Fragarach

In Irish mythology, Fragarach (or Freagarthach), known as "The Whisperer", "The Answerer", or "The Retaliator", was the sword 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) 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 Leabhar Gabhála Erenn 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 along with several other artifacts such as the Lia Fail or Stone of Truth.

Science-fantasy author Patricia Kennealy Morrison uses Fragarach in her series The Keltiad. The sword is used by several of her protagonists over the course of the series.

Fragarach appears in the Dungeons & Dragons module The Temple of Elemental Evil as a sword that never misses and "answers" any strike to the wielder with a strike of its own. It later reappeared in 4th Edition as a sword destined to slay Thrumbolg, a powerful fomorian lord.

In the visual novel Fate/hollow ataraxia and manga Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, 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. Bazett later appeared in the mobile game Fate/Grand Order as an incarnation of Manannan Mac Lir, one of the legendary possessors of Fragarach.

In the Digimon series, Fragarach is an extensible greatsword carried by Slayerdramon a Mega level Dragon Man Digimon.

In Diane Duane's novel A Wizard Abroad (part of her Young Wizards 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, Lugh Lavada and Morgant use this weapon as a main weapon. It has 3 different designs.

In the game Vindictus, the prequel to Mabinogi, the sword was originally owned by Lugh Lamhfada, however it was taken from him after his death by the player and has the tendency to appear in various times of need as a Deus ex machina.

In the PS3 game Folklore (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.

In the manga Project ARMS, Keith Green utilizes a space-slicing technique he calls "Answerer". Later, his genetic template, Takashi Takatsuki/James Huang, uses this technique as well.

The sword appears in the series The Iron Druid Chronicles. It is wielded by the main character, Atticus O'Sullivan, and is the reason he is hunted by the Irish love god, Aengus Og.

External links

• Celtic Objects
• Encyclopaedia of the Celts