TheSword of Attila, also called theSword of Mars orSword of God, was the legendary weapon carried byAttila the Hun.
The Roman historianJordanes, quoting the work of the historianPriscus, 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.[3]
The use of "Mars" here is due to theinterpretatio romana of Priscus. 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 historianEdward Gibbon elaborated, "the vigour with which Attila wielded the sword of Mars convinced the world that it had been reserved alone for his invincible arm."[4] In this way it became somewhat of ascepter as well, representing Attila's right to rulership. TheScythiansworshipped a god equated withAres byHerodotus, which has led some authorities to speculate that it was adopted by the Huns.[5][6]
In the 11th century, some 500 years after the death of Attila, a sword allegedly belonging to him surfaced according toLambert of Hersfeld,[7] who attributed its provenance to the recently establishedÁrpád kings of Hungary, who in turn appropriated the cult of Attila and linked their claimed descent from him with the right to rule.[8] TheAnnales of Lambert records that the sword was given byAnastasia, mother of KingSolomon of Hungary, toOtto, Duke of Bavaria, in gratitude for helping Solomon ascend to the throne in 1063.[9][10][11] Otho had given it toDedus, younger son of the MargraveDedus. The king,Henry IV, received it after his death in 1069, giving it to the royal counselor Leopold of Meersburg, whose death in 1071—it was asserted by partisans of his rival, Otho—had been a divine judgment. The occasion of Leopold's unfortunate death was impalement upon his own sword after falling from his horse.[10][11]
It was recorded that this was the very sword with which Attila, once the most infamous king of the Huns, raged in hostile fury for the murder of Christians and the devastation of Gaul. For the Queen of the Hungarians, the mother of King Solomon, had given it as a gift to Otto, Duke of Bavaria, after her son, through his counsel and exertions, had been restored by the king [Henry IV] to his paternal throne…
— The Annals ofLampert of Hersfeld[12]
There is no evidence to substantiate these medieval claims of its origin with Attila. The sword, now in theKunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna as part of the HabsburgSchatzkammer, in fact, appears to be from the early 10th century and possibly Hungarian.[13]
The real historical events of the discovery of this sword will probably remain unknown. More information about the possible origin of the sword comes from theMiholjanec locality finding. Before this legend had been regarded, this sword was believed to beJoyeuse, the sword ofCharlemagne.[14]
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