From killing the Medusa monster to helping emperors rule the world, here are 11 of the
greatest swords from mythology.
11.
The Kusanagi
In Japanese folklore, the Kusanagi has been referred to as the “sword in the snake”.
This sword was initially recovered from the body of an eight-headed serpent, which was
believed to have been killed by the god of seas and storms.
(This kind of reminds me of stories from Greek mythology, anyone else think so?)
This sword is now the part of the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, which also include a mirror
and a jewel.
These objects altogether signify the importance of the three principal virtues: Compassion,
the jewel, the mirror signifying wisdom, and the sword representing Valor.
It is believed that these symbolic artifacts were a gift from a sun deity to the imperial
family of Japan.
Due to its royal connections, this sword has occasionally been compared to Excalibur and
other mythical swords.
It symbolizes the divine right that has been bestowed upon the imperial family of Japan.
This sword has never been seen in public so many people are also skeptical that it even
exists.
The Kusanagi is brought out only to the crowning ceremonies wrapped heavily in protective sheathings.
Do you think this sword actually exists?
Let us know what you think in the comments!
10.
Harpē
The story of the famous Harpē will make you wonder how unforgiving the spirit of vengeance
can be.
Originating from Greek mythology, the harpē was a sickle-shaped sword flanging near the
blade’s tip.
Legend has it that the divine Uranus would descend to earth every night to make love
to Gaia, the earth goddess.
Gaia and Uranus also had children together who Uranus detested.
One day he punished his own son Tartarus and tortured him.
This left Gaia gnashing her teeth and she planned on taking her revenge on Uranus.
As Hesiod puts it in his poems, the infuriated Greek goddess Gaia provoked her younger son
Cronus against his very own father.
She also trained Cronus and provided him with a harpē to help him fight Uranus.
Uranus approached Gaia to lay with her again, but little did he know how his world was going
to be turned upside down.
Cronus pounced on Uranus, castrated and dethroned him to take charge of the whole world.
The sword later became an emblem of Cronus’ strength.
Greek mythology also highlights another character Perseus, Cronus’s grandson.
Perseus also used the same harpē to behead Medusa, a female monster with snakes for hair
and the ability to turn people instantly into stone.
He fought Medusa by using her reflection on his shield.
For his valiant and heroic act, Perseus today is widely carved into statues and sculptures
with a harpē in one hand and Medusa’s head in the other.
9.
Gram
Originating from Norse folklore, the Gram has a very interesting story.
According to legend, the Gram was to be presented to Sigmund, a Norse patrician, at his sister’s
wedding.
However, halfway through the wedding, the Norse god Odin, impersonating a human body,
took the sword and shoved it into the trunk of the tree called Barnstokkar.
He told the people that the sword was granted with unmatched powers, and the person who
would be able to take it out would become its rightful owner.
Soon after, every man in the village tried his luck, but failed.
Everyone except Sigmund who was able to successfully take the sword out of the tree.
The king, Siggeir, impressed by the miracle, tried to bribe Sigmund for him to give him
the sword.
Sigmund rejected the king’s hefty gold offer and decided to keep the sword for himself.
The infuriated Siggeir felt he was being disobeyed.
He ordered the assassination of Sigmund’s entire family.
Sigmund appeared on the scene years later and avenged his family’s brutal murder.
He then went on to fight several other legendary battles with the same sword before it finally
broke into two halves.
After Sigmund’s death, his son Sigurd inherited it and forged it back together.
He would eventually go on to use the same sword to kill the mythical dragon, Fafnir.
Mythologists claim that even though the sword got refurbished, it was so sharp that it could
cut a metal anvil into clean halves in just a single strike.
Many contemporary writers have also paid homage to this sword and used it as a reference in
their works.
Speaking of famous swords getting stuck in things, here comes number 8!
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8.
Excalibur
Most of us are probably most familiar with Excalibur!
The first story of Excalibur comes from a poem “Merlin” written by Robert de Boron.
According to this story, King Uther had no true heir to take the royal throne.
After his death, the country was divided as to who would rule the kingdom.
The nobles called upon the wise Merlin to come up with a solution.
He erected the sword on a large stone that could only be pulled out by a true king of
England.
He assembled the crowd and called upon Arthur and his royal step-brother Sir Kay to pull
the sword out.
Arthur, only fifteen, was the victor.
The crowd rejoiced and Arthur became the King of England.
The second is the “Lady of the Lake” story, where King Arthur receives Excalibur from
a spirit known as The Lady of the Lake after he breaks his maiden sword.
As Arthur is on his deathbed, he asks one of his knights to return it to her and throw
it back into the lake.
The knight feels bad about throwing away such a nice sword so he lies to King Arthur that
it vanished into the river.
King Arthur knows that he is lying and finally the knight throws it back to the lady of the
lake, who reaches up a white hand and pulls the sword under before it can even strike
the water.
With multiple legends associated with this sword’s origin, Excalibur, the sword of
King Arthur was believed to possess magical powers.
The sword had the ability to blind its enemies and its scabbard had healing powers that could
prevent its wearer from being injured.
Mythologists say that these powers were a symbolic representation of England’s sovereignty
that no other country could even think about invading or defeating it.
7.
Fragarach
This mythical sword from the Celtic origin is believed to have been cast by gods and
deities themselves.
The sword possesses many magical powers.
Legend has it can slit through any shield or fortification.
It can direct winds and turn storms.
The sword has the power to control minds and it can compel a person to speak the truth
when placed on one’s throat, hence giving it the name “Answerer”.
(Although in that case, I think most swords could be called the Answerer!)
The wounds that come from this sword’s strike can never be cured and no worldly remedy can
ever fix it.
According to the legend, the sword was controlled by the deity Manannán mac Lir, who like a
Grim-Reaper takes souls from this world to the afterlife.
Manannán gave this sword to her foster son Lugh, who later handed it to another mythical
character Conn.
Conn went on to fight a hundred battles with this sword.
6.
Taming Sari
The Taming Sari is a popular kris in Malay culture.
A kris is an irregular sword that has crimped edges.
However, its asymmetrical blade shape is not the only thing that distinguishes it from
a regular sword.
The base of the sword has elaborate details and inscriptions which are believed to be
in an alien language.
The wielder of the famous Taming Sari becomes invincible.
The sword is often considered as the wielder’s third eye.
Legend has it that the sword once protected its blind owner when an enemy attempted to
attack from behind.
The sword flew into the air, coming out of its sheath and stabbed the enemy, piercing
through his heart.
A few are of the opinion that it belonged to a famous Malay admiral- Hang Tuah who won
it in a duel.
The sword though has never been seen in real life and the rumor has it that it was thrown
into the river by Hang Tuah himself.
(Another sword getting thrown into water!)
However, there’s no strong evidence to this claim.
Mythologists write that this peculiar 16th century sword was used by warriors only in
confined arenas and jungles due to its smaller length compared to a conventional sword.
Today, the replicas of this sword are presented in Malay Culture as a symbol of royalty and
awards.
5.
Sword of Damocles This story from King Dionysius II’s court
in what is now Sicily, has become famous thanks to a courtier named Damocles.
He was a cheerful person and became close to the King.
One day, Damocles ungraciously praised the king for having all the amenities of life.
He said he was jealous of all the wealth and power the king had.
The king was taken aback by his courtier’s rather naive admission.
He came up with a good idea to teach Damocles a lesson.
He asked Damocles if he wanted to switch places with him for awhile.
Damocles happily accepted the offer without realizing the king’s true intentions.
The king asked other courtiers to bring him a sword, which they did.
He asked them to hang the sword right above the throne and hold it with a single horse
hair.
This is what became known as the Sword of Damocles.
He forbade Damocles to move or leave the throne and Damocles started begging for his life.
The king then explained to him that that is what it felt like to be king every single
day.
Damocles learned an important lesson that with great power comes great responsibility.
Damocles begged the king to renounce the responsibility bestowed upon him.
The king smiled and took back his place.
4.
The Cursed Muramasas
On the coast of Japan, it is said there used to lie an ancient city where a famous swordsmith
named “Muramasa” made the finest swords ever seen.
Muramasa had an exceptional sword making ability and his swords were in great demand.
Muramasa was once ridiculed by a Japanese royal for his low status.
He prayed to his gods to make his swords invincible, and give them the power to cause great destruction
and depravity.
The gods granted his wish and bestowed the swords with evil powers.
Legend has it that the powers within the swords drove all its wielders to fight fierce battles,
cause great corruption or led to murder.
The swords killed nearly the entire royal family which made the people believe the swords
were cursed by the gods or in some way enchanted.
The Japanese elite Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu saw his entire family fall victims to these
swords.
He issued a decree to ban these swords in his entire kingdom and had Muramasa shut down
his workshop.
He also destroyed the remaining swords to prevent any further massacre in the region.
It must have worked because the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan ruled for almost 300 years.
3.
Durendal Also known as the Sword of Roland, the “Durendal”
sword was passed on to Roland, who legend says was the nephew of the Holy Roman Emperor
Charlemagne himself and a count in his court.
Roland and Durendal were immortalized in the epic poem “Le Chanson de Roland” (The
Song of Roland).
An angel came down from heaven who gave it to Charlemagne who then gave it to Roland.
The sword was believed to be extremely powerful and majestic.
It was made up of stone and spanned to about three feet in length.
According to the legend, the sword was connected with elemental magic which made it virtually
unbreakable and contained holy relics inside.
Many of the actual battles fought by Roland for Charlamagne using Durendal were later
considered important battles between Christians and Muslims in the Middle Ages.
When Roland tried to get rid of the sword, it is said he threw it in the air and it got
lodged in a rock.
Visitors to the Chapelle de Notre-Dame in Rocamadour can see an iron sword stuck in
the rock above the door leading to the chapel and it is believed this may actually be the
famous Durendal.
2.
The Seven-Branched Sword
About a few decades ago, a puzzling discovery was made in Japan.
An unconventional sword at least a thousand years old was found at the Isonokami Shrine
which is believed to have been built in 4AD.
The sword was quite unusual with three branches extending off of the main blade, hence the
name “Seven Branched Sword”.
There were also some remains of faded engravings in some strange script.
Numerous attempts have been made to decode the exact meaning of the entire text but none
ever succeeded.
What could be established by the text that was clear, is that this sword was gifted to
a Japanese Monarch by a King from an ancient kingdom in what is now Korea.
A similar sword was discovered in Nihon Shorki.
The carbon dating on both the specimens matched similar origins from Japanese and Korean ancestry.
Both these swords are also believed to have a solid connection with the semi-mythical
empress Jingu, whose existence in the past was overshadowed by other established characters
in Saman myth.
These swords may be able to shed more light on the relationship between the ancient kingdoms.
1.
Sword of Attila
While most of the swords only exist in legends and Myth, the Sword of Attila a real sword!
Now located in an Art History Museum in Vienna (The Kunsthistorisches Museum), the Sword
of Attila or the Sword of Mars was believed to be a divine gift from gods.
The myth considers the possession of this sword to be a divine favor and the person
who possesses it becomes invincible.
The sword was initially discovered by a shepherd, who one day found one of his calves injured.
The shepherd investigated and decided to follow the blood marks to hunt any possible predator
that was lurking around.
When he reached the final spot, he found a strange shiny object dug deep into the ground.
He dug it out and to his surprise, it was a beautiful sword!
Unwary of its potential, he presented it to King Attila.
Attila became overjoyed with the discovery and rewarded the shepherd.
Soon after Attila began to realize it was no ordinary sword but had special powers and
must be a gift from the gods.
He felt this divine present has made him the supreme power of the entire world.
He never lost a single battle while being in possession of this sword and it is believed
to have killed all of his enemies effortlessly.
Thanks for watching!
Do you know of any other legends for these swords?
Let us know in the comments below!
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