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Most magical swords in the game either have a special name, like the frost brand, nine lives stealer, defender or holy avenger, or they follow a naming pattern of "Sword of X", for example sword of sharpness, sword of wounding, or sword of life stealing.

The only exceptions to this in the core rules are the vorpal sword and the dancing sword. The vorpal sword got its name from a poem, and this makes me suspect that the dancing sword might also have some literary root. Is the origin of this weapon and how it made it into the game known?

NOTE: It is not sufficient to show that the idea of a self-wielding sword predates D&D, you need to show evidence indicating that D&D's dancing sword was specifically inspired by the predating sword. If you can't show that evidence then do not answer.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Apparently it was also called the Sword of Dancing in earlier versions of the game. \$\endgroup\$
    – TreeSpawned
    Commented Jun 4 at 7:37
  • \$\begingroup\$ Reminder to everyone that answers, partial answers, speculative answers, suggestions on where to find an answer, frame challenges, and general advice to the asker do not belong in comments. \$\endgroup\$
    – Oblivious Sage ♦
    Commented Jun 4 at 12:56

4 Answers 4

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The idea of a sword that fights by itself has a precedent in the Dying Earth story T'Sais:

From https://dmrbooks.com/test-blog/2018/9/27/pre-tolkien-challenge-tsais-by-jack-vance:

Her first encounter on Earth is with Liane the Wayfarer. Bewildered, T’Sais watches him torture a helpless man and his wife for information. Liane approaches her, but the enchanted rapier fights of its own accord and pierces him. T’Sais departs from the forest and is accosted by three brigands who wish to rape her. Again the rapier comes to her aid. T’Sais slays them and flees in sorrow.

Certainly Vance was a source of inspiration for D&D, so this could be the basis for the idea. This does not necessarily explain the specific name chosen though.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Without any evidence that this story actually inspired the sword in question, this is just speculation. \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Commented Jun 4 at 12:10
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    \$\begingroup\$ There is documeted evidence in statements and in the literature appendix of the 1e DMG that Vance's Dying Earth were a major inspiration for the original D&D rules. It would be good to at least add these refrences in support of the answer, even if you cannot provide a direct statement by Gygax on this specific element. It also would be good to confirm where the sword first appeared in D&D official products. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nobody the Hobgoblin
    Commented Jun 4 at 12:50
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I think this answer might need some kind of "Quadratic Sagacity" to answer properly, but I have a strong hunch (I know, I'm poring through the books as I type this, to see if I can find something beyond speculation)...

I suspect from its inclusion alongside such items as Hammer of Thunderbolts, and the Horn of Valhalla in early OD&D (Greyhawk, for the Dancing Sword and the Horn) that Gary may well have originally been inspired by Norse mythology, specifically Freyr's sword, a magical weapon that fights on its own.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_of_Freyr

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    \$\begingroup\$ "The Roaring Trumpet", the first of the "Harold Shea" stories that are a main source for D&D according to Gygax plays in Norse myth. In the story, Shea steals Freyr's sword,Hundingsbana, from the Fire Giants, but the sword itself is never seen in action of fighting independently or dancing. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nobody the Hobgoblin
    Commented Jun 4 at 16:47
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    \$\begingroup\$ That's interesting. I'm really annoyed that (having trawled through Gygax's posts on ENWorld and so on) I can't find anything as definitive as the “Thor would throw the hammer about double the above ranges …" in the AD&D DMG. It seems so frustratingly self-evident! He does state on ENWorld that he pinched dwarves and trolls outright from Norse stories, though, so while the Jack Vance and Sprague de Camp stuff might also be true, I don't think we can dismiss the stories that inspire them in turn (from 900 years earlier) out of hand! \$\endgroup\$
    – Dani O'Shea
    Commented Jun 4 at 17:01
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    \$\begingroup\$ This is certainly the earliest popular self-fighting sword/weapon I know of. There are other swords or other weapons in myths and legends. But as far as I know they are from later in the middle ages than the Nordic legends. There are also a myriad of mythological weapons that have some limited amount of control but not full-on "fights by itself". They be described as having some control (like making the user a better fighter). Or may "refuse to harm" somebody for (usually the target simply get cut). Freyr's sword is distinct from simply swords that possess a mind or some decision making. \$\endgroup\$
    – VLAZ
    Commented Jun 4 at 17:21
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The Sword Samosek (меч-самосёк)

Literally the self-swinging sword is commonplace in Russian folklore.

The term is used almost interchangeably with Sword Kladenets, meaning "sword of steel", "hidden sword", or "magic sword", and scholars disagree on whether they are the same thing or different things.

They also disagree on what it actually means for a sword to be "self-swinging". It might be literal, which would give us the D&D Dancing Sword, or it might just make you a better sword-fighter by magically correcting your strokes.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Certainly sounds similar, but is there any evidence Gygax had even heard of it, much less was thinking of it when adding the dancing sword? \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Commented Jun 6 at 13:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ @KRyan no, but we do know he was well read on folklore and myth. Baba Yaga is Slavic, so is this sword. \$\endgroup\$
    – Dale M
    Commented Jun 6 at 20:50
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Freyr's sword was said to be capable of "fighting on its own."

A more contemporary example would be the Conan story "The Sword of Skelos"

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    \$\begingroup\$ As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please edit to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. \$\endgroup\$
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    Commented Aug 3 at 13:09

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