Feb 17, 1999

by SunshineDuk, Saturday, March 16, 2013, 07:35 (4367 days ago) @ Ragashingo

So, an early childhood obsession with Marathon got me hooked on legendary swords.

There were indeed three mythical blades in the Song of Roland--Durendal (Durandal), Curtana (Cortana), and Joyeuse. Durendal (or Durindana) was wielded by Roland himself in battle, and was known for its endurance. It was lost upon Roland's death at the hands of the Moors, in the climax of the Song of Roland (spoilers!).

Curtana was originally the sword of Tristan, the one who married Iseult, but gained greatest fame as the sword of Ogier the Dane, greatest of Charlemagne's enemies and later one of his dearest allies. The term Curtana is also used to refer to any cut-down sword, most notably the sword of Edward the Confessor, known as the Sword of Mercy.

But we already knew all about Durandal and Cortana. So I've been scrawling "WHERE IS JOYEUSE?" in my notebooks for years, waiting for the third shoe to drop. And instead we get... Charlemagne himself? Now THAT'S interesting. But ah, we note that Charlemagne is only ONE of the great Warminds of old Mars. Perhaps we will yet see Joyeuse? Or perhaps Joyeuse will be a component of Charlemagne?

And what IS Joyeuse? Joyeuse, according to the legend, was the mythical sword of Charlemagne, the Sword of Light. It changed colors many times every day! It was used to behead Ogier's father and then knight Ogier himself as a paladin. It's currently part of the French regalia, but it's arguable whether or not that's the real Joyeuse.

SUFFICE IT TO SAY, I AM VERY EXCITED WE'RE SEEING MORE SWORD-AIS IN DESTINY.

~Duk