| “ | Not before I got at least one good chop at him, and that would have been enough. This is the Vorpal Blade of Jabberwocky fame. Kills in one cut, snicker-snack and all that? Does all the fighting for you? | „ |
| ~ Snow White to Bigby Wolf, Fables #3 — "Chapter Three: Blood Tells" |
The Vorpal Blade, also known as the Vorpal Sword, is a powerful magic sword kept in the Fabletown Business Office, which kills anything with a single cut. It first appears in Fables #3 — "Chapter Three: Blood Tells."
Description
The Vorpal Blade kills anything with a single cut,[1] and makes the distinct sound "snicker-snack!" with each strike.[4]
History
Snow White
Bigby learns that Bluebeard has snuck into Jack Horner's cell to extract a confession through torture. Bigby transforms into his wolf form and confronts Bluebeard about his actions. Meanwhile, Snow White hears about the situation and rushes to the cell prepared for a fight with the Vorpal Blade in hand, accompanied by a transformed Grimble, Trusty John, and Bufkin. However, upon their arrival, they find that Bluebeard has already surrendered to Bigby.[1]
Boy Blue
Baba Yaga tortures Boy Blue, breaking each of his fingers. Despite Snow's protests, Blue insists that Dr. Swineheart tends to his injuries and secures the Vorpal Sword to his hands so he can join the Battle of Fabletown. Blue is able to take down multiple wooden soldiers during the battle, before he is shot down.
Once Pinocchio's puppet body was dismembered, Blue departs for the Homelands with the Vorpal Sword and Witching Cloak in tow. With one swift strike of the sword, he takes out a large number of the Adversary's soldiers, beheads the Emperor, and ultimately comes face to face with Geppetto, the Adversary himself. Blue attempts to use the sword to strike down Geppetto, but his powerful spells protected him from harm.
Although the Fabletown community believes that Blue had stolen the Vorpal Sword and Witching Cloak, in actuality Blue had been sent on a secret mission by Prince Charming.
Although his head had been reattached to his wooden body after Boy Blue had decapitated him, the Emperor meeta the same fate during Fabletown's war with the Empire. Once again, Boy Blue beheads him with the Vorpal Sword and this time, his body is burned, ensuring that he can not be brought back to life.
Bufkin
When Bufkin is trapped inside the Business Office with Baba Yaga, he hatches a plan with various other denizens of the Business Office to slay the witch. He attempts to wield the Vorpal Blade, but its size proves to be a challenge for him. With each swing, he loses control due to its weight overpowering him. In a moment of carelessness, the sword slips from his grasp and slices straight through Frankie's table. Frankie interprets Bufkin's actions as deliberate and compliments him on his good swing and chop, believing that he is finally getting the hang of it.[3]
After several failed attempts, Baba Yaga grows enraged and begins to summon a mist of death that will wash through the office and kill any living creature not standing within her own circle of protection. However, before she can complete the spell, Bufkin's followers attack her and distract her while Bufkin beheads the witch with the Vorpal Blade.[3]
Appearances
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Original source
The Vorpal Sword comes from Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky," which was first published in 1872 as part of his novel Through the Looking-Glass. The poem tells the story of an unnamed boy who slayed the monstrous Jabberwock and became a hero in his town. The weapon the boy used was called the "Vorpal Sword" or the "Vorpal Blade."
The Fables version of the Vorpal Blade makes the distinct sound "snicker-snack!" with each strike,[4] which is based on a line from the poem, which goes "The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!"
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Fables #3 — "Chapter Three: Blood Tells"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fables #26 — "The Battle of Fabletown: Chapter Seven — March of the Wooden Soldiers"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Fables #91 — "Geppetto: Chapter Five of Witches"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fables #36 — "Death & Taxes: Chapter One of Homelands"