History Main / UnholyHolySword

* ''Literature/TheSwordOfGood'': The titular Sword of Good really ''is'' a weapon designed to smite evil and promote goodness - but it is ''completely dishonorable''. It {{MindRape}}s the protagonist with traumatic visions of victims throughout history, until they are convinced to betray and murder their party for being not-so-good, and accepts the hand of a [[{{Hypocrite}} corrupt wizard]] [[TheLastDJ because he's also one of the few people fighting for the actual side of good]] and not for TheEmpire.

* ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic 4'' :

* The aptly-named [[ShapedLikeItself Sword]] from the [[GirlsLove yuri]] [[VisualNovel VN]] ''VisualNovel/AoiShiro''. It was used to summon the divine storm that sunk the invading Mongol fleet in the past. The trope is downplayed as those with the qualifications to use it know that it's holy in the sense that "[[HolyIsNotSafe this item with terrible power is a property of the gods, do not touch]]," not "this is a weapon to battle evil." Also, it's not mentioned as such during the game itself, but it's ''the'' {{Kusanagi}}. It was originated from the [[SwirlyEnergyThingy Chaos]] that people in the past called {{Orochi}}, and will definitely, without exception, [[ArtifactOfDoom corrupt its user]].

* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' has Callandor, the Sword That Is Not A Sword. As a ''sa'angreal'' crystal sword that [[AmplifierArtifact shines with light whenever the wielder channels the One Power]], it has all of the trappings of a true holy sword. Except... it's flawed, lacking a buffer to prevent the wielder from using too much of the One Power, and can ensnare the wielder in a trap. Worse, though, is that it's revealed that [[spoiler:it is also a ''sa'angreal'' for the [[BlackMagic True]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Power]], the essence of [[BigBad the Dark One]].]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Non-weapon variant, but fits the spirit. The Ganges River is a holy river for Hinduism in India. But today it's among the most polluted rivers in the world from various sources, including industrial waste. Despite the health risk it poses, adherents still use the river today.
[[/folder]]

* The Red and Orange Power Rings in Creator/DCComics (specifically the ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' books). Not only are they powered by rage and greed, respectively, but their wearers become consumed with those emotions as well. Yellow Power Rings are fear-based, but their wearers generally retain their personalities.
** The Violet Power Rings are powered by love and cause their wielders to become [[InLoveWithLove obsessed with it]], though not to the extremes of the original Star Sapphires. This is partially due to the brainwashing most recruits go through before they are taken into the Corps.
* The DC Universe has the Anti-Life Equation, which isn't this because it's the ultimate proof of the pointlessness of free will that itself seems driven to erase all life. It's existence was hinted by the knowledge of the Life Equation, something that allows the wielder god-like power that should [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy never be wielded by mortal minds]]. In the hands of the unscrupulous, or [[WellIntentionedExtremist well intentioned]], it can be used much like Anti-Life as a tool of dominance by rewriting victims into loyal followers. Using an incomplete Life Equation instead mutates targets into feral monsters.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', the legendary hero Azor Ahai reportedly forged his holy sword Lightbringer by [[PoweredByAForsakenChild quenching it]] with [[BloodMagic the life's blood of his beloved wife Nissa Nissa]]. In-universe the moral is supposed to be that great good can only be accomplished through great sacrifice. As characters such as Stannis attempt to re-create the legendary hero's accomplishments, the real lesson seems to be that overwhelming (and near-uncontrollable, self-destructive) power can only be attained through repeated acts of violence and ruthlessness. No end of grief has been caused by would-be {{Chosen One}}s trying to fill Azor Ahai's shoes.

** And then it's subverted all the way to the literal Hell. The legend was a ''lie''; the demon lord didn't reach the Material Plane nor was he defeated. The axe is a beacon forged in Hell that will allow him to travel ''to'' the Material Plane once it has stored enough energy by being used for evil acts. Paladins don't do anything to stop this as [[GreyAndGrayMorality nothing works in moral absolutes]], and any deed deemed good can be perceived as sufficiently evil from another point of view. For example, the axe is being wielded by ''a goblin'' who repeatedly used it ''against humans'', which many would consider the modus operandi of the AlwaysChaoticEvil at a glance.

In a case like this it's not that pretty -- this weapon or object works through [[EvilWeapon evil means]]. Perhaps it's PoweredByAForsakenChild, or perhaps it's a keystone in the villain's EvilPlan, and he's [[UnwittingPawn manipulating the heroes]] into [[MacGuffinDeliveryService handing it over to him]] or powering it up for him. And of course, it could have ''originally'' been truly a holy weapon, only to have been [[TheCorruption corrupted]] into an {{evil|Weapon}} one at some point in the past.

** The Hero's Relics of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' are said to be gifts from the Goddess Sothis. In reality? [[spoiler: They're made from the bones of her murdered children, and the most powerful of them, the Sword Of The Creator, is made from her spine.]] Also, while they do grant quite a few bonuses to people who can wield them properly (such as unique combat arts), they [[spoiler:drain HP from people without Crests at best, and [[PainfulTransformation painfully transform them]] into horrible monsters at worst]].

* In ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaMk2'', the main characters can come across the Gehaburn around half way through the game, leading to the infamous [[EarnYourBadEnding Conquest Ending]]. [[spoiler: In order to gather power for it, Nepgear is forced to kill the [=CPUs=] and their sisters, ''including her own sister''. Even worse, turns out this is what the BigBad wanted all along, as with only Nepgear rulling Gameindustri, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero its demise is inevitable]]. Thankfully, in the ''[=Re;Birth2=]'' remake, you have the option to gain a true holy sword without any sacrifices.]]

** The Hero's Relics of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' are said to be gifts from the Goddess Sothis. In reality? [[spoiler: They're made from the bones of her murdered children, and the most powerful of them, the Sword Of The Creator, is made from her spine.]] Also, while they do grant quite a few bonuses to people who can weild them properly (such as unique combat arts), they [[spoiler:drain HP from people without Crests at best, and [[PainfulTransformation painfully transform them]] into horrible monsters at worst]].

->''"The Masamune... That sword is cursed with hate and sorrow. Anyone who lays his hands on it will be overcome with negative sentiments and will be driven mad."''

* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': This is disturbingly implied in ''Literature/TheWayOfKings''. Shardblades are the only weapons humanity possesses that can harm the demonic Voidbringers, but then you discover that Sylphrena, a being literally MadeOfGood, gets antsy around them and thinks Dalinar is a better man for getting rid of his. The truth is revealed in ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance''. As it turns out, Shardblades are [[spoiler:spren like Syl, who learned how to take weapon form through their bonds to the Radiants. When the Radiants broke their oaths, the bonds also broke, killing (in a manner of speaking) the spren they'd bonded to. Syl's revulsion to the shardblades is because they are the bodies of dead spren, ''constantly screaming in agony''.]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'': Gourry's weapon, the Sword of Light, is a legendary artifact which generates [[LaserBlade a blade of pure light]] in response to the user's willpower. It's initially described only as a family heirloom, a holy weapon passed down from a hero who defeated the Demon Beast Zanaffar... but during the Gaav arc {{Demon Lords|AndArchdevils}} and their direct subordinates are also shown to recognise it on sight, referring to it as "Gorun Nova". This culminates in Gourry using the Sword of Light to attack Hellmaster Phibrizo, only for Hellmaster to laugh at the "shallow-minded name" humans gave the weapon, and cause it to sprout tentacles of darkness which attack Gourry. He reveals that Gorun Nova is actually a living demon from another universe, created as one of the personal weapons of [[GodOfEvil Darkstar]], and promptly sends it back where it came from.[[note]]At least in the novels. Every adaptation has Gourry keep using the sword for a while after this, with the AnimatedAdaptation even having [[AdaptationExpansion a season-long plotline about bringing all five Darkstar weapons together]].[[/note]]

** The prequel light novel and anime ''LightNovel/FateZero'' has [[spoiler:Arondight]], Berserker's actual weapon. It used to be a holy sword that would never be damaged, made to be wielded only by a perfect knight, but when her wielder [[spoiler:Lancelot]] went mad and used it to slay other [[spoiler:Knights of the Round]], it became a demonic sword filled with the madness and resentment of its master.
** The AlternateUniverse novel ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' has Clarent. Originally it was a sword of peace, made not for battle but for knighting and ceremonies, but was transformed into a demonic sword by Mordred's wanton hatred and used in rebellion against the lawful king, practically becoming a blood-based Excalibur. Also from same work is [[Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}} Balmung]], which is described as being a cursed holy blade due to it possessing attributes of [[Literature/TheSagaOfTheVolsungs Gram]], an actual demonic sword. It can be either a cursed sword or a holy sword depending on who wields it, with Siegfried being able to use it as a holy sword. ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' later shows Balmung as wielded by his wife Kriemhild, and her quest for bloody revenge turned it from an ornate greatsword with a cross motif into a send-up to [[VideoGame/SoulCalibur Soul Edge]] capable of spewing dangerous curses.

** Harry's InvisibilityCloak is revealed in the [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows final book]] to be [[spoiler:[[TheGrimReaper Death's]] own cloak! [[UnreliableExpositor Maybe]]. What is for certain is that it is one of the 3 eponymous Deathly Hallows, 3 powerful magical artifacts that may or may not have come from Death. Subverted however, in that the the series' [[AnAesop Aesop]] is that [[DarkIsNotEvil Death is not necessarily harmful]]. On top of that, the Cloak is at the very least the most benign of 3 Hallows; while the other two have a tendancy to bring their owners to early graves, the Cloak is said to allow its user to hide from Death as long as possible, living a long life until they're finally ready to [[FaceDeathWithDignity "greet Death again like an old friend."]]]]

** Harry's InvisibilityCloak is revealed in the [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows final book]] to be [[spoiler:an ultimate invisibility cloak crafted by [[TheGrimReaper Death]] himself. [[UnreliableExpositor Maybe]]. What is for certain is that it is one of the 3 eponymous Deathly Hallows, 3 powerful magical artifacts that may or may not have come from Death. Subverted however, in that the the series' [[AnAesop Aesop]] is that [[DarkIsNotEvil Death is not necessarily harmful]]. On top of that, the Cloak is at the very least the most benign of 3 Hallows; while the other two have a tendancy to bring their owners to early graves, the Cloak is said to allow its user to hide from Death, living a long life until they're finally ready to [[FaceDeathWithDignity "green Death again like an old friend."]]]]

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Voldemort's Horcruxes were intended to be something like this. He bound several pieces of his soul to legendary relics of the Hogwarts founders (holy, perhaps in a "civil-sacred" sense), thus seeking to blend his evil ambition with their glory. Use of these "sacred" relics causes addiction and would eventually destroy the pawn using the object.

** The Hero's Relics of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' are said to be gifts from the Goddess Sothis. In reality? [[spoiler: They're made from the bones of her murdered children, and the most powerful of them, the Sword Of The Creator, is made from her spine.]]

** Quel'Delar, the InfinityMinusOneSword of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft: Wrath of the Lich King'', goes through this stage briefly during the quest to reforge it. When it's been reforged with saronite, an ore that is actually the blood of a major EldritchAbomination (MadeOfEvil, of course), it draws its owner to the vicinity of Frostmourne and attacks on its own accord. After that, it too needs to be purified.

** The AlternateUniverse novel ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' has Clarent. Originally it was a sword of peace, made not for battle but for knighting and ceremonies, but was transformed into a demonic sword by Mordred's wanton hatred and used in rebellion against the lawful king, practically becoming a blood-based Excalibur. Also from same work is [[Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}} Balmung]], which is described as being a cursed holy blade due to it possessing attributes of [[Literature/TheSagaOfTheVolsungs Gram]], an actual demonic sword. It can be either a cursed sword or a holy sword depending on who wields it, with Siegfried being able to use it as a holy sword. ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' later showed Balmung as wielded by Kriemhild, and her quest for bloody revenge turned it from an ornate greatsword with a cross motif into a send-up to [[VideoGame/SoulCalibur Soul Edge]] capable of spewing dangerous curses.

** The AlternateUniverse novel ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' has Clarent. Originally it was a sword of peace, made not for battle but for knighting and ceremonies, but was transformed into a demonic sword by Mordred's wanton hatred and used in rebellion against the lawful king, practically becoming a blood-based Excalibur. Also from same work is [[Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}} Balmung]], which is described as being a cursed holy blade due to it possessing attributes of [[Literature/TheSagaOfTheVolsungs Gram]], an actual demonic sword. It can be either a cursed sword or a holy sword depending on who wields it, with Siegfried being able to use it as a holy sword.

In a case like this it's not that pretty -- this weapon or object works through [[EvilWeapon evil means]]. Perhaps it's PoweredByAForsakenChild, or perhaps it's a keystone in the villain's EvilPlan, and he's [[UnwittingPawn manipulating the heroes]] into [[MacGuffinDeliveryService handing it over to him]] or powering it up for him. And of course, it could have ''originally'' been truly a holy weapon, only to be [[TheCorruption corrupted]] into an {{evil|Weapon}} one at some point in the past.

* ''Literature/TheElricSaga'': Stormbringer is a decided aversion, though it probably needs to be mentioned because it keeps popping up on this page anyway. While the sword ''does'' provide Elric with much of his strength and proves as effective when used against the forces of Chaos as against most other things, nobody even passingly familiar with the weapon is fooled in the slightest into thinking that it is ''not'' evil.
** This is retconned a bit as Moorcock's multiverse develops further. The Black Sword(s) (of which Stormbringer and its twin Mournblade are incarnations of) were actually made to fight against Chaos and any other threat to the multiverse. It's just that the Melnibonean Emperors used them to fight anything else as well. The big revelations were in finding out how important Stormbringer is to the cosmos (instead of being just a really hard-hitting magic sword) and just how evil it truly is (Elric underestimates this to great cost).