Weapon
Heaven Sword 倚天劍
About this item
The Heaven Sword is the precious sword Cao Cao wears himself in the Romance. In the account of the fighting at Changban, Chapter 41 of the Romance says that Cao Cao had two precious swords, one named "Yitian" and the other "Qinggang," and that he wore the Heaven Sword himself and had Xiahou En, who carried a sword on his back at Cao Cao's side, wear the Qinggangjian. It does not describe its appearance or history. In the Romance the name Heaven Sword appears only in this one passage, and it appears neither in Chen Shou's text nor in Pei Songzhi's commentary. Romance, Ch. 41 §50
In the Romance
In the fighting at Changban in Chapter 41 of the Romance, Zhao Yun, who has gone back into the enemy lines to find Lady Mi and the young master, spears down in a single bout a general who comes riding with a dozen or so horsemen, holding an iron spear and carrying a sword on his back. He is Xiahou En, who attended Cao Cao at his side and carried his sword. At this point the Romance introduces Cao Cao's two precious swords, saying that Cao Cao wore the Heaven Sword himself and had Xiahou En wear the Qinggangjian. What Zhao Yun takes is the Qinggangjian that Xiahou En carried on his back, and the Heaven Sword never appears again in the Romance after this. Romance, Ch. 41 §49–51
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Ownership history
| Owner | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cao Cao | Romance 「曹操有寶劍二口：一名“倚天”，一名“青釭”；倚天劍自佩之」 |
Ownership is checked against the source texts (3KDEX) — each entry rests on the passage where the item changes hands. Owners not in the People index are not shown.