Not which is better but just your personal preference?

Why axes of course. Especially twohanded axes.

Nothing says hello like a battleaxe to the face. Or the neck. Whichever floats your boat.

I prefer swords. There are many more unqiue swords than there are axes. But they're cool too. Perhaps when I get back into Skyrim. I'll start using maces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHpvBXzQqo8

Playing as my newest character, who is a Nord by the way, I've found a new love in using an axe with a shield.

Axe man. Nordic Carved. I use an axe and shield, but occasionally switch to two axes.

Swords, since the game, mechanic-wise, seems to be biased towards swordsmen. That, and I haven't found an axe that looks vampiric.

Id always use swords but lately when I use 1H ive been using axes.

I definitely lean toward swords. Axes seem too barbaric for most of my characters. If I played a character where an axe fit her personality, I would use an axe. I just really haven't yet.

Nothing like smashing a head in with a hammer. Imagine the bits of brain covering your badarse Warhammer after bludgeoning a guy to death.

Oh yeah I love hammers too! I usually switch between a hammer and an axe. Sometimes I feel like severing limbs and other times I feel like crushing them instead.

Oh and the decapitation with a hammer is just pure awesomeness!

I love both equally.
My current character is using a Nordic Shortsword and a Steel Battleaxe.

Swords, for they're speed & well suited to the finesse orientated characters i like to play.

"Swords, for they are speed?" Huh?

War axes are just barely slower than swords. Greatswords and battleaxes are equally fast in attack speed.

In that case, maces aren't much slower than war axes, but swords much faster than maces and greatsword has better finishers IMO, nothing like impaling & lifting enemies in the air.

Swords as well, I like the feel of a quick and precise weapon over such brutal weapons.

I prefer war axes to swords. They hit hit a bit harder and are only a bit slower. Plus they look badass and I like the finishing animations.

I recently crafted some nordic weapons because I like the aesthetic, and was bummed when I read that the war axes don't benefit from the bleed damage perk. So right now I'm rocking a nordic sword and dagger.

The weapon my pa passed down to me. Axes.

Swords mainly although I did run an Orc warrior character recently who used axes for dual wielding, somehow they really seem to suit an Orc imo.

If PC: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/31144/?

As far as 2 handed weapons go it's a tough call but I think greatsword edges out battleaxe for me. I like the sword finishers a little better(though the battleaxe decap rules), and I like the way the character holds the weapon a bit better. The hunched over warhammer and battleaxe stance just looks weird to me, plus you have the neckbreaker kill cam.....

1h I prefer swords as well, if only for their modeling

Swords. I prefer the speed and feel of them. Just fits better with spellsword (obviously) and I often RP spellswords. Did have a Nord that used axes.

I might be wrong but I think there are more different finishers with swords also, so more diversity.

This is one of the reasons I'm not a fan of greatswords, they're the same speed as battleaxes and they're weaker....had it not been for the Nordic greatsword being a barbaric beauty then I would've never touched one.

I agree, it does seem to have more variety with the finishers, impaling never gets old & it's just feels slicker to finish someone nice & clean with a sword, rather than hacking or slashing with an axe or bashing/smashing with a hammer. I also find the battleaxe finishers get rather repetitive, as most of the time it's that dreary headlock & headbutting.

I like them both. Basically I like axes more but because swords have more different finishers I have ended up to like them equally.