Norse & Germanic
Mjölnir
Mjölnir
Smashes anything, and returns to its owner's hand when thrown.
WeaponFirst recorded 1220
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Photograph: A bronze sword, probably Central European, of the thirteenth century BCE. Its slightly swelling leaf-shaped blade is covered in patina.
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3,000 × 1,688 PX3000×1688
ArchiveNorse & Germanic · Weapon
Hrunting
Hrunting
A patterned steel blade steeped in venom. It had never failed in battle.
- Owner
- Unferth, lent to Beowulf
- Maker
- Unknown
- First record
- Beowulf1000
- Gallery
- Norse & Germanic
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
In the Old English epic Beowulf, Unferth of the Danish court at first mocks Beowulf. But after Beowulf defeats the monster Grendel, Unferth lends him his own sword, Hrunting, for the fight against Grendel's mother.
The poem boasts that its blade is patterned steel steeped in venom and that no one who carried it ever failed in battle. Yet when Beowulf swings Hrunting in the underwater cave, the blade rebounds from the monster's head.
It was the first time the famous sword had failed. Beowulf throws Hrunting aside and ends the fight with a giant's sword hanging on the cave wall.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Sword(probably Central European, 13th century BCE), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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WeaponFirst recorded 1000
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