List of magical weapons
This is a list of magical weapons from fiction and folklore. A magical weapon is one that is directly described as such in the work; or one that has obvious fantastic or supernatural qualities.
In folklore
- Sword Kladenets – a fabulous magic sword in some Old Russian fairy tales.
- Dyrnwyn – Sword of Rhydderch Hael in Welsh legend; When drawn, it blazed with fire; if drawn by a worthy man, the fire would help him in his cause, but its fire would burn the man who drew it for an unworthy purpose.
- Hrunting and Nægling – Beowulf's magical swords.
- Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar – Legendary Persian sword.
- Skofnung – sword of legendary Danish king Hrólf Kraki.
- Thunderbolt – as wielded by various mythological deities such as Zeus.
- Vajra – A composite weapon made from the bones of a willing sage used by Indra.
- Taming Sari - a kris owned by mythical Malay warrior Hang Tuah. It possesses supernatural powers, bestowing invincibility to its wielder. According to one story, Hang Tuah fought the Majapahit warrior who owned the keris to a standstill, unable to defeat him. Later, after using trickery to switch weapons, Hang Tuah won easily.
- Gan Jiang and Mo Ye - Legendary Chinese twin swords named after their creators.
- Axe of Hereward the Wake[1]
Norse mythology
Irish mythology
- Fragarach – Sword of the god of the seas Manannan mac Lir and later Lugh in Irish legend; it was said to be a weapon that no armour could stop.
- Caladbolg – Two-handed sword of Fergus mac Róich in Irish legend; said to make a circle like an arc of rainbow when swung, and to have the power to cleave the tops from the hills.
- Claíomh Solais – Sword of Nuada the king of the gods in Irish mythology; In legend, the sword glowed with the light of the sun and was irresistible in battle, having the power to cut his enemies in half.
- Gáe Bulg – Spear of Cúchulainn; made from the bones of a sea monster.
- Spear of Lugh – Spear of Lugh, the champion of the gods in Irish Mythology.
- Gáe Buide and Gáe Derg - Spears of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, given to him by Aengus, which could inflict wounds that none can recover from.
Arthurian legend
The Song of Roland
Japanese folklore
- Ame-no-nuboko – Japanese halberd which formed the first island.
- Kusanagi – Legendary Japanese sword.
- Tonbogiri – one of three legendary spears created by the famed swordsmith Masazane.
Spanish folklore
In novels
The works of J. R. R. Tolkien
- Anglachel – One of the two swords forged by Eöl the Dark Elf out of a black iron meteorite. It is said to be able to cleave any iron from within the earth. Anglachel appears to be a sentient sword that speaks on occasion and has some will of its own.[4]
- Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting – High-Elven swords; glow with a blue or white flame when Orcs are near.[5]
- Morgul-blade – Magical poisoned dagger wielded by Nazgûl.[5]
- Caudimordax – This sword cannot be sheathed when a dragon comes within five miles of its bearer's presence.[6]
- Andúril/Narsil – The sword of Elendil used to cut the One Ring from Sauron (Narsil) reforged several ages later by Elrond (Andúril); the reforging of the shards was foretold as a sign of the coming of the true King of Gondor.
- Aiglos – The spear with which the Elven king Gil-galad went to war.
The works of Michael Moorcock
In comics and graphic novels
In role-playing games
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game with many unique magical weapons.
In video and computer games
Magic weapons are a staple of fantasy video games.
In cartoons
- Sword of Omens - ThunderCats. Wielded by the hero Lion-o, the magical Eye of Thundera is embedded in its hilt.[12]
Magical weapons by type
Other legendary weapons
Some weapons in fiction do not, strictly speaking, have magical properties, but are forged with materials or methods that are unique in the context of the story.
References
- ^ Charles Kingsley (2007). "How Hereward was Outlawed". Hereward the Wake (Vol I). Wildside Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1434490919. "...one of those magic weapons, brought, men know not how, out of the magic East, which were hereditary in many a Norse family, and sung of in many a Norse saga."
- ^ a b Cantar de mio Cid. Edition of Alberto Montaner. Ed. Galaxia Gutenberg, 2007.
- ^ Florus. Epitomae, II.
- ^ The Silmarillion, J. R. R. Tolkien
- ^ a b The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien
- ^ Farmer Giles of Ham, J. R. R. Tolkien
- ^ Lopez, Miguel (Jun 17, 2000). "Crystalis Review for Game Boy Color". Gamespot. http://uk.gamespot.com/gbc/rpg/crystalis/review.html.
- ^ Rossi, Matthew (Mar 14th 2008). "Behold Frostmourne!". Joystiq. http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/03/14/behold-frostmourne/.
- ^ Ziebart, Alex (Aug 14th 2008). "Know Your Lore: The Ashbringer". joystiq. http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/14/know-your-lore-the-ashbringer/.
- ^ Navarro, Alex (Mar 21, 2005). "God of War Review for PlayStation 2". Gamespot. http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/godofwar/review.html.
- ^ Tamber, Maran. "Magdaer". ncsoft. http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Magdaer. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
- ^ Hendershot, Heather (1998). "Toys, TV and Toaster Pictures". Saturday morning censors: television regulation before the V-chip. Duke University Press. p. 97.
- ^ "Did Guan Yu Actually Use the Green Dragon Crescent Blade?". Cultural China. http://history.cultural-china.com/en/183History3908.html. Retrieved 2010-02-22.