These cutlass, being purely military weapons, are a regalia of power, dignity and exaltation, and all cultures have legends of unsurmountable swords. Most of us have never seen swords, but it doesn’t take a wager at partybets to say that we probably know of several from history or culture. The stories of these swords are not the reminiscence of the weapons, but also an account of their wielders. Here are some legendary swords from history, mythology and literature.
1. Zulfiqar
2. Nasril (Andúril)
Elendil, however, was killed during the battle and Narsil was broken in shards. His son Isildur then used the hilt-shard of Narsil to cut the One Ring from the finger of Sauron, thus defeating and vanquishing him. The shards of Narsil were passed on as heirloom, until the sword was reforged during the War of the Ring and handed over to Aragorn, who renamed it as Anduril (Sindarin for “The Flame of the West”) Aragorn receiving the sword was an action recognizing him as an heir of Isildur and the rightful king of Gondor. It is also referred to as ‘the sword that was broken’.
3. Flaming Sword
“He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims,
and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the
way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24
Eastern Orthodox of Christianity tradition says that from the time Jesus was born, the flaming sword was removed from the Garden of Eden, making it possible for humanity to re-enter Paradise.and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the
way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24
4. Excalibur
There are two swords that appear in Arthurian legends: the Sword in the Stone, which only Arthur could wield, thereby proving his rightful kingship; and the sword given to him by the Lady of the Lake. In some versions there is only one sword, while in others, the Sword in Stone is broken and later Arthur receives Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. Having a magical origin, the sword was unbreakable and its scabbard protected the king from physical harm. Morgan Le Fay, Arthur’s half-sister, stole the sword. It was recovered but the scabbard was lost, hence allowing King Arthur to be mortally wounded in the Battle of Camlann. Arthur orders one of his knights to throw back the sword in the enchanted lake, and when done so, a hand appeared from the waters to catch it, taking it beneath the water from where it had first emerged.
5. Kusangi-no-Tsurugi
It was discovered from the body of a giant serpent. In the reign of the XII Emperor, the sword was gifted to Yamato Takeru, who was led into an open grassland as a trap by a warlord. The plan was to ignite the grass and burn Yamato to death. In desperation, Yamato started cutting the grass with his sword and discovered to his amazement that he could control the wind. Using this power, Yamato expanded the fire in the direction of his enemies, defeating them. It was after this incident that Yamato named the sword as “Grasscutter Sword”. Yamato was later killed in a battle by a monster when he ignored his wife’s advice to take the Grasscutter sword with him. The moral of the story: Always listen to your wife. However, In The Tale of the Heike, a collection of oral stories transcribed in 1371, the sword is lost at sea after the defeat of the Heike clan in the Battle of Dan-no-ura, a naval battle that ended in the defeat of the Heike clan forces and the child Emperor Antoku at the hands of Minamoto no Yoshitsune. In the tale, upon hearing of the Navy’s defeat, the Emperor’s grandmother led the Emperor and his entourage to commit suicide by drowning in the waters of the strait along with the three Imperial Regalia, including Kusanagi. Although the Minamoto troops managed to stop a handful of them and recovered two of the three regalia, Kusanagi was said to have been lost forever.
6. The Sword of Damocles
The Damocles of the anecdote was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste first hand that fortune. In the evening a banquet was held where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging directly above his head by a single horse-hair. Immediately, he lost all taste for the amenities and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate.
Dionysius had successfully conveyed a sense of the constant fear in which the great man lives. Cicero uses this story as the last in a series of contrasting examples for reaching the conclusion he had been moving towards in this fifth Disputation, in which the theme is that virtue is sufficient for living a happy life. Cicero asks
“Does not Dionysius seem to have made it sufficiently clear that there can be nothing happy for the person over whom some fear always looms?”
A slightly different moral to the story of the Sword of Damocles is that, “The value of the sword is not that it falls, but rather, that it hangs.” 7. Master Sword
The Master Sword (also known as The Blade of Evil’s Bane or as the Sword of Time) is typically the most powerful weapon in a Zelda game for general usage; with the exception of the Biggoron Sword, Gilded Sword, Great Fairy’s Sword, and the upgrades in A Link to the Past. The Master Sword will usually have a power level of two or three times that of the starting sword. Zelda states that the sword was created by Ancient Sages. However, Skyward Sword, which takes place before the events of Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past, reveals that the Master Sword was originally once known as the Skyward Sword, where it rested in a floating island above the clouds known as Skyloft. The backstory to A Link to the Past reveals the Master Sword’s purpose as the sword which could combat the power of an evil person misusing the Triforce.
8. Vorpal Sword
As with much of the rest of the poem’s vocabulary, the reader is left to guess at the meaning of “vorpal” from the context. It is commonly assumed to mean “deadly” or “sharp” words often used to describe swords, but some readers have imagined other properties the word could describe. Alexander L. Taylor points out in his Carroll biography The White Knight that “vorpal” can be formed by taking letters alternately from “verbal” and “gospel”. There are many speculations as to what “Vorpal” means. Lewis Carroll, however, confessed, “I am afraid I can’t explain ‘vorpal blade’ for you – nor yet ‘tulgey wood.” Vorpal sword has recently been featured in several role-playing video-games.
9. Shamshir-e-Zomorrodnegar
This blade originally belonged to King Solomon, and was carefully guarded by Fulad-zereh, not only because it was a valuable weapon, and indeed the only weapon that could harm the demon, but also because wearing it was a charm against magic. A wound inflicted by this sword could only be treated by a special potion made from a number of ingredients, including Fulad-zereh’s brains.
10. Lightsaber
The lightsaber’s blade cuts through most substances without resistance. It leaves cauterized wounds in flesh, but can be deflected by another lightsaber’s blade, or an energy shield or wall. Some vibroswords and shields made with cortosis are also able to deflect them as seen first in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and later on in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and The Force Unleashed. An active lightsaber gives off a distinctive hum, which rises in pitch and volume as the blade is moved rapidly through the air. Bringing the blade into contact with an object or another lightsaber’s blade produces a loud crackle. Here’s how a lightsaber works. (Link).
11. Glory of Ten Powers
12. Gram Sword
13. Sword of Omens
14. Durendal
In The Song of Roland, the sword is said to contain within its golden hilt one tooth of Saint Peter, blood of Saint Basil, hair of Saint Denis, and a piece of the raiment of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the poem, Count Roland attempts to destroy the sword to prevent it from being captured by the ambushing Saracens and creates La Brèche de Roland in the Pyrenees in the process. But Durendal proves indestructible, so he hides it beneath his body along with the oliphant, the horn used to alert Charlemagne. Local folklore claims Durendal still exists, preserved in Rocamadour, France. An inscription on Ogier the Dane’s sword Curtana read My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal.
15. William Wallace’s Sword
Though there are different sides to every story, there is one underlying truth about the tales of the Scottish hero William Wallace. He was a man of big deeds who used a big sword. Our 13th century two handed great sword is likely a sword that the fearsome hero would’ve been eager to use. With its 40-inch blade balanced by a solid steel cross guard and heavy steel pommel, this sword has tremendous potential in the hands of a skilled swordsman. The leather wrapped ricasso allows one to choke up on the blade to offer better balance when fighting in close quarters while both guard and pommel offer them selves as stout striking points in time of need.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar