List of magical weapons

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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[]

• Trident - Weapon usually attributed to water deities in Western Culture, such as Poseidon. In Hinduism, it is the weapon of Shiva, known as trishula (Sanskrit for "triple-spear").
• Sword Kladenets – a fabulous magic sword in some Old Russian fairy tales.^{[citation needed]}
• 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.
• Gan Jiang and Mo Ye - Legendary Chinese twin swords named after their creators.
• Sharur - the enchanted talking mace of Ninurta, Sumerian god
• Ru Yi Jing Gu Bang - Magical staff wielded by the Monkey King Sun Wukong in the Chinese classic novel, Journey to the West.
• The Jem of Kukulkan - the Mayan Serpents Jem has the ability to control all elements. Like fire, wind, and ice, though the Serpent only has the wind jem.

Indian mythology[]

• Arrow of Brahma - The arrow given by the sage Agastya to Rama (seventh avatar of Vishnu) and was used to kill Ravana.
• Asi - A legendary divine lotus sword created in ancient times as the first weapon to destroy the enemies of the gods and restore dharma.
• Astra - Divine celestial weapons with devastating impacts which could be invoked by reciting mantras and forming hand signs.
• - In the Hindu epic Ramayana, the Chandrahansa sword is an indestructible sword that Lord Shiva gifts Ravana.
• Chentu - A horse whip which looks like a crooked stick, and is a typical attribute of Aiyanar, Krishna in his aspect as Rajagopala, and Shiva with Nandi.
• Gada - A mace used by the Monkey God Hanuman.
• Gandiva - An indestructible bow with 100 strings created by Brahma and later used by Arjuna.
• Halayudha - A plough used as a weapon by Balarama.
• Kaladanda - the staff of Death is a special and lethal club used by the God Yama or God of Naraka or Hell in Hindu mythology. It was the ultimate weapon; once fired it would kill anybody before it no matter what boons he had to protect himself.
• Kaumodaki - The Gada (mace) of the Hindu god Vishnu.
• Kaundinya's bow - A magic bow wielded by the merchant Brahmin Kaundinya I, who used it to make the Nāga princess Queen Soma fall in love with him.
• Khaṭvāṅga - In Hinduism, the god Shiva-Rudra carried the khatvāṅga as a staff weapon and are thus referred to as khatvāṅgīs.
• Kodandam - Rama's bow.
• Mace of Bhima - A club that was presented by Mayasura. It was a weapon of Danavas King Vrishaparva.
• Nandaka - Nandaka or Nandaki is the sword of the Hindu god Vishnu.
• Parashu - The parashu is the weapon of the god Shiva who gave it to Parashurama, sixth avatar of Vishnu, whose name means "Rama with the axe".
• Pasha - A supernatural weapon depicted in Hindu iconography. Hindu deities such as Ganesha, Yama and Varuna are depicted with the pasha in their hands. The pasha is used to bind a foe's arms and legs or for hunting animals.
• Pattayudha - The divine sword of Lord Virabhadra, commander of Lord Shiva's armies.
• Pinaka - The great bow of Shiva, arrows fired from the bow could not be intercepted.
• Sharanga - The bow of the Hindu God Vishnu.
• Sharkha - The bow of Krishna, eight avatar of Vishnu.
• Shiva Dhanush (Shiva's bow) - A bow given by Shiva to Janaka and broken by Rama during Sita's swayamvara.
• Sudarshana Chakra - The legendary discus of Vishnu, which cannot be stopped by anyone, except by Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. It has tremendous occult and spiritual powers, by which it is able to destroy anything.
• Teen Baan - Shiva gave Barbarika three infallible arrows (Teen Baan). A single arrow was enough to destroy all opponents in any war, and it would then return to Barbarika's quiver.
• Trident of Madhu - It was given as a boon by Shiva to Madhu, a Rakshasa. Then he gave it to his son Lavanasura. It was a very powerful weapon. It destroys anyone who directly fights with its master.
• Trishula - The trident of Shiva, stylized by some as used as a missile weapon and often included a crossed stabilizer to facilitate flight when thrown. Considered to be the most powerful weapon.
• Vajra - A lightning thunderbolt wielded by Indra, the god of rain and thunderstorms.
• Vasavi Shakti - The magical dart of Indra. Used by Karna against Ghatotkacha in the Mahabharata war.
• Vel - Vel is a divine javelin (spear) associated with the Hindu war god Karthikeya.
• Vijaya - The bow of Karna, one of the greatest hero of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The bow of Indra is also called Vijaya.

Islamic mythology[]

• Zulfiqar - A sword belonging to Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Norse mythology[]

• Angurvadal (Stream of Anguish) - A magical sword of Viking, and later Frithiof. The sword was inscribed with Runic letters, which blazed in time of war, but gleamed with a dim light in time of peace.
• Dáinsleif - King Högni's sword that gave wounds that never healed and could not be unsheathed without killing a man.
• Dragvandil - The sword of Egill Skallagrímsson.
• Forseti's axe (also Fosite's axe) - A golden battle axe that Forseti (or Fosite in the Frisian mythology) used to save the old sages of the wreck and then threw the axe to an island to bring forth a source of water.
• Freyr's sword - A magic sword which fought on its own. It might be Lævateinn.
• Gambanteinn - A sword which appears in two poems in the Poetic Edda
• Gram – Sword of the hero Sigurd from Norse mythology, also known as Nothung in the Ring cycle
• Gríðarvölr - A magical staff given to Thor by Gríðr so he could kill the giant Geirröd.
• Gungnir – Odin's spear created by the dwarf Dvalinn. The spear is described as being so well balanced that it could strike any target, no matter the skill or strength of the wielder.
• Hǫfuð - The sword of Heimdallr, the guardian of Bifröst.
• Hrotti – Hrotti is a sword in the Völsung cycle (Fáfnismál, Völsunga saga, 20). It was a part of Fáfnir's treasure, which Sigurðr took after he slew the dragon.
• Lævateinn – A weapon mentioned in Fjölsvinnsmál by Sophus Bugge. Ostensibly forged by Loki.
• Legbiter - The sword of Magnus III of Norway.
• Mistilteinn - The magical sword of Þráinn, the draugr, later owned by Hromundr Gripsson. It could never go blunt.
• Mjölnir – The hammer of Thor. It was invulnerable and when thrown it would return to the user's hand.
• Quern-biter - Sword of Haakon I of Norway and his follower, Thoralf Skolinson the Strong, said to be sharp enough to cut through quernstones.
• Ridill (also Refil) - Sword of the dwarf Regin.
• Skofnung - The legendary sword of Danish king Hrólf Kraki. It was renowned for supernatural sharpness and hardness, as well as for being imbued with the spirits of the king's twelve faithful berserker bodyguards.
• The Sword of Surtr - The weapon the fire giant Surtr wields in the battle of Ragnarok. The Prose Edda calls it a flaming sword, although in the Poetic Edda merely it is described only as a "bright blade."
• Tyrfing – A sword made by dwarves in the Elder Edda. It would kill a man when drawn and would eventually kill its wielder.

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.
• Moralltach (Great Fury) – a highly lethal sword belonging to Aengus, which left no stroke or blow unfinished at the first trial. Aoegus eventually gave to his foster-son Diarmuid Ua Duibhne along with a second sword of less power, the Beagalltach (Little Fury).
• Gáe Buide and Gáe Dearg – Spears of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, given to him by Aengus. They were said to inflict wounds from which none could recover.
• 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.

Arthurian legend[]

• Excalibur - The sword King Arthur got from the lady of the lake.
• Caliburn – Another name for Excalibur, but in some versions of the legends is the sword King Arthur pulled from the stone.
• Clarent – King Arthur's sword of peace. Also known as the Coward's Blade, as it is the sword Mordred, his son, stole and later used to kill King Arthur.
• Carnwennan - King Arthur's dagger, sometimes described to shroud the user in shadow.
• Galatine - Sir Gawain's sword granted by the lady of the lake said to make the wielder invincible under the sunlight
• Pridwen (also Wynebgwrthucher) - The shield of King Arthur it is said that this could also be used as a boat.
• Rhongomiant - King Arthur's Spear.

The Song of Roland[]

• Almace – The sword of Archbishop Turpin.
• Durendal – Indestructible sword of Roland.
• Hauteclere – The sword of Oliver.
• Joyeuse – Charlemagne's personal sword.
• Cortana or Curtana – The sword of Ogier the Dane

Japanese folklore[]

• Ame-no-nuhoko – Japanese halberd which formed the first island.
• Kusanagi – Legendary Japanese sword. Can also be considered as Kusanagi-No-Tsurugi.
• Muramasa - The katana forged by famous swordsmith Muramasa, it was rumored that it was a demonic sword that can curse the wielder to murder people. It also said that the demonic sword rumor was made by Ieyasu Tokugawa, the 1st Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate because he hated those swords made by Muramasa.
• Tonbogiri – One of three legendary spears created by the famed swordsmith Muramasa. It is said to be so sharp that a dragonfly landing on the edge would be instantly cut in half. This is the origin of the name.
• Honjo Masamune - A legendary and very real Japanese sword (with alleged mythical abilities), created by Japan's greatest swordsmith, Goro Nyudo Masamune. The Masamune sword is by far the most referenced Japanese sword in popular fiction, ranging through books, movies and computer games.
• Murasame - A magical katana that mentioned in fiction Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, it said the blade can moist itself to wash off the blood stain for keeping it sharp.

Spanish folklore[]

• Tizona - the sword of El Cid, it frightens unworthy opponents, as shown in the heroic poem Cantar de Mio Cid.^[1]
• Colada - the other sword of El Cid, as Tizona its power depends on the warrior that wields it.^[1]
• The lance of Olyndicus, wielded by the Celtiberians' war chief Olyndicus, who fought against Rome. According to Florus, he wielded a silver lance that was sent to him by the gods from the sky.^[2]

In novels[]

• Anaklusmos (Riptide) - The female sword used by Perseus (Percy) Jackson in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.
• Axe of Hereward in Charles Kingsley's 1866 novel Hereward the Wake.^[3]
• Brisingr - The Rider sword that Eragon uses in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
• Blackfyre. A sword made of Valyrian steel, and owned by house Targaryen. ^[4]
• Caesura - The Adem sword that Kvothe uses in the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss
• Callandor – The sword that is not a sword, a powerful sa'angreal in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.
• Chance - Sword carried by Ganoes Paran and instrument of the Twins of Chance in the Malazan Series by Steven Erikson
• Charon's Claw – Powerful sword from the Forgotten Realms series.
• Curoch - The Blade of Power from The Night Angel Trilogy.
• The Darksword – Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Darksword trilogy.
• Dark Sister. A sword forged from Valyrian steel in the Book Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin. The sword is wielded by Visenya and Maegor Targaryen. ^[5]
• Dragnipur - Sword forged by Draconas and wielded by Anomandar Rake in the Malazan Series by Steven Erikson
• Heosphoros - One of the 2 Morgenstern family swords, owned by Clarissa 'Clary' Fray in The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
• Ice. A Valyrian steel greatsword owned by house Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire a Book series by George R.R. Martin. A sword notable for its large size and large history.^[6]
• Jack (Summabrander) - the talking sword used by Magnus Chase in Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan
• Kuro Kumo - sword of Dokugan Ryu in The Young Samurai series by Chris Bradford
• Phaesphoros - One of the 2 Morgenstern family swords, owned by Valentine Morgenstern and later by his son Sebastian in The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
• The Mortal Sword - One of the Mortal Instruments. When held by a shadowhunter, it compels him/her to tell the truth (Cassandra Clare)
• Grayswandir – The magic sword wielded by Corwin in The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Sister blade of Werewindle.
• Frakir - Merlin's magically sentient garotte from the second Chronicles of Amber, also by Roger Zelazny.
• Need - A sword with a human soul, attuned to women in need, in Oathbound and subsequent novels
• Nehima – Lirael and Abhorsen by Garth Nix.
• Ruyi Jingu Bang – A magical staff wielded by Sun Wukong in Journey to the West.
• Snaga, the Sender - The great axe of Druss, the Legend, from the Drenai Series by David Gemmel.
• Shardblades. A type of sword wielded in The Stormlight Archive book series by Brandon Sanderson.^[7]
• Nightblood - a sword in various books by Brandon Sanderson that is notable for being able to communicate with its wielder through its mind.
• The subtle knife - A knife wielded by Will Parry in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Has the power to cut through any material and to cut into other worlds.
• The Swords of Night and Day - The twin blades of Skilgannon, The Damned, from the Drenai Series by David Gemmell.
• Sword of Gryffindor – In the Harry Potter series, a sword that was previously owned by Godric Gryffindor. Has the power to reveal itself to any worthy Gryffindor student in a time of need. In the novels, reveals itself to Harry and Neville Longbottom.
• Sword of Martin the Warrior – Weapon from the Redwall series of novels by Brian Jacques. Forged from a fallen star by a badger ruler. It appears to be unbreakable.
• The Sword of Shannara – The sword enchanted by the druids to reveal truth in Terry Brooks novels.
• The Sword of Truth – The sword wielded by the Seeker of Truth in the Terry Goodkind novels.
• The Vorpal Sword in the poem Jabberwocky in Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.
• Vasilis, the sword of light and darkness in the Fablehaven series, by Brandon Mull
• Werewindle – Also called Rawg; the magic golden-colored sword inscribed with portions of the Pattern and wielded by Brand in The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Sister blade of Grayswandir.
• - The sword Nick uses to fight in the Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
• Zar'roc - The sword used in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini; used by Morzan - first and last of the Forsworn (formerly), later acquired by Brom, used by Eragon (formerly), Murtagh Morzansson (current) - means misery in the ancient language of Alagaësia.

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.^[8]
• Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting – High-Elven swords; glow with a blue or white flame when Orcs are near. These are obtained during the events of The Hobbit and are carried respectively by Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins. Sting is later passed onto the latter's nephew Frodo Baggins.^[9]
• Morgul-blade – Magical poisoned dagger wielded by Nazgûl.^[9]
• Caudimordax – This sword cannot be sheathed when a dragon comes within five miles of its bearer's presence.^[10]
• Andúril/Narsil – The sword of Elendil that was used by Isildur 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[]

• Mournblade – An enchanted blade from Michael Moorcock's Elric stories, twin to Stormbringer.
• Kanajana - The sword of Erekose.
• The Runestaff - A magical staff in Moorcock's Dorian Hawkmoon novels which preserves the Cosmic Balance.
• Stormbringer - One of the two vampiric black runeswords inherited by the Melnibonean kings. Wielded by Elric of Melnibone.
• The Sword of the Dawn - A magical blade in Moorcock's Dorian Hawkmoon novels.

In popular culture[]

• The Lasso of Truth - a weapon wielded by DC Comics superhero Wonder Woman that forces anyone it captures into submission; compelling its captives to obey the wielder and tell the truth.
• The Power Rings - used by members of the DC Comics superheroes, the Green Lantern Corps, and others
• The Power Sword and the Sword of Protection - He-Man. Twin swords wielded by Prince Adam and his sister Adora in the Masters of the Universe cartoons and toy line.

Other magical 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.
  • Green Dragon Crescent Blade – Exceptionally heavy guandao wielded by Guan Yu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms; forged with the blood of a green dragon.^[11]

See also[]

• Magic ring
• Magic sword
  • Flaming sword
• Wand

References[]