Swords and Symbolism

You wanna talk about swords? I wanna talk about swords.

So I have this tendency when I'm trying to focus on a task to picture a figure drawing a sword. Picture isn't the best word, since it's often accompanied by an imagined rasp of steel. Now admittedly there's probably a more sound/disturbing psychological explanation for this association that I've made since my childhood, but pondering the oddity myself I find the most interesting reason is because to me swords are symbols of agency.

Now let's define what I mean by agency, since it's kind of a meaning-loaded word. An agent, in semantic terms, is the person who performs the primary action in a statement. In "He pushed the woman out the window," "He" is the agent. So in story and philosophy terms someone with agency has acting power in a situation. What this comes down to in discussions of agency is "who makes and executes meaningful or impact choices?"

Agency is one of the prime values of contemporary Western culture. Its dearth is what makes so many of us disgruntled about our dead end jobs (or lack thereof) and the pursuit of it is much of the good that motivates most movements of civil rights and social justice. I won't get into the wormcan I just shook there, but I wanted to note: agency, independence, self-fulfillment, all these are valued pretty highly by our society.

So why would a sword symbolize agency, the power to act? I'd say it's because a sword is a tool, and by our very nature humans use tools as an extension of themselves. There are many more tools that people use that can stand as symbols of our agency, but the sword is iconic.

As a weapon, a tool for harming and killing other living creatures, the sword is simple and effective. It has a long cutting edge that can sever the bonds between sinews and sometimes bone. This martial association changes the tone of the symbol the sword represents. It's not just a tool for mundane agency. This is a war-tool, and that means the will behind the weapon is serious.

But this whole culture grew up around the sword, and I would wager what most people think of when dwelling on swords is swordfights. Now the stereotypical swordfight, the ones from legends and myths, aren't one-stroke encounters so much as full-on dances where the climax of the performance is the fatal injury of one of the combatants. It all stems around a game of skill, defending yourself while creating and exploiting openings in your opponent's assault.

I'd assume that this style of confrontation evolved from the more brutal initial displays, but I think there's a strong parallel extant here. The duel is a commonly recognized analog of the content of two wills, two minds, two forces, two agents with opposing lines of action. Of course the same is true of wrestling, any many other contests, but the sword's popularity today stems from the idea of it at the heart of that contest of will. And I think, then, that a sword has come by association to stand for a person's manifested agency.

That would explain why the appeal of the magic sword is so strong for many. It's a visual manifestation of powerful agency, and the thought of gaining enough agency to overcome the obstacles in your life is very, very appealing. Or at least it is for me.

I suppose you might be wondering why any of this speculation matters. For me it's a relief to have an explanation for myself why I might be so fixated on an outdated piece of weaponry. But if swords have this sort of symbolic weight in more pysches than my own, then it might also explain part of why swords figure so largely in escapist fantasy, and what the source of the cool factor is for putting swords in the hands of futuristic warriors.

I've been picking at this post on and off for weeks now. I think I'll just post it.

By the way, I've been chewing on advice offered by a friend, and it's possible I might start a new blog that dwells primarily on fantasy (as opposed to largely personal musings) and even submit a novel chapter-by-chapter.
I'll keep you posted, by which I mean I won't blog here again for like three months.