Top 15 Most Powerful Mythological Weapons

15 Incredible Mythological Weapons

A hammer imbued with the raw power of thunder and lightning. An unbreakable golden cudgel that can pin the seas and an arrow that is as deadly as a nuclear warhead.

These are but three of the many incredible weapons in the world of mythology.

Whether any truly exist, all have captured the imaginations of humans for centuries. In some cases, these powerful mythological weapons are even academically recognized as important cultural icons.

In other words, these fantastic armaments don’t just represent power or blessings. They are also symbols of authority, wisdom, divine salvation, and of course, godly might.

15 Most Powerful and Famous Weapons in Mythology

1. The Trident of Poseidon
2. Zeus’ Lightning Bolt
3. Ruyi Jingu Bang
4. Ax of Pangu
5. Kusanagi no Tsurugi
6. Mjolnir
7. Gungnir
8. Spear of Longinus
9. Excalibur
10. Fragarach
11. Sharur
12. Gáe Bulg
13. Sudarshana Chakra
14. Shiva’s Trishula
15. Brahmāstra/Brahmashirā

1. The Trident of Poseidon

Even if you’re unfamiliar with Greek mythology, you would surely still associate the trident with the sea.

The legendary weapon of Poseidon, the Greek God of the Seas, the trident was forged by cyclopes and described as able to control and create all forms of water. Within some Greek myths, Poseidon also used the trident to create the world’s first horse and to raise the sacred island of Delos.

With Poseidon also called the earth-shaker by Homer, it’s safe to assume the trident is capable of summoning earthquakes too.

Jump forth to modern times, Poseidon’s Trident has appeared in many movies and novels, always as a powerful weapon/artifact of oceanic powers. In Disney’s The Little Mermaid, it could fire energy projectiles. In the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the trident was able to control merfolk, create thunderstorms, and even unleash tidal waves.

Within the modern business and political world, the symbol of the trident is now heavily associated with maritime commerce and naval superiority. For example, Britannia, the national personification of Britain, wields a trident. A reminder that the British Empire once ruled the seas.

Of note, researchers believe that Poseidon’s trident was based on ancient Greek fishing spears. Historical scholars have also theorized that the three prongs represent the three types of water bodies. Or the three properties of water.

2. Zeus’ Lightning Bolt

Also called Zeus’ Thunderbolt, the signature weapon of the King of the Greek Gods was forged by cyclopes and given to him to aid in the overthrowing of the Titans. Ancient writers such as Apollodorus and Hesiod tend to describe the weapon in the plural, which strongly suggests that the thunderbolt is a power rather than a physical weapon.

A symbol of Zeus’ domain of the sky, this powerful Greek mythological weapon was subsequently used to defeat numerous key enemies of the Olympians. During the Gigantomachy, Zeus severely wounded the powerful giant Porphyrion with it – he first distracted the giant by enchanting him into lusting for Hera. Thereafter, Heracles shot the giant dead with an arrow.

When Gaia responded to the slaying of the Giants (her children) by birthing the horrific Typhon, the thunderbolt was instrumental to Zeus’ defeat of the immense, winged monster. Though Zeus was temporarily incapacitated during the long fight, he ultimately achieved total victory.

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As Apollodorus wrote, when Typhon heaved mountains at Zeus, these recoiled through the force of the thunderbolt. After Typhon was pinned under Mount Etna, the mountain continues to emit fire thanks to the thunderbolts thrown at the monster.

Interestingly, a lightning or thunderbolt as a powerful heavenly weapon appears in many other mythologies too, most notably, Indra’s Vajra in Vedic beliefs. This phenomenon offers a hint at the cross-cultural influences that might have happened during ancient times.

3. Ruyi Jingu Bang

The signature armament of Sun Wukong the Chinese Monkey King, Ruyi Jingu Bang means the “As-You-Wish Golden Cudgel” in Chinese.

Unbreakable and capable of shrinking or enlarging to incredible sizes, the weapon was a perfect complement to the Monkey King’s agility. In Journey to the West, Sun stylishly defeated numerous adversaries with the mighty weapon. Few gods, heavenly soldiers, or demons could withstand its might.

The golden cudgel wasn’t created by Sun, though. Neither was it even a cudgel, to begin with.

Before Sun stole it from the Eastern Ocean Dragon Palace, the artifact was known as Dinghai Shenzhen, or “ocean-calming magical pin.” No more than a huge iron pillar, the artifact was supposedly used by Yu the Great to measure the depths of the world flood during ancient times.

After Sun lifted the pillar, it shrunk to the size of a cudgel. Its name and weight of thirteen thousand five hundred catties also appeared as inscriptions on the surface. Thereafter, the pillar bonded with the Monkey King and became his permanent, signature weapon.

4. Ax of Pangu

In Chinese mythology, the world in its present form is said to be the work of the ancient giant Pangu. Born within the egg-like primordial chaos that existed before everything, Pangu split the sky from the earth by shoving outwards. He kept pushing till the world as we know it was formed.

The Ming Dynasty compendium Kai Pi Yan Yi subsequently expanded on this by describing Pangu as having been “born” with a mythical ax. The story then largely remains the same with the exception that Pangu used the axe together with his divine strength to separate the sky and the earth.

Obscure as Kai Pi Yan Yi is, though, the image of Pangu wielding an ax found popularity in Chinese culture, particularly in modern times. The ax is increasingly featured in Chinese video games, Xianxia movies, and fantasy television series.

To give an example, in the Taiwanese video game series, Xuan Yuan Sword, Pangu’s Ax is one of ten supreme mythical artifacts of China. In this franchise, the ax is not just a mighty weapon, it is also capable of creating time-traveling portals with one cleave.

5. Kusanagi no Tsurugi

The most powerful sword in Shinto mythology is more than just a mythical weapon. It also represents the divine right of the Japanese royal family to rule the Japanese archipelago.

Part of the Japanese Imperial Regalia, the “grass-cutter sword” was retrieved from the carcass of the dreadful Orochi Serpent by Shinto Storm God Susanoo, after which the storm god gifted the precious sword to his sister, Amaterasu the Sun Goddess, as a gesture of reconciliation. (The two gods had a bitter fallout earlier)

Thereafter, Kusanagi was granted to the warrior prince Yamato Takeru, a legendary ancestor of the Japanese emperors. This latter act is said to be an acknowledgment of the divine lineage of the Japanese royal family.

Said to be capable of controlling winds and with a blade sturdy enough to chip even the personal armament of Susanoo, Kusanagi no Tsurugi is today safeguarded by Atsuda Shrine of Nagoya, although none has seen the mythical blade for centuries. Some historians have furthermore theorized that the original sword was likely long lost at sea during the Genpei War. That is, had the sword existed at all.

Finally, the formal name of this Japanese mythological weapon is Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. The alternate name stems from the most famous legend associated with Yamato Takeru. While escaping from enemies, the warrior prince hid in a grass field. Later, he used the sword to swipe away large swathes of grass and redirect wildfire back at his enemies.

6. Mjolnir

Thanks to Marvel Comics and its many movies, the legendary hammer of Norse Thunder God Thor is now famous throughout the world.

Described in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies as forged by dwarves in the heart of a dying star, Mjolnir was extremely durable, enhanced by a variety of enhancements, and usable only by those deemed worthy by the hammer. When in the hands of Captain America, the mystic hammer could also summon lightning, although this is a contradiction as the Marvel movies earlier stated that Mjolnir has all along been merely channeling Thor's innate power.

Within classic Norse mythology, though, there is no mention of Mjolnir only being usable by Thor. In one of the most famous Norse myths, the hammer was even stolen by the giant Thrym. Thor, misled by the mischief of Loki, had to masquerade as a bride to reclaim it.

In the Prose Edda, Thor also used his hammer to confer blessings. Additionally, the ancient textbook highlighted that Thor could only use Mjolnir when wearing his enchanted gloves.

Finally, the mallet-like weapon shown in the Marvel movies is neither historically nor culturally accurate. In medieval Latin texts, Thor was simply described as wielding hammer-like objects or a club. Medieval Mjolnir pendants recovered in Scandinavia are also of a blade-like shape, hardly the sort of mallet shown in the movies.

7. Gungnir

The most famous Norse mythological weapon after Mjolnir, Gungnir is the spear of All-Father Odin, one of the most important Asgardian gods and the father of Thor.

According to the Skáldskaparmál section of the Prose Edda, Gungnir was forged and owned by dwarves, till Loki swindled the mighty weapon away and gave it to Odin. An earlier section of the Prose Edda also foretells that during Ragnarok, Odin would battle the Fenrir wolf with Gungnir while wearing a golden helmet.

The Poetic Edda furthermore denotes that Odin started the Æsir-Vanir War by throwing a spear (presumably Gungnir) over the Vanir gods. The Sigrdrífumál section then states that magical runes were carved onto the tip. Presumably, these runes magnified the power of the spear.