Naming Weapons

As you all are aware, a weapon can have a character almost as distinct and interesting as the man who wields it. Part of this comes from the weapon's stats and abilities, such as Bom Tombadil's current weapon, the Lifedrinker Longsword (+1). But it doesn't have to end there. Whether magical or simply a special weapon, what you choose to call your tool of destruction and how you use it can have a tremendous effect on your gaming experience.

For example, in one of my old games I ended up with magical heavy pick-axe which, while effective enough, didn't have near as much charm as the khopesh I had been using. That was, until, I scored a critical hit on my first swing with it and smashed the face off of a bugbear. From then on it was known only as "Bear-Blaster," and I never put it down.

Here are some other examples of named weapons, just for several shits and the occasional giggle:

Hrunting and Nægling – Beowulf's magical swords.
Gungnir – Odin's spear
Mjolnir – The hammer of Thor.
Caladbolg – Two-handed sword of Fergus mac Róich in Irish legend; said to make a circle like an arc of rainbow when swung, and to have the power to cleave the tops from the hills.
Ame-no-nuboko – Japanese halberd which formed the first island.
Clarent – King Arthur's sword of peace. Also sometimes known as the sword Mordred stole and later used to kill King Arthur.Is now sometimes known as the Coward's Blade.
Ice - Ned Stark's Valarian steel greatsword.

There you have it; food for thought. The next time you slam an orc so hard that your sword sticks in his side or miss so hard that your axe gets bent, consider working that into a name for your weapon. After all, a sword is a man's best friend.