One of my favourite YouTube channels about writing and storytelling Tale Foundry recently published a video about swords and why they are so common in fantasy stories. I just wanted to add my two paise to it, partly because it is a fun topic, but also because I think exploring one's wider philosophy on weapons and warfare is important as a writer of stories in which violent conflict is practically a necessity.

I like swords because they are intimate. You can't throw a sword at someone (you can but that's not how it is supposed to be used), you can't use a sword from a long distance away. You have to hold the sword in your hands and you have to go near the one you wish to fight and you have to swing the sword yourself. You have to get your enemy's blood on you as you slash at them. You have to watch your enemy feeling pain and perhaps even watch as they die by your hand.