Lævateinn

weapon · Iceland · Nordic

Lævateinn, the 'wounding wand', is the blade of the poem Fjölsvinnsmál, the only weapon said to be able to slay the rooster Viðófnir that perches at the top of the world tree. The wand lies in a chest beside the giantess Sinmara, bound by nine locks that can be opened only by a feather plucked from Viðófnir's own tail, a riddle-like condition that keeps the weapon out of reach. Scholars debate whether the name means 'wounding-wand' and whether the blade is to be identified with Loki's sword, since the name in the manuscripts may be a late emendation of 'Hævateinn', the 'high-wand'. The weapon'

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