For me a sword should have some sense of mystery and magic when you pick it up.
I've come across a lot of people who tend to make this statement, and I've never understood it.
When questioned why, the general answer is because the sword has a long history of warfare. It's been used far longer than the firearm, so people claim a "connection" with it.
The connection is a fallacy. The perceived connection is only due to the sword's depiction in literature, film, television, comics, etc. If the historical use of a weapon throughout history lead to a metaphysical connection with the user, then there are weapons that have been used by our species for far longer.
The spear, a composite weapon consisting of a wooden shaft tipped with a stone or metal point, has been used from prehistory, right up until the fall of melee combat on the battlefield. It was a weapon, as well as a hunting tool. In fact, it was used far MORE on battlefields for several reasons:
A] Longer reach.
B] More flexible as a fighting weapon (as in thrusting, cutting, and even as a quarterstaff should the need arise).
C] Cheaper to produce en masse.
D] Quicker to train troops with.
And when it comes to history, we can go back even further. If you think you have a connection with a sword, then you should damn well have a connection with a simple, wooden club.
Where I find the biggest problems is that there's no qualification for these "connections". It's usually(USUALLY) someone who knows nothing of swords, claiming this connection to a $10 wallhanger (I've seen this, first hand). To claim such a thing with a custom, well-made sword I can somewhat comprehend; granted I'd call it liveliness of the sword which stems from its balance and design, not magic. But a piece of junk stamped out and cobbled together in Pakistan? Nuh-uh. No.
There's another group of people who seem steadfast in their belief that swords are just "better" than guns. That it takes no skill to use a firearm AT ALL, and that you must train for years to kill with a sword. These people are imbeciles, period. They've immersed themselves into their fantasy, and will make any excuse to justify their beliefs. I've had someone like this honestly state that between bring killed by a gangbanger with a .38 and a gangbanger with a wallhanger katana, they would at least "respect" the latter for having to come in close and put forth effort and some supposed "skill".
Hopefully I've stirred the pot up a bit.
