Welcome to Top10Archive!
Each and every culture has their tales and stories of legendary battles and warriors.
Most of them with equally as legendary weaponry; from the mighty staff of Sun-Wukong to the
fabled sword of King Arthur, we're giving you our picks for the top 10 most powerful
mythological weapons.
10.
Ruyi Jingu Bang (Chinese) When Sun Wukong, the fabled monkey king from
"Journey to the West" grew bored of his duties, he departed.
Seeking a weapon worthy of his own hands, he would head to the east sea to find the
dragon king Ao-Kuang, and his mighty collection of weapons.
The dragon would suggest a large black-iron rod by the name of Ruyi Jingu Bang, the rod
used by the gods to flatten and measure the bed of the Milky Way.
When not in use, the holy staff was said to be no bigger than a needle, but upon the will
of the user, it could grow large enough to fill the universe.
9.
Kaumodaki (Hindu) Gada, a terrifying yet charitable demon, became
tricked by Vishnu - who was disguised as a poet - into ripping himself apart.
The divine architect, Viśvakarman, would then use the parts to craft a fierce and mighty
mace-like weapon; the Gada.
After completing the weapon, Viśvakarman would gift it to Vishnu.
Kaumodaki, the legendary gada of Vishnu, would be named in the great Hindu epic, Mahabharata;
in which it was associated with Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu.
The mace, set as one of Vishnu's 4 major relics - which he grasps in each of his hands - are
the conch, the lotus, the chakra and of course, the gada, Kaumodaki.
8.
Zulfiqar (Islamic) Unofficially called the Muslim Excalibur,
the Zulfiqar is a fabled sword of legend belonging to Ali Ibn Abi Talib, who is said to have
been gifted the sword by the great prophet Muhammad.
According to traditional Islamic tales, the Prophet Muhammad owned two swords, the first
a common straight-bladed sword and the other, a curved, split blade, attributed to many
victories.
Incredibly sharp, it is said Ali had once cleaved both horse and rider in two with a
single swing of the mythical sword, going as far as to say it would have gouged a hole
into the earth, if the Archangel Jibreel had not stayed the hand of Ali.
7.
Zeus' Lightning Bolt (Greek) Zeus' lightning bolt was forged for him by
the mighty Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, after Zeus would free them from the bowels of the
earth, and in return for that freedom, they gifted the Olympian the tools for his success
during the 10-year uprising against the titans, known as the Titanomachy.
Zeus' lightning bolt is more than just a weapon, though, it is more figurative for his domains,
in which he ruled.
Not only was he known as the king of gods, Zeus was also assigned as the god of the sky
and thunder.
6.
Gandiva (Hindi) In tale, the bow known as Gandiva is the strongest
bow to have ever been created.
The Gandiva is unbreakable and paired with two separate quivers of arrows, both of which
would never empty.
With each successful release of the bow, the strings would clap like thunder striking.
Gandiva is a creation of the Brahman, an ancient and absolute force that runs within us, the
same force in which the Hindu gods are manifestations of.
The bow would only work its powers upon those that it chose, having to form a strong bond
with the weapon, and despite the fact Gandiva had many possessors, it is said that it truly
became a part of the fabled arched, Arjuna, belonging to him in a way it belonged to no
other.
5.
Lance of Longinus (Christian) A spear so powerful it is said to be able
to bend destiny to the wielder's will, as cursed as it is mighty; for once the spear
leaves one's possession, they will die within a matter of days.
Known by many names, the Spear of Destiny, Holy Lance, and even the Lance of Longinus,
named after the Roman who pierced the side of Jesus of Nazareth.
The Lance was said to be used by many great military leaders such as Alaric, Charles Martel,
Theodosius, and even Charlemagne.
As time went on, the legend grew, and it was soon believed that anyone who acquired the
spear would gain the power to conquer the world.
This would drive many aspiring conquerors to seek it out, such as Adolf Hitler and Napoleon
Bonaparte. 4.
Gungnir (Norse) The Norse, with many famous warriors and nearly
as many legendary weapons such as Thor, Odin-son's mighty Mjolnir, to the "Greatest Boot" of
Vidar, though none would match the power of the alfather's personal armament, the spear
Gungnir.
After a bout of typical mischievousness, Loki would be bound for Svartalfheim, in order
to redeem himself to Thor.
The dwarves there would then fashion for the trickster god, three powerful relics.
Golden hair for the goddess, Sif, the best of all ships, Skidbladnir, and the deadliest
and fiercest of all spears, for Odin, the mighty Gugnir.
3.
Green Dragon Crescent Blade (Chinese) The holy Guan Dao is feared by all those who
are dark and was bestowed from the heavens to the mighty warrior Guan Yu.
Forged under a full moon by the best blacksmith in the world; right as the final blow would
be made to the steel, the wind would howl and rise, and blow hard as the clouds gathered
overhead.
As the skies cleared, 1780 individual drops of blood rained from the sky.
The wizards at the time would claim that the blood was from that of a green dragon, and
would give the Guandao the name "Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
2.
Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (Japanese) The goddess Amaterasu would send her grandson
Ninigi-go-Mikoto to bring peace to a war-torn Japan.
She would send with him 3 relics, which would come to be known as the imperial regalia:
a jewel, a mirror, and the sword Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, meaning Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven.
When Ninigi would finally achieve his goal and many years later, he would bestow the
sword to Yamato Takeru.
Yamato, whom would discover the blade was able to control the wind, would eventually
change its name to Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, meaning Grasscutter Sword.
1.
Excalibur and Carnwennan (British) Tom, the father of Guinevere and finest blacksmith
of the time, would go to create his finest masterpiece ever, Excalibur.
Forged and burnished in the breathe of a great dragon at the request of Merlin for Arthur
Pendragon, son of the legendary king, Uther Pendragon, Merlin would imbue Excalibur with
the power to slay anything, be it mortal or magical, dead of alive.
King Arthur, however, had no shortage of mystical weaponry, for he also had in his possession,
the dagger Carnwennan, which gifted the user the power to conceal themselves in magical
shadow.