You can even buy swords used in movies like Star Trek. Some of the swords on the market are authentic and others are replicas. People use swords for the sport of fencing, for security, for martial arts, and for play. Also, many people collect swords.

Samurai swords are the most deadly of all Japanese weapons. You might have seen them in the movie The Seventh Samurai. The Katana is the most well known type of samurai swords. It is curved and has a blade only on one side. Japanese cavalry wore the Katana hung from theirs with the cutting edge facing up. The Katana was featured in the movie Kill Bill.

While the original Katanas were forged in the many centuries ago, 21st century sword makers now make variations on the Katana using modern methods.

Walking cane swords are definitely collectors' items. You can even buy ones that turn into umbrellas. Some have snakeheads, spider heads, dragonheads or gargoyle heads. There's one that folds up and another with a pair of dice in the head.

Video game swords have names like Bloodrayne, Halo 3, Ninja Gaiden, Legend of Zelda swords, Onimusha 3, Devil May Cry, Soul Calibur, and Legacy of Kain. Knives from movies are another category. One seller carries replicas of the knife Sylvester Stallone commissioned for the movie Cobra.

Swords don't make the news very often, but there was a sad story recently involving swords. A man and his uncle were involved in swordplay. The article doesn't say if it started out as actual playing, but in any case it turned to violence. Both men were hospitalized with stab wounds, one critically.

But the person who suffered most was the younger man's 77-year-old grandmother. She was fatally stabbed when she tried to break up the fight. Her grandson was arrested for attempted manslaughter, although police will not know which man the made the fatal jab until lab tests of the blood on the swords are completed.

One of the men had a World War-II era Japanese officer's sword with a thin blade. The other man used a sword with a thicker blade.

This is by no means a typical use of swords. In fact, many schools teach fencing as a sport, as a physical education elective. Fencing takes tremendous concentration and control. Students typically use epees, which are blunt swords developed in the 19th century for fencing competition and practice. "Epee" is French for "sword."

Several online retailers sell swords. Most of the swords they sell are fine historical collectibles. Stores that sell swords often sell related products such as knives, daggers, axes, spears, and mace balls. Some sell stands for displaying the weaponry. Sword stands come in several styles, including wall plaques, wooden stands for multiple swords, sword wall hangers, and horizontal sword stands.

Whatever type of sword you want, you can probably find it online.