Nothing is trivial

The Ancient Celtic Ritual of Killing a Sword,

During the early iron age up to the rise of the Roman Empire the ancient Celts dominated most of Europe, their tribal societies stretching from Spain in the west to Turkey in the east. One ancient Cetlic tradition was the ritual of “killing”  the sword of a deceased chieftain or warrior for burial. Often the sword would be heated, then bent into either a circle or “S” shape thus making it irreparable and useless. In hundreds of Celtic graves throughout Europe such ritually killed swords have been uncovered, one of the most well preserved being a iron sword uncovered near Oss in the Netherlands dating to 700 BC.

There are many possible reasons such a ritual was done by the ancient Celts. The sword could have been killed as a ritual sacrifice to speed the soul of the deceased into the afterlife. Indeed a sword would have made an excellent sacrifice considering the expense and labor needed to craft a quality iron sword in that age. In addition, it may have been a special honor for a particular brave warrior, and while the warrior rests peacefully in death, likewise his sword should be permanently retired. Kind of like how today we retire the jersey and player number of a famous athlete who passes away.  Finally, killing the sword may have a more practical and down to earth purpose, to make it useless if uncovered by thieves and grave robbers.

⚱️ O dolmen de Pedra Cuberta, en Treos, construiuse hai 6000 anos (entre o 4000/3000 a.n.e.) como sepultura e lugar de culto dos mortos. Os seus seres queridos despedíanos cunha cerimonia. Para a súa viaxe ao alén, deixábanlle preparados os mellores alimentos, ferramentas, armas, xoias feitas con pedras de cores… O interior da cámara e do corredor estaban decorados con numerosas formas xeométricas de cor vermella (óxido de ferro) e negra (carbón) sobre unha capa branca de caolín.⚱️