Plowshare
wiktionary
A plowshare ('ploughshare' or 'plough share' except in North America) is the cutting blade of a plow. The plowshare, which is responsible for cutting through the or soil, is attached to the leading edge of the moldboard, which turns over the soil. In modern ploughs it is made of toughened steel and is detachable for easy replacement when worn or broken.
Anatomy
In the anatomy of birds, the plowshare bone is the pygostyle or vomer.
Swords vs. plowshares
The plowshare is often used to symbolize creative tools that benefit mankind, as opposed to destructive tools of war, symbolized by the sword, a similar sharp metal tool with an arguably opposite use. The common expession "beat swords into plowshares" has been used by disparate social and political groups. This analogy is used several times in the Bible including the seeming contradictory verses: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say "I am strong." — Joel 3:10They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. — Isaiah 2:4 & Micah 4:1
An expression of this concept can be seen a bronze statue in the United Nations garden called Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares, a 1959 gift from the Soviet Union sculpted by Evgeniy Vuchetich, representing the figure of a man hammering a sword into the shape of a plowshare.
See alsoOperation Plowshare, development of uses of nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes.Plowshares Movement, responsible for actions that have taken place against weapons of war.
External linksLet Us Beat Swords into Plowshares statue at the U.N. or [1]
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![[1]](http://www.un.org/events/peace_day99/swords.gif){kind=link}