flaming sword

Noun

flaming sword (plural flaming swords)

1. A metal sword wreathed in or emitting flames, appearing as a symbol or supernatural weapon in many mythologies.
   • He spake; and, to confirm his words, outflew
     Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs
     Of mighty Cherubim; the sudden blaze
     Far round illumined Hell.1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost
   • The dexter figure has five stars round the verge of his head, and a flaming sword in the left hand. The sinister figure has the same flaming sword coupled with a branch of olive.1861 March 2, Patonce, Notes and Queries (2), volume 11, number 270, London: Bell & Daldy, →ISSN, Queries, page 172
2. A sword with a blade composed of supernaturally solidified flames, appearing as a symbol or weapon in many mythologies.
3. The flowering plants Lutheria splendens (syn. Vriesea splendens), Vriesea flammea, and other species, especially in the tribe Vrieseeae, with similar blooms.
4. A sword with a blade forged in an undulating pattern; a flame-bladed sword. Also characterized as a wavy blade or a serpentine blade.
   • Ancient swords were frequently “flamboyant,” or with waved edges; more especially those used for purposes of state. The Dukes of Burgundy bore a two-handed sword of this form. Indeed, “flaming swords,” as they were called, were worn down to the times of our Charles II., and perhaps later.1851 April 12, William John Bernhard-Smith, Notes and Queries (1), volume 3, number 76, London: Bell & Daldy, →ISSN, Replies to Minor Queries, page 292