Editing Swords of Eden

{{Era|AC2|ACM|ACU|TWCB}}
{{Spoilerhd}}
{{Quote|The sword is not of this earth. It binds men to it who might otherwise be disloyal.|[[Chaya Shirōjirō Kiyonobu]] about [[Oda Nobunaga]]'s Sword of Eden|Assassin's Creed: Memories}}
[[File:SoE.png|thumb|250px|A Sword of Eden]]
The '''Swords of Eden''' were sword-like artifacts created by the [[First Civilization]]. These [[Pieces of Eden]] seemed to grant their bearers great power and leadership, and were most commonly used by influential [[humans]] in war and conquest.

Several conquerors and heroes in human history had been in possession of a Sword of Eden. Their users appeared to be capable of negating the effectiveness of illusions created by [[Apples of Eden]],<ref name="ACM">''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref> translocation, and the ability to project energy blasts at their foes.<ref name="ACU">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]''</ref>

==History==
The first known human user of a Sword of Eden was [[Perseus]], who had slain the {{Wiki|Gorgon}} {{Wiki|Medusa}} using the artifact.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

During the 5th century, a Sword came into the possession of [[Attila the Hun]], after a shepherd unearthed it and gave it to him. With the Sword, Attila ravaged Eurasia during his reign, and over time the weapon became known as the Sword of Mars or the Sword of Attila.<ref name="AC2"/>

In the late 5th to early 6th century, [[Arthur]] pulled a Sword of Eden out of a stone, naming it {{Wiki|Excalibur|"Excalibur"}}, and used it to become King of [[United Kingdom|Britain]].<ref name="AC2"/>

During the late 6th century, a being claiming to be the Norse god {{Wiki|Odin}}, disguised as a beggar, plunged a Sword into a tree called {{Wiki|Barnstokkr}}, stating that whomever was able to pull it free would receive it as a gift. Only the warrior [[Sigmund]] proved able to do so, and subsequently claimed the Sword as his own.<ref name="AC2"/>

[[File:ACM Genghis Khan 1.png|thumb|200px|left|Genghis Khan with a Sword of Eden]]
During the early 13th century, the [[Mongol Empire|Mongol]] warlord [[Genghis Khan]] led his Empire through mass expansions into the West. The [[Mentor]] of the [[Levantine Assassins]], [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], suspected Genghis Khan of wielding a Piece of Eden, presumably a Sword.<ref name="AC2"/> Altaïr's son, [[Darim Ibn-La'Ahad|Darim]], and the [[Mongolian Assassins|Mongolian Assassin]] [[Qulan Gal]] killed Genghis Khan in 1227.<ref name="ACTSC">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref> The artifact remained in Mongol hands however, and [[Hülegü Khan]] used it in his conquests of the [[Levant]] during the 1250s, notably during his attacks on the Assassin strongholds in [[Alamut]] and [[Masyaf]].<ref name="ACM"/>

A [[France|French]] peasant girl [[Jeanne d'Arc]] discovered a Sword took ownership of it during the {{Wiki|Hundred Years' War}}, entering into the war on the side of the French forces. Turning into a heroine of her people, Jeanne led the French to many victories over the English and their allies. However, she was eventually captured by Burgundian soldiers and handed over to the English. The [[Templars]] then burned her at the stake, in order to take possession of her Sword.<ref name="AC2"/>

[[File:Tragedy of Jacques de Molay 11.png|thumb|250px|De Molay's advisor placing the Sword on a statue]]
By the early 14th century a Sword was in the possessions of the Knights Templar. After the Templars were branded as heretics in 1307 by Pope [[Clement V]], and the [[Paris]]ian [[Temple (Paris)|Temple]] was attacked by King [[Philip IV of France|Philip the Fair]]'s forces, [[Grand Master]] [[Jacques de Molay]] entrusted his [[French Templar (1307)|advisor]] with hiding the Sword and the ''[[Codex Pater Intellectus]]'', a book written by de Molay.<ref name="ACU"/> The Sword was briefly in possession of the [[Master Assassin]] [[Thomas de Carneillon]], who attempted to steal it along with the book during the attack on the Temple. However, the Assassin was defeated in combat with the de Molay's advisor, who used the Sword's power to project an energy blast at de Carneillon, before hiding both artifacts in a vault beneath the Temple, where it remained entombed for four centuries.<ref name="ACU"/>

In the later half of the 16th century, a Sword of Eden wound up in the hands of the [[Japan]]ese warlord [[Takeda Shingen]]. With the power of the artifact at his disposal, Shingen began making his way to the capital of Kyoto to conquer Japan. Several months after routing [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]]'s army at the {{Wiki|Battle of Mikatagahara}}, Shingen was killed in a raid led by Ieyasu's vassals, the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Hattori Hanzō]] and [[Honda Tadakatsu]]. The artifact was eventually obtained by Ieyasu's ally, [[Oda Nobunaga]], who in turn used it to conquer the lands of other warlords. When Nobunaga's vassal [[Akechi Mitsuhide]] betrayed Nobunaga and attacked him in Kyoto, Nobunaga was killed by the Assassin [[Yamauchi Taka]] and the artifact was transported to [[China]] by [[Liu Yan]].<ref name="ACM"/>

In 1794, during the [[French Revolution]], The Sword hidden in the Parisian Temple was acquired by the [[François-Thomas Germain]], the Grand Master of an extremist faction within the Templar Order. Germain used the Sword during his fight with [[Arno Dorian]] and [[Élise de la Serre]]. The Sword was damaged in the confrontation, shattering and emitting a shockwave which killed Élise and mortally wounded Germain himself. Following the event, the Sword ended up in Arno's possession, albeit stripped of its former power.<ref name="ACU"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{TWCB}}
[[Category:Pieces of Eden]]