LEGENDARY MYTHICAL WEAPONS WHICH MOULDED HISTORY
Added on: 28th Jul 2016
TAMING SARI
Legend has it that the Taming Sari grants invulnerability to
whomever wields it. This kris – an asymmetrical, wavy
dagger – plays a major part in Malaysian mythology, often
attributed to the admiral Hang Tuah. Further legends claim
the sword could independently shoot out of its
sheathe to protect its wielder.
MURAMASA BLADES
The legendary swordsmith Muramasa Sengo was a popular
sword-maker in Japan. At the time, it was a commonly
held belief that blades received qualities from their forger.
Since he was an insane and violent man, the swords made
by Muramasa Sengo were imbued with violent qualities,
especially the ability to possess their wielders and turn
them into deadly warriors. After the shogun’s king and
grandfather were killed by the blades, they were banned.
GREEN DRAGON CRESCENT BLADE
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade was a guandao (a heavy,
curved blade with a spike on the back attached to a pole)
wielded by the general Guan Yu. The blade was so deadly that
it was also known as the Frost Fair Blade since during
battles in the snow the blade would be consistently
coated in blood which would freeze into a layer of frost.
FLAMING SWORD
Various flaming swords exist in lore from around the world.
One particular example comes from Eastern Orthodox
teachings. The church claims a flaming sword was placed
at the entrance to the Garden of Eden when Adam and
Eve were expelled. After the crucifixion of Jesus,
the sword was said to be removed.
MJOLNIR
The legendary Norse god of lightning, Thor, wields his
powerful hammer: Mjölnir. The hammer was created when
Loki challenged two dwarves, Brokkr and Eitri, to create items
more beautiful than those created by the Sons of Ivaldi.
The dwarven brothers succeeded, despite Loki’s intervention,
though the handle was shorter than expected. The hammer
was so powerful it could not be destroyed and would
return to Thor whenever he threw it.
GAN JIANG & MO YE
The swordsmith couple Gan Jiang and Mo Ye were
commissioned by the king to forge him a pair of
twin swords in three months. According to the story,
since the blast furnace could not melt the metal, the
couple concluded there was not enough chi (life force)
in it so they cut off their hair and nails and threw
them into the fire. Simultaneously, 300 children blew
into the bellows. After three years, the swords were
forged. Gan Jiang kept the male sword, named
after him, to himself and presented the other, Mo Ye,
to the king. The king was infuriated and had him killed.
Gan Jiang predicted the reaction and left a note for
his wife and son (who retrieved the sword and went to
kill the king in retribution). Along the way, an assassin
sent by the king encountered Gan Jiang’s son (who
took his own life). The assassin took the sword and the
son’s head to the king. Feeling pity for the boy, the
assassin killed the king as well before killing
himself. Talk about drama!
JOYEUSE
Sword of the great King of the Franks Charlemagne (or Charles
the Great), Joyeuse was used by the famous historical
figure in uniting most of Western Europe. Now housed in
the Louvre, the sword was used for French coronations
from 1270 for Philip III until 1824 for Charles X.
DURENDAL
Charlemagne’s paladin Roland wielded the powerful sword
Durendal. The sword was said to contain a tooth from Saint Peter,
hair from Saint Denis, part of the clothing of the Virgin Mary
and blood from Saint Basil. This legendary sword was
said to be the sharpest sword which had ever existed,
even capable of holding off a 100,000-strong army as
the stories say Roland and his small army did. Folklore
in southern France claims Roland threw the sword into
a cliff wall at Rocamadour, though the tourist office
refers to the sword in the cliff simply as a replica.
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