'I know a side quest when I see one': Mysterious ‘free’ sword goes viral as nerds flock online to share fandom-fueled speculations of the replica's origin story

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jan 29, 2025 11:30 AM EST

Lore is what drives the plot. In life, our lore is far more disappointing than that of our favorite fandoms, but perhaps it's because we're not looking closely enough. Perhaps there aren't enough mysteries to be solved or side quests to be chased… Until now. 

Recently, a photo went viral on the Internet of a mystic longsword left out by the dumpster of an unremarkable neighborhood. Leaning casually up against the edges of the trashcans, the medieval sword beckoned passersby like the sword of King Arthur. It begged and yearned for a new wielder and as Internet dwellers can attest, there's certainly something special going on with this free flamberge. 

In the boringness of the real world, sometimes we nerds got to step up, create our own lore, and claim lost weaponry on the street. Because without a little mystery and mischief, there's no fun in life. Keep scrolling if you're a DnD fan, LOTR lover, or even just a sword-play gamer looking to weigh in and speculate on the origins of this strangely misplaced object. It might just take you on a little quest…

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  • Pack your bags for the Ren Faire, people, because we've got a rogue sword on our hands and 1,000s of internet nerds ready to claim it!

  • "Left at my apartment dumpster today"

    FREE SWORD Over 6 Tall ·Slay Your Enemies Get L It's a Free Sword
    via Opfailicon
  • Chesticle5 I know a side quest when I see one
    via Chesticle5
  • Beorma I know a cursed sword when I see one.
    via Beorma
  • dropbluelettuce I know a cursed sword side quest when I see one...And I'm all in
    via dropbluelettuce
  • Cheezburger Image 10460446976
    via nomadsoulphotos

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Geomattics It's a mimic.
    via Geomattics
  • mrthree1zero Sign should have read "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this"
    via mrthree1zero
  • Bile-Gargler-4345 Signs next to dumpsters distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
    via Bile-Gargler-4345
  • RedditsHigh A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE.... sword?
    via RedditsHigh
  • baloo Why is it free? A. It's a murder weapon B. Previous owner's significant other made an ultimatum C. Previous owner's inventory was full
    via baloo
  • Cheezburger Image 10460447232
    via CasaraGuru

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • peteybombay Guaranteed you will crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women or your money back!!!
    via peteybombay
  • Seraphicly329 The story behind the free sword is more interesting than the sword itself.
    via Seraphicly329
  • thethunder92 Man, I just pulled a different sword out of a tree in the woods and had to do a whole quest to save the goblin world and honestly I just want to go home and watch Netflix
    via thethunder92
  • Cheezburger Image 10460448000
    via DreamArtist

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • ClassicT4 "Local police are looking for a long and sharp object that may have been used for a recent crime. Could it be the sword I found at a dumpster?"
    via ClassicT4
  • kjacobs03 I'm a huge LotR fan. So much so that I have a small collection of replica swords from the movies. One day a high school age kid was going door to door selling stuff for his class. He saw one of my swords hanging on the wall and was super
    via kjacobs03
  • excited about it. I told him to hang on a moment and went and grabbed it off the wall so he could see it. Then I told him it was all his! As the fates would allow, I actually had 2 copies of that sword, which was the Witch King's sword. It really made his day! I gave my nephew my Narsil for Christmas later that year.
    via kjacobs03
  • uneducated expert Aww someone got a girlfriend and an ultimatum
    via uneducatedexpert
  • Rampaging Elk When I got engaged, I had a sword I had gotten in Japan years earlier and I didn't want my future wife to ever ask me to get rid of it. So at the wedding when we were cutting the cake, I told her "I think we need a bigger knife" and had some of my friends bring it out.
    via Rampaging_Elk
  • Complete surprise for her. She was hyped to cut our wedding cake with a katana, got some great pictures of it. Over a decade later and it's still hanging in my office. She loves it as much as I do.
    via Rampaging_Elk

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Tags

game lore online nerds mysterious internet fandom quest gamers swords side quests Nerd News gaming memes sword viral silly mystery funny weird free speculation
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