Weapons of Norse mythology

Dáinsleif ("Dáinn's Heirloom"^[1][2]) is king Högni's sword, according to Snorri Sturluson's account of the battle known as the Hjaðningavíg. Högni claims it is similar to the sword Tyrfing as far as killing a person every time it is drawn.

When Heðinn offers him compensation for the abduction of his daughter, Högni replies:

Thou hast made this offer over-late, if thou wouldst make peace: for now I have drawn Dáinsleif, which the dwarves made, and which must cause a man's death every time it is bared, nor ever fails in its stroke; moreover, the wound heals not if one be scratched with it.

Gram (Old Norse: Gramr, "ill-tempered"), is a magical sword wielded by the hero Sigurd. He uses it to slay Fafnir, a dwarf transformed into a dragon. It is primarily used by the Völsungs in the Völsung Cycle; however, it is also seen in other legends, such as the Thidrekssaga in which it is wielded by Hildebrand.^[4][5] In the Middle High German epic poem Nibelungenlied, it is called Balmung.^[6]

Gungnir (/ˈɡʌŋ.nɪər/, "the rocking") is the spear of the god Odin. It is said to always hit the target of the attacker. It is depicted in the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá, in the Sigrdrífumál, Chapter 51 of the Gylfaginning, and the Skáldskaparmál.

Hǫfuð ("man-head",^[7] Norwegian hovud, Danish hoved, Swedish huvud and Icelandic höfuð) is the sword of the Æsir Heimdall. It is mentioned in Gylfaginning chapter 26:

Anthony Faulkes's edition: Heimdalar sverð er kallat Hǫfuð.[8]

Arthur Brodeur's translation: Heimdallr's sword is called Head.[9]

The Skáldskaparmál also mentions a mysterious myth about Heimdall's head and sword in its eighth chapter, seemingly saying Heimdall was "pierced by a man's head" (a reference to his own sword? to a human head itself colliding with him?).^[10]

Hrotti is a sword in the Völsung cycle (Fáfnismál, Völsunga saga, 20). It was a part of Fáfnir's treasure, which Sigurðr took after he slew the dragon. Kemp Malone suggested that Hrotti was etymologically related to Hrunting, Beowulf's sword.^[11]

Lævateinn is a weapon crafted by Loki, mentioned in the Poetic Edda poem Fjölsvinnsmál. It is said to be the only weapon that can defeat Viðofnir, a bird that sits atop Mímameiðr, the tree of life. Scholars debate and are unsure what exact type of weapon was meant. The poem does not clarify if Lævateinn was ever actually used for this purpose, leaving such a feat in the potential future.

Mistilteinn (Old Norse, lit. 'Mistletoe'; cf. Old English: Mistiltán; Old Swedish: Misteltein; Swedish: Mistelten) is Hrómundr Gripsson's sword in Hrómundar saga Gripssonar, a legendary saga from Iceland.^[12][13]

Mistilteinn first belonged to Þráinn, who had been king in Valland before he retired in his burial mound with his wealth.

The Danish king Óláfr and his men, among whom Hrómundr Gripsson, learnt about that and found the barrow. Þráinn, who had become a draugr (living dead), was sitting inside. No one but Hrómundr dared to enter. After a long and fierce fight, he defeated Þráinn and took his treasure, especially his sword, with which Þráinn had killed four hundred and twenty men, including the Swedish king Semingr.^[14]

Hrómundr used Mistilteinn during the battle between Óláfr and two Swedish kings both named Haldingr. He killed Helgi inn frækni (the Valiant), who had slain his brothers. He then lost Mistilteinn in the water out of witchcraft. He deeply felt this loss but soon recovered his sword, which was found in the stomach of a pike. But Mistilteinn was of no help when he fought king Haldingr, whom he eventually killed with a club.

In one version of Norse mythology, Odin's son Baldr was prophesized to die, so his mother Frigg, Odin's wife, forced everything in the Nine Realms to swear not to harm him, all with the exception of the plant mistletoe, which was deemed too weak to pose a threat. One day, Baldr was showing off his invincibility by having all the Æsir gods hurl things at him. However, his blind brother Höðr was left out of the revelry. Odin's sworn brother Loki, jealous of Baldr's good looks and charisma, handed Hod a weapon he fashioned from mistletoe, Mistilteinn, and encouraged him to join in on the fun. Höðr then threw the weapon at his brother and struck him dead. Odin was so distraught at his favored son's death that he killed Höðr on the spot.

Mjölnir is Thor's hammer, used both as a weapon and as a spiritual focus with which to perform divine acts.

Riðill (sometimes anglicised to Rithill or Ridill) or Refil is a sword possessed by the dwarf Regin.

Regin then approached Fafnir and cut out his heart with a sword named Ridill, and afterwards drank blood from his wound.

Riðill appears in the Fáfnismál, an eddic poem in the Poetic Edda. Regin's older brother Fáfnir had killed their father Hreiðmarr and taken his treasure. Regin goads the hero Sigurd into killing Fáfnir, who was transformed into a serpent or dragon at the time. After Fáfnir's defeat, Regin draws his own sword Riðill and uses it to cut out Fafnir's heart. The two roast the heart for them to eat.^[16]

The Volsunga saga was likely later than and dependent on the Fáfnismál, and recounts a similar story. However, in it, it is Sigurd himself who uses Riðill (rather than his sword Gram) to cut out Fáfnir's heart.^[17]

Reginn had that sword which was named Refill. So he [Reginn] fled away, and Fáfnir went up to Gnita Heath, and made himself a lair, and turned himself into a serpent, and laid him down upon the gold.

The story also appears in the Skáldskaparmál of the Prose Edda, but the name of the sword is given as Refil or Refill there.^[16]

Skofnung (Old Norse: Skǫfnungr) is the sword of legendary Danish king Hrólf Kraki that appears in Hrólfs saga kraka. It was renowned for supernatural sharpness and hardness.

The Vanir Freyr has an unnamed sword that is one of the few weapons that is capable of fighting on its own.

The Prose Edda contains:

Then Freyr answered and said that he had seen a fair woman; and for her sake he was so full of grief that he would not live long if he were not to obtain her. (...) Then Skírnir answered thus: he would go on his errand, but Freyr should give him his own sword—which is so good that it fights of itself;—and Freyr did not refuse, but gave him the sword. Then Skírnir went forth and wooed the woman for him, and received her promise.

Freyr asks Skírnir to bring Gerðr to him, but his messenger demands his sword from him, and Freyr gives it. However, the loss of Freyr's sword has long-term consequences. According to the Prose Edda, Freyr had to fight Beli without his sword and slew him with an antler. The result at Ragnarök, the end of the world, will be much more serious. Freyr is fated to fight the fire-giant Surtr and, since he will not have his sword, he will be defeated.

In the Poetic Edda, it is said that during Ragnarok, the sun of warrior gods shines from Surtr's sword.^[20] One theory is that the sword which Surtr uses to slay Freyr is his own sword, which Freyr had earlier bargained away for Gerðr. This would add a further layer of tragedy to the myth. Sigurður Nordal argued for this view, but the possibility represented by Ursula Dronke's translation that it is a simple coincidence is equally possible.^[21] In the poem Skírnismál, the sword is given to Skírnir and used to threaten Gerðr, but not explicitly given to either the giantess or her father, much less Surtr.

Freyr's sword appears throughout Rick Riordan's fantasy novel series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard as the sword "Sumarbrander" (nicknamed "Jack"), the main weapon of the titular protagonist.

Tyrfing, also rendered as Tirfing and Tyrving, was a magic sword that features in the Tyrfing Cycle. This includes a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and the Hervarar saga. It is a powerful sword, but it was made under duress by dwarf smiths. In revenge for being forced to make the sword, they added a curse that the sword would be the cause of three great evils.