The hero’s journey is an ancient story that has been told thousands of times. It involves leaving home, overcoming frightening adversaries, and collecting loyal companions who will help the hero succeed in his or her quest. And a weapon. Whether it’s a magic wand or an enchanted sword or a super-power, the hero needs a special weapon. When I was doing research on Thracians early on in the writing process for Tyranny, I came across a description of a rhomphaia and said to myself, “That’s it. That’s Daimon’s weapon.”
A writer needs luck. My first piece of luck was the time. Best estimates have the rhomphaia first appearing around 400 BC, just when Tyranny takes place. It would not have been a common weapon at that time, which just made it an even more attractive choice for Daimon’s blade.
The rhomphaia was unique to Thrace (in a computer game, the Thracian special unit would be armed with a rhomphaia!) It was straight or slightly curved. You may see more highly-curved blades on the Internet, but these are closer in appearance to a later weapon, the Dacian falx. I imagine Daimon’s rhomphaia with a gently-curving blade, perhaps a little shorter than later rhomphaias.
When I completed Tyranny, I treated myself to a little gift: a replica rhomphaia! Considering the price to utility ratio, it is without a doubt one of the stupidest, most useless things I have ever bought. Having said that, however, it makes me happy every time I pick it up and imagine myself as Daimon fighting of hordes of foes. I’m still looking for a replica Greek helmet that meets my exacting standards, though…
