Bastard Maker
| Bastard Maker | |
|---|---|
| Type | Skeggox (bearded axe) |
| Material | Iron Age steel with Jorogumo metallurgical elements |
| Origin | Jastorf, Lower Saxony (c. 5th century BCE) |
| Status | Active |
| Danger Level | Extreme |
| Notable Traits |
|
Bastard Maker is the common sobriquet of the ancient weapon whose original name is Skegg-feðrbani, meaning “Bearded Father-Slayer.” The weapon is an Iron Age blade forged during the height of the Jastorf Culture and later carried across multiple continents. It is renowned not only for its lethality but for the accumulation of glyphs, symbols, and iconography from disparate cultures, etched into the blade over centuries of use.
Though widely known by its later nickname, scholars agree that the name “Bastard Maker” is linguistically inaccurate and anachronistic, reflecting a crude post hoc interpretation of the weapon’s effects rather than its intended purpose.
Contents
Etymology
The name Skegg-feðrbani derives from early Germanic linguistic roots:
- skegg — beard, a marker of elder authority or patriarchal status
- feðr — father
- bani — slayer or killer
Together, the name is commonly rendered as “Bearded Father-Slayer,” a phrase interpreted as referring not merely to literal patricide, but to the symbolic destruction of progenitors: kings, gods, founders, and ancestral systems of authority.
The later nickname “Bastard Maker” emerged centuries afterward, likely due to misunderstandings of the blade’s cultural function. Rather than killing sons, the weapon was associated with the creation of illegitimate heirs, shattered dynasties, and broken lineages.
Forging
Bastard Maker was forged in the region surrounding modern-day Jastorf, Lower Saxony, during the Iron Age, circa the 5th century BCE. Archaeomythic accounts attribute its creation to a wandering Jorogumo craftsman named Haguruma no Kurotsume, whose name has been reconstructed as meaning “Black-Claw of the Turning Fate.”
According to later Jorogumo sources, Haguruma no Kurotsume forged the weapon as a philosophical act, believing that civilization advanced only through the destruction of inherited authority. The blade was reportedly quenched in the blood of a voluntarily sacrificed chieftain, binding the weapon to the concept of ancestral overthrow.
Description
The blade of Bastard Maker is notable for its irregular surface, which bears layered glyphs, symbols, and sigils from numerous cultures. These markings were not part of the original forging but accumulated over time as the weapon traveled.
Rather than decorative engravings, the symbols are believed to represent cultural interpretations of the weapon following acts in which it was used to destroy rulers, bloodlines, or divine figures. Scholars have described the blade as a “palimpsest of dead theologies,” with mutually contradictory symbols occupying the same physical space.
History
Early Use
The earliest recorded wielder of the blade was Arngrim Skeggsson, a Jastorf war-leader who used the weapon to kill his father during a tribal moot. His brief reign ended in civil fragmentation, after which the blade was ritually bent and cast into a bog, though it was later recovered.
Saxon Period
During the Saxon Wars of the late 8th century, the blade is believed to have been briefly wielded by the Saxon leader Widukind. Contemporary Frankish accounts describe anomalous battlefield phenomena, including sudden collapses of command structures and mass desertions. The weapon disappears from records following Widukind’s conversion.
The Far-Walker
In the late 15th century, the blade resurfaced in the possession of an adventurer known as Ysbrand the Far-Walker. Unlike previous wielders, Ysbrand did not seek rulership. Instead, he carried the weapon across multiple continents, deliberately exposing it to cultures with active ancestral or divine authority systems.
Documented regions of travel include:
- Northern Africa
- The Levant
- Central Asia
- The Indian subcontinent
- Mesoamerica
During this period, the blade acquired the majority of its extant glyphs. Each culture believed it was marking or sanctifying the weapon; modern interpretation suggests the blade absorbed these symbols through use rather than inscription.
Ysbrand vanished after entering a Bastion-controlled port city. The blade disappeared shortly thereafter.
Cultural Impact
Bastard Maker has been cited in numerous suppressed texts as a weapon that destabilizes social order simply by existing. Unlike conventional arms, it is not associated with conquest or empire-building, but with collapse, fragmentation, and the delegitimization of authority.
Later Ownership
After passing through many wielders and being lost to history for some time, Bastard Maker was acquired by Peanut, proprietor of the Clearinghaus. Peanut sold the weapon to Lincoln Franks.
Glyphs
Bastard Maker's haft and blade are decorated with glyphs acquired through centuries of use. Sometimes wielders engrave the symbols, sometimes, the weapon itself absorbs the glyphs.
Several glyphs exhibit signs of partial erasure or deformation, supporting the theory that Bastard Maker does not merely collect symbols but actively rewrites them when exposed to competing systems of belief.
Many of these glyphs cannot be reliably dated, as they do not appear to have been engraved using conventional tools. Microscopic analysis suggests the blade itself may have altered its surface structure during moments of symbolic significance.
Glyphs
Bastard Maker bears historically attested glyphs and symbols associated with early systems of authority, ritual power, and divine kingship. These markings are drawn from cultures the weapon is believed to have passed through during its long history outside Scandinavia. While some glyphs were engraved by human hands, others appear to have manifested through prolonged exposure to symbolic rupture.
The following glyphs have been tentatively identified by region:
Glyphs
Bastard Maker bears historically attested glyphs and symbols associated with early systems of authority, ritual power, and divine kingship. These markings originate from cultures the weapon is believed to have passed through during its centuries of travel beyond Scandinavia. While some glyphs were engraved by human hands, others appear to have manifested through prolonged exposure to symbolic rupture following the destruction of lineage-based authority.
The following glyphs have been tentatively identified by region:
Northern Africa
- Solar Disc of Ra (Broken Form)
Derived from ancient Egyptian solar iconography representing divine kingship. On the blade, the disc appears split or scored, interpreted as the symbolic slaying of ruler-as-god authority.
- Ka Symbol (Distorted)
Based on the Egyptian ka, representing the ancestral life-force passed through bloodlines. The asymmetrical form found on the blade suggests severed spiritual inheritance.
The Levant
- Proto-Sinaitic Ox Head (ʾĀlep)
An early consonantal glyph associated with strength, leadership, and patriarchal origin. Its presence is interpreted as the negation of first-father symbolism.
- Levantine Watchful Eye
A precursor to later omniscient-eye motifs associated with divine oversight. The example on Bastard Maker is deliberately scored or blinded.
Central Asia
- Composite Tamga
Clan-identifying symbols used by steppe nomads to mark lineage and rulership. The blade bears a merged tamga form, interpreted as the collapse of inherited authority.
- Deer Stone Sun Mark
A symbol associated with Bronze Age warrior elites and sky authority. The version on the blade shows fractured or interrupted lines.
The Indian Subcontinent
- Indus Valley Unicorn Mark
A dominant glyph from the Indus script, possibly associated with elite or priestly authority. Its undeciphered nature contributes to its absorption by the blade.
- Broken Chakra
An early form of the dharmic wheel symbolizing cosmic order and righteous rule. Missing or damaged spokes suggest disrupted moral succession.
Mesoamerica
- Olmec Were-Jaguar Motif
A glyphic form associated with divine rulership and bloodline descent. The blade bears a simplified, aggressive rendering consistent with authority-through-blood mythology.
- Defaced Ajaw Glyph
The Maya glyph denoting a lord or king. Facial elements on the blade’s version are partially erased, indicating authority stripped of legitimacy.
The glyphs appear layered rather than curated, often overlapping incompatible belief systems. This supports the prevailing theory that Bastard Maker does not preserve cultural authority, but records its destruction.
See also
- Patricide in myth
- Jastorf Culture
- Jorogumo metallurgy
- Illegitimacy and succession
