Ode to a borrowed sword

January 27, 2011 8:03 AM

Are there any old legends, stories, or superstitions about borrowed swords or blades?

Somewhere in the back of my brain I remember a hazy old superstition about borrowing a sword from an adversary (something about borrowing their powers in battle?), but can't recall the details. I have also heard the superstition that when given a blade by another person you must make some payment for it, such as a penny, lest the blade sever your relationship.

I'm seeking lore, old stories, legends, or wives' tales about borrowing someone else's blade or lending your own blade to another. Bonus points for provenance; the culture and general time the tale dates back to, and also any magical or spiritual meaning/lesson attached to it. Thanks!

posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

Well, there's this older question.
posted by aimedwander at 8:11 AM on January 27, 2011

Thanks: That's the legend I referred to already knowing about, in the question. I'm hoping to find additional/different tales about borrowed blades. :-)
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy at 8:14 AM on January 27, 2011

Beowulf
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:20 AM on January 27, 2011

In the Neil Gaiman scripted movie of Beowulf, there is a whole subplot about the hero borrowing the ancestral sword of his rival/ally, played by John Malcovich.
posted by bingo at 8:22 AM on January 27, 2011

Skirts the definition of "borrowing", perhaps, but Joan of Arc told her inquisitors that her voices led her to search behind the altar of the church of St. Catharine, where she found a rusty sword that, once cleaned, was used by her for awhile (mainly for chasing prostitutes from camp). There are several legends as to whom the sword originally belonged to.

(spoiler alert: it was common practice for soldiers to leave arms/armor as a tribute to St Catherine after success in battle).
posted by the bricabrac man at 8:47 AM on January 27, 2011

It might be a bit of a stretch, but the story of Sir Balin (in the Arthurian romances) involves a sword apparently meant for someone else, but wielded by Balin to his own misfortune.

I had half-thought that there was a sword story along these lines in the Finnish Kalevala, but it doesn't quite fit your description. Even so, here's a link to a rundown on it.
posted by jquinby at 9:05 AM on January 27, 2011

The legend of the Hoa Kiem turtle is about a borrowed (and later restored) sword.
posted by elgilito at 10:29 AM on January 27, 2011

When my grandad let me look at his pocket knives, I always had to close them myself if I'd opened them (and he would close them if he opened them). He said it was bad luck to close a knife that someone else had opened. I don't know if this is common or if it was just his thing.
posted by cilantro at 3:11 AM on January 28, 2011