Named / Legendary Spears

[Shockley]

Hrm.

Here is Luo's version:

"And the three brothers went forth to welcome the merchants. They were Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang from Zhongshan. They went northwards every year to buy horses. They were now on their way home because of the Yellow Scarves. The brothers invited them to the farm, where wine was served before them. Then Liu Bei told them of the plan to strive for tranquillity. Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang were glad and at once gave the brothers fifty good steeds, and beside, five hundred ounces of gold and silver and one thousand five hundred pounds of steel fit for the forging of weapons.

The brothers expressed their gratitude, and the merchants took their leave. Then blacksmiths were summoned to forge weapons. For Liu Bei they made a pair of ancient swords; for Guan Yu they fashioned a long-handled, curve blade called Green-Dragon Saber, which weighed a full one hundred pounds; and for Zhang Fei they created a ten-foot spear called Serpent Halberd. Each too had a helmet and full armor."

It's worth noting that they forged ancient swords. Think about that for ten seconds.

 

[James Lecky]

In Irish mythology the god/warrior Lugh carried a spear which, depending on which version of the myths you read, had certain magical properties. It was said to howl for blood and had to be kept hooded when not in use (other versions say that it had to be kept immersed in water) it never missed its target and would always return to the caster when thrown. It went by the rather enchanting name of The Slaughterer and, again according to which version you subscribe to, was either brought by the Danann to Ireland from one of their four legendary cities, or stolen from the King of Persia.

 

[Zero Angel]

In Irish mythology the god/warrior Lugh carried a spear which, depending on which version of the myths you read, had certain magical properties. It was said to howl for blood and had to be kept hooded when not in use (other versions say that it had to be kept immersed in water) it never missed its target and would always return to the caster when thrown. It went by the rather enchanting name of The Slaughterer and, again according to which version you subscribe to, was either brought by the Danann to Ireland from one of their four legendary cities, or stolen from the King of Persia.

Thanks James! This is frequently called the Gáe Assail, Ar-éadbair, Yew of the Wood, and the Sling-Stone. It's unclear if the four spears are different weapons or the same, but Ar-éadbair translates to slaughterer.

 

[lapizzaman]

Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buide

Hi Guys,

A character I invented for WotA is of a position that she knows a lot of the legends and history of our world, and as such has fashioned her weapons after some of the most legendary/powerful/historical spears we've ever heard of.

Problem is, I can't seem to find many from history.

So far, only Ascalon, Gungnir and Bolga have impressed me enough to make the list (although I am combining Gáe Bolga with Gáe Assail for the purpose of her weapons). I was extremely pleased to find out about Rhongomiant/Rhongomyniad being the spear of King Arthur, then less happy to find out that it basically has nothing special about it. One source has Arthur say God gave it to him along with his other two weapons, dagger and sword. While another source says it was owned by his dad.

Not interested in the Spear of Destiny / Lance of Longinus for the purpose of this story (although it pops up in my Dracula story).

I'm to the point where I am considering her being a little less picky and choosing other famous named weapons, but making spear-versions.

Anyway. Any help in finding other famous spears that I've overlooked or maybe famous weapons the character can reasonably adapt into a spear would be greatly appreciated.

I've already looked here: "List of magical weapons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia" and here: "List of mythological objects - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia", although feel free to make a case for one of them if you think I'm being unduly harsh.

BTW, the character summons the spears from a pocket subRealm so the more the merrier. Right now, she's using Ascalon as her primary hack-and-slash with Gáe Bolga in her offhand and relying on Gungnir more for execution style throws.

Seeing Gáe Bolga and Gáe Assail made me think of the two spears that Dariamud, a legendary knight and spearsman, had, called Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe. Gáe Dearg was a Red magical long spear, 2 meters, that's magic could nerf any magic. Gáe Buidhe was a Gold cursed short spear, 1.4 meters, that's wounds would never be able to heal unless the spear was destroyed or the owner killed. This may be a nice spear combo to make. Though I must say, Gáe Bolga and Gáe Assail are particularly bad-ass, since Gáe Bolga can "Move" at immposible angles to reach and peirce the enemy's heart, and even reach around the entire planet, while Gáe Assail can return to the caster's hand after being thrown. Doing both would be really cool and really similar projects though.

 

[Zero Angel]

Seeing Gáe Bolga and Gáe Assail made me think of the two spears that Dariamud, a legendary knight and spearsman, had, called Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe. Gáe Dearg was a Red magical long spear, 2 meters, that's magic could nerf any magic. Gáe Buidhe was a Gold cursed short spear, 1.4 meters, that's wounds would never be able to heal unless the spear was destroyed or the owner killed. This may be a nice spear combo to make. Though I must say, Gáe Bolga and Gáe Assail are particularly bad-ass, since Gáe Bolga can "Move" at immposible angles to reach and peirce the enemy's heart, and even reach around the entire planet, while Gáe Assail can return to the caster's hand after being thrown. Doing both would be really cool and really similar projects though.

Thank you very much. I actually had never read about Diarmuid Ua Duibhne and his spears (and swords for that matter). Very cool. The character really doesn't have much difficulty killing, so I'm not sure these spears have a role in her character, but I still found it very enlightening to read about. Thank you!

I'm glad you like the combo! The Bolga/Assail is mostly Bolga, and named Gáe Bolga. I really like how she uses it because I designed the spear to be a bit more organic with the many thorns/barbs sprouting from it as though growing branches. As she fights with Gáe Bolga, the thorns elongate, grow and rip through the enemy (especially effective against very large creatures like dragons and ultrahydrae). Because of the inherit magick of the character, she can summon and dismiss her spears relatively quickly, but for Bolga/Assail, I have throws (and thus returns) operate as though the spear never leaves her hands, it just grows and retracts at will.

At the point I am with the story I am writing for this character, I am *OK* with just the three spears I have. Ascalon doubles as a shield/sword (which I thought was fitting since it is a sword in some legends of St. George), so it's ideal for close combat and when she needs the extra defense. Gugnir is her opener usually, although it is useful whenever something is retreating or at an extreme distance. The character herself has super-speed and can enlarge all the spears to immense proportions (like, football fields worth), so things have to be pretty far before Gugnir is called out. She usually prefers to avoid Gáe Bolga, but when circumstances dictate or when she needs the extra firepower, it comes.

If I come up with additional spears or weapons-adapted-into-spears, then I may include them in prequels, or possibly even being passed down to her daughter eventually, although her daughter fights entirely differently.

Anyway, thanks again for the info about Dariamud!

 

[DarkMachinations]

Thanks James! This is frequently called the Gáe Assail, Ar-éadbair, Yew of the Wood, and the Sling-Stone. It's unclear if the four spears are different weapons or the same, but Ar-éadbair translates to slaughterer.

Dont know how much help this is, but there is;

Trishula: The 3-Pronged Spear wielded by Durga and Shiva, it's historically said to have severed the original head of Ganesha.

Rhongomyniad: The Spear wielded by King Arthur.

Vel: The Spear wielded by the Hindu War God Karthikeya.

Spear of Fuchai: The Spear Wielded by King Fuchai of Wu

and Obviously the Parent of Chu Chulainne, Lugh, and his "Spear of Lugh" and in the Stories of Lugh, there is the Spear "Crimall" which was said to be able to blind Cormac Mac Airt.

Legendary Spearmen with not so legendary named spears. Vladimir Dracul Tepes III aka Vlad the Impaler. and Lu Bu. Also interestingly enough.

Karna, The Son of the Sun God Surya, The Invulnerable Hero from the Indian Epic "Mahabharata" who wielded the Legendary Mythical Spear, Vasavi Shakti, which is said to be able to kill Gods.

 

[Zero Angel]

Thanks a lot DarkMachinations!

Dont know how much help this is, but there is;

Trishula: The 3-Pronged Spear wielded by Durga and Shiva, it's historically said to have severed the original head of Ganesha.

This is very cool, but my research has me believing that trishula is the generic name of the weapon. i.e. "trishula" is how you say "trident". I really like having some trident, but both Shiva's trishula and Neptune's trident aren't given any specific name.

Rhongomyniad: The Spear wielded by King Arthur.

I've always wanted to use this but other than it being mentioned once in one legend (then later being shortened to just "ron" which just means "spear"), there is next to no information on Rhongomyniad. If I do end up using this one, then I will have to completely make up any of its properties.

Vel: The Spear wielded by the Hindu War God Karthikeya.

This is awesome! I especially like how it embodies the energy and power of his mother, Parvati, the goddess of all power.

Spear of Fuchai: The Spear Wielded by King Fuchai of Wu

I saw a picture of this in a museum, but other than being owned by the last king of Wu, it doesn't seem like anything.

and Obviously the Parent of Chu Chulainne, Lugh, and his "Spear of Lugh" and in the Stories of Lugh, there is the Spear "Crimall" which was said to be able to blind Cormac Mac Airt.

Crimall is cool but is trumped by Gae Bolga, and I've folded Bolga and the many spears of Lugh into one. Thanks for the suggestions. Crimall actually was Cormac's own spear and used to blind him, forcing him to abdicate the throne.

Legendary Spearmen with not so legendary named spears. Vladimir Dracul Tepes III aka Vlad the Impaler. and Lu Bu. Also interestingly enough.

Karna, The Son of the Sun God Surya, The Invulnerable Hero from the Indian Epic "Mahabharata" who wielded the Legendary Mythical Spear, Vasavi Shakti, which is said to be able to kill Gods.

I LOVE VASAVI SHAKTI. That one is incredibly super awesome. I like pretty much everything about it. Works perfectly as the ultimate last resort. .

I've also decided to reconsider Gae Dearg and make some sort of cold iron/anti-wizard-specialized spear.

 

[Bradford]

There are the Spears of Diarmuid ua Duibhne Gáe Buidhe and Gáe Dearg