The other guy's sword was probably in worse shape! They didn't stab, they bashed. Whether a sword hit armor or shield edge, it absorbed as much force as the defensive material. Chain mail was almost useless against arrows, but just fine for this, especially if there was a leather jerkin or thick quilted coat underneath. Softer iron was ok, because too brittle a metal would shatter. Making a decent blade was indeed an art. In one of the arly Irish sagas they tell of tying themselves upright to the pillars in a plain where their opponents had to risk breaking their swords on the stones while slashing at them. If you have ever role-played in something like Hero System, you'll learn that weapons have a defensive strength, based upon the material they are made from. Use them badly and they break. Bog iron heated in a primitive forge isn't the best and brightest! A lot of the swords retrieved from battlefields are bent at really pathetic angles... as opposed to weapons ceremonially broken as part of sacrifice. Carolly