Gurthang and Sokka's Black Sword
Avatar the Last Airbender's Redemption of the Dark Blade in Myth and Fantasy
Black blades are no strangers to the worlds of fantasy and sci-fi. From ebony blades in Skyrim to the Darksaber in Star Wars, weaponized cutlery with gothic vibes and colorful origins are just plain badass. Whatever black sword that comes to your mind, it probably carries with it an epoch of legendary quality. And you know what can really level up a weapon’s badassery? If it’s made from the ore of a meteorite. Yea, I know. Space swords rule super hard. Writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Mike DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko have recognized this truth and fall within a long lineage of myth and mythmakers who have also employed the awesome power of the black blade.
Many of the dark swords throughout myth and folklore contain connotations of power, possession, curse, and death. Ones who come to handle these tools of destruction wind up in positions of superiority – but at a cost conditioned by their blade. An example in mythology of one of these weapons is the sword Tyrfing from the Poetic Edda and other Norse myths. Tyrfing was forged by the dwarves Dvalinn and Durinn (these names sure sound familiar), who were captured by Svafrlami the grandson of Odin and commissioned by Svafrlami to craft the magic sword. Forced labor doesn’t tend to inspire positive motivation in those doing the work. And wouldn’t you know it, Dvalinn and Durinn curse the damned thing. Every time Tyrfing was drawn, it was cursed to necessarily kill one person before returning to its sheath. You’d think one curse would be enough, but you’d be wrong. Not only does Tyrfing demand at least one life after it is unsheathed, it was also instilled with the power to cause three great evils. Pretty grim stuff. But the fun doesn’t stop with Tyrfing. Blades imbued with evil curses pop up in mythology from all over the globe, including Finland and Japan. For more info on cursed blades in mythology and modern pop culture, see Dr. Lillian Cespedes Gonzalez’s talk Cursed Blades and Dark Swords in Myth and Fantasy.
Now, if you couldn’t infer Norse mythology’s influence on Tolkien’s writings from the dwarves named Dvalinn and Durinn, that’s okay. We just need to get you more acquainted with Tolkien’s legendarium! Before Tolkien utilized dwarven names from the Poetic Edda for our favorite adventuring companions in The Hobbit, he began trying his hand at prose by rewriting the Finnish epic poem Kalevala, which had a direct influence on his writing of The Tale of Túrin Turambar. Kullervo, the hero from Kalevala, receives a black sword that (spoiler alert) ends up being the cause of his death through suicide. Another spoiler alert: this is the exact fate of Túrin.
Before Túrin receives his sword that would go on to slay the dragon Glaurung, it is crafted by the Dark Elf Eöl from a meteorite, named Anglachel, can cut through iron, and is given to the Elven King Thingol of Doriath by Eöl as thanks for letting him live in the forest of Nan Elmoth, which is in the realm of Doriath. Thingol receives it, but locks it away in his armory as Melian, the Queen of Doriath and a Maia, warned him that malice dwelled in the blade – it is hinted to the reader that the blade may also be sentient. Later, an Elven warrior under the service of Thingol named Beleg Strongbow is granted permission by Thingol to pick whatever weapon he wants from the royal armory. He chooses Anglachel. Beleg goes out into the lands of Middle-earth (known as Beleriand in the First Age of Tolkien’s legendarium, where this tale takes place) and links up with Túrin, who is human. Both Túrin and Beleg go on to slay vast numbers of Orcs in ways that earn them notoriety among the Men and Elves of Beleriand. In the meantime, the two warriors develop a strong bond of friendship.
But cursed blades will be cursed blades. The glory and friendship of Túrin and Beleg have an expiration date. In an effort to save Túrin, who was captured by a band of Orcs, Beleg recovers him and carries him off to safety. At this point, Túrin is dazed – not all there, if you will. Beleg goes to cut his bonds and Anglachel, in all its cursedness, knicks Túrin, causing him to believe that Beleg is an Orc trying to harm him. Túrin snatches the blade and runs Beleg through. This is just the beginning of the tragedies that follow the wake of Anglachel’s malice. Without telling the whole tale, Túrin reforges the blade following the death of Beleg, renames Anglachel Gurthang, and, after multiple feats of victory and tragedy, Gurthang takes the life of Túrin:
“Then [Túrin] drew forth his sword, and said: ‘Hail Gurthang, iron of death, you alone now remain! But what lord or loyalty do you know, save the hand that wields you? From no blood will you shrink. Will you take Túrin Turambar? Will you slay me swiftly?’
And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer: ‘Yes, I will drink your blood, that I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay you swiftly.’” (CoH, 256)
As we can see, Tolkien follows a long line of mythical tradition of connecting dark blades with curse, triumph, and tragedy in writing this tale. Whereas Tolkien followed a more ancient blueprint to build his story, Tolkien would become the blueprint for modern fantasy, sci-fi, and other IPs.
One possible example of Tolkien’s influence in a contemporary work of fantasy, whether conscious or subconscious, is Avatar the Last Airbender. In the fourth episode of Book Three: Fire entitled “Sokka’s Master,” we are brought to the group of friends known as “Team Avatar,” which consists of Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Appa, and Momo, traveling the skies of the Fire Nation courtesy of Appa (he’s a flying bison, if you didn’t know). Team Avatar is in covert ops, flying in the night for cover, and searching for a safe place to camp. Their flight is interrupted by a flaming meteorite crash landing near a small Fire Nation village, threatening to burn it down to smoldering rubble. Being the heroes they are, Aang, Katara, and Toph jump to water, earth, and air bend the fire away – Sokka, who is not a bender, is left to babysit Momo, everyone’s favorite flying lemur. As the three young bending prodigies triumph against the sudden blaze, Sokka wallows in self-pity, as he is frequently left behind on missions because of his lack of bending abilities. Aang, Katara, and Toph suggest that Sokka find himself a master to fill the skill gap in his life. Sokka receives the advice enthusiastically.
Later, Sokka learns of a master swordsman named Piandao who lives nearby but is informed that he rarely ever takes in pupils. The viewer is then brought to gated walls of an enormous wall where we find Sokka. He knocks on the large wooden doors of the gate in classic Sokka fashion and is greeted by a sarcastic servant, whose attitude conveys his certainty of the goofy young man’s failure. The servant leads Sokka into the castle where they enter a large chamber to interrupt Master Piandao, whose back is turned away from his guest and writing calligraphy. Sokka greets himself and Piandao, with snark, replies, “Let me guess, you’ve come hundreds of miles from your little village where you’re the best swordsman in town and you think you deserve to learn from the master.” Sokka gets on his knees and says, “I know one thing’s for sure, I have a lot to learn.” Surprisingly, Master Piando takes Sokka as a pupil. The incognito Water Nation wannabe swordsman’s humility is what ultimately impresses Master Piando.
Sokka is put to the test in various scenes cut in montage-like fashion. In a short amount of time the viewer sees Sokka’s progress as well as Piandao’s continued approval of his new student. After the first day of Sokka’s training, his master charges him with choosing an ore to make his own sword. Sokka recalls the meteorite, asks Piandao’s permission to go out and bring an ore to the castle, and recruits the rest of Team Avatar to retrieve the meteorite. Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka successfully transport the meteorite to Master Piandao’s castle, where he proclaims, “We’ll make a sword unlike any other in the world.” Sokka, with Piandao’s assistance and guidance, forges his black bladed sword. Piandao then challenges Sokka to a one-on-one, commends Sokka for his growth, and sends Team Avatar off with encouragement to continue their mission and a Pai Sho White Lotus game tile.
In a two-part series of interviews with the creators of the show, Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko on the official Avatar the Last Airbender podcast Braving the Elements, they admit to being influenced by Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. Now, there’s no direct references to Tolkien’s legendarium regarding “Sokka’s Master,” but I do not think it a vast leap to speculate that Túrin and Gurthang through the fantastic tradition of the black sword had some sort of impact on the writing of the episode – especially with an explicit claiming of Tolkien having an influence on the creation of the show.
However, there is one thing that DiMartino and Konietzko do different thematically in their treatment of the black sword: they take away the curse element. Now, Sokka’s sword may not be sentient, but not all dark blades in myth and fantasy are. It does have the ability to cut through just about anything though. But rather than beginning Sokka’s acquirement of the sword with a thirst for power and ending his possession of it with his death or a tragedy, Sokka is initiated into swordsmanship with humility and ends his ownership of his black sword by throwing it away to save Toph’s life in the episode “Sozin’s Comet: Part 4.” Along with other things, black swords represent some sort of power and many who take that power do so with arrogance, which inevitably leads to a tragedy (more likely, multiple tragedies) or their own death. Alternatively, Avatar the Last Airbender stands out as depicting someone who properly approaches and handles this power.[1]
This is somewhat surprising as Tolkien was someone who believed heavily in redemption, hope, and even coined a word that communicates the very essence of the happy ending – euchatastrophe. Now, the tale of Túrin and its tragedies may contribute to the goodness, glorious deeds of heroes, and the ultimate happy ending that culminates at the end of the history of Middle-earth, but it is still a story that embodies all the tropes of evil happenings as caused by the possession of a black sword and the mishandling of the power it holds. Avatar does not follow this tragic formula. Instead, the dark weapon remains a tool that Sokka wields properly through humility and is willing to cast it away in order to save someone he cares deeply for.
Now, Sokka does not recover his sword in the canonical material currently available to us, but in the official posters printed for the upcoming animated film that features Team Avatar as young adults shows Sokka with his sword strapped to his side. How DiMartino and Konietzko will handle Sokka’s wielding of the black sword is unknown. But for now, what we have is a unique and redeeming take on the black blade story element, one that demonstrates that one can hold power responsibly as long it does not become an end in and of itself, justifying any means to get it.
[1] DiMartino, Michael Dante, et al. “Transcript: Sokka's Master (Commentary).” Avatar Wiki, https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Transcript:Sokka%27s_Master_(commentary).