Spear of Destiny
The Spear of Destiny, also known as the Spear of Longinus, is one of the few weapons equally as legendary as the sword Excalibur. The legend holds that whoever possesses it and understands the power it serves, holds the destiny of the world in their hands for good or evil (choice of the wielder). The first mention of the Spear in historical record came from Phineas, an ancient prophet who claimed to have forged the Spear to symbolize the magical powers inherent in the blood of God's Chosen People-the Jews. It was used by Joshua when he and his soldiers sent up the shout that crumbled the wall of Jericho. The very same Spear was supposedly hurled at the young David by King Saul in a fit of jealousy. The Wpear was passed down (and sometimes taken by force) through the leadership castes into the hands of Herod the Great who presided over the Roman occupation of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus Christ.
The Spear was used by a soldier named Gaius Cassius to pierce the right side of Christ between the fourth and fifth ribs at the crucifxion. This was an act of kindness, because the Jewish Temple Guard were preparing to bludgeon Christ to death to thwart the prophecy from Isaiah that "A bone of Him (the Messiah) shall not be broken." The soldier became known as Longinus the Spearman and converted to Christianity. He was revered as a great hero and saint by the first Christian community in Jerusalem. Later, a nail from the True Cross was attatched to the Spear to give it greater power.
During WWII, Hitler sought out and took the Spear of Destiny from a museum in Vienne, Austria. He felt its occult power would help him usher in his new world order-he almost succeeded. As the Allied Forces closed in on Berlin, Hitler had the Spear hidden away, but it was discovered by the Americans. The American troops had possesseion of the Spear when the nuclear bomb was dropped on the Japanese. Immediately following the war, the Spear was returned to Austrian authorities and its still there today-Matt's seen it, it's pretty cool! Anyone wanting to read more about this should check out THE SPEAR OF DESTINY by Trevor Revenscroft-this book will blow your mind!
Taken from Lady Pendragon Vol.3, #1
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