Magic Swords in Fantasy

Kitsune · Post by **Kitsune** » 2003-07-17 08:08pm

I am curious what people feel is the most powerful magic sword in fantasy. I have suspicions that people might say "Stormbringer" but I have never read that series and I do not know the powers of the sword. As well, the sowrd out of the various "Book of Swords" sound very powerful but I have not read any of theme. The most powerful sword I remember is "Wolvesbane" from Simon Greens "Down Among the Dead Men" with has the ability to rot flesh as it touches and causes metal to rust. Both of these occuring at an incredible rate.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2003-07-17 08:23pm

Excalibur, of course. When wielding the weapon, you can never lose. When wearing the scabbard, you can never die. That's far more impressive than rotting flesh and rusting metal.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-07-17 08:31pm

Callandor from Wheel of Time. It'll work as a sword but more importantly it's the second most powerful Sa'angreal ever created. With it you can level a city at a stroke. Nasty little weapon, especially since it causes the user to develop a manic power obession while using it.

Kitsune · Post by **Kitsune** » 2003-07-17 08:45pm

Master of Ossus wrote:Excalibur, of course. When wielding the weapon, you can never lose. When wearing the scabbard, you can never die. That's far more impressive than rotting flesh and rusting metal.

Hmm, I mean to the point where you attack someone with the sword, they attempt to parry, their sword becomes rust as thei atetmpt to parry it, then the sowrd cleaves into teh person and they quickly become a few cracked bones. It wa sused against a creature the size (my estimate) the size of an aircraft carrier and it did the same thing to that monester. I also attempts to control its wilder like many of these type of swords and it utterly evil.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-07-17 08:48pm

Any of the Numenorean swords in LOTR are pretty powerful, being able to cleave the flesh of wraiths...but I have to agree with Ossus that Excalibur is THE sword.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-07-17 08:54pm

You can never lose with Excalibur? I've read Morte D'Arthur, and I specifically remember Arthur getting his butt kicked a few times in tournaments. He may not have been using Excalibur, though.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-07-17 08:59pm

Durran Korr wrote:You can never lose with Excalibur? I've read Morte D'Arthur, and I specifically remember Arthur getting his butt kicked a few times in tournaments. He may not have been using Excalibur, though.

Only while you're actively holding it. So you'd better not drop that sword.

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2003-07-17 09:05pm

Stormbringer is pure chaos. It was created to destroy the world. It's sister sword was pure evil. Very, very dangerous. Very powerful.

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2003-07-17 09:06pm

The Swords from the Book(s) of Swords were extremely powerful, and well a match for any magical sword you could name. Here's a link to The Twelve Swords

However I would also like to include Woman's Need as one of the best swords in fantasy, especially after the reason for some of her odd properties became known. "Woman's Need calls me, as Woman's Need made me. Her Need I will answer, as my Maker bade me" For the first 4 books Mercedes Lackey features 'Need' in, the sword has a slight curse: It draws the weilder to protect, save, or revenge any woman harmed or killed by a male. There is no way to fight this complusion. The 5th book explains why, and reveals more powers the sword can use.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-07-17 09:13pm

I can recall some of the Chinese kung-fu fiction stories... Grand Moff Yenchin is probably more quallified to speak on them, since he seems to be a fan of it. I've read a little, but my Chinese isn't that good. There's the TV shows, but not to accurate how that is. But assuming it's accurate, the Green Blood Sword (Might be Red. The word isn't really used commonly) can slice through things just by having light reflect off of it when it's stained with blood. Then there's the Dragon Slaying Knife which is supposed to be combined with some other sword.

Man, it all sounds stupid when you translate it to English.

thecreech · Post by **thecreech** » 2003-07-17 09:20pm

The soul reaver IIRC is fairly powerful. The damn thing has its own soul and eats them.

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2003-07-17 09:22pm

Kelly Antilles wrote:Stormbringer is pure chaos. It was created to destroy the world. It's sister sword was pure evil. Very, very dangerous. Very powerful.

That might be because they were demi-gods in sword form?

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-07-17 09:26pm

Stormbringer

Destroy nations, mess up the multiverse, kill your friends, be granted strength and power.....its all good.....

Of course, its better to say its the black blade that has these powers...Stormbringer is only a single incarnation of it.....

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2003-07-17 09:31pm

Keevan_Colton wrote:Stormbringer

Destroy nations, mess up the multiverse, kill your friends, be granted strength and power.....its all good.....

Of course, its better to say its the black blade that has these powers...Stormbringer is only a single incarnation of it.....

Nifty trick, that, isn't it? Endless Incarnations of the Eternal Champion, his Sidekick, his ill-fortuned Lady, and of course, the great city Tantilone (sp) .. and now Incarnations of the Black Sword.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2003-07-17 09:31pm

Godsbane was pretty cool, even if it wasn't all it appeared(Could revealing this even count as a spoiler anymore?).

I'd include my own creation, Smiter, but it's not published, so probably don't count.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-07-17 09:40pm

LadyTevar wrote: Nifty trick, that, isn't it? Endless Incarnations of the Eternal Champion, his Sidekick, his ill-fortuned Lady, and of course, the great city Tantilone (sp) .. and now Incarnations of the Black Sword.

Tanelorn.....subject of a wonderful Blind Guardian tune "The Quest for Tanelorn" their other Micheal Moorcock one I can think of being "Fast to the Madness" which is all about everyones favourite albino Elric of Melnibone.....

Kitsune · Post by **Kitsune** » 2003-07-17 10:14pm

Kelly Antilles wrote:Stormbringer is pure chaos. It was created to destroy the world. It's sister sword was pure evil. Very, very dangerous. Very powerful.

Is there a powerful "Good" sword from the Universe from the books? Soemone was telling me that along time ago?

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-07-17 10:17pm

Kitsune wrote: Is there a powerful "Good" sword from the Universe from the books? Soemone was telling me that along time ago?

There's the black sword, stormbringer....the embodiment of chaos...
The white sword, its weaker oppisite number (it always comes off worse)...
And last there is the Grail, which usually takes the form of a staff which is the symbol of balance...the "good" side in all the tales....
There's the forces of Law and Chaos in eternal struggle....but either unchecked is totally destructive...only balance is good.

Mutant Headcrab · Post by **Mutant Headcrab** » 2003-07-17 10:33pm

There's the Sword of Shannara, from the Sword of Shannara books. Its big power is to reveal the most inner most truths of a person. This can often times lead to insanity for those not strong enough to confront their true selves.

LordChaos · Post by **LordChaos** » 2003-07-18 12:37am

The Sword of Bealu, assuming you can weild it. It basicaly gives you the complete power of a god, in that god's hight of his power. rather nasty. Course, you do basicaly become the incarnation of the god of destruction then...

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-07-18 12:54am

Exonerate wrote:I can recall some of the Chinese kung-fu fiction stories... Grand Moff Yenchin is probably more quallified to speak on them, since he seems to be a fan of it. I've read a little, but my Chinese isn't that good. There's the TV shows, but not to accurate how that is. But assuming it's accurate, the Green Blood Sword (Might be Red. The word isn't really used commonly) can slice through things just by having light reflect off of it when it's stained with blood. Then there's the Dragon Slaying Knife which is supposed to be combined with some other sword.

Man, it all sounds stupid when you translate it to English.

The definition of sword in Chinese fiction can be rather stretched. If you've seen Legend of Zu you can see what I mean.

Eleas · Post by **Eleas** » 2003-07-18 03:03am

Kitsune wrote:I am curious what people feel is the most powerful magic sword in fantasy.

Well, not really a sword but certainly a blade... The Subtle Knife. Literally cuts through anything; even the fabric separating dimensions.

Corwin of Amber carries another interesting sword, Grayswandir. It and its sister, Werewindle, carry the beginning and the end of the Pattern of Order (one of the two defining pillars of reality) embedded in the blade. The interesting part is that it appears the Pattern wasn't actually created first of the two.

But for sheer power, nothing can beat Stormbringer in the swords department. The Subtle Knife could, but it's not a sword.

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2003-07-18 03:04am

My vote goes to Townsaver. You literally become a wall of blades and by wearing a curiasse you negate most of the harmful side effects.

Post by **fgalkin** » 2003-07-18 03:17am

The Diamond Sword and the Wooden Sword. When they meet in combat, they would destroy the world (or rather, give entry to a horde of mutiversal demons that would do it).

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-07-18 06:12am

Stormbringer is just an evil class act.

Now, for raw power give me the Spear of Destiny...

Personally I like one of my ex-Gm's creation's "Ol Double Edge" we you absolutly HAVE to go out like Chow Yun-Fat.... (Allows you to sacrafice your soul, to perminatly destroy a single enemy)

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Magic Swords in Fantasy

Magic Swords in Fantasy

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