The Sole Sword and the Importance of Characters’ Weaponry: How “The Eferian Day” Approach Character Development

4–6 minutes

Throughout history, the sword has played a major rule in Human civilization. Whether it be the Roman Gladius, the Middle Eastern Scimitar, or the European Longsword: swords has been a staple weaponry choice for a large portion of people who have sought out a weapon of high skill and has had a great deal of stature within many societies all over the world. Though other types of weaponry became more favorable for reasons like cost to make and the lesser need for training to use, such as the Halberd, and the Morning Star: swords has taken up a large portion of people’s attention when it comes to weapon choice.

For the sword has been seen as a symbol of wealth and power all throughout ancient times and can also be found within contemporary and modern history for reasons of historical importance and tradition.

One example of historical importance is the Cutlass, a curved sword with a handguard used by the Royal Navy of Great Britain since the 18^th century. Overly stylized Cutlass swords have been used as a status symbol by officers onboard ships as part of their uniforms to show-off high stature and command. Though the swords themselves were impractical to use in combat with their bulky grips and hanging tassels: the Cutlass swords the officers wore around their waists served the purpose of showcasing power and status using a weapon whose presence displayed a rich and historical importance within the Naval forces (a history far too long to be presented within this post).

Another example of the importance of the sword is the Ulfberht swords used by the Nordic sea-faring warriors during the Viking Age. During the period of the Viking era: Vikings were mainly undefeated in combat throughout Europe. And because of this: there was a lot of mysticality surrounding the Vikings’ strength in battle. One of these beliefs was that the Ulfberht swords that many well-off Vikings were using was the makings of magic. Though the actual reason was because of the material (being steel) the swords was made of being more durable than other types of weaponry used during that time, more information on the subject can be found here. However, the sword did come to hold as the symbol of status and wealth among those who were able to afford it. These types of swords became seen as being wielded by successful and powerful warriors, making the swords themselves the symbol of greatness.

When it comes to Fantasy: there is no wonder why the sword has become the staple weapon for the genre. With the historical importance the sword has had throughout history: the transition from real-life usage to fiction storytelling was expected. So, it is because of this I think it’s important to talk about fiction storytelling and the usage of weaponry to further character development within storytelling of Fantasy worlds.

How Weaponry Help Shape Character

Character development is an important aspect within storytelling. The life and times of the character help to explain the character’s decision making throughout the story and shapes the character’s personality and overall behavior within the events they are put through. So, a way to further the character’s storyline and to flesh out their person, is to use their choice of weapon as a part of their development. Though the sword is the default weapon used for Fantasy characters: the choice of weaponry can display the character’s lifepath, which then gives a deeper meaning to the decisions the character has made throughout the storyline.

When choosing a weapon for the character to use, one can ask the question of why the character is using the weapon to begin with. If the creator is designing a character who comes from poverty to the point where they can’t afford shoes, then how could they get their hands on a sword? This is especially problematic if we go with the assumption mentioned previously that swords are used by people of high stature. Though this is not to say that it would be impossible for the character to use a sword at all, of course. But the likelihood for them to with their background doesn’t hold up within their own life situation. One could solve this by utilizing good storytelling aspects to the point where the character comes across the opportunity organically. And through the storyline begins to use a sword as the character development progress.

For it’s not the weapon itself which is the vital part here. But the storyline of the character is what gives the overall storytelling a much more fleshed out reason and deeper meaning behind the behaviors and mentality of the character. If we go with the mentality of “its Fantasy, therefore the characters use swords”, then the character development itself becomes unnecessarily restrained by the need to feature genre-specific elements. This then hinders the ability to create characters whose background don’t match the outcome of these specific elements of the Fantasy genre. For it’s the story, which is the important part, not the weapon the character use.

It is this thought process being brought into the creation of “The Eferian Day”.

In Conclusion

The storyline and character development are major aspects of creating fiction. And swords have been of major importance all throughout Human history both in its practical usage as well as being a symbol of wealth and power. So, the will to feature swords in a genre which is inspired by periods of history where people used swords is understandable.

The character development gives the storytelling of the fictional world the ability for the reader to engross themselves within the thought process of the characters. And makes sense of their decision making throughout the storyline. The weaponry choice of the characters can then be used to further the storytelling of the characters’ life and bring a deeper perspective to their actions.

Because the deeper the story, the more real the fictional world beings to feel.