| “ | I am Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal. | ” |
–Inscription on the blade | ||
Cortana is a shortsword that has been passed down through many generations of the Carstairs family, having been in the family for many centuries.
Description
Cortana is a shortsword with a simple and bare blade, save for the inscription that runs down the metal of the blade and describes its legendary forging, "of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal". It apparently has a feather from the wing of the Angel in its hilt.[1]
While it was in Elias' possession, the sword was in a scabbard covered in intricate designs of leaves and runes—the same design that also covered the sword's hilt.
History
Cortana was forged by the first Shadowhunter weapons maker, Wayland the Smith, tempered with the same steel as Joyeuse, Charlemagne's sword, and Durendal, Roland's sword.[1] It was once the sword of Ogier the Dane.[2] According to the faerie Gwyn the Hunter, it is considered one of the Great Swords.[3]
Jonah Carstairs inherited the family sword in the 1800s. Before his death, he instructed his brother, Elias, to give Cortana to his son, Jem, when he turns 18. However, upon finding out that Jem had become a Silent Brother and can no longer accept gifts, Elias decided to give the sword to Will, Jem's parabatai. Offended by how Elias seemed to be referring to Jem as if he were dead, Will refused the gift. After he stormed off, Tessa Gray suggested to Elias that if he one day decided to have his own children, he could give the sword to them.[1] When he eventually did have own children, he passed the sword onto them.[4]
One of the eventual wielders of the sword, John Carstairs, believed that the inscription was meant to remind them that Shadowhunters are the Angel's weapons, and that trials make them stronger. After his death in 2007, the sword was passed down to his only child and the only remaining heir to the sword, Emma.[2]
Known owners
Etymology
Cortana, along with Curtana and Courtain, is a Latinized form of the Anglo-French curtein, from Latin curtus, which means 'shortened', used for a ceremonial type of sword.[5] It can also simply mean 'shortsword'.[2]
Gallery
Trivia
- Cortana is based on the legendary sword Cortana, attributed to Ogier the Dane and the legendary knight Tristan. The real sword, Curtana, also known as the "Sword of Mercy", is a ceremonial sword used at the coronation of British kings and queens and is one of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.[6]