Folks,
When attempting to assess extraordinary cutting feats with swords, disregarding the attributes of the steel for a moment, we also have to consider the energy input required to make the cut.
To put it into simple terms: When felling green timber, the quality of the steel from which the axe is made is not all that critical, yet nobody would expect to cut through a smallish tree in a single stroke. Why not? Because the energy required exceeds that which even the most powerful swing can generate - And even if such a mighty lumberman did exists, the handle of the axe would fail.
Now, we have to remember that energy is required not only for the shearing of whatever is being cut, but also to displace the already cut material sideways, so that the thicker shouder of the blade can penetrates, not just its edge. Just what a considerable drain on energy this can be, is best illustrated when cutting with a sword into a large block of moist potters clay. The hardness/toughness/sharpness of the blade in this instance is comparatively insignificant, yet the blade will come to a halt after only a few inches of penetration. The energy of the sword is dissipated by the effort required to displace the cut clay and the friction that the flat of the blade encounters.
I imagine that cleaving through a human body clad in armour, even light armour, will require more energy than what can be delivered by even the mightiest sword arm - Never mind the hilt standing up to the task.
There is a often quoted story from the Napoleonic wars in which a Brit cavalryman cleaved a Frenchmans head, cutting right through his helmet, which I believe was made from brass. But despite that he was using the famous 1796 pattern sabre, and steel quality was not an issue, the cut only reached the victim's jaws, or thereabouts.
I think that extraordinary sword feats from the distant past parallel those of the old archers. Feats that when subjected to mechanical analysis, do not stack up all that well.
Cheers
Chris
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