LEGENDARY MYTHICAL WEAPONS WHICH MOULDED HISTORY

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.