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List of mythological objects

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Mythological objects (also known as mythical objects) encompasses a variety of items (e.g. weapons, armor, clothing) appearing in world mythologies. This list will be organized according to category of object.

Armour

  • The Armour of Achilles, created by Hephaestus and said to be impenetrable (Greek mythology)
  • The Armour of Thor, consisting of the Girdle of Might, a magic belt that doubled his strength; and iron gloves so he could wield Mjolnir (see below)
  • The Armour of Beowulf, made by Weyland the Smith
  • The Armour of Karna, known as Kavacha. In Indian Mythology Karna was the son of the Sun god. Karna was born with Kavacha, his armor. Nothing can penetrate Kavacha. Indra, the king of the gods in Amravati in Svarga, tricked Karna to give it to him, so that Arjuna, Indra's son born as a human on earth can slay him in the Kurukshetra War.

Headgear

Shields

Shields from the Matter of Britain

  • The Shield of Galahad, made by King Evelake and adorned with a red cross painted with the blood of Joseph of Arimathea.
  • The Shield of Lancelot, given to him by the Lady of the Lake, it instantly cured him of tiredness and gave him the strength of three men.

Shields from the Spanish mythology

Weapons

Further information: List of magical weapons

Swords

Swords from Celtic mythology

  • Caladbolg (also Caladcholg), the sword of Fergus mac Róich and powerful enough to cut the tops off three hills; related to the Caledfwlch of Welsh mythology
  • Caledfwlch Often compared to Excalibur (and might be an alternate name for it), this sword is used by Llenlleawg Wyddel to kill Diwrnach Wyddel and his men.
  • Claíomh Solais (The Sword of Light), the sword of Nuada Airgeadlámh, leader of the Tuatha de Danann, legendary king of Ireland
  • Fragarach (also The Sword of Air, The Answerer or The Retaliator), forged by the gods, wielded by Manannan mac Lir and Lugh Lamfada. No armor could stop it, and it would grant its wielder command over the powers of wind.
  • Dyrnwyn aka The Sword of Rhydderch - "Rhydderch the generous." A flaming sword not unlike Excalibur in abilities. One of the Spoils of Annwyn.
  • The Singing Sword of Conaire Mór

Swords from Germanic mythology (excluding Norse)

Swords from the Matter of Britain

Swords from Norse mythology

  • Balmung/Gram, the sword that Odin struck into the Branstock tree which only Sigmund the Volsung was able to pull out. It broke in battle with Odin but was later reforged by Sigmund's son Sigurd/Siegfried and used it to slay the dragon Fafnir. After being reforged, it could cleave an anvil in half. (Norse mythology)
  • Dáinsleif is king Högni's sword, according to Snorri Sturluson's account of the battle known as the Hjaðningavíg.
  • Mistilteinn, the magical sword of Prainn, the draugr, later owned by Hromundr Gripsson
  • Freyr's sword, Freyr's magic sword which fought on its own. It might be Lævateinn.
  • Tyrfing (also Tirfing or Tervingi), the cursed sword of Svafrlami, from the Elder Edda; also said to be the sword of Odin in Richard Wagner's works.
  • Hofud, the sword of Heimdall, the guardian of Bifrost.
  • Skofnung, a sword with mythical properties associated with the legendary Danish king Hrólf Kraki.
  • Laevateinn, a sword mentioned in an emendation to the Poetic Edda Fjölsvinnsmál by Sophus Bugge.

Swords from the Matter of France

Swords from Spanish mythology

Polearms

Celtic mythology

  • The Gae Bolg, the spear of Cuchulainn, given to him by Aife, the sister of Scathach, and made from the bone of a sea-monster.
  • The Spear Luin (also Spear of Fire or Spear of Destiny), forged by the Smith of Falias for Lugh to use in his fight against Balor.
  • Ogma's Whip - the spear of Ogma (the Celtic sun god) is used to "guide the passage of the invisible sun".
  • Rhongomiant, which was the spear of King Arthur.
  • Ysbaddadan's Javelins This Fomori owned a set of spears dipped in poisonous venom.

Norse mythology

  • Gungnir, Odin's magic spear created by the dwarf Dvalin. It would never miss its aim and it could not be stopped in mid-throw.
  • Spears of the Valkyrie "Various" The weapons of the infamous Valkyries, these weapons are described as having flaming barbs.

Spanish mythology

Greek mythology

Japanese mythology

Christian mythology

Tridents

  • Kongō, A trident-shaped staff which emits a bright light in the darkness. It gives a man wisdom and insight. The staff belonged originally to the Japanese mountain-god Koya-no-Myoin. It is the equivalent of the Sanskrit vajra, the lightning-jewel of the mountain-god Indra. There the staff represents the three flames of the sacrificial fire, part of the image of the vajra wheel.
  • Poseidon's Trident, used to create horses and some water sources in Greece. It could cause earthquakes when struck on the ground. Greek.
  • Trishula, the trident of the Hindu deity Shiva, stylized by some as used as a missile weapon and often included a crossed stabilizer to facilitate flight when thrown.

Bows and arrows

  • The Pashupatastra in Hindu mythology, is the irresistible and most destructive personal weapon of Shiva discharged by the mind, the eyes, words, or a bow. Never to be used against lesser enemies or by lesser warriors, the Pashupata is capable of destroying creation and vanquishing all beings.
  • Apollo's bow, could cause health or could cause famine and death in sleep.
  • Cupid's bow, could cause one to love or hate the person he/she first saw after being struck.
  • Gandiva, Arjuna's bow in The Bhagavad-Gita ("Song of God")
  • The Golden Bow, Ilmarinen was tasked with forging Sampo, his first attempt produced lesser artifacts which he smashed - a Golden Bow, a Red Ship and a Golden Plough.
  • Heracles's bow, Which also belonged to Philoctetes, its arrows had the Lernaean Hydra poison.
  • Brahmastra is a weapon created by Brahma as per the Hindu mythology.As described in a number of the vedic literature, it is considered the deadliest weapon. It is said that when a Brahmastra is discharged, there is neither a counter attack nor a defense that may stop it.The weapon also causes severe environmental damage. The land where the weapon is used becomes barren for eons and all life in and around that area ceases to exist. Women and men become infertile. There is severe decrease in rainfall and the land develops cracks like in a drought.

Clothing

Jewelry

Greek mythology

Norse mythology

  • Andvarinaut was a magical ring capable of producing gold, first owned by Andvari. (Norse mythology)
  • Brísingamen is the necklace of the goddess Freyja. When she wore it no man or god could withstand her charms. (Norse mythology)
  • Draupnir is a golden arm ring possessed by Odin. The ring was a source of endless wealth, since each ninth morning it had spawned eight more gold rings just like itself. (Norse mythology)
  • The Golden Tresses of Sif - Loki tricked the beautiful Sif into shaving her head. The Golden Tresses of Sif are the wig made to hide the mess. The Golden Tresses moulded themselves to Sif's head and even grew longer like real hair (Norse mythology).

Spanish mythology

Philippine mythology

  • The Agimat or bertud or anting-anting, is a Filipino word for amulet or charm.[1] Although stereotyped as a cross, a flat, round or triangular golden pendant accompanying a necklace or a necklace-like item. With it, the person can also be able to shoot or fire lightning via hands, or generate electricity throughout one's body. The person can also perform telekinesis , stop a live bullet, can have premonitions, morphing abilities, camouflage abilities like a chameleon, can have extreme good luck, invincibility or miracle curative powers.

Hindu mythology

Jewish mythology

The Arthurian Legend

  • Necklace of a Lady of the Lake was a jeweled necklace given to Sir Pelleas after assisting an old woman across a river. It was enchanted so that its wearer would be unfathomably loved. It's true name isn't known.

Vehicles

Airborne

Boats

Chariots

Treasure

Relics

Divine Treasures in Heaven

Books

  • The Book of Thoth is a legendary book containing powerful spells and knowledge, said to have been buried with the Prince Neferkaptah in Necropolis. (Egyptian Mythology)
  • The Tablets of Destiny are mentioned in Mesopotamian mythology as a set of clay tablets which hold the power of creation and destruction. The bird-man Zu (also called Anzu) stole the tablets and the gods themselves were afraid that he would use their power to turn the gods back into clay.
  • The Jade Books in Heaven are described in several Daoist cosmographies.

Miscellaneous

  • The Crane-Skin Bag of Cumhail is the magical bag of the Celtic hero Cumhall and his son, Fionn mac Cumhaill, which held an untold amount of enchanted weapons.
  • The Cup of Jamshid is a cup of divination in the Persian mythology. It was long possessed by rulers of ancient Persia and was said to be filled with an elixir of immortality. The whole world was said to be reflected in it.
  • Gleipnir is the magic chain that bound the Fenris Wolf. It was light and thin as silk but strong as creation itself and made from six wonderful ingredients (Norse mythology)
  • Hliðskjálf, a high seat Odin uses to watch over all worlds. (Norse mythology)
  • Maui's Fishhook, used to catch the fish that would become New Zealand's North Island; the hook was also used to create the Hawaiian islands (Polynesian mythology)
  • Magic Mould, stolen from the Yellow Emperor by Yu so he could stop the flood. It would expand until you tell it to stop (Chinese Mythology)
  • The Palladium was a wooden statue that fell from the sky. As long as it stayed in Troy, the city-state could not lose a war.(Greek Mythology)
  • Caduceus is the winged rod of Hermes or Mercury, entwined with two serpents; originally a simple olive branch; in the hands of the god possessed of magical virtues; it is also seen as a symbol of peace. The Caduceus began to be used erroneously as a symbol of the medical profession in the United States in the 19th century, due to it having been confused with the correct symbol of the profession, the rod of Asclepius.
  • The Thyrsus aka the Sceptre of Dionysus. The symbol of the god Dionysus, a wand tipped with a pine cone and entwined with ivy leaves Greek mythology
  • The Kantele owned by "Vainamoinen" A Dulcimer made from a monstrous Pike which attacked the Sampo Questors, The Kantele could induce a deep sleep in a room full of Pohja warriors when played, but failed when one of the Questors "Lemminkainen" hummed another song too loudly wakening the sleepers. The Kantele was washed overboard in the same sorcerous tempest whipped up by Louhi. Finnish mythology
  • Cadair Idris, aka The Chair of Idris the Giant. Anyone sitting on this giant sized stone chair is transformed into a poet or driven mad if there is no poetry in his soul Celtic mythology
  • The Bone of Ullr - The god Ullr had a bone upon which spells were carved. (Norse mythology)
  • Orichalcum is a legendary metal mentioned in several ancient writings, most notably the story of Atlantis as recounted in the Critias dialogue, recorded by Plato. According to Critias, orichalcum was considered second only to gold in value, and was found and mined in many parts of Atlantis in ancient times. By the time of Critias, however, it was known only by name.
  • The Smoking Mirror, the mirror that the god Tezcatlipoca uses to see the whole cosmos.
  • Horn of Gabriel The name refers to the tradition identifying the Archangel Gabriel with the angel who blows the horn to announce Judgement Day, associating the infinite with the divine.

References

  1. ^ Carmen Campidoctoris o Poema latino del Campeador, Madrid, Sociedad Estatal España Nuevo Milenio, 2001
  2. ^ The History of the Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire vol. 3 Ch. XXXIV Part 1
  3. ^ Garbáty, Thomas Jay (1962). The Fallible Sword: Inception of a Motif. The Journal of American Folklore. American Folklore Society. ISBN 1898577102
  4. ^ Cantar de mio Cid. Edition of Alberto Montaner. Ed. Galaxia Gutenberg, 2007.
  5. ^ Cantar de mio Cid. Edition of Alberto Montaner. Ed. Galaxia Gutenberg, 2007.
  6. ^ Don Juan Manuel. El Conde Lucanor. Barcelona: Losada, 1997.
  7. ^ Florus. Epitomae, 1.33.
  8. ^ Épica medieval española (Cantar de los Siete Infantes de Lara). Madrid, Cátedra, 1991
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