History Main / OnlytheChosenMayWield

* ''Fanfic/OogwaysLittleOwl'' explains the invisible Trident Of Destiny (which was just a throwaway gag in [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda the movie]]). It can only be seen by the person destined to wield it who, according to Oogway, will use it to save all of China. It's been waiting a long time with no apparent wielder having come, but Oogway is confident that the ChosenOne will come one day. Maybe. [[TheGadfly Unless he was just screwing with people]].

** Only a handful of beings have been able to wield the legendary hammer Mjölnir to date: Odin, Thor, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]], Franchise/WonderWoman (in the crossover ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC''), ComicBook/SpiderMan2099, ComicBook/{{Thunderstrike}}, ComicBook/BetaRayBill, [[ComicBook/Thor2014 Jane Foster]], Puddlegulp the frog, and [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Eddie Brock]]. If someone is unworthy, they will be unable to budge it from the ground. However, if a worthy person is holding it, an unworthy person will still be able to lift them. Note, however, that this trope does not come from Myth/NorseMythology: in the myths, Mjolnir is simply a hammer so heavy that only Thor, the strongest God of all, can lift it (and even requiring a special belt called Megingjörð and a set of iron gloves called Járngreipr to augment his strength even further). In fact, it was even stolen by the Giant Thrym in the ''Literature/PoeticEdda'', who requested a marriage with Freya as ransom. Creator/JackKirby had to rely to this trope when he created the character because the Franchise/MarvelUniverse was already a setting with characters with superhuman strength. Being "worthy" was just a way to ensure that only Thor would lift the hammer, and for a long while nobody else was. In-universe, the "worthiness" requirement was imposed by Odin rather than being intrinsic to the hammer. It's also possible for somebody was previously unworthy to ''become'' worthy (as seen with Eddie Brock) or to lose their worthiness (as seen temporarily with Thor) if their mentality changes to become more or less noble than they used to be.

* ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'': In "What If... Thor Was An Only Child?", Thor neutralizes Carol Danvers by putting Mjölnir on her to pin her to the ground.
** In the seadon 2 episode "What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?", Odin casts the same enchantment on Hela's crown he casts on Mjölnir in the main timeline. Like Thor in the main timeline, Hela eventually proves to be worthy and earns her powers back.

** To prepare for the final battle, Irisviel uses her connection to the Holy Grail pass [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Reinforcement_of_the_Army Reinforcement of the Army]], a Noble Phantasm of Marauding Captain, to Roze. Since it is not officially hers, using it damages her and the effect is much weaker.

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14197660/1/Dueling-Zero Dueling Zero]]'': In this crossover, [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh Duel Monster]] spirits are summoned as Servants for the [[Literature/FateZero Fourth Holy Grail War]]. The girl who becomes the [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Condemned_Maiden Condemned Maiden]] is summoned as Lancer and has the [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Forbidden_(archetype) Forbidden]] items as her Noble Phantasms. Since in life, she stole them and was never truly considered worthy, they damage her every time she uses them, and she realizes if she keeps using them, she will die. Interestingly, at one point, she [[GiveMeASword passes the Forbidden Lance]] to Roze and she is able to use it without being harmed.

* In the [[HGame H-RPG]] Roundscape Adorevia, the "Aetherius" sword has its blade stuck in a large rock and no selfish heart can dislodge it. Only those that have proven themselves to be truly just with at least 50 Morality in his/her stats can pull the sword free, and offers incredibly vast power to those it deems worthy.

** Only a handful of beings have been able to wield the legendary hammer Mjölnir to date: Odin, Thor, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]], Franchise/WonderWoman (in the crossover ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC''), ComicBook/SpiderMan2099, ComicBook/{{Thunderstrike}}, ComicBook/BetaRayBill, [[ComicBook/Thor2014 Jane Foster]], Puddlegulp the frog, and [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Eddie Brock]]. If someone is unworthy, they will be unable to budge it from the ground. However, if a worthy person is holding it, an unworthy person will still be able to lift them. Note, however, that this trope does not come from Myth/NorseMythology: in the myths, Mjolnir is simply a hammer so heavy that only Thor, the strongest God of all, can lift it (and even requiring a special belt called Megingjörð and a set of iron gloves called Járngreipr to augment his strength even further). In fact, it was even stolen by the Giant Thrym in the ''Literature/PoeticEdda'', who requested a marriage with Freya as ransom. Creator/JackKirby had to rely to this trope when he created the character because the Franchise/MarvelUniverse was already a setting with characters with superhuman strength. Being "worthy" was just a way to ensure that only Thor would lift the hammer, and for a long while nobody else was.

* ''Series/TheGoodies''. Spoofed in the King Arthur episode; faced with the Sword In The Stone problem, the Goodies just pick up the whole lot and thump the villains with the rock on the end.

A SisterTrope to OnlyTheWorthyMayPass. Compare SituationalSword, FindersRulers (which this trope can result in). See also OnlyTheChosenMayRide. For those who are not attuned, see [[RejectedByTheEmpathicWeapon here]]

** ComicBook/BetaRayBill's personal hammer, Stormbreaker, has a similar enchantment, although the Skrulls were able to split it into a pair of axes and give it to a Super-Skrull during ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion''. In the story ''Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter'', Bill became unworthy and could not lift Stormbreaker after he became so obsessed with revenge against ComicBook/{{Galactus}} that he started blowing up the planets Galactus intended to consume in an attempt to starve him to death, and infected one race with a bioweapon when they refused to evacuate. Bill redeems himself and regains his hammer when he saves Galactus' life.

** Only a handful of beings have been able to wield the legendary hammer Mjölnir to date: Odin, Thor, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, ComicBook/{{Storm}}, Franchise/WonderWoman (in the crossover ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC''), ComicBook/SpiderMan2099, ComicBook/{{Thunderstrike}}, ComicBook/BetaRayBill, [[ComicBook/Thor2014 Jane Foster]], Puddlegulp the frog, and [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Eddie Brock]]. If someone is unworthy, they will be unable to budge it from the ground. However, if a worthy person is holding it, an unworthy person will still be able to lift them. Note, however, that this trope does not come from Myth/NorseMythology: in the myths, Mjolnir is simply a hammer so heavy that only Thor, the strongest God of all, can lift it (and even requiring a special belt called Megingjörð and a set of iron gloves called Járngreipr to augment his strength even further). In fact, it was even stolen by the Giant Thrym in the ''Literature/PoeticEdda'', who requested a marriage with Freya as ransom. Creator/JackKirby had to rely to this trope when he created the character because the Franchise/MarvelUniverse was already a setting with characters with superhuman strength. Being "worthy" was just a way to ensure that only Thor would lift the hammer, and for a long while nobody else was.

*** The god Manannán mac Lir possesses Bazett Fraga [=McRemitz=]'s body to be summoned as a Servant. They naturally use Fragarach. Since in legend, Manannán mac Lir originally owned and gave Diarmuid Ua Duibhne his weapons Gae Buidhe, Moraltach, and Beagaltach, they would be able to use them too.

*** A key part of the plot is the "core crystal cleansing process." Cores are shipped to the Praetorium, where Praetor Amalthus does something that makes it easier for people to resonate with them. It's still not ''easy'' to find Drivers, but it is much easier than the normal way, so every nation sends their cores to Amalthus, and this makes his religion a political powerhouse. [[spoiler:As it turns out, Blades accumulate data every time they are activated. As they live and grow, they become more powerful, eventually evolving from Common Blades into Unique Blades. The downside, however, is that they also become much pickier about who can resonate with them. Furthermore, once a Blade has accumulated enough data it will evolve into a Titan, one of the massive beasts that people live on. The reason no more continent-sized Titans are being born is because of the cleansing process. Amalthus is fully aware of this, and furthermore is aware that the twindling livable land is causing more wars and will eventually result in the end of the world... but he doesn't care, [[OmnicidalManiac because he hates everyone]].]]

** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': The [[LegendaryWeapon Monado]] can't be wielded by just anyone, and may [[WeaponWieldsYou temporarily take over anyone who tries]]. It ''can'' be wielded by someone with sufficient willpower even if they aren't the chosen one, as seen with Dunban. But this comes [[PowerAtAPrice at the cost of increasingly severe damage to his body]] to the point of permanently paralyzing his right arm and nearly killing him when he starts using it with his left. The only one who can properly wield it unharmed is Shulk. This is because [[spoiler: its a LivingWeapon (and [[EvilWeapon not a nice one]]), containing the soul of an EvilGod, Zanza. Shulk can use it freely only because he's said God's chosen vessel, and he's [[UnwittingPawn unwittingly been doing exactly what Zanza wanted]].]]

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': The [[LegendaryWeapon Monado]] can't be wielded by just anyone, and may [[WeaponWieldsYou temporarily take over anyone who tries]]. It ''can'' be wielded by someone with sufficient willpower even if they aren't the chosen one, as seen with Dunban. But this comes [[PowerAtAPrice at the cost of increasingly severe damage to his body]] to the point of permanently paralyzing his right arm and nearly killing him when he starts using it with his left. The only one who can properly wield it unharmed is Shulk. This is because [[spoiler: its a LivingWeapon (and [[EvilWeapon not a nice one]]), containing the soul of an EvilGod, Zanza. Shulk can use it freely only because he's said God's chosen vessel, and he's [[UnwittingPawn unwittingly been doing exactly what Zanza wanted]].]]
* The Core Crystals that give Blades their form in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' require a sort of aptitude or potential to manifest the entity and the weapon it carries. Those found inadequate are harmed, or even killed, on mere contact with the Core Crystal. A small, scrawny Gormotti (who is a viable Driver) is shoved aside by a larger, bulkier man who grabs the crystal, cries out in pain, and passes out with blue particle effects bursting from his body; the way the other characters talk about it, it's not a pretty sight. From there, only that Driver can fully bring out that Blade's power and effectively use its weapon; there are some cases of a Driver grabbing the weapon of another's Blade to use, but those are usually extremely desperate moments when their own Blade isn't fighting for some reason. There's also nothing stopping a Driver from resonating with multiple Blades. [[spoiler:Rex and Amalthus can resonate with and use ''any'' Blade, even ones awakened by someone else, due to being designated as the "Master Drivers" due to their links to the Aegises]].
** Party member Tora ended up with a three-day-long nosebleed after failing to resonate with a crystal, but luckily for him, him and similarly lacking in aptitude father and grandfather are all brilliant engineers who decided to just ''make'' [[ArtificialHuman Artificial Blades]] that anyone can use even without Driver aptitude. Such results include Tora's Blade [[RobotGirl Poppi]], [[NinjaMaid Lila]], [[DownloadableContent Poppibuster and his "pilot" Poppi Mk. II]] (who sure enough can be equipped to any Driver in the party aside from Tora himself without needing to use an Overdrive Protocol to transfer ownership), [[spoiler:and the fully mechanical ones Tora's father was forced to build under threat of death.]]
** It should be noted that the proper aptitude for wielding a Blade is fairly arbitrary. Ever so often, you'll find a BossInMooksClothing that is a ''monster'' that has happened to come across and resonate with a Blade, which now follows it around and defends it. Such is the case for the story fight with an [[GiantSpider Elder Arachno]] who bonded with the Rare Blade [[FaceOfAThug Wulfric]], with the party claiming his Core Crystal after killing the monster. [[spoiler:Even Blades can become the Drivers of other Blades, though all the cases shown of these Driver-Blades were also Flesh Eaters, Blades who integrated human cells to gain independence from needing a link with a Driver to survive in the first place, or an Aegis, aka the original Blades who have the ability to directly link with any Core Crystal since they're the overseers of the whole system.]]

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Only one of the eponymous family can control Castle Heterodyne. The castle itself mentions that many times over history, the Heterodynes have disappeared, and many people have laid claim to the family name. Some were delusional, some were puppets of greater men, and some were honestly wrong. But all non-Heterodynes that were tested for control of the Castle were summarily executed, and their skulls are used to pave a floor in the Castle chapel.\\\
There are three tests that one needs to fulfill in order to claim the seat of Heterodyne: Did you inherit the distinctive voice of the previous Heterodynes, the blood of the previous Heterodynes, and the temperament of the previous Heterodynes? If the answer to all these things is "yes," then the Castle will orchestrate the ringing of the Doom Bell to usher in your reign of terror. If the answer to any of them is "no," the Castle at worst will kill you, and at best will refuse to listen (with much the same effect).

** The Sword of Salvation appears four books later in ''Grudge Match''. Unlike its twin, it's an EmpathicWeapon possessed by [[spoiler:Siavash/[[MeaningfulRename Matthieu]], Ra's al-Ghul's former {{Blood Brother|s}}]]. It was in a cave for centuries, protected by a magic test of worthiness. [[spoiler:Only Damian passes the test and takes the sword out its pedestal, and it recognizes him as its master from then on. He can [[SummonToHand summon it to him]], and [[LoyalPhlebotinum it becomes too heavy to use when anyone takes it from him]].]]

** The Forge of Solus Prime has this restriction for using its ability to create almost anything from raw materials [[spoiler: which is why Megatron grafted the arm of a Prime onto himself]]. For anyone else who can lift it, it's a [[DropTheHammer big slaggin' hammer]] that packs quite the wallop.

* In the ''Literature/{{Ramayana}}'', the hero Rama wins Princess SIta's hand in marriage by lifting a supernatural bow that no other man can lift and could not even be approached by selfish people. Though as a [[SuperStrongChild child]], Sita herself was strong enough to lift the bow and the table it was resting on.

* In the ''Literature/{{Ramayana}}'', the hero Rama wins a princess's hand in marriage by lifting a supernatural bow that no other man can lift.

** ''VideoGame/FateExtra CCC'': Karna gives his armor and earring, Kavacha and Kundala, to his Master Jinako Carigiri to protect her. In his legend, he traded Kavacha and Kundala to Indra for the spear Vasavi Shakti, so he cannot use Vasavi Shakti unless he removes his protections. Since Kavacha and Kundala's protective powers are always active, Jinako doesn't have to do anything to benefit from them.