Welcome to Top10Archive! Each and every culture has their tales and
stories of legendary battles and warriors. Most of them with equally as legendary weaponry;
from the mighty staff of Sun-Wukong to the fabled sword of King Arthur, we're giving
you our picks for the top 10 most powerful mythological weapons. 10. Ruyi Jingu Bang (Chinese)
When Sun Wukong, the fabled monkey king from "Journey to the West" grew bored of his duties,
he departed. Seeking a weapon worthy of his own hands,
he would head to the east sea to find the dragon king Ao-Kuang, and his mighty collection
of weapons. The dragon would suggest a large black-iron
rod by the name of Ruyi Jingu Bang, the rod used by the gods to flatten and measure the
bed of the Milky Way. When not in use, the holy staff was said to
be no bigger than a needle, but upon the will of the user, it could grow large enough to
fill the universe. 9. Kaumodaki (Hindu)
Gada, a terrifying yet charitable demon, became tricked by Vishnu - who was disguised as a
poet - into ripping himself apart. The divine architect, Viśvakarman, would
then use the parts to craft a fierce and mighty mace-like weapon; the Gada. After completing the weapon, Viśvakarman
would gift it to Vishnu. Kaumodaki, the legendary gada of Vishnu, would
be named in the great Hindu epic, Mahabharata; in which it was associated with Krishna, the
avatar of Vishnu. The mace, set as one of Vishnu's 4 major relics
- which he grasps in each of his hands - are the conch, the lotus, the chakra and of course,
the gada, Kaumodaki. 8. Zulfiqar (Islamic)
Unofficially called the Muslim Excalibur, the Zulfiqar is a fabled sword of legend belonging
to Ali Ibn Abi Talib, who is said to have been gifted the sword by the great prophet
Muhammad. According to traditional Islamic tales, the
Prophet Muhammad owned two swords, the first a common straight-bladed sword and the other,
a curved, split blade, attributed to many victories. Incredibly sharp, it is said Ali had once
cleaved both horse and rider in two with a single swing of the mythical sword, going
as far as to say it would have gouged a hole into the earth, if the Archangel Jibreel had
not stayed the hand of Ali. 7. Zeus' Lightning Bolt (Greek)
Zeus' lightning bolt was forged for him by the mighty Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, after
Zeus would free them from the bowels of the earth, and in return for that freedom, they
gifted the Olympian the tools for his success during the 10-year uprising against the titans,
known as the Titanomachy. Zeus' lightning bolt is more than just a weapon,
though, it is more figurative for his domains, in which he ruled. Not only was he known as the king of gods,
Zeus was also assigned as the god of the sky and thunder. 6. Gandiva (Hindi)
In tale, the bow known as Gandiva is the strongest bow to have ever been created. The Gandiva is unbreakable and paired with
two separate quivers of arrows, both of which would never empty. With each successful release of the bow, the
strings would clap like thunder striking. Gandiva is a creation of the Brahman, an ancient
and absolute force that runs within us, the same force in which the Hindu gods are manifestations
of. The bow would only work its powers upon those
that it chose, having to form a strong bond with the weapon, and despite the fact Gandiva
had many possessors, it is said that it truly became a part of the fabled arched, Arjuna,
belonging to him in a way it belonged to no other. 5. Lance of Longinus (Christian)
A spear so powerful it is said to be able to bend destiny to the wielder's will, as
cursed as it is mighty; for once the spear leaves one's possession, they will die within
a matter of days. Known by many names, the Spear of Destiny,
Holy Lance, and even the Lance of Longinus, named after the Roman who pierced the side
of Jesus of Nazareth. The Lance was said to be used by many great
military leaders such as Alaric, Charles Martel, Theodosius, and even Charlemagne. As time went on, the legend grew, and it was
soon believed that anyone who acquired the spear would gain the power to conquer the
world. This would drive many aspiring conquerors
to seek it out, such as Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte.
4. Gungnir (Norse)
The Norse, with many famous warriors and nearly as many legendary weapons such as Thor, Odin-son's
mighty Mjolnir, to the "Greatest Boot" of Vidar, though none would match the power of
the alfather's personal armament, the spear Gungnir. After a bout of typical mischievousness, Loki
would be bound for Svartalfheim, in order to redeem himself to Thor. The dwarves there would then fashion for the
trickster god, three powerful relics. Golden hair for the goddess, Sif, the best
of all ships, Skidbladnir, and the deadliest and fiercest of all spears, for Odin, the
mighty Gugnir. 3. Green Dragon Crescent Blade (Chinese)
The holy Guan Dao is feared by all those who are dark and was bestowed from the heavens
to the mighty warrior Guan Yu. Forged under a full moon by the best blacksmith
in the world; right as the final blow would be made to the steel, the wind would howl
and rise, and blow hard as the clouds gathered overhead. As the skies cleared, 1780 individual drops
of blood rained from the sky. The wizards at the time would claim that the
blood was from that of a green dragon, and would give the Guandao the name "Green Dragon
Crescent Blade. 2. Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (Japanese)
The goddess Amaterasu would send her grandson Ninigi-go-Mikoto to bring peace to a war-torn
Japan. She would send with him 3 relics, which would
come to be known as the imperial regalia: a jewel, a mirror, and the sword Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi,
meaning Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven. When Ninigi would finally achieve his goal
and many years later, he would bestow the sword to Yamato Takeru. Yamato, whom would discover the blade was
able to control the wind, would eventually change its name to Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, meaning
Grasscutter Sword. 1. Excalibur and Carnwennan (British)
Tom, the father of Guinevere and finest blacksmith of the time, would go to create his finest
masterpiece ever, Excalibur. Forged and burnished in the breathe of a great
dragon at the request of Merlin for Arthur Pendragon, son of the legendary king, Uther
Pendragon, Merlin would imbue Excalibur with the power to slay anything, be it mortal or
magical, dead of alive. King Arthur, however, had no shortage of mystical
weaponry, for he also had in his possession, the dagger Carnwennan, which gifted the user
the power to conceal themselves in magical shadow.
