Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later Early Irish ...

, Fragarach (or ''Freagarthach''), known as "The Whisperer", "The Answerer", or "The Retaliator", was the

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

of Nuada, the first high king. The sword was forged by the gods and was meant to be wielded only by those who posed above the stone of destiny (the

Lia Fail Lia is a feminine given name. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is accented Lía. In America, the name may be a variant of Leah or Lea. Lia may be a diminutive of various names including Julia, Cecilia, Amelia, Talia, Cornelia, Ophelia, Rosa ...

) which roared and the sword whispered in response. Nuada lost his arm in the first battle of Mag Tuired and, being mutilated, was no longer suitable to be high king. So, for the second battle of Mag Tuired, Nuada choose Lugh as provisional king. Using his spear and a sling given to him by Mannanan Mac Lyr, Lugh defeated the Formorians and their king Balor. During the battle, Nuada gave Lugh his sword, as a symbol of the king. Neither the poems nor the

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...

say whether Lugh wielded the sword in the battle. It was said that, with Fragarach at their throat, no one could move or tell a lie, thus the name "Answerer". The sword was also said to place the wind at the user's command and could cut through any shield or wall, and that it inflicted piercing wounds from which no man could recover.

In popular culture

In '' The Riders of the Sidhe'', author Kenneth C. Flint first reveals the sword being wielded by Manannan Mac Lir who reveals to Lugh Lamfada that he just "borrowed" the sword and it is waiting for its rightful owner. Science-fantasy author

Patricia Kennealy Morrison Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (born Patricia Kennely; March 4, 1946 – July 21, 2021) was an American author and journalist. Her published works include rock criticism, a memoir, and two series of science fiction/fantasy and murder mystery novels ...

also uses Fragarach in her series '' The Keltiad''. Fragarach appears in the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

'' module ''

The Temple of Elemental Evil ''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' is an adventure module for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', set in the game's ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign setting. The module was published by TSR, Inc. in 1985 for the first edition ''A ...

'' as a sword that never misses and "answers" any strike to the wielder with a strike of its own. In the visual novel ''

Fate/hollow ataraxia is a 2005 PC visual novel video game developed by Type-Moon, and the sequel to ''Fate/stay night''. The word "ataraxia" in the title is a Greek term for " tranquility", giving the title the combined meaning of "empty (or false) tranquility" ...

'' and manga ''

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya is a Japanese manga series by Hiroshi Hiroyama (also known as KALMIA), serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's ''Comp Ace'' magazine from 2007 to 2008. It is an alternate universe spin-off of the ''Fate/stay night'' visual novel by Type-Mo ...

'', the sword appears as the weapon of Bazett Fraga McRemitz. It is a weapon that, upon the activation of an opponent's strongest attack, reverses time and kills the enemy before they use their attack. In the ''

Digimon , short for "Digital Monsters" ( ''Dejitaru Monsutā''), is a Japanese media franchise encompassing virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures, who inhabit a ...

'' series, Fragarach is an extensible greatsword carried by Slayerdramon an Ultimate-level Dragon Man Digimon. In

Diane Duane Diane Duane (born May 18, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, long based in Ireland. Her works include the ''Young Wizards'' young adult fantasy series and the '' Rihannsu'' Star Trek novels. Biography Born in New York ...

's novel ''

A Wizard Abroad ''A Wizard Abroad'' is the fourth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to ''High Wizardry''. Synopsis Nita and Kit's parents have never been fully behind their children's practices and in this book Nita's parents ...

'' (part of her ''

Young Wizards ''Young Wizards'' is a series of novels by Diane Duane. The Young Wizards series presently consists of eleven books, focusing on the adventures of two young wizards named Nita and Kit. Each novel pits Nita and Kit against the "Lone Power", an ...

'' series), Fragarach is used by Annie Callahan as part of a reenactment of the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh. Besides its common use as a weapon, Fragarach is used to open a gate to the parallel dimension where the Fomor and the Tuatha De Danann reside. In the game ''

Mabinogi The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...

'', Lugh Lavada and Morgant use this weapon as a main weapon. It has three different designs. In the game ''

Vindictus ''Vindictus'' is an action massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by devCAT, an internal studio of Korean free-to-play game publisher Nexon. ''Vindictus'' is a prequel to the MMORPG ''Mabinogi'', and is known as ''Mabinog ...

'', the prequel to ''Mabinogi'', the sword was originally owned by Lugh Lamhfada, however it was taken from him after his death. In the PS3 game ''

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...

'' (known by the title ''Folkssoul'' in Japan), Answerer is a folk the player encounters and can capture in the fourth nether realm, the Endless Corridor. The also sword appears in the series ''

The Iron Druid Chronicles ''The Iron Druid Chronicles'' is a series of urban fantasy novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories, written by Kevin Hearne and published by Del Rey Books. All the books, including short stories, have recorded as audiobooks narrated by Luk ...

''. It is wielded by the main character, Atticus O'Sullivan, and is the reason he is hunted by the Irish love god,

Aengus Og In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...

References

External links

Celtic Objects

{{Notable swords Mythological cycle Ulster Cycle Cycles of the Kings Mythological swords Lugh