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When the weapon was complete, the warrior who would own it participated in claiming ceremony. This was not simple purchase but ritual adoption, the warrior accepting the weapon as battle-companion, the weapon accepting the warrior as rightful wielder.
The warrior might spend night with the weapon—sleeping beside it, keeping vigil through darkness, establishing familiarity through proximity. This was bonding time, allowing warrior and weapon to become accustomed to each other before the violence of battle would test their partnership.
Blood was given—the warrior’s own blood, not the enemy’s blood that would come later. A deliberate cut on palm or forearm, blood dripped onto the blade, creating physical connection between man and steel. The blood was understood as life-essence, the warrior sharing his vitality with the weapon, the weapon drinking his strength and becoming bound to him through this shared substance.
Oaths were spoken over the weapon—the warrior promising to maintain and care for it, to use it honorably, to never disgrace it through cowardice or treachery. In return, the weapon (through the warrior’s voice, as it could not speak itself) promised to serve faithfully, to strike true, to protect its wielder to the extent that metal and edge could provide protection.
The claiming ceremony might occur at sacred location—at the Thing-site where oaths carried maximum weight, or in a sacred grove where divine powers could witness and validate the bond. The location added authority to the ceremony, ensured that the relationship being established was recognized by forces beyond the warrior and weapon themselves.
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