Swords of Eden
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- "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[src]
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 famous conquerors and heroes had been in possession of a Sword of Eden. The Swords also appear to grant the ability to project lightning at foes.[1]
History
The first known use of a Sword of Eden by an individual other than the First Civilization was Perseus, who used it to slay the Gorgon Medusa.[2]
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. It was during this time that the Sword became known as the Sword of Mars or the Sword of Attila.[2]
In the late 5th to early 6th century, Arthur pulled a Sword of Eden out of a stone, named it Excalibur, and used it to become King of Britain.[2]
Possibly in the late 6th century, a being claiming to be the Norse god Odin, disguised as a beggar, plunged a Sword into a tree called 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.[2]
During the early 13th century, the 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,[2] presumably a Sword. Altaïr's son Darim Ibn-La'Ahad and the Mongolian Assassin Qulan Gal killed Genghis Khan in 1227.[3] The artifact remained in Mongol hands, however, and Hülegü Khan used it in his conquests in the Middle East during the 1250s, notably during his attacks on the Assassin forts of Alamut and Masyaf.[4]
A French peasant girl, Joan of Arc, came to discover a Sword and take ownership of it during the Hundred Years' War, with which she entered into the war on the side of the French forces. Turning into a heroine of her people, Joan led the French forces 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 her Sword for themselves.[2]
By the early 14th century a Sword was in the possessions of the Knights Templars. After the Templars were branded as Heretics by Philip IV of France, Jacques de Molay, then Grand Master sent one of his most trusted lieutenants to safeguard the sword. [1] By the late 14th century the sword was in possession of the Assassin Thomas de Carneillon. [citation needed]
In the later half of the 16th century, a Sword of Eden wound up in the hands of the Japanese warlord Takeda Shingen. With the power of the artifact at his disposal, Shingen started making his way to the capital of Kyoto to conquer Japan. Several months after routing Tokugawa Ieyasu's army at the Battle of Mikatagahara, Shingen was killed in a raid led by Ieyasu's vassals, the Assassin Hattori Hanzo and Honda Tadakatsu. The artifact later wound up in the hands of 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.[4]
Jacques de Molay's Sword was acquired by the Assassin Arno Dorian by killing Francois-Thomas Germain, who was attempting to use it to kill Arno with its lightning-firing ability, and had already killed Elise de la Serre with it.[1]
References
