10 Legendary Historical Swords That Actually Exist

1. The Sword of Saint Galgano

One night the Archangel Michael appeared in a dream to Sir Galgano and beckoned to him to follow, for the Archangel would show him the path to God. The knight, surprised but fearless, followed him down a narrow difficult path to Monte Siepi. Eventually they stopped before a circular-shaped church, outside of which the Twelve Apostles were standing. They greeted Galgano and told him what he should do and where he should go.  At first Sir Galgano ignored the vision. It was not until some days later when he was out riding that he changed. As he went along his way, his horse suddenly reared and he fell. As he struggled to rise, he felt as if he were being lifted to his feet by invisible hands and then, guided by a seraphic voice, he made his way to Monte Siepi, a rugged hill near Chiusdino.  The voice bade him stop and look up. There, at the top of the hill, was the circular church with Our Lord and Our Lady surrounded by the Apostles. As he climbed the hill, the vision faded. When he reached the top, the voice spoke again, commanding him to renounce all worldly pleasures. Galgano replied, “Indeed, I would gladly follow your order, but doing so for me would be as easy as splitting rocks with a sword.” The sword of St. Galgano can still be viewed in Montesiepi Chapel To prove his point, he drew his weapon and struck a nearby rock with all his force, fully expecting the blade to snap. Instead, the weapon penetrated the rock like a hot knife through butter. Galgano never left the hill again. To this day pilgrims can see the cross-shaped sword of St. Galgano – proven to date to the 12th century – embedded to its hilt in a jagged rock that protrudes from the center of the tile floor in the circular end of Montesiepi Chapel.

2. Sword of State

The Manx Sword of State is a ceremonial sword that represents the Tynwald on the Isle of Man. It represents the duties of the Sovereign of the Isle of Man, and is used every month in Tynwald, and annually during the Tynwald Day ceremony. There have been three swords used for such functions over the years. One is used for the ceremonies; one is housed in a museum; the other was lost in the 18th century. The Sword of State is popularly said to date to the mid 13th century, however it is not unlike 15th-century ceremonial swords used in England, and recent analysis dates it to the 15th century as well.

3. Szczerbiec

Historical accounts related to the early history of the Polish coronation sword are scant and often mixed with legend. The earliest known use of the name “Szczerbiec” appeared in the Chronicle of Greater Poland at the turn of the 14th century. According to this source, the sword was given to King Boleslaus the Brave (reigned 992–1025) by an angel; Polish kings were supposed to always carry it in battle to triumph over their enemies.

4. Sword of Osman

The Sword of Osman  was an important sword of state used during the enthronement ceremony  of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire. The sword was named after Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Dynasty. The practice started when Osman I was girt with the sword of Islam by his mentor and father-in-law Sheikh Edebali.

5. Sugari No Ontachi

Sugari No Ontachi  is a sword which represents the regalia of Japan. It is being held at the Ise Shrine in the Mie Prefecture and only taken out when a new emperor ascends the throne. During this ceremony, a feather from a crested ibis is also used. The last time the sword was taken out for ceremonial purposes, in 1995, the endangered status of the crested ibis caused worry that the ceremony would also eventually be impossible, so a stock of feathers from the crested ibis was gathered for use until the year 2013.

6.  Wallace Sword

The Wallace Sword is an antique two-handed sword purported to have belonged to William Wallace (1270–1305), a Scottish knight who led a resistance to the English occupation of Scotland during the Wars of Scottish Independence. It is said to have been used by William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling in 1297 and the Battle of Falkirk (1298).

7. Joyeuse

A sword identified with Charlemagne’s Joyeuse was carried in front of the Coronation processionals for French kings, for the first time in 1270 , and for the last time in 1824 . The sword was kept in the Saint Denis Basilica since at least 1505, and it was moved to the Louvre in 1793.

8. Seven-Branched Sword

The Seven-Branched Sword  is a sword of continental manufacture believed to be identical with the artifact of that name, a gift of the king of Baekje that has been bestowed upon a Yamato ruler as a gift who is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki in the fifty-second year of the reign of the semi mythical Empress Jingū.

9.  Sword of Goujian

The Sword of Goujian is an archaeological artifact of the Spring and Autumn period 771 to 403BCE found in 1965 in Hubei, China. Forged of copper and tin, it is renowned for its unusual sharpness and resistance to tarnish rarely seen in artifacts so old. This historical artifact of ancient China is currently in the possession of the Hubei Provincial Museum.

10. Sword of Saint Peter

The Sword of Saint Peter is allegedly the sword with which the Apostle Peter cut off the right ear of the high priest’s servant at the time of Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane. The sword is wide-tipped, similar in shape to a dussack or machete. It is in the Poznań Archdiocesan Museum.