Amgelu's Blade: Fact or Fiction?

The following is one Scholar's studies on the myth: Amgelu's Blade

Summary

Amgelu's Blade is a book telling the tale of a young lad named Amgelu who sets off in search of a way to save his hometown from "Recruitment" by the Mage's Guild and later becomes known as the Ancient of Lore. While Amgelu's Blade itself is a pretty typical legend for one pertaining to the Ancients, there are a few points that make it more interesting then say, The Legend of War. My fellow scholars may disagree with my analysis of the text, and prefer to refer to Amgelu's Blade as a myth rather than a legend, but there are a few points that I feel actually add to the credibility of the tale rather than detract from it.

Description of Amgelu:

Amgelu is said to have been a hard working farm hand who was taken in by a local mayor after his family was killed by bandits. Amgelu also had a determination about him that wasn't typical of most others during the time period; whilst most civilians weren't happy about the practices put in place by the Mage's Guild, they didn't care enough to try and stand up to them in any meaningful capacity, either. Amgelu, however, often was said to have "lashed out" at the "Recruiters" to dissuade them from coming too close to him or his family. While one might think that Amgelu's actions would have inspired the Mages to select him and his family for Recruitment rather than dissuade them, the legend of Amgelu's Blade took place near the beginning of the Mage's Guild uprising, so in my expert opinion it's quite possible that the Mages at this time feared overstepping their bounds and therefor preferred to find less hostile individuals for Recruiting. Amgelu's hostility is often marked down by my fellow scholar's as a point against the story of Amgelu's Blade being true, but I think it actually adds to the validity.

Amgelu's Sword:

Amgelu's sword (or blade, if you will) is the climax of the legend. After many weeks of searching and some unbelievable antics, Amgelu retrieves a mystical sword from a dragon's hoard that possesses enormous power. The power within the blade, however, can only be used by one who receives the weapon's approval. Because Amgelu intends to use the sword to protect his people, he is deemed worthy and subsequently takes the blade and sets off to liberate his town. Many scholars believe that Amgelu's sword was pure fiction (and that the tale as a whole is utter myth), but there are certain details in the description of the sword that lead me to think otherwise. For one, the sword is described in great detail and takes up several pages in the written version of the legend. Secondly, the tale goes that the sword itself is not particularly special. Instead there is something else about it that makes it so powerful, and while different regions have different tellings of Amgelu's Blade, they are all missing details about how the sword bestows its power upon the wielder.

This leads me to believe that information about the weapon was obscured intentionally, which if there were no truth to the matter wouldn't make sense for a mere myth that someone fabricated. That being said, I believe we can still learn some of the functions of the weapon. After his possession of the sword, Amgelu is described by those who saw him fight against the Mages as being a peerless swordsman. This is in stark contrast to the Amgelu we know from earlier in the legend, who had trouble fighting wild animals, let alone persons skilled in combat. It is also said that Amgelu seemed as if "two people were fighting instead of one". This part, in particular, really stands out to me. I theorize that the weapon Amgelu found did not actually make him better at combat, as the legend states. I think it probable that the weapon possessed some sort of enchantment that lets the wielder mimic the moves of the previous owner. This would explain how Amgelu suddenly became so good at fighting, whereas before he was quite poor at it.

Spread

While the legend of Amgelu's Blade has versions in every known region, few people actually are aware of the story. Most people these days do not have a desire to learn of the past, unfortunately, and even less of a desire to learn of the past that may or may not have any truth to it. Typically the stories told to children are those with some current relevance, such as the ones about how if they misbehave the Sanctioners will come for them, which is a shame since those don't encourage our younger generation to expand their thinking.

In Literature

The story of Amgelu's Blade is recorded in the library at the capital city of Gwandrin.