Helswath

Helswath
Concept artwork of Helswath from Awakening.
Name (JP)	スワンチカ, Swanchika
First Seen	Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Weapon Type	Axe
Most Common Rank	[Units with Nál (Major) Holy Blood only]
Uses	50
[view]

Helswath is a holy Axe from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. This axe was once wielded by the Crusader Nál, bestowed upon him by an unidentified Divine Dragon during the Miracle of Dahna. The Helswath is the property of Nál's descendants, who are the heirs to the dukedom of Dozel.

In Genealogy of the Holy War, Helswath grants its wielder bonuses of +20 Defense and +10 Resistance. This axe may only be wielded by users possessing major Nál holy blood, with the only characters fulfilling this criteria being Lombard, Brian and Danann. The axe is always wielded by an enemy unit and is thus unobtainable.

Helswath reappears in Fire Emblem Awakening, where it is wielded by Tigris in Chapter 22. Much like the other Crusaders' Holy Weapons, Helswath's power has greatly waned over the millennia, and its blood link along with it. It is also, along with Valflame, Gungnir and Mjölnir, an obtainable weapon for the player for the first time.

Background

Helswath makes its first appearance in Chapter 5 of Genealogy of the Holy War, where it is wielded by Lombard, who falls to Sigurd's army in the attempt to defend Lubeck Castle.

Helswath later appears in the Final Chapter, where it is observed to have been inherited by Brian, the oldest grandson of Lombard. Leading the charge against Seliph's army after Edda Castle is conquered with the Grauen Ritter Brigade, Brian eventually falls in the attempt. The whereabouts of Helswath following Brian's death is unknown.

After a 3,000 year absence, Helswath reappears alongside Balmung, Yewfelle, Gungnir and Valflame in the hands of the Deadlords, whom had been summoned by Aversa in Chapter 22 in Awakening. However, it is unknown as to how the Grimleal managed to obtain these legendary weapons in the first place.

Weapon Stats

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Name				Type
Helswath				Axe
Rank	Uses	Mt	Hit	Rng	Wt	Worth
*	50	30	70%	1-2	20	50,000
Effect
Grants its user bonuses of +20 Defense and +10 Resistance.

*Holy Blood Requirement: Nál

Fire Emblem Awakening

Name				Type
Helswath				Axe
Rank	Uses	Mt	Hit	Crt	Rng	WEx	Worth
A	25	18	60%	10%	1-2	?	0
Effect
Grants its user a bonus of +5 Defense.

Item Locations

Fire Emblem Awakening

Method	Location
Dropped	Tigris (Ch. 22)
Treasure	Xeno. 15 - Random from Chest.

Etymology

"Helswath" is a possible portmanteau of the words "Hel" and "swath". Hel, or Hela, was the Norse goddess of the underworld (like Hell), while to "swath" something means to cut something with a scythe.

"Swanchika" vaguely sounds like the word "swastika". While the swastika symbol has become notorious in the West as a symbol of Nazi Germany, it actually has roots in many South Asian religions, like in Hinduism and Buddhism, and it symbolizes overcoming all obstacles.

Trivia

• Helswath is wielded by Cherche in her official artwork and her Cipher TCG artwork.
  • Cherche's portraits in Fire Emblem Heroes also depict her wielding Helswath.
• Cherche's personal weapon in Heroes, Cherche's Axe is visually based on Helswath's Awakening design.

Gallery

Official artwork of Helswath from Fire Emblem Museum.

Helswath, as it appears in the third series of the TCG.

Gerome wielding Helswath in Awakening.