Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Tools
Cut List New Edits Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us Advertise DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links
 

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Stock Weapon Names

Go To

"We'd like to buy Excalibur, the Masamune, two Laevateinns, and, hmm, Durandul please."
— Red Mage, 8-Bit Theater

In fiction, and Role Playing Games in particular, it's important to have different names for items to tell them apart. When it comes to weapons, this is often done with a mix of real world terms for different weapons (like rapiers and Magnum revolvers) and Public Domain Artifact (like Excalibur).

This is often done when the weapon is unique, to show it's not just something you can get from a shop (or, if you actually can, it'll be at a very high price). The name chosen is often from real world legends, but can be gotten elsewhere.

Such weapons are likely to have special powers over and above those of regular weapons.

This doesn't count if the wielder of the original weapon is using it. That's just being true to those stories. Mjölnir, the hammer of Thor won't count unless it's someone other than Thor. Also, being named after a recent manufacturer doesn't necessarily count, since they aren't likely to have legends about them as famous weaponsmiths of old do.

A Sub-Trope of Named Weapons. Often overlaps with Public Domain Artifacts. Compare I Call It "Vera".

Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Swords  

  • Excalibur: Other, less popular names are Caliburn, Caladbolg (see below) and (perhaps rarest of all) Caledfwlch (an adaptation of the original Welsh name from which Excalibur hails). See also The Sword of Britain, AKA The Sword in the Stone, AKA Clarent, below. May also be combined with the "Sword in the Stone".
  • Caladbolg belonged to Fergus mac Raich of Irish legend.
  • Clarent, the Sword in the Stone
    • Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow incorrectly called it Excalibur, but it was in a stone (a joke weapon, since you swung it like a club. Still quite lethal, and makes the final boss a joke.)
  • Masamune (after the famous Japanese swordsmith).
    • A recurring weapon in Final Fantasy games, its most famous wielder being Sephiroth.
    • Shiro's katana in Exit Fate.
    • Frog's broadsword in Chrono Trigger (following a generous helping of Woolseyism, of course).
    • This is another top-tier sword in Golden Sun: The Lost Age; it can summon one or two dragons made of water.
    • In its "Full Possession Mode", the Zamzeed of Super Robot Wars can summon the "Goruunyuudou Masamune" as its BFS.
  • Muramasa (after another famous Japanese swordsmith).
    • A recurring weapon in the Final Fantasy series.
    • The name of Jetstream Sam's katana in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was intentionally mispelled "Murasama" by the developers, as a combination of Muramasa and Murasame below.
    • In the first Golden Sun, it is the Infinity +1 Sword, but it's cursed and will cause the wielder to randomly be stunned in battle.
  • Murasame, a katana from the Japanese novel Nansō Satomi Hakkenden.
  • Kusanagi, the Japanese sword of myths, one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan. (Long story short, it's basically the Japanese equivalent of Excalibur). Some stories, like Usagi Yojimbo, translate the name as "Grasscutter."
    • May also be referred to by its original name, Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi ("Sword of the gathering clouds of Heaven"), or Murakumo (sometimes translated as "Heaven's Cloud", like in Final Fantasy Tactics) for short.
  • A rarer name, but still sees quite some use, is Totsuka no Tsurugi, the sword of Susanoo that he uses to slay Orochi.
    • In Naruto, Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan technique "Susanoo" summons a Fighting Spirit who wields a blade named Totsuka no Tsurugi.
  • Kogarasumaru (Little Crow), a double-edged tachi with a symmetrical tip - said to have been forged by Amakuni, the first Japanese smith to create curved swords.
    • In Log Horizon, this is Soujirou's weapon of choice - a rare and powerful Samurai-exclusive item which can summon a Tengu-like spirit to assist the wielder in combat.
  • The Tenka-Goken (Five Swords Under Heaven), a set of five antique Japanese swords grouped together for both being in excellent condition and having many legends around them:
    • Douji-Giri (Slayer of Shuten-Douji), a weapon described as "the epitome of all Japanese swords", said to have been wielded by the hero Minamoto no Yorimitsu.
    • Onimaru, a weapon said to have moved by itself to slay an Oni that threatened its master.
    • Mikazuki (Crescent Moon), a weapon with a crescent-patterned temper, said to have been forged with the aid of the god Inari.
    • Odenta (Denta's Greatest), said to have healing powers and repel birds.
    • Juzumaru (Rosary), said to have been used in exorcisms by Nichiren, founder of the Buddhist sect of the the same name.
  • "Ragnarok" is quite common as well, named after Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods in Norse Mythology. It's in most cases a sword, but sometimes it shows up as an axe as well.
  • Roland's sword was named Durendal. It once belonged to Hector of Troy. Right before Roland died, he threw it into a "river of poison" to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Interestingly, this has often resulted in it being a Dark Holy Sword in games.
    • Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre
    • Fire Emblem: Sometimes spelled "Durandal".
    • A Real Life example, a French-made runway cratering weapon, goes with the Durandal spelling as well.
    • Jasper's sword in Exit Fate.
    • Durandal is a Storage Device optimized for freezing targets in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's.
    • Mentioned in Kyon: Big Damn Hero, when Kyon is choosing a name for his Laser Blade. Also counts as a Creator Cameo* .
    • The hero of The Gilded Chain by Dave Duncan graduates from the school of elite bodyguards — "King's Blades" — and picks the name Durandal for himself. There were many Blades named Durandal before him and there will be other Durandals after he dies. He is absolutely loyal to the king, but he is prophecised to kill the king. He does, when the king starts killing people to prolong his life. And Durandal is also partly responsible for the king getting that recipe.
    • Cavendish from One Piece uses the holy sword Durandal, which is one of the 21 greatest swords in the world and glows.
    • Bungie game Marathon named its AI deuteragonist after this blade.
    • An actual magical sword named Durandal appears in a side event in Honkai Impact 3rd, but the name is more associated with the Schicksal Valkyrie Bianka Ataegina, who is given the code name Durandal and, in the event where the sword appears, merges with the sword and absorbs its power.
  • Joyeuse, Charlemagne's own sword from the very same tale, shows up in many video games.
  • Hauteclere, which was by right a sword belonging to Roland's best friend, Oliver. Features in numerous games, such as the Fire Emblem series, where it is mistakenly portrayed as an axe.
  • Dyrnwym belonged to Rhydderch Hael, one of the Three Generous Men of Britain mentioned in the Welsh Triads.
  • Tyrfing, an awesome but cursed sword in the The Saga of Hervor and Heidrek
  • Gram - Sword of the hero Sigurd. Killed the dragon Fafnir.
  • Laevateinn/Laevatein/Lävateinn/Levatine/Levantine/Lavatein, the Flaming Sword used by Surt at Ragnarok in Norse Mythology. As it's also known as the "Staff of Destruction", it could be used as a name for staves as well.
  • Claiomh Solais, Literally translated as 'The Sword of Light', which was the sword of a leader of the legendary Tuatha Dé Danann. The blade makes appearances in such games as Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow as the strongest weapon in the game, and in Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, though it is mistakenly portrayed as an axe.
  • Damascene swords, or other weapons which feature the prefix 'Damascus'. Often featured in games due to the almost legendary quality of weapons forged with Damascene forging techniques.
  • (The) Vorpal Sword, from Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky". The prefix 'Vorpal' is also often used in conjunction with other weapons, usually standing for death.
    • Dungeons & Dragons did a lot to popularize the weapon, which could instantly decapitate an enemy on a natural 20.
    • NetHack has it as a weapon with a chance of instantly decapitating an enemy, much like the D&D example above.
    • In Kingdom of Loathing, it's obtained in the NetHack homage area, has an increased Critical Hit chance, and comes complete with "Snickersnack" sound effects.
    • Pit Fiends in Heroes of Might and Magic V have an ability "Vorpal Sword" that makes their attacks kill an extra unit in the stack, regardless of its health.
    • Likely in-universe example in Charles Stross's Glasshouse. Vorpal blades are implied to use of wormhole technology to make a blade which can cut through anything by teleporting a narrow strip of matter.
  • The "Ice Brand" (or "Frost Brand") and "Firebrand" swords.
    • Demon's Souls has the pair of swords Demonbrandt and Soulbrandt. Demonbrandt makes you more powerful the more good you are, and Soulbrandt makes you more powerful the more evil you are. They can be combined into the Northern Regalia, which doesn't discriminate; the less neutral you are one way or the other, the stronger it is.
    • Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has the Firebrand, Icebrand, and Thunderbrand.
    • NetHack has both of them as unique swords.
    • The Firebrand is Jovian's sword in Exit Fate.
    • Parodied in Kingdom of Loathing with the "Frost$ brand sword".
  • Inversion: A Laser Blade will never be called a lightsaber. Except in some Squaresoft games. And Disgaea. And Phantasy Star. And Brave Soul.
  • Seizon, Kaori's legendary wooden sword whittled by Miyamoto Musashi in The Impossible Man.
  • Green Destiny, from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
  • "Lightbringer".
    • In Final Fantasy games, it is usually a high-tier holy sword.
    • A Song of Ice and Fire: This is the name of the legendary Flaming Sword of the Lord of Light. Stannis has a sword that appears to be flaming, as part of his claim to be the prophesied Azor Ahai, but Samwell notes that the flames are illusory and shed no heat.
  • "Kiku-ichimonji", a name given to swords crafted by one of the thirteen swordsmiths in attendance of Emperor Go-Toba.
  • Fragarach, also "Retaliator", from Irish Mythology. Said to be able to break through any armor and capable of manipulating the winds.
  • Balmung or Nothung, the sword of Sigfried of Nibelungenlied fame.
    • Can be acquired in Persona 3 as a Two-Handed Sword by fusing the Siegfried persona into a weapon. In addition to being a very strong sword, it also increases the wielder's max hp by 100.
  • Hrunting, one of Beowulf's swords. His other sword Naegling is more rarely used.
  • Another one from Arthurian Legend is Arondight, the sword of Lancelot.
  • Somewhat rarely used is Dainsleif, the sword of King Högni. May be able to deal Wound That Will Not Heal, and may require someone to be cut (or killed) before it can be sheathed.
  • Mistilteinn (or Mysteltainn), another Nordic sword, wielded by Hromund Gripsson. Some works might have it as an arrow/bow or a spear instead, after the mistletoe (what the name translates to) arrow that slays Baldur.
  • Gladius, the name of the standard-issue shortsword used by the Roman armies for about six centuries. In some Sci-fi settings you'll see a standard-issue gun or Cool Starship called a Gladius.
  • More often used as symbolism than for an actual sword, the Sword of Damocles. The symbol being "a threat that hangs above you that looks like it could fall anytime".

    Spears 
  • Longinus, after the Roman centurion who supposedly stabbed Jesus to make sure He was dead. Thus, his weapon slew a god. Also called "Holy Spear" or "Spear of Destiny" (or substitute "lance" for "spear").
    • In Evangelion they came along with The White Moon (containing Adam) and The Black Moon (containing Lilith). The spears can pierce through AT Fields and one of them was used to revert Adam to his embryonic state.
    • This appears in Final Fantasy as a mid- to top-tier holy-elemental spear. It's Kimahri's Celestial Weapon in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy X, although it was translated into English as "Spirit Lance".
    • Appears in Final Fantasy XIV as the Zodiac Weapon of the Dragoon job, upgraded from the Relic Weapon Gae Bolg.
    • Wielded by Adolf Hitler actually Nyarlaphotep in Persona 2, the English translation calls it the Spear of Destiny instead.
    • Some video games translate it as Ronginus, even in the English versions.
  • Gungnir, Odin's weapon.
    • Unsurprisingly, this is the protagonist Giulio's main weapon in the game Gungnir
    • In the Touhou Project series, Remilia Scarlet has a spellcard attack called "Spear the Gungnir".
    • A recurring weapon in the Final Fantasy series, whether as an attack used by the Summon Odin, or as an equippable weapon.
    • This is the primary weapon of the Gaddeath from Super Robot Wars.
    • Subverted by Hibiki Tachibana in Symphogear. While the other two seen Gungnir users in the series (Kanade and Maria) uses spears, Hibiki's Gungnir relies on a more barehanded approach.
    • Danganronpa likes naming its spears after Gungnir. In the first game, Monokuma summons the "Spears of Gungnir" to kill Junko Enoshima (actually Mukuro Ikusaba) for defying him, and in the second, another one is used by Nagito Komaeda as part of Case 5's murder.
  • Gae Bolg, the spear of Cú Chulainn.
  • Brionac, aka the Spear of Lugh, popularly attributed to Lugh Lámhfhada (who had quite a few named weapons).
  • Ron, wielded by King Arthur.
  • The Dragonlance, usually a Shout-Out to the book series.
  • Green Dragon Crescent Blade, in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, belonged to Guan Yu. The original Green Dragon Crescent Blade was a guan dao, a gigantic spear designed to cut down horse-mounted cavalry.
  • If it is a trident, expect it to be named Poseidon or Neptune. Sometimes, though, it might be "Trishula" instead, after Shiva's weapon from Hindu Mythology.

    Hammers 
  • Mjöllnir, Thor's Hammer. Pronounced "M-yol-neer", for reference. Most of the time, comes with lightning abilities.
    • In The Wild Hunt, Bjorn brings an enormous stone sledgehammer to a LARP game that he calls Mjöllnir and is constantly shouting its name as part of his affected Large Ham game persona.
  • Although it's usually spelled Mjöllnir, the original name was actually Mjølner.
    • Final Fantasy makes this the White Mage's best weapon (save for Masamune)
    • It exists as an item in Defense of the Ancients.
    • Marie Mjollnir of Soul Eater is a lightning-related Hammer. Confirmed in the anime, heavily suggested in the manga what with her lightning abilities and nickname of the 'Smashing Weapon' alongside her surname. It's wielded more like a tonfa, however.
    • It's also a lightning-elemental spell in Breath of Fire III and IV.
    • The player-character of Limbo of the Lost finds it in Death's armoury at one point, then uses it once to solve some ridiculous Moon Logic Puzzle and then never again. (Unless you count the occasions when the same really cheap 3D model of a warhammer gets recycled as something else, anyway.) Somehow this manages to be even stupider than it sounds in context.
    • In Path of Exile, Mjolnir is a unique one-handed mace that has a massively increased strength and intelligence requirement to equip, but automatically triggers a socketed lightning spell for free when you land a hit with it.
  • Played with: it's common for siege weapons to be named Grond the Hammer, after the gigantic battering ram used to break down the gates of Gondor in Return of the King. Interestingly, Grond is itself an in-universe example, having been named after the weapon of Morgoth, Sauron's defeated master. But, since this is only told in the rather dense The Silmarillion, the use of the name for actual hammers is rare.
    • In Warlords Battlecry III, the titan (a unique powerful unit) of the Dark Dwarves is a giant mithril golem named Grond.
  • "Titan", "Behemoth" and similar names are often used for ludicrously large hammers and axes.

    Axes 

    Shields 
  • Aegis, the shield of Zeus made out of enchanted goatskin and passed down to his daughter Athena.
    • In Final Fantasy VI, an Aegis Shield is capable of randomly nullifying any magical ailment, up to and including gravity and instant death. In Final Fantasy Tactics, the Aegis Shield provides a 50% chance to evade any magical attack.
    • In Persona 3 the character Aigis (based on the original phoneme in the English version, outright named Aegis in Japanese) is a battle robot whose primary purpose is to defend humans from Shadows. Her Ultimate Persona is Athena, who wields a massive shield.
    • In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, as the magical shield that can be bought from Stonewall Shields in the Imperial City.
    • Real Life: The US Navy's combat system used to direct the equipped ship's weapon systems.
    • Sentinels of the Multiverse has Fanatic — a winged woman who at least is convinced that she is the angel of wrath — with her holy armor, aptly named the Aegis of Resurrection.
    • A special mention for Heaven's Lost Property, since there are two, distinct Aegis shield systems: Ikaros' Aegis (defends from all sides, but is a fair bit weaker) and Astraea's Aegis-L (only defends the front, but is stronger compared to its counterpart).
  • King Arthur also had a shield named Pridwen, with the likeness of the Virgin Mary, to think perpetually of her.

    Scythes 
  • "Reaper", "Slayer", "Scavenger", "Harvester", "Harbinger", and similarly Grim Reaper-evoking names are common, corresponding with the Sinister Scythe trope.
    • Derek's scythe in Exit Fate is named "Scavenger", and Hawk's is named "Harvester", though the latter is... a farmer.
    • Scythes blessed by the Chaos God of disease Nurgle in Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 are known as "manreapers".
    • Death of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Darksiders series wields the "Harvester" scythe, though it doubles as a unique Morph Weapon that can be split into two smaller scythes.

    Rods, Staves 
  • Rod of Asclepius (sometimes just Asclepius), the rod of the Greek god of medicine of the same name. Often has (or boosts) healing abilities. Often confused with Caduceus, Hermes' staff.
  • Ruyi Jingu Bang (or Nyoibo in Japan), the Telescoping Staff of the ever-popular Sun Wukong.

    Bows 
  • Locksley (or Loxley) sometimes appears, named after Sir Robin of Locksley.
  • "Artemis Bow" is fairly common. Somewhat less common is Apollo's Bow.
  • Bow of Cupid for the less serious kinds of bows.
  • Failnaught, the bow of the Round Table knight Tristan, is a recurring offender.
  • A particularly strange example is Ichaival. It has been said to be a bow owned by either Odin or Ullr... by extremely untrustworthy sources. It has never been mentioned in norse myth, and in fact doesn't even sound nordic at all. Its origins point to, of all places, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, where it was indeed the bow of a hero named Ullr, that got mixed up into the real myths by faulty research. It didn't stop it from showing up in other media as if it was a "true" public domain weapon name, like Symphogear or Smite.

    Guns 
  • Any pair of Guns Akimbo will be given a cute name after some sort of existing "and" phrase, such as Ebony & Ivory.
  • Any .44 Magnum revolver, be it the Smith & Wesson Model 29, Colt Anaconda or Taurus Raging Bull gets slapped with the generic .44 Magnum.
  • Peacemaker
    • Widowmaker and Equaliser would also apply, as they were also nicknames for the Colt Single Action Army.
    • Parodied in Discworld; a small siege weapon is named "Piecemaker."
  • Magnum often appears as well to indicate some extra oomph in the weapon; the Real Life usage usually refers to extra-powerful ammunition of a particular shape. It is named after a type of wine bottle because of its resemblance to the the shape.
  • BFG appears in FPS games sometimes.
  • Grasscutter, Lawnmower or related can occasionally be given to machine guns.
  • In science fiction settings, "blaster" and "disruptor" are common. Not for a particular weapon, but for energy weapons in general. As is "laser X": X being, in order from smallest to largest, pistol, rifle or carbine, cannon.
    • As are Greek letters, most commonly Alpha and Omega, as prefixes.
  • "Fomalhaut", named after a star, is common in Final Fantasy games.
  • "Boomstick" for shotguns, popularized by Army of Darkness.
  • "Bertha" is the stock name for a really big artillery piece, after the German WWI-era humongous howitzer.
  • Likewise, "Karl" (which designated a type of super heavy mortars), "Thor" (which was one of the aforementioned Karl mortars) and "Leopold" were famous World War II rail-mounted German artillery guns and their names have showed up in World War II works set in contexts that are unrelated to said weapons, sometimes even not matching the actual weapons at all.
  • Real world Israeli made firearms, such as the IWI Tavor and Galil, are often referred to as "Hebrew Hammer" by owners in other countries.
  • "Ol' Painless" for handheld miniguns and other man portable BFGs thanks to its use in Predator.

    Accessories 
  • 108 beads, gems, birthstones, any part of a monster.
  • "Eye of X" is a common name for enchanted gems/jewels, due to the various mystical symbolism of the eye.
  • Yasakani (no Magatama), another of the Japan's Imperial Regalia.

    Power Fist 
  • God Hand is a common name for various knuckle or fist weapons.

    Other 
  • Widowmaker
    • Also a stock name for something really dangerous, such as a race track or ski slope. Usually used in a humorous context, but can be used in serious contexts as well, such as with World War II German submarines, not many crews survived the war.
    • In logging terms, a widowmaker is a branch from a fallen tree that snags and hangs in the branches of a neighboring tree. So called because they are hard to spot and can fall without warning at any time.
  • For a self-contained example, Ultima Weapon is a common name among the Final Fantasy games, and also appears in Kingdom Hearts. The context being that most Final Fantasy games as well as Kingdom Hearts are set in different universes, but they always have an Ultima Weapon.
  • Another one from Final Fantasy: Sasuke. Named after a famous legendary ninja. No, not that one.
  • "Save The Queen", another Final Fantasy weapon. Usually associated with defensive powers, paladins and loyalty.
    • In Kingdom Hearts, Save the King is the ultimate shield, while Save the Queen is actually the wand.
  • Yoichi is a popular one for bows in the Final Fantasy series.
  • "Rising Sun" has been popularized by the Final Fantasy series, and usually appears as the ultimate throwing weapon of a character. The type varies - in various works, it appeared as a shuriken, chakram, boomerang, knife, or occasionally a knuckle.

Previous

Index

Next

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top