Painting by Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix of an angel expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword.

According to the Bible, a Cherub with a flaming sword was placed by God at the gates of Paradise after Adam and Eve were banished from it (Genesis 3:24).

Eastern Orthodox tradition says that from the time Jesus was born, the flaming sword was removed from the Garden of Eden, making it possible for humanity to re-enter Paradise.

A flaming sword with immense destructive power appears in Norse mythology. It is said to be wielded by Surtr, the leader of the giants of Muspelheim.

Examples of swords glowing with flame in fiction include some magic swords used in the game Dungeons and Dragons. A priest wielding a flaming sword appears in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Flaming Sword is also the title of a song by the British New Wave group Care.

See also

• Flame-bladed sword

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