An Introduction to the Books of Swords

as introduced by Fred Saberhagen in The First Book of Swords

The Twelve Swords

A brief introduction to each of the Twelve Swords (listed alphabetically) follows. The verses from the Song of Swords cover roughly the same material, in a manner more cryptic and much less verbose. I have left out the verses here, but the song can be reached through the link above. In the world of the Swords, most of the knowledge the common people have of the Swords (if any) seems to come from those verses of the Song they can remember, in addition to the few tales they may have heard.

Also Known As: Sword of Chance
Symbol: A pair of dice
Power: The bearer of Coinspinner experiences phenomenally good luck, typically in the realm of the astronomically improbable.
Associated effects: Nothing specific; the means by which Coinspinner accomplishes its magic varies dramatically, from the extremely subtle to the extravagantly ridiculous. The execution of its drawback (see below) varies likewise.
Drawback: The Sword of Chance tends not to stay in the hands of any one person for very long; it's arguable, indeed, that no one ever truly possesses Coinspinner -- it merely associates with someone for as long as it chooses. The Sword is actually capable of physically moving itself, typically (possibly only) when no one is touching it or looking at it. The distance it travels when it moves can be anywhere from a few centimeters to thousands of kilometers, and the amount of time it associates with someone before making its escape seems to vary from hours to weeks, though there is probably no real maximum or minimum limit to either of these values. In addition to merely leaving, the Sword appears capable of dumping a brief streak of bad luck upon its former "owner," particularly if that person sought to control the Sword or use its power for evil or selfish reasons.
Commentary: More than any other of the Twelve Swords, Coinspinner seems to have a personality, even a sense of humor. As with three of the other Swords (Doomgiver, Sightblinder and Wayfinder), Coinspinner seems to have access to some sort of omniscient database of knowledge about the past, present and future.

Also Known As: Sword of Justice
Symbol: A single ring
Power: Doomgiver seems to not only repel any attack, magical or physical, directed at its user, but actually to redirect that action against the aggressor. For example, an arrow shot at a person wielding Doomgiver would be deflected off the Blade and sent back with equal velocity at the archer, probably hitting him wherever he had been aiming. The Sword of Justice may take this retribution a step further, altering other actions that do not involve direct combat but are nonetheless deliberate attempts by another party to somehow cause harm to the wielder. This is a Sword of great power and seemingly limitless influence.
Associated effects: None known.
Drawback: You generally cannot use the power of this Sword to attack, unless you attack on the grounds of righting some sort of wrong. Attacking with Doomgiver otherwise will not grant you any special power or protection. Indeed, it is possible that the Sword will refuse to defend you from the retributive actions of another if you were, in fact, the cause of some sort of injustice yourself (e.g. an unprovoked attack). The full limits of Doomgiver's sense of right and wrong are unclear... and it's probably best not to test them.
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Heroes
Symbol: A winged dragon in flight
Power:
Associated effects:
Drawback:
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Vengeance
Symbol: A target of three concentric circles
Power:
Associated effects: Though apparently unnecessary, there is a standard ritual often used when casting the Sword of Vengeance at an enemy. In flight, Farslayer emits a howling noise and is generally accompanied by a streak of "spectral light."
Drawback: The drawback of the Sword of Vengeance is not a magical one, but rather a side-effect of its typical use. Because the Sword remains in the victim, and because the thrower generally has a personal grudge against the victim, someone close to the victim has a good chance of guessing who cast the Sword, and immediately returning the favor.
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Glory; Skulltwister
Symbol: A fluttering banner
Power:
Associated effects:
Drawback:
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Force
Symbol: A war hammer
Power:
Associated effects:
Drawback:
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Stealth
Symbol: A stylized human eye
Power:
Associated effects: It seems that Sightblinder has a way of finding itself into the hands of the lowly, rather than the powerful. Whether this is by design or chance is unclear.
Drawback: There doesn't seem to be a specific drawback to using the Sword of Stealth, but the wielder does tend to wind up isolated, due to the Sword's power. He or she may also draw unwelcome attention that might lead to various types of harm or annoyance. In other words, the Sword of Stealth doesn't always live up to its name; a better name for this Blade might be the Sword of Deception.
Commentary:

Also Known As: Tyrant's Blade; Sword of Despair
Symbol: None
Power: When completely unsheathed, Soulcutter creates a sphere of influence with a 100-meter radius. All life within this sphere experiences a complete lack of enthusiasm for... everything. People simply sink into a state of apathetic despair. Left under the Sword's power, they will eventually die of exposure, uninterested in saving themselves.
Associated effects: The Tyrant's Blade is not merely dull in luster, it actually seems to draw light inward.
Drawback: The sphere of despair and ennui generated by Soulcutter is not merely an outward effect, the wielder suffers as well. In fact, the wielder may suffer more acutely than others.
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Siege
Symbol: A wedge cutting a block
Power: Stonecutter slices through any kind of rock like a hot knife goes through butter.
Associated effects: The Sword emits a dull, thudding, jackhammer-like noise as it cuts stone.
Drawback: The noise of the Sword in action is the only potentially negative side-effect of using Stonecutter (aside from falling chunks of stone!).
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Fury
Symbol: A sword held high above a wall
Power: Townsaver defends innocents (non-combatants like children, the elderly, etc.) against attack. It can hold off an entire army if necessary, and will see to it that not a single innocent person is harmed in the onslaught.
Associated effects:
Drawback: The warrior wielding the Sword of Fury is not immune from harm while defending the innocents; indeed, Townsaver's magic
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Wisdom
Symbol: An arrow
Power:
Associated effects:
Drawback:
Commentary:

Also Known As: Sword of Mercy; Sword of Love
Symbol: An open hand
Power:
Associated effects: The Sword of Mercy makes a strange, sighing noise as its heals wounds.
Drawback:
Commentary:

Cut back to the Page of the Twelve Swords