The sword is where the symbolism gets a little more abstract. It represents power, and power comes in many forms. Thus it should not surprise us that there are many alternate tools that can be used to symbolise power. A staff (or rod), a scepter (a stylized mace), a spear or stylized thunderbolt, or in the case of the Egyptian regalia - a crook and flail. The Egyptian crook and flail help to make clear what kind of power we are talking about; power over humans, the power to domesticate humans to be precise. The power to reward and to punish. Thus the double edges of the sword which can also can cut a thing in two, dividing the good from the evil (a key concept in human domestication).
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