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Christianity condemned weapon consecration as demonic practice, prohibited the ceremonies that created these bonds. The Church taught that weapons were merely tools, that their effectiveness came solely from the wielder’s skill and God’s will, that any supernatural power attributed to them was diabolic deception.
But warriors converted to Christianity often maintained older practices in modified form. Swords might be blessed by priests rather than consecrated through traditional rites, but the underlying understanding—that weapons benefited from sacred treatment—persisted. Christian prayers replaced old invocations, but the practice of treating weapons as more than mere objects continued.
Some famous medieval weapons clearly descended from pre-Christian consecration traditions. The practice of naming swords, of attributing quasi-magical properties to particularly fine blades, of treating weapons as inheritable treasures worthy of special respect—all these echoed older Germanic understanding of the relationship between warrior and weapon.
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