History Main / LegendaryWeapon

* ''Series/{{Tracker}}''[='s=] Strada Brac. [[note]]Note that as the series ended just after its discovery, we still have no idea how it's spelled for certain. This spelling is a fan consensus.[[/note]] It was the subject of Vardian and Cirronian legends about how it was made during an ancient war and then stolen by the Migar council and hidden on Earth to keep it away from the Vardians. By the modern era, most of their peoples believed it was simply a myth. Cole and Mel obviously proved them wrong.

* In the arcade ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' [[VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsChroniclesOfMystara games from Capcom]], at the end of ''Shadow of Mystara'', if a player kills the final boss with a magical sword (i.e. any sword that they did not start with), the epilogue states that the weapon is renamed "The Sword of (Player Name)." On subsequent playthroughs, the sword is ''actually called that'' for anyone that picks it up. At least, until the cabinet is reset.

* {{Mjolnir}} in ''Film/{{Thor}}''.

* There's always at least one of these in every ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' game. They're mostly signature weapons of each game's Lord.

* The Hammer of Glory from Music/Gloryhammer is one of three weapons

* ''Manga/SoulEater'': Excalibur is considered the strongest of weapons (which, in this setting, is a race) and his power is considered the stuff of legend. Any Meister who wields him is pretty much unstoppable, and many have tried, as [[FamedInStory his location and exploits are well documented]]. [[spoiler:What isn't, is the fact that he is completely insufferable and no one can stand him long enough to use him for long.]]

** Gandalf carries the elvish longsword Glamdring which he acquired in ''The Hobbit'', and uses it to kill the balrog in ''The Fellowship of the Ring''.

-->'''[[DeadpanSnarker Ghido]]:''' "[[ShapedLikeItself They are weapons.]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin They are legendary.]] [[LampshadeHanging There are even twelve of them.]]
** The Relic Weapons of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' qualify: though you have to ''{{re|forgedBlade}}''[[ReforgedBlade forge]] them, they are legendary in the history of the world (for example, the Paladin's weapon, Curtana, is the sister sword to Oathkeeper, and both are the best swords ever made). The more they're upgraded, the more powerful they become, until eventually they're reforged again into ''epic'' weapons (Curtana becoming Excalibur, for example).

* In the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'', [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales Patch]] finds the sword of Squire, the knight from the legend she told in the first episode of the animated series. She uses it as her WeaponOfChoice for the rest of her life.

* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter''/''Series/Merlin2008'' crossover "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8350179/1/Ancient-Relics Ancient Relics]]", after Voldemort masters the power of the Old Religion, Merlin determines that the only weapon that can kill him now is Excalibur, which can only be retrieved from Avalon on Halloween when the walls between life and death are particularly thin. Even Kingsley Shacklebolt, the current Minister of Magic and head of the Order of the Phoenix, is awed when Merlin lays Excalibur before him.

** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Worf, Dax, and Kor search for the legendary Sword of Kahless, hoping that it could unite the Klingon people behind a new leader who could end hostilities between the Empire and the Federation. When they find it, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane it causes]] Work and Kor to become power-hungry.

** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' gives us the χ-Blade (pronounced [[{{Pun}} Key-blade]] or kye-blade), of which other Keyblades were made to mimic its shape. Unlike the Keyblade, which was originally made to overcome Kingdom Hearts, the χ-Blade existed alongside it and protected it as well. It was over this that the Keyblade War was fought, which resulted in its destruction into 7 Lights, which became the [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Princesses of Heart]], and 13 Darknesses, as well plunging Kingdom Hearts into darkness and forcing the Worlds to reorganize. There is a way to reforge it and bring back the lost Kingdom Hearts; by having a powerful Light and equally powerful Darkness clash, but they have to be in partitions of 7 and 13 respectively for it to be successful. [[spoiler: [[BigBad Xehanort]], who has [[BackFromTheDead reformed]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' aims to start a second Keyblade War by doing exactly that, the 7 Lights being either the Princesses of Heart or the various heroes of the series, while the 13 Darknesses who are [[MesACrowd multiple splintered versions of himself]] [[TimeTravel gathered across time]].]]

* ''VideoGame/LiEat'': The InfinityPlusOneSword-s: The Legendary Knife and Legendary Cake.

** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': The Monado, the legendary Blade that can defeat the otherwise invincible Mechons. [[spoiler: There are two (Zanza's Monado and Meyneth's Monado), containing the spirits and power of the Bionis and Mechonis, respectively. During the FinalBoss fight, this is joined by Shulk's own Monado--and by Alvis, who claims to ''be'' Monado.]]

*** On a similar note are the Artifices, which fall more along the lines of legendary {{Superweapon}}s [[spoiler: that the Aegises can control, originally designed by them to defend the Conduit housed at the top of the space elevator that would become the World Tree. Activating Aion, the ultimate Artifice, is Malos's ultimate goal--doing so will allow him to destroy the world.]]

* In the arcade ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' [[VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsChroniclesOfMystara games from Capcom]], at the end of ''Shadow of Mystara'', if a player kills the final boss with a magical sword (i.e. any sword that they did not start with), the epilogue states that the weapon is renamed "The Sword of (Player Name)." On subsequent playthroughs, the sword is ''actually called that'' for anyone that picks it up. At least, until the cabinet is reset.

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': Most of the Servants' [[SignatureMove Noble Phantasms]] count. Considering the setting is based on the real world and the Servants are actually spirits of legendary heroes, a lot of them overlap with PublicDomainArtifact.

* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter''/''Series/Merlin2008'' crossover "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8350179/1/Ancient-Relics Ancient Relics]]", after Voldemort masters the power of the Old Religion, Merlin determines that the only weapon that can kill him now is Excalibur, which can only be retrieved from Avalon on Halloween when the walls between life and death are particularly thin. Even Kingsley Shacklebolt, the current Minister of Magic and head of the Order of the Phoenix, is awed when Merlin lays Excalibur before him.

* {{Mjolnir}} in ''Film/{{Thor}}''.

* The MacGuffin of ''Film/GentlemenExplorers'' is the Infinity Pistol: a magical gun that never runs out of bullets. Most people only know of it from the story recorded by Creator/TheBrothersGrimm, and regard it as nothing more than a legend.

* ''[[Literature/TheIcelandicSagas Kormak's Saga]]'': Preparing for his duel with Bersi, and following the advice of his mother Dalla, Kormak asks Skeggi of Midfjord to lend him Skofnung, the sword of the legendary Danish king Hrolf Kraki which Skeggi robbed from Hrolf's gravemound in his youth.
* ''Literature/TheSagaOfThePeopleOfLaxardal'': Before Thorkel Eyjolfsson sets out to kill the outlaw Grim, he borrows Skofnung, the sword of the legendary Danish king Hrolf Kraki, from his relative Eid, the son of Skeggi of Midfjord who had robbed the sword from Hrolf Kraki's gravemound.

* The Sword of Godric Gryffindor and the Elder Wand in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the sword being a goblin-made weapon and the Elder Wand a wand so powerful that it can supposedly perform impossible feats of magic, [[spoiler:including repairing Harry's original wand, which had been dismissed as irreparable by Ollivander himself]].
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has the hat trick. The three Swords of the Cross are named Amoracchius, Esperacchius, and Fidelacchius. Or, as they've been called in the past, [[spoiler:{{Excalibur}}, Durendal, and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, [[PublicDomainArtifact respectively]]]].
* The Sword of the Kings of Ankh in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. According to the ''Discworld Companion'', in the later years of the Ankh-Morpork monarchy, many fake swords started popping up in the hands of various claimants, to the point that King Blad claimed the throne on the basis of two bits of wood nailed together. It is generally agreed that the ''true'' sword must have been shiny, probably magical and always catch the light, and therefore can't ''possibly'' be Captain Carrot's, which is none of these things but just really good at being a sword. How good? It's an AbsurdlySharpBlade that routinely cuts straight through other swords and at one point, was driven straight through a man and ''the stone pillar behind him'' without much fanfare. The implied reason for its sharpness is that the sword is ''so'' boringly nonmagical that it ends up working as low-grade AntiMagic against anything that has more magic in it, which is just about ''everything else in existence.'' Needless to say, it's the real thing, despite looking like an ordinary, slightly rusted sword.
* ''Literature/EgilsSaga'': When Egil departs from York, Arinbjorn presents him Dragvandil, a sword once owned by the hero Ketil Salmon, who "had used it in his single combats". Egil uses Dragvandil when he kills the berserk Ljot, and also wields it in his duel with Atli. Ketil Salmon and his duels are the subject of another saga, ''The Saga of Ketil Salmon''.
* ''Literature/TheElderEmpire'': The nature of Intent means anything can gain legendary power given time. If an axe is used for splitting wood, eventually it will become even better at splitting wood. Shera has weapons that were forged a thousand years ago before the Empire was born, and they can cut through nearly anything. Especially the blade she used to destroy a heart of [[EldritchAbomination Nakothi]], and [[spoiler:kill [[GodEmperor the Emperor]]]]. At the start of the novel, she has trouble even drawing that weapon at all, it's so powerful.
* ''Literature/{{Fablehaven}}'' has Vasilis, the Sword of Light and Darkness. The weapon even has poems and songs written about it, and learning that the good guys even have it proves to be a major morale boost for the Battle of Zzyzx.
* In the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series, Need is a sword so old that the legends about her arose, flourished, and were forgotten before the current era began. At first she is a female-only weapon with many special attributes. Then she wakes up and starts ''talking''...

* ''Series/{{Tracker}}''[='s=] Strada Brac. [[note]]Note that as the series ended just after its discovery, we still have no idea how it's spelled for certain. This spelling is a fan consensus.[[/note]] It was the subject of Vardian and Cirronian legends about how it was made during an ancient war and then stolen by the Migar council and hidden on Earth to keep it away from the Vardians. By the modern era, most of their peoples believed it was simply a myth. Cole and Mel obviously proved them wrong.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Worf, Dax, and Kor search for the legendary Sword of Kahless, hoping that it could unite the Klingon people behind a new leader who could end hostilities between the Empire and the Federation. When they find it, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane it causes]] Work and Kor to become power-hungry.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Deconstructed with the Stone of Gol, a psionic resonator which allowed Vulcans to weaponize their telepathic abilities. It turns out there was a very good reason it stopped being used and faded into legend. It was powered by the violent thoughts of its target. Once Vulcan became a peaceful world, it became useless.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': [[TheUnpronouncable Mʔ]], commonly known as The Scythe, is a powerful weapon ([[NonIndicativeName actually an axe]]) created for the Slayers by a group of powerful women called The Guardians. Buffy [[ExcaliburInTheStone pulls it out of a stone]] in the latter part of the last season of the show.
* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': The Sword of Truth. In the hands of an ordinary person, it's just a regular sword. When wielded by the seeker, it turns him into a OneManArmy.

* The Hammer of Glory from Music/Gloryhammer is one of three weapons

* A semi-{{recurring element}} in ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', particularly the games that feature a {{High|Fantasy}} or HeroicFantasy-themed locale.
** Cecil's Mythgraven Blade in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement which he receives upon becoming a Paladin after passing his trial at Mt. Ordeals]]. True to its name, the sword is inscribed with the Mysidian Legend, a lore that foretells the arrival of a hero destined to bring light to the Blue Planet.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' has the twelve legendary weapons, also known as the Sealed Weapons.
-->'''[[DeadpanSnarker Ghido]]:''' "[[ShapedLikeItself They are weapons.]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin They are legendary.]] [[LampshadeHanging There are even twelve of them.]]
** The Relic Weapons of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' qualify: though you have to ''{{re|forgedBlade}}''[[ReforgedBlade forge]] them, they are legendary in the history of the world (for example, the Paladin's weapon, Curtana, is the sister sword to Oathkeeper, and both are the best swords ever made). The more they're upgraded, the more powerful they become, until eventually they're reforged again into ''epic'' weapons (Curtana becoming Excalibur, for example).
* The Vampire Killer whip in ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series is considered the ultimate undead-killing holy weapon.
* The Eternal Sword in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''. Also known as the Sword of Time, it is capable of cleaving time and space itself.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' has the sword of Asbel's father, Aston, which was a legendary eleth sword. When Asbel was in training as a knight, he sold the old, rusted sword for cheap to a traveling merchant called a "Turtlez" (one of many in the game), not realizing its history or potential. Much later in the game, the player can buy it back for hefty premium and take it to the Amarcian Enclave and it turns out to be the extremely powerful Excalibur.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'': The 'Legion' expansion gives a legendary weapon for every available player class specialization. These range from old classics (such as twin blades forged from the broken shards of Frostmourne and the sword that broke Frostmourne in the first place) to completely new ones, which were given a fitting backstory.
** Frostmourne itself is a subversion. While it is certainly powerful and extremely important to recent history, it's not very old. The Lich King ''invented'' legends and a long history for the sword in order to trick Arthas into thinking that finding the sword was his own idea.
* In ''VideoGame/TitanQuest'' the most powerful weapons and items are the "Legendary" or "Mythological" ones.
* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'':
** The Silver Sword of Gith, an AncestralWeapon of the githyanki and githzerai forged by Zerthimon for Gith to free them from the mind flayers. In the backstory it was lost in the Nine Hells, then recovered by [[WellIntentionedExtremist Ammon Jerro]] to fight the [[BigBad King of Shadows]], during which battle it was shattered. Its shards act as {{Plot Coupon}}s to allow the blade to be reforged.
** Another legendary weapon from the first campaign is the Hammer of Ironfist, the AncestralWeapon of your companion Khelgar's clan. Unfortunately by the time you get it Khelgar is likely well on his way to becoming a Tyrran monk, meaning he relies on GoodOldFisticuffs instead of weapons, and the Hammer [[CripplingOverspecialization can thus only be reliably wielded by a dwarf player character]].
** ''Mask of the Betrayer'' has the longsword Sivlem, a weapon that has been attached to many glorious deeds. Its FlavorText has a weird {{invoked|Trope}} DoubleSubversion when the mage enchanting it intended to give it [[TalkingWeapon an intelligence]] that would [[InvokedTrope drive its wielder to yet greater acts of heroism]], but applied said intelligence to a more mundane blade by mistake.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** The Daedric Artifacts (at least those that are weapons) are the most legendary weapons on Nirn. Each is associated with a particular [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] and passes from owner to owner according to the wishes of those deities. Famous ones include the [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Malacath]]'s hammer Volendrung, the dagger [[DestroyerDeity Mehrunes]]' Razor, the Mace of [[GodOfEvil Molag Bal]], [[GoodIsNotNice Meridia]]'s sword Dawnbreaker, and [[MadGod Sheogorath]]'s staff Wabbajack.
** The Aedra, deities who [[CreationMyth aided in the creation]] of Mundus (the mortal plane) primarily worshiped in the [[SaintlyChurch Nine Divines]] religion, have provided some legendary weapons as well. Some of the most famous are Auri-El's Bow and Shield, Auri-El being the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Aldmeri]] [[NobleBirdOfPrey eagle]] version of Akatosh, the [[DragonsAreDivine draconic]] God of Time. (The Bow is said to be the weapon that launched [[TheMaker Lorkhan]]'s [[CosmicKeystone Heart]] down into the world after he was [[GodIsDead "killed"]] for his perceived treachery during creation.) Similarly, the Divines each contributed to the Crusader's Relics. Originally worn by [[GodInHumanForm Pelinal]] [[EternalHero Whitestrake]] during the Alessian Revolt when he defeated Umaril the Unfeathered, they would have to be collected and sanctified by "[[PlayerCharacter Pelinal Reborn]]" in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'''s ''Knights of the Nine'' expansion.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', Yagrum Bagarn [[spoiler:[[TheLastOfHisKind the last living]] [[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemer]]]] and victim of the [[BodyHorror Corprus]] [[TheAgeless Disease]], has written the in-game book ''Famed Artifacts of Tamriel'' which details many such legendary weapons. He himself is in possession of Volendrung in-game, presumably acquired in his pre-disease [[RetiredBadass days of searching Tamriel]] for any other surviving [[spoiler:Dwemer]].
* In the arcade ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' [[VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsChroniclesOfMystara games from Capcom]], at the end of ''Shadow of Mystara'', if a player kills the final boss with a magical sword (i.e. any sword that they did not start with), the epilogue states that the weapon is renamed "The Sword of (Player Name)." On subsequent playthroughs, the sword is ''actually called that'' for anyone that picks it up. At least, until the cabinet is reset.
* There's always at least one of these in every ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' game. They're mostly signature weapons of each game's Lord.
* The Dual Blade in the ''VideoGame/{{Lufia}}'' series, a weapon that amplifies the wielder's energy waves.
** ''VideoGame/LufiaCurseOfTheSinistrals'' has a weapon called the Legendary Sword, which the party is tasked to recover. Despite acknowledging the Legendary Sword's powers are quite exaggerated, the President of Parcelyte feels its presence would reassure the people of the city. It is a solid upgrade should you choose to use it yourself.
* In ''VideoGame/HolyUmbrella'', the umbrella found and wielded by the player character has a "Legend of the Holy Umbrella" about it.
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': The Monado, the legendary Blade that can defeat the otherwise invincible Mechons. [[spoiler: There are two (Zanza's Monado and Meyneth's Monado), containing the spirits and power of the Bionis and Mechonis, respectively. During the FinalBoss fight, this is joined by Shulk's own Monado--and by Alvis, who claims to ''be'' Monado.]]
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': Several of the Blades count, but none moreso than the Aegis, the Blade that destroyed three entire continents in a war centuries ago. Of course, Blades are also people, making this something of a strange example. The Aegis is a girl named Pyra [[PlayingWithFire with fire powers]], who demonstrates far more power than anyone else. Then it turns out she's technically not the Aegis; the real Aegis is Mythra, who was so horrified at what she did during the Aegis War that she sealed away most of her powers and personality, creating the gentler Pyra. Eventually it is revealed that [[spoiler:Malos is another Aegis, obsessed with destroying the world due to the initial desires of the man who awakened him; Mythra was awakened to fight him]]. At the very end of the game, [[spoiler:the Architect explains that there were actually three Aegises--Logos (Malos), Ontos (lost in a dimensional rift and heavily implied to be Alvis from ''Xenoblade''), and Pneuma (Pyra/Mythra's complete self). They were originally the [=AIs=] overseeing the space elevator that would eventually become the World Tree, but the Architect repurposed them to manage the Blades and heal the world. Notably, Malos's weapon is a Monado, with similar arts to Shulk's own]].
** On a similar note are the Artifices, which fall more along the lines of legendary {{Superweapon}}s [[spoiler: that the Aegises can control, originally designed by them to defend the Conduit housed at the top of the space elevator that would become the World Tree. Activating Aion, the ultimate Artifice, is Malos's ultimate goal--doing so will allow him to destroy the world.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': There are a number of weapons that could be described as legendary weapons, but the clearest example is the Paracesis, the Sentient Slayer. You receive the blueprint at the end of a quest specifically dedicated to it, it is one of the most powerful greatswords in the game, and it is the only weapon that can be upgraded past level thirty, making it easier to customize and ''definitely'' become the most powerful greatsword. It also has a hefty damage bonus against the Sentients, who are normally infamously hard to kill.
-->'''Ballas:''' Take this... the idea of it... it is the only way your war can end.
* ''VideoGame/MarchenForestMylneAndTheForestGift'': A legendary fishing pole which is a type of weapon, "Fisherman's Pole", as said when buying it:
--> A legendary pole said to have been used by an angler. It is said that it featured a straight lure.
* ''VideoGame/LiEat'': The InfinityPlusOneSword-s: The Legendary Knife and Legendary Cake.

* Early in ''Literature/TheHobbit'', the party recovers a small treasure hoard from some trolls. Among the hoard are a pair of legendary elvish blades, Orcrist the Goblin-Cleaver and Glamdring the Foe-Hammer, two legendary swords forged millennia earlier by the elves of Gondolin. Thorin Oakenshield takes Orcrist, while Gandalf takes Glamdring. Notably, these blades are also legendary among the goblins, who call them Beater and Biter and recognize them on sight.

* ''Literatire/TheSagaOfThePeopleOfLaxardal'': Before Thorkel Eyjolfsson sets out to kill the outlaw Grim, he borrows Skofnung, the sword of the legendary Danish king Hrolf Kraki, from his relative Eid, the son of Skeggi of Midfjord who had robbed the sword from Hrolf Kraki's gravemound.

* Several of the 13th century [[Literature/TheIcelandicSagas Sagas of Icelanders]] (specifically ''Kormak's Saga'' and ''Literature/LaxdaelaSaga'') have a cameo of Skofnung, the legendary sword of the ancient Danish king Hrolf Kraki told about in ''Literature/TheSagaOfHrolfKraki'', which supposedly was [[GraveRobbing robbed from Hrolf's gravemound]] and brought to Iceland by the Icelander Skeggi of Midfirth.

* Excalibur in ''Manga/SoulEater'' is considered the strongest of weapons (which, in this setting, is a race) and his power is considered the stuff of legend. Any Meister who wields him is pretty much unstoppable, and many have tried, as [[FamedInStory his location and exploits are well documented]]. [[spoiler:What isn't, is the fact that he is completely insufferable and no one can stand him long enough to use him for long.]]
* Most of the Servants' [[SignatureMove Noble Phantasms]] in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' count. Considering the setting is based on the real world and the Servants are actually spirits of legendary heroes, a lot of them overlap with PublicDomainArtifact.

* ''Literature/{{Fablehaven}} has Vasilis, the Sword of Light and Darkness. The weapon even has poems and songs written about it.