodied in a gleaming, elementally cruel form.