Awesome or Off-Putting is a weekly delve into cryptozoology, ufology, medical marvels, scientific wonders, secret societies, government conspiracies, cults, ghosts, myths, religion, strange facts or just the plain unexplainable.

This week: Myths

When Jesus Christ was on the cross, a Roman guard pierced his side with a lance to see if he was faking death. That spear, obviously, got some of his blood on it, allowing some sort of mythical transformation. The spear eventually became known as The Spear of Destiny, and its power was said to be so great that whoever had it could gain global domination.  

In fact, the spear's power and reputation were said to be so great that Hitler took it for himself from an Austrian museum the very day he annexed the wee country.

The Spear of Destiny (also known as The Holy Lance) is mythologically something akin to the Ark Of The Covenant in that the enemies of whichever army possess it are decimated before its heavenly powers. Legend states it was the spear used by a Roman guard to pierce the side of Jesus Christ as he hung from the cross, and it is reported to have been passed down to European dictators for hundreds of years.

One of the first uses of the spear happened during the crusades. In 1098, the crusaders were under serious attack by their unwilling Muslim hosts, when Peter Bartholomew, a crusader, claimed to be shown the Spear's location by St. Andrew in a vision or dream. The Spear was hidden away in a cathedral, and when Bartholomew emerged with it (after only a few minutes of looking), the Christians went on to conquer their enemies. This spear currently resides at Etschmiadzin in Armenia, and many scholars doubt its authenticity.

Another possible Spear of Destiny was kept in Nuremberg. As Napoleon's troops approached, many feared he would claim the spear as his own, and use it to conquer all mankind. To prevent this, city council members moved it to Vienna, where a century and a half later, Hitler took it. At this point it's important to note legend states that not only will the Spear guarantee victory on the battle field, but if the spear's owner loses it to another, that owner dies the same day.

Backing up a bit, Hitler's acquisition of the spear is interesting, as he's said to have once confided to Dr Walter Stein that when he first set eyes on the Spear, he witnessed glorious visions of his powerful future. That vision likely did not include the spear eventually falling into the hands of US General George Patton, which it did – i.e. Hitler lost it, and according to legend, he'd die as a result. He did. Hitler killed himself the same day.

Whether or not that Spear's still around – we have no idea. If it is, it's probably packed away in that giant Raiders of the Lost Ark storage facility, sandwiched between the Roswell UFO and the remnants of a long-dead lizard man.

Incidentally, if any of you actually have a key to that US government storage facility, we'd sure like to borrow it for a minute.

Read more:

Spear Of Destiny – Wikipedia

[story by Shawn Lindseth]