Here’s a video that I found pretty fascinating—I even have it on DVD, but we probably won’t have time to watch it in class. It explores the history and making of a certain type of sword, interspersed with sequences of a modern-day blacksmith creating a sword from the same type of metal.
I pretty much echo one of the YouTube commenters who said, “I don’t know why this is so fascinating, but it is.” I think for me it’s watching the guy forge a sword form beginning to end—it highlights how metalworking was a “magical” art. He takes dull stuff from the ground, makes a really hot fire, and produces a beautiful (and deadly) object out of it.
Anyway, check it out, if you get some time:
