The Sword of Samothes is a divine blade created by the god Samothes during the events of Marielda (season) that reappears throughout Seasons of Hieron. It is made from one of Samothes' suns. While it was never given an official name, it is referred to once in narration as the Sword of Samothes.
History[edit | edit source]
Marielda[edit | edit source]
“
...[T]he blade that Samothes himself had forged; a shining thing, bright like the iron sun in its true form. That fool loved me. Loved Hieron so much, and had his confidence shattered so thoroughly, that he figured how to make his own demise a panacea for what ailed the world. For the cancer that was killin’ me. If… If Maelgwyn had used that blade to slay his father, it would’ve become a weapon strong enough not only to hold off the Heat and the Dark, but to defeat it utterly. To fill it with the force of will of Samothes’s own life. It would’ve replaced the void of emptiness with the breath and love of Ingenuity Alive.”
Samothes most likely began to craft the sword after Marielda 10: Four Conversations, where he revealed to Edmund Hitchcock that he knows of his own impending death and wonders whether it might be right to kill him. He is shown finishing it during the confrontation between the Six, Maelgwyn, and the Disciples of Samot in Marielda 14: The Killing of the King-God Samothes By The Traitor Prince Maelgwyn Pt. 4. It was intended as a gift for his son Maelgwyn, but Maelgwyn stabs him to death using The Blade in the Dark before he can receive it.
Samol reveals that if Maelgwyn had indeed used the Sword of Samothes to kill his father, Samothes' divine life would have been transformed into a power that could fill and destroy the Heat and the Dark.
During the reconfiguration that followed Samothes' death, Rosalind Marroweater, who was present at High Sun Day, snuck into the forge and stole the sword. When the sword appears again during Winter in Hieron, it has been broken into two parts, but it is unclear when it was broken.
Winter in Hieron[edit | edit source]
Ephrim discovers the stolen blade when infiltrating the New Old Museum of Rosemerrow during Winter in Hieron 08: The Meeting House, although it is crescent-shaped where the original blade was straight. As he takes the blade, he hears a voice saying "A gift for you, my prince" - presumably the voice of Samothes.
During Winter in Hieron 13: Rosemerrow, Oh My Rosemerrow, the thief Blake Bromley tells Adaire that they were hired to steal a sword hilt from Rosemerrow chancellor Gilbert Lutz. Lem King discovers the stolen hilt in the Westshore-upon-Scene Community Theatre, which is actually a front for the Creed of the Dark Sun, and takes it from the cultists.
When Ephrim speaks to Samothes during Winter in Hieron 19: Make The Spring Last Forever, Samothes says to him: "The bard you travel with. He carries something that is not his. It is mine, and by extension it is yours. Take it from him, recover it, and have its power," most likely referring to the sword hilt in Lem's possession. When Lem empties his bag as part of a pattern magic performance in Winter in Hieron 25: Twenty Two Brown Birds, he leaves the hilt behind, and Ephrim takes it.
In Winter in Hieron 29: Slow Justice, Ephrim reconnects the hilt and the blade in order to speak with Samothes. The blade straightens, forming the Sword of Samothes again, and he is brought to Samothes' forge. Samothes ignores Ephrim's questions and tells him to destroy the blade. In response, Ephrim angrily accuses him of not being the true Samothes and uses the sword to kill him.
Samothes transforms back into Maelgwyn as he dies. Alyosha takes Samothes' place at the forge and begins to swing the hammer, causing Maelgwyn-Samothes's blood to bloom into The Spring, "replacing the void of emptiness with the breath and force of Ingenuity Alive". Because this Samothes died unwillingly and had tried to exert power over Ephrim, the version of the Spring born from his life is more sinister than if Maelgwyn had used it to kill Samothes during Marielda.
The Blade of First Light[edit | edit source]
This section contains spoilers for Spring in Hieron 35.
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In Spring in Hieron 35: Unfinished Work, visions granted to Hella Varal by Adelaide show that Samot, as a way of mourning his husband, forged a near exact replica of the Sword of Samothes in the years after his death. Unlike the Sword of Samothes, it "casts everything near it in ... a warm, easy glow". It is designed to fight back against the Stars should they invade Hieron and can convert starstuff into "something messy and imperfect and better". By the end of Spring in Hieron, Samot has decided that the world is not worth saving and is actively controlling the Stars to destroy what remains of Hieron. Believing that what he is doing is necessary, Samot asks Hadrian not to use the Blade of First Light when Hadrian finds it in the City of First Light. Hadrian ignores him and together with Hella and Adaire uses it to stab a great column of starstuff, releasing the "breath and unity of Ingenuity Alive" that creates a second, more benevolent Spring that blends with the first.