Sword of Attila

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The Sword of Attila was the legendary weapon carried by Attila the Hun. The Roman historian Jordanes, quoting the work of the historian Priscus, gave the story of its origin:

"When a certain shepherd beheld one heifer of his flock limping and could find no cause for this wound, he anxiously followed the trail of blood and at length came to a sword it had unwittingly trampled while nibbling the grass. He dug it up and took it straight to Attila. He rejoiced at this gift and, being ambitious, thought he had been appointed ruler of the whole world, and that through the sword of Mars supremacy in all wars was assured to him."

— Jordanes, The Origin and Deeds of the Goths ch. XXXV^[1]

The use of "Mars" here is likely a mistake of Priscus, however, as the Huns would not have adopted the names of Roman deities; the more likely name used by the Huns would have been the more generic "sword of the war god;" Hungarian legends refer to it simply as "az Isten kardja," the sword of God. Priscus's description is also notable for describing how Attila used it as both a military weapon and a symbol of divine favor, which may have contributed to his reputation as "the Scourge of God," a divinely-appointed punisher. As historian Edward Gibbon elaborated, "the vigor with which Attila wielded the sword of Mars, convinced the world that it had been reserved alone for his invincible arm."^[2] In this way it became somewhat of a sceptre as well, representing Attila's right to rulership.

A Viennese museum today holds a weapon rumored to be the Sword of Attila.