User blog:Inept Wiki User/Exploring Bases: Swords of the British Halloween

We're nearly at the end of 2018 and nearly half-way through Toaru Majutsu no Index III. We're in the middle of the British Royal Family Arc, with Carissa having launched her coup d'état attempt, later known in-universe as the British Halloween. At the same time, on the wiki, we've been somewhat delayed and are trying to catch up with the planned overhaul. Given the circumstances (and as it is Christmas), I'd thought I could work on a new entry for this little side-project which coincides with some of the existing work which I'm already doing as part of STOP (the Series Three Overhaul Project) - on the backgrounds of some of the stuff involved in the British Halloween. As there are still a fair number of tools and techniques left to be shown, for this entry I'll be just focusing on the backgrounds and abilities of the three main swords which are in play during this arc's events, all of which have been shown; Curtana, Ascalon and Hrunting.

NOTE: Bear in mind that a number of the subjects which might be involved have differing interpretations and disagreements concerning them. Also, I'm just a casual reader in these areas, so there may be some mistakes at times, though I try to avoid them as much as possible. If there are any points for improvement, correction or discussion, please feel free to discuss them in a constructive manner in the comments section below.

NOTE: Still under construction as of 01/01/2019.

Curtana
Under Construction First off, the Curtana, the sword (or technically swords) at the heart of the conflict. Said to be the greatest spiritual item of the United Kingdom and the British Royal Family, it is wielded by the country's ruler and is at the core of a powerful spell which spans the whole of the kingdom. The one in Queen Elizard's hands being the Curtana Second, created after the first sword was lost, the unearthing of the Curtana Original and its delivery to Second Princess Carissa signalled the beginning of her coup d'état.

Origin
Known as the Sword of Mercy due to its blunt end, the real-life ceremonial sword is one of the and is used in the coronations of British monarchs. Just like in the Toaru series, the current one is not the original, being a copy made in the 17th century. The Toaru sword differs in appearance from the real-life Curtana, which is also more gilded.

There are several different stories concerning the Curtana's origins. There have been claims of the original sword belonging to a number of historical or legendary figures, such as, or , with different variations and translations of the sword's name depending on the tale (such as Curtein, Cortein and Kurt).

Ascalon
Under Construction The second sword is Ascalon, the weapon which Acqua of the Back (aka William Orwell) brought with him to make up for his decreased capabilities in the wake of his defeat in Academy City at the hands of the Amakusas.

Origin
The sword is derived from the tale of  and based on the weapon with (a figure whom William Orwell is compared to in the narrative ) used to slay the dragon (either a sword, spear or lance depending on the version of the tale in question). The name Ascalon came to be associated with the weapon in certain medieval romances, derived from the Levantine city of.

The sword featured in the Toaru series was created at the end of the 16th century by an artist who tried to work out what exactly would be need to slay the dragon from the legend if it actually existed, with the sword's giant form and multiple implements being the result. The sword would eventually end up in the hands of a group who had been saved by William Orwell in Russia and subsequently gave it to him prior to his return to England, having already placed his escutcheon onto it.

Other Derivations
Under Construction

Escutcheon
Under Construction

Hrunting
Under Construction The last of the three is the sword wielded by the Knight Leader, Hrunting, which he made full use of during his duel with his old friend William Orwell (now Acqua of the Back).

Origin
Its namesake, from which it is derived, comes from the poem , perhaps the oldest surviving long story in Old English and considered one of the most important works in Old English literature. A Nordic story set in, it focuses on Beowulf, hero of the , who goes to the aid of , King of the , whose hall was being terrorized by the monster. Beowulf mortally wounds Grendel by tearing off his arm, causing to seek vengeance.

Given to Beowulf by (who had previously doubted/disliked him and apparently wished to make up for it), the sword was said to be tempered in blood and had never failed anyone who wielded it in battle, having apparently been used for heroic feats before. However it proved ineffective against Grendel's mother and Beowulf had to discard it.

After killing her, Beowulf returned the sword to Unferth, with "no ill word" for it despite its failure, and subsequently returned to his homeland, where he would become king of the Geats. He would live for 50 more years before being mortally wounded while slaying a dragon.

Blood
In the original tale, Hrunting was said to become stronger and sharpener with blood. In the Toaru series, the Knight Leader used Telesma, provided in a large quantity by the Curtana and the All-English Continent, in place of blood to temper his blade. He also makes use of the combined symbols of the two swords connected to the United Kingdom, Curtana and Hrunting, in order to strengthen his ability to control different types of power within the country and control this large amount of Telesma, said to be greater than the power held by the average Saint.

Patterns
Under Construction

Aside from the attributes associated with Hrunting from Beowulf, the Knight Leader also makes use of Pattern Magic, derived from the tales and traditions of various knight and warrior cultures across Europe (e.g. Celtic, Norse,, Charlemagnic etc), the laws and patterns of which he has studied, analyzed, refined, combined and incorporated into his own attack patterns. The tales and attributes of legendary weapons from these cultures and mythologies were included in this process. The seven patterns mentioned were Attack Range, Slicing Power, Weapon Weight, Movement Speed, Enduring Solidity, Special Use and Precise Accuracy.

Cultures
Under Construction

Specific Weapons
Under Construction In constructing his Pattern Magic, the Knight Leader analyzed and processed various knight and warrior cultures, and this included the laws and patterns for the legendary weapons found within them. Four specific weapons were named, the Norse Gungnir and, and the Celtic Fragarach and Brionac. There were likely more, but these four were the ones which were confirmed.

The first of these four, Gungnir, would also play a very important role in Kanzaki's sidestory and the first half of Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index. In Norse Mythology, is the spear of, Allfather and king of the.

The third of the four and first of the two Celtic weapons, is.

The last of the four, Brionac, also played a small role in the British Halloween itself, one which was not animated. A spiritual item based on and named after the weapon was used by a member of the knights, and when its wielder fell, a stray shot from the broken spear severed power lines for the train tracks, slightly complicating Kamijou Touma's plans to get to Folkestone. In recent times, the name Brionac has been associated with the spear of, king of the , which is considered one of the. It has cropped up in many works in Japanese media, though the name doesn't appear in surviving Irish or Welsh texts.

External References
 