List of mythological objects
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Mythological objects (also known as mythical objects) encompasses a variety of items (e.g. weapons, armor, clothing) appearing in world mythologies. This list will be organized according to category of object. For fairy tale items, please see List of fairy tale objects.
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Contents |
[edit] Armor
- The Armor of Achilles, created by Hephaestus and said to be impenetrable (Greek mythology)
- The Armor of Thor, consisting of the Girdle of Might, a magic belt that doubled his strength; and iron gloves so he could wield Mjolnir (see below)
- The Armor of Beowulf, made by Weyland the Smith
[edit] Headgear
- The Helmet of Rostam, upon which was fixed the head of the white giant Dive-e Sepid, from the Persian epic Shahnama
- The Helmet of Hades, created by the Cyclopes for Hades. It made the wearer invisible.
- The Tarnhelm, a helmet giving the wearer the ability to change form or become invisible. Used by Alberich in Der Ring Des Nibelungen.
[edit] Shields
- The Aegis, Athena's shield, also used by Perseus. Wonder Woman's bracelets, tiara and belt were also made of this material. (Greek mythology)
[edit] Shields from the Matter of Britain
- The Shield of Galahad, made by King Evelake and adorned with a red cross painted with the blood of Joseph of Arimathea
- The Shield of Lancelot, given to him by the Lady of the Lake, it instantly cured him of tiredness and gave him the strength of three men
[edit] Weapons
- Cronus' sickle, made of Adamantine and able to cut through anything (Greek mythology)
- Death's Scythe, was to represent the Christian cultural interpretation of death as a "harvest of souls". The view states that death takes life as we do crops. The scythe was never discussed in detail and is more popular as a common day icon assossiated with the Grim Reaper.
- Grid's Rod, an iron staff given to Thor so he could kill the Troll King. Grid also gave him the "Armor of Thor" (see above)
- Mjolnir, the magic hammer of Thor. It was invulnerable and when thrown it would return to the user's hand (Norse mythology)
- The Thunderbolts of Zeus, given to him by the Cyclops in Greek mythology, or by Vulcan in the Roman mythology
- Ogma's Whip - the spear of Ogma (the Celtic sun god) is used to "guide the passage of the invisible sun"
- The Golden Bow, Ilmarinen was tasked with forging Sampo, his first attempt produced lesser artifacts which he smashed - a Golden Bow, a Red Ship and a Golden Plough.
- Vajra, the lightning bolts of Indra (Hindu mythology)
- Kongō, A trident-shaped staff which emits a bright light in the darkness. It gives a man wisdom and insight. The staff belonged originally to the Japanese mountain-god Koya-no-Myoin. It is the equivalent of the Sanskrit vajra, the lightning-jewel of the mountain-god Indra. There the staff represents the three flames of the sacrificial fire, part of the image of the vajra wheel.
- Zulfiqar is the name of the sword of Ali ibn Abu Talib, the son-in-law of Muhammad and the model for Islamic chivalry.
- The Staff of Sun Wukong; while not exactly mythology, the staff of the Monkey King could alter its size whenever Sun Wukong told it to.
[edit] Swords
- Hrunting, the magical sword of Beowulf (Anglo-Saxon verse)
- Kusanagi-no-tsurugi (Japanese:草薙の剣) (also Ame no Murakamo no Tsurugi 天叢雲剣 or Tsumugari no Tachi 都牟刈の太刀), the sword of the Japanese god Susanoo, later given to his sister Amaterasu. (Japanese mythology)
- Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar (Persian: شمشیر زمردنگار) "The emerald-studded Sword" in the Persian mythical story Amir Arsalan. The hideous horned demon called Fulad-zereh was invulnerable to all weapons except the blows of Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar. This blade originally belonged to King Solomon.
- Nothung, the sword from Die Walküre (Wagnerian mythology), also known as Gram, or Balmung weilded by Siegfried
- The Sword of Peleus, a magic sword that makes its wielder victorious in the battle or the hunt (Greek mythology)
- Curtana, the magical sword of Ogier the Dane.
- The Sword of Death, A grey sword that can a kill a person if you just cut a lock of their hair off.(Greek Mythology)
- Also see Magic sword and Category:mythic weapons.
[edit] Swords from Celtic Mythology
- Caladbolg (also Caladcholg), the sword of Fergus mac Róich and powerful enough to cut the tops off three hills; related to the Caledfwlch of Welsh mythology
- Caledfwlch Often compared to Excalibur (and might be an alternate name for it), this sword is used by Llenlleawg Wyddel to kill Diwrnach Wyddel and his men.
- Claiomh Solais (The Sword of Light), the sword of Nuada, leader of the Tuatha de Danann
- Fragarach (also The Sword of Air, The Answerer or The Retaliator), forged by the gods. No armor could stop it, and it would grant its wielder command over the powers of wind
- Dyrnwyn aka The Sword of Rhydderch - "Rhydderch the generous" A flaming sword not unlike Excalibur in abilities. One of the Spoils of Annwyn.
- The Singing Sword of Conary Mor
- Ysbaddadan's Javelins This Fomori owned a set of spears dipped in poisonous venom.
[edit] Weapons from the Matter of Britain
- Clarent, the sword in the stone which Arthur pulled free to become King of Britain
- Excalibur, the sword which King Arthur received from the Lady of the Lake
- The Grail Sword, a cracked holy sword which Sir Percival bonded back together, though the crack remained
- Cernwennan which was Arthur's dagger.
- Arondite, Lancelot's sword
[edit] Swords from Norse Mythology
- Balmung/Gram, the sword that Odin struck into the Branstock tree which only Sigmund the Volsung was able to pull out. It broke in battle with Odin but was later reforged by Sigmund's son Sigurd/Siegfried and used it to slay the dragon Fafnir. After being reforged, it could cleave an anvil in half. (Norse mythology)
- Freyr's sword, Freyr's magic sword which fought on its own.
- Tyrfing (also Tirfing or Tervingi), the cursed sword of Svafrlami, from the Elder Edda; also said to be the sword of Odin in Wagnerian mythology
- Hofud, the sword of Heimdall, the guardian of Bifrost.
- Skofnung, a sword with mythical properties associated with the legendary Danish king Hrólf Kraki.
[edit] Swords from The Song of Roland (Frankish Mythology)
- Durindana (also Durandal or Durendal), Roland's sword; also said to be the sword of Orlando (medival Italian verse)
- Hauteclere (also Halteclere), the sword of Olivier
- Joyeuse, the sword of Charlemagne.
[edit] Polearms
- Amenonuhoko (heavenly spear), the spear used by the Shinto deities Izanagi and Izanami to create the world (Japanese mythology)
- The Gae Bolg, the spear of Cuchulainn, given to him by Aife, the sister of Scathach, and made from the bone of a sea-monster (Celtic mythology).
- Gungnir, Odin's magic spear created by the dwarf Dvalin. It would never miss its aim and it could not be stopped in mid-throw (Norse mythology)
- The Pelian Spear, Achilles' great mythical spear. Created by Hephaestus and given to Peleus at his wedding with Thetis (Greek mythology)
- The Spear Luin (also Spear of Fire or Spear of Destiny), forged by the Smith of Falias for Lugh to use in his fight against Balor (Celtic mythology)
- The Spear of Destiny (also Spear of Longinus or the Holy Lance), the spear said to have pierced the side of Jesus at the crucifixion
- Rhongomiant, which was the spear of King Arthur.
- Spears of the Valkyrie "Various" The weapons of the infamous Valkyries, these weapons are described as having flaming barbs.
[edit] Tridents
- The trident of the Greek deity Poseidon, used to create horses and some water sources in Greece.
- The trident of Satan (in Christian tradition), commonly depicted as his sceptre
- Trishula, the trident of the Hindu deity Shiva, stylized by some as used as a missile weapon and often included a crossed stabilizer to facilitate flight when thrown.
[edit] Bows
- Gandiva, Arjuna's bow in The Bhagavad-Gita ("Song of God")
- Apollo's bow, could cause health but could cause famine and death in sleep.
- Cupids bow, could cause one to love or hate the person he/she first saw.
[edit] Clothing
- Babr-e Bayan, the mythical coat worn by the Persian legendary hero Rostam in combat, it was fire-proof, water-proof and weapon-proof
- The Coat of Many Colors of Joseph (Judeo-Christian mythology)
- Hermes's Winged Sandals, which allowed him to fly and move at super-sonic speeds
- The Shoes of Vidar These shoes gave the god Vidar unparralled foot protection Norse mythology
- Aphrodite's Magic Girdle, a magic material that made who ever you desired would fall in love with you. Wonder Woman's lasso was also created from this.
- The Hide of Leviathan was supposedly able to be turned into everlasting clothing or impenetrable suits of armor.
- Wigar the armor of King Arthur.
- The Falcon Cloak owned by Freyja, it allows the wielder to turn into a falcon and fly.
- Tarnkappe Sigurd's magical cloak that made the wearer invisible.
- Seven-league boots allowed the wearer to travel seven leagues with each step.
[edit] Vehicles
[edit] Airborne
- The Pushpa Vimana a flight in which Ayya Vaikundar went to Vaikundam according to Akilattirattu Ammanai the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and the holy book of Ayyavazhi religion.
- The Flying Throne of Kai Kavus was an eagle-propelled craft built by the Persian king Kai Kavus, used for flying the king all the way to China
- The Flying Carpet or the "Prince Housain's carpet", the magic carpet from Tangu in Persia.
- Auspicious Cloud a magical cloud that Sun Wukong used as a mode of transportation
[edit] Boats
- The Argo is the ship of the Argonauts. Its bow could talk and it had the power of prophecy (Greek mythology)
- The Canoe of Gluskab, able to expand so it could hold an army or shrink to fit in the palm of your hand. (Abenaki mythology)
- The Canoe of Māui, which became the South Island of New Zealand (Māori mythology)
- Skíðblaðnir, a boat owned by Freyr. It could hold all the Æsir and their horses yet it could fold so you could fit it in your pocket. Once the sails were lifted a steady breeze would always come (Norse Mythology)
[edit] Chariots
- The Chariot of the Sun, the fiery chariot driven across the sky by the Greek god Helios
- The Chariot of the Sea, the oceanic chariot teamed by hippocampi and/or dolphins, driven across the sky by the Greek god Poseidon
- The Chariot of Thunder, driven across the sky by Thor and pulled by his two magic goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (Norse Mythology)
- The Vitthakalai a gold-decorated chariot of Kali according to Ayyavazhi mythology.
- The Chariot of Fire, of Jehovah, which he used to carry several persons in the Old Testament to heaven.
- The Norse goddess of the sun Sol's chariot in the sky which is pulled by two horses Arvak and Alsvid; the bright shines of whose manes give off what is seen as the sun's light.
- The chariot of Dionysus was drawn by panthers, tigers, or centaurs.
[edit] Treasure
- The Four Treasures (also Hallows of Ireland), consisting of the Fragarach and Spear Luin (see both above), the Ardagh Chalice and the Lia Fáil
- The Golden Fleece, sought by Jason and the Argonauts
- The Qarun Treasure, said to belong to King Croesus of Lydia. The treasure is said to be in perpetual motion under the ground (Persian mythology)
- The Sampo, a magic mill in Finnish mythology
- The Thirteen Treasures of Britain, taken by Merlin to his cave for safekeeping until the time when they are again needed (Matter of Britain)
- The Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, consisting of the Kusanagi (see above), the jewel necklace Yasakani no magatama (八尺瓊曲玉), and the mirror Yata no kagami (八咫鏡)
[edit] Relics
- The Ark of the Covenant, a container said to house the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments
- The Relics of Jesus
- Yata no Kagami a mirror offered to the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu in japanese mythology. One of three Sacred Imperial Relics of Japan. It represents Wisdom.
- Yasakani no magatama a bejeweled necklace of magatama's offered to Amaterasu in japanese shinto mythology. One of three Sacred Imperial Relics of Japan. It represents benevolence.
- Chintamani Stone a stone believed to have fell from the skies during the reign of king Lha Tototi Nyentsen in a chest with four other objects.
[edit] Miscellaneous
- The Cup of Jamshid is a cup of divination in the Persian mythology. It was long possessed by rulers of ancient Persia and was said to be filled with an elixir of immortality. The whole world was said to be reflected in it.
- The Book of Thoth is a legendary book containing powerful spells and knowledge, said to have been buried with the Prince Neferkaptah in Necropolis. (Egyptian Mythology)
- Gleipnir is the magic chain that bound the Fenris Wolf. It was light and thin as silk but strong as creation itself and made from six wonderful ingredients (Norse mythology)
- Maui's Fishhook, used to catch the fish that would become New Zealand's North Island; the hook was also used to create the Hawaiian islands (Polynesian mythology)
- Magic Mould, stolen from the Yellow Emperor by Yu so he could stop the flood. It would expand until you tell it to stop (Chinese Mythology)
- The Palladium a wooden statue that fell from the sky. As long as it stayed in Troy, the city-state could not lose a war.(Greek Mythology)
- Caduceus is the winged rod of Hermes or Mercury, entwined with two serpents; originally a simple olive branch; was in the hands of the god possessed of magical virtues; it is also seen as a symbol of peace.
- The Thyrsus aka the Sceptre of Dionysus. The symbol of the god Dionysus, a wand tipped with a pine cone and entwined with ivy leaves Greek mythology
- The Scabbard of Arthur was given to him by the Lady of the Lake along with Excalibur. Who ever wore it would not take damage and would not bleed from the blow of a weapon. Excalibur and the scabbard were stolen by his half-sister Morgan le Fay. Although, he found the sword he never recovered the scabbard.
- The Kantele owned by "Vainamoinen" A Dulcimer made from a monstrous Pike which attacked the Sampo Questors, The Kantele could induce a deep sleep in a room full of Pohja warriors when played, but failed when one of the Questors "Lemminkainen" hummed another song too loudly wakening the sleepers. The Kantele was washed overboard in the same sorcerous tempest whipped up by Louhi. Finnish mythology
- Cadair Idris, aka The Chair of Idris the Giant. Anyone sitting on this giant sized stone chair is transformed into a poet or driven mad if there is no poetry in his soul Celtic mythology
- The Golden Tresses of Sif - Loki tricked the beautiful Sif into shaving her head. The Golden Tresses of Sif are the wig made to hide the mess. The Golden Tresses moulded themselves to Sif's head and even grew longer like real hair Norse mythology
- The Bone of Ullr - The god Ullr had a bone upon which spells were carved. Norse mythology
- Orichalcum is a legendary metal mentioned in several ancient writings, most notably the story of Atlantis as recounted in the Critias dialogue, recorded by Plato. According to Critias, orichalcum was considered second only to gold in value, and was found and mined in many parts of Atlantis in ancient times. By the time of Critias, however, it was known only by name.