Who doesn’t love swords? They come in many styles, they are in pretty much every work of fantasy and many a science fiction work, and everyone loves them. The best thing about swords, however, is that they can have personality. There are many swords in the world of SFF that do not only have their own name, they even have their own identity… And in some rare cases, they are actually aware of this (just see Rebecca’s entry for proof).

Reason enough for our team to take a look at swords and list our personal favorites. Without further ado, here they are:

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Double-bladed Lightsaber from The Phantom Menace

By Stephan There hasn’t been a Sith sighted in a long, long time. The Jedi think them extinct. And suddenly, on the sand plains of Tattooine, Darth Maul shows up. Not only does he have the looks to drive terror into those poor unsuspecting Jedi knights, he also wields a unique double-bladed lightsaber. With this lightsaber, he manages to fight off two Jedi at once, killing one of them. When thinking of swords, I think “lightsabers!,” and when trying to find the most epic of lightsabers, Darth Maul’s wins easily. Amoracchius from The Dresden Files

By Garrett One of three Swords of the Cross, holy blades carried by three Knights (only three in the entire world!) in an effort to combat Evil. The blades have nails from the Crucifixion wrought into them and are some of the most powerful magical artifacts in the world—the power of faith is a magic in and of itself. Of the three swords, the cruciform broadsword Amoracchius (translated as the sword of love) is the only one whose blade has not been reworked over the centuries—and the one-time custodian of the sword was the original Merlin. It has been confirmed in-text that Amoracchius is indeed the sword called Excalibur. Anduril from The Lord of the Rings

By Michael Anduril, Flame of the West, was forged from the shards of Narsil. Even if the introduction to the sword is somewhat more epic in the movies than the book, Anduril is pretty awesome for hewing orc necks and keeping Gimli’s axe company. Dragnipur from Malazan Book of the Fallen

By Dan This is a pretty new set of books to me, so Anomander Rake’s massive soul-stealing sword is supplanting what might have been a few much longer-held choices. It shows just how much Malazan is grabbing me that it’s moved in so quickly. The thing about Dragnipur that I like so much is really indicative of the whole series, rather than just the sword: Everything has a history. There are beings, characters, and items that are millenia old, and have just as much character as the people do. The amazing portrayal of the world inside the Sword certainly doesn’t hurt. I can absolutely hear that wagon creaking its way forward into eternity. Nightblood from Warbreaker

By Rebecca Nightblood from Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker is a snarky, smartmouthed sentient sword. Nightblood was created for one purpose: to destroy evil. Unfortunately, nobody thought to teach him the definition of evil. He eats souls and makes me laugh.

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What’s your favorite sword? Let us know in the comments below!