Balmung

:This sword is sometimes referred to as "Dragon Slayer". Not to be confused with Dragon Killer.
Balmung is a great sword in the Castlevania series. It is a demonic dragon-slaying sword.
==Origins==
In the Nibelungenlied Siegfried's sword is called Balmung. In Richard Wagner's work, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), it is referred to as Nothung. In Norse mythology, it is otherwise known as Gram and is the sword that Sigurd (Siegfried) used to kill the dragon Fafnir.
==Game specific information==
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
The Balmung can be considered a "supersized" version of Gram. It is the largest sword in the game by far (even larger than Soma Cruz). It isn't precisely swung but rather "summoned" directly in front of Soma. It has an attack of an even +100. It is by no means the most powerful sword in the game, as there are several overhead-swinging swords that are more powerful than it (the next most powerful being the Final Sword). It's also not quite as powerful as the other main dragon-slaying sword, the Ascalon, although it is much larger and easier to wield.
This sword is one of the rewards found in The Arena. It can be found at the end of the middle challenge room by the elevator shaft. This nasty hallway consists of spikes and conveyor belts, and is infested by Medusa Heads, Erinyes, and an Arc Demon. Once reaching the end of the room, the player has to jump over a slamming spiked trap to claim their prize, then re-enter the hallway and attempt to survive the way back.
This sword may come in handy in the battle with the giant Balore. Furthermore, due to the way it attacks and its length, it is possibly the best weapon to use in the battle against Julius Belmont (way more than the Claimh Solais, as that sword is Holy-based and Julius is resistant to that damage type).
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
The Balmung in Dawn of Sorrow is quite a bit different from the one in Aria of Sorrow. It is a standard Great Sword and can be created by evolving an Ascalon by sacrificing a Gergoth soul. This may be a painful sacrifice, since the Gergoth's soul can only be gained once in the game and its continuous energy beam can be very useful, but since the Gergoth soul only has one level, it only makes sense to create a Balmung once a second one has been acquired in Hard Mode. This will allow several, even more powerful, great swords to be created in Hard Mode. 
The evolution chain for creating a Balmung is: 
===Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin===
The Balmung appears again in Portrait of Ruin as a rare drop from Ruler Swords. It retains its appearance from Dawn of Sorrow. Its name in the English version was changed to "Dragon Slayer", presumably being a translation issue, as the sword is still called Balmung in the Japanese release.
The weapon provides 99 ATK power and +10 to MND. It's notably one of only a handful ways one can inflict Curse on an enemy in the game, and the only way to inflict that status effect with Jonathan.
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
===Animations===
AoS Balmung.gif|Balmung from Aria of Sorrow.
DOS Balmung.gif|Balmung from Dawn of Sorrow.
POR Dragon Slayer.gif|Dragon Slayer from Portrait of Ruin.
==See also==
*Ascalon
*Dragon
*Dragon Killer
*Gram
Category:Great Swords
Category:Norse Lore
Category:Aria of Sorrow Items
Category:Dawn of Sorrow Items
Category:Slash Damage
Category:Harmony of Despair Items