Timeline for What is the first known work of fantasy or legend to feature a magic sword?
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20 events
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| Jan 14, 2020 at 12:59 | comment | added | user40790 | @Lexible Yeah, sorry that's all I've got. The Hindu texts are full of standalone pieces like this. It makes sense given that it's a religion formed from the patching together of many, unfortunately coinciding with a time when almost no one was literate. | |
| Jan 14, 2020 at 0:33 | comment | added | Lexible | @CarpeCMisOverjoyed It's a really good answer... am just right along the fence, and want to feel unabiguous before I accept it. :) | |
| Jan 13, 2020 at 12:26 | comment | added | user40790 | @Lexible Just to figure out the criteria. Aside from it being said to be the source of the power of all weapons and wielding it would assure victory, I have nothing else to point to. Just as Narsil/Andùril had its prophecy tied to the kingship. | |
| Jan 10, 2020 at 1:45 | comment | added | Lexible | @CarpeCMcandothisallday None of the sources you say indicate the sword can do any such thing: a magical being, Asi, turned into the sword: not the other way around (the 93M mile god was Rudra, not Asi). No: Narsil is not a magical sword; its significance is in its symbolism ("Cut yer ring of once, MFer! Come at me!," as the Aragon quote goes ;). Contrast with Sting and emitting light when near orcs. Anyway, Narsil is besides the point. | |
| Jan 9, 2020 at 15:15 | comment | added | user40790 | @Lexible A sword that can turn into a magical being is not inherently magical? To 4... was Narsil a magic sword? | |
| Jan 8, 2020 at 23:06 | comment | added | Lexible | @CarpeCMisanti-corruption Yes. Aside from (1) created by divine magical means (mundane things can be created, c.f. D&D); (2) a god so tall his head literally touches the sun slaughtering a race of demons does not imply "magic sword", it implies "Holy crap! That dude's 93 million miles tall!"; (3) "foremost of all weapons", right: why is that not simply The Best™ mundane weapon?; (4) closer, but still: is that simply divine prophecy (e.g., about millions-miles-tall wielders), rather than magic inherent to the sword? (PS: am asking in good faith. :) | |
| Jan 8, 2020 at 20:59 | comment | added | user40790 | @Lexible Aside from being a polymorphed magical sentient being, wielded by a god to slaughter an entire magical race, and being worshipped in its time the sword is described as the foremost of all weapons. "whoever holds this weapon obtains sure victory and have absloute power over any weapon ever created since asi is the primordial source of energy behind all weapons". I can add these notes if needed. | |
| Jan 8, 2020 at 18:38 | comment | added | Lexible | Apologies if this seems a dense question, but: I feel this answer is very close to acceptable, however, while Asi is of divine/magical origin, its sentience and, indeed, its magicalness, are unclear: what makes Asi a magical sword, rather than simple the best (non-magical) sword (which was created by divine magic). That is, does it float through the air, fighting on its own? Does it whisper secrets or grant wishes to its wielder? Does it go PEW-PEW! (I did read the three links you provided.) | |
| Apr 13, 2017 at 12:51 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/ with https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/
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| May 5, 2016 at 23:05 | comment | added | Rand al'Thor♦ | @Matt, Axelrod, Ghostship: please take this conversation to the chatroom I set up for discussing this question and its answers. | |
| May 5, 2016 at 21:34 | comment | added | Matt | @Ghostship It's important to know if that's because of what the policy SAYS, or how the policy is ENFORCED. | |
| May 5, 2016 at 21:33 | comment | added | Ghostship | Mahabharata has been mentioned multiple times on this site and has never been considered inappropriate. scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/117891/… scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/75839/… | |
| May 5, 2016 at 21:33 | comment | added | Matt | There's not a MarineBiology.SE either... that doens't mean those answers go here. | |
| May 5, 2016 at 21:29 | comment | added | user40790 | @Matt Until there's a Literature.SE, no. That can't be the case with any questions about depiction of fantastic elements in literature or it disqualifies all of them. | |
| May 5, 2016 at 21:27 | comment | added | Matt | IF the original question was about the first instance PERIOD, then it didn't belong on this site, and shouldn't be answered on this site. HOWEVER I'm fairly certain that the OP knows what they wanted to ask, and has successfully (after an attempt or two) asked it. Consequently, the OP is only asking about fictional references. Regardless this answer is neither appropriate for this site (regarding the original form of the question), nor is it an answer to the current form of this question. | |
| May 5, 2016 at 21:07 | comment | added | user40790 | @anaranjada Then someone can flag it, though I've already got a Hindu.SE admin on my upvote list. The original question was about the first instance of a magic sword, period. | |
| May 5, 2016 at 21:03 | comment | added | user40790 | @Matt Yep. And thus it fits under Legend. | |
| May 5, 2016 at 20:44 | comment | added | Matt | Isn't the Mahabharata a religious text? | |
| May 5, 2016 at 20:31 | comment | added | T.E.D. | I'd take the written date as the more definitive date, as we have no clue when in the preceding 8 centuries the magic sword was added to the oral tradition, or if it was original (it could well be original. The Aryan/Vedic people were likely the people who introduced iron working to the subcontinent. That strongly implies sword use.) | |
| May 5, 2016 at 19:09 | history | answered | user40790 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |