Hrunting
Hrunting was the magical sword given to
Beowulf by
Unferth in the ancient
Old English epic of the
same name. Beowulf used it in battle against
Grendel's Mother.
The sword possessed great power and never failed anyone who used it, however when Beowulf descended to the bottom of the lake where
Grendel's Mother dwelt, the sword lost its power and the Hrunting was ineffective against the creature. Beowulf instead searched the inside the lair and found a sword which belonged to the
Jotuns, which only he was strong enough to lift. Beowulf used this sword to kill and decapitate
Grendel's Mother, but her
poisonous blood melted the Giants' sword's blade like wax.
Beowulf returned to the surface with the head of the monster (and the hilt of the sword) as proof of his victory.
"And give Unferth my old heirloom,:my splendid wavy sword:widely known among men:to have a hard edge.:I will do my glory work:with Hrunting—or:death will take me"
A sword called Hrunting appears in the
video game Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow as a sword with the ability to poison enemies, and in
Final Fantasy X as a sword customized with the SOS Overdrive ability.