History Main / SacredBowAndArrows

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' has Auriel’s Bow, wielded by the god of the same name. In earlier games it does lightning or fire damage, but the ''Dawnguard'' expansion for ''Skyrim'' has it dealing sun-type damage to undead. The bow’s power is the focus of the expansion’s main quest; if an elven arrow blessed by a follower of Auriel is shot at the sun from the bow, smiting light rains down on nearby undead, but if the arrow is coated in the blood of a pureblood vampire, it causes darkness to blot out the sun.

* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', the Light Arrows are special holy arrows that can dispel evil magic, and are often employed or created by Zelda using the power of the Sages. They’re commonly used to aid in fighting [[BigBad Ganondorf]]. Notably Twilight Princess is the only game the player does not get access to them at all, and are only used by Zelda in the final battle.
** In earlier ''Zelda'' games, particularly the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI original game]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]], Silver Arrows were the only thing capable of defeating [[FinalBoss Ganon]].
** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'': Zelda uses and abuses the Light Arrows all over her moveset and will lend them to the player character for the final battle. (Though if Zelda is the player character, Ruto gives her them for some odd reason). This final battle upgrade can be gained temporally during any battle if the player finds a Bow Upgrade on the field. The amount of time it lasts depends on the character's badges.
** The 3DS Version includes Tetra, who also has access to the Light Arrows in her move set. Fitting as she's another incarnation of Zelda.

[[folder:Mythology]]

* "Jerusalem" was a British hymn the ponders the possibility that the [[JesusTheEarlyYears lost years of Jesus]] were spent in England. It's third verse begins "bring me my bow, of burning gold; bring me my arrows of desire".

* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', Madoka’s bow takes this role in aesthetics and [[spoiler:divine]] function.

* The three major gods Sarodomin, Guthix and Zamorak in VideaGame/RuneScape have their own bows and arrows which they have blessed.

* In ''VideoGame/ClockTower'' 3, when Alyssa is ready to face a boss, she manifests a bow and arrows of light. They are the only things able to permanently banish the evil spirits she encounters.

* In ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', the strongest Bow-type weapon in most games that include them is usually the Artemis Bow, and less commonly the Perseus Bow. There are sometimes accompanying arrows bearing the same names.
* In ''VideoGame/CrisisCoreFinalFantasyVII'', the goddess of the Lifestream, Minerva, combines her armor pieces into a giant bow and fires her staff like an arrow for her ultimate attack, Judgment Arrow.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', Serah’s LimitBreak is Artemis Arrow, mistranslated as Ultima Arrow in the English localization. (Though the association was probably not intended, there's a summon in Ivalace known as Ultima the High Seraph.)

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Quincies fight [[TheHeartless Hollows]] with EnergyWeapons which fire what their enemies, the Shinigami, call "Arrows of Light". The Quincy [[TheEmperor Progenitor King]] stole the name of the [[AGodAmI Abrahamic God]] and created the Vandenreich, a [[ANaziByAnyOtherName xenophobic, military organisation]] that regards itself as messengers of God, whose powers create sacred [[GratuitousGerman Heilig Pfeil]] (Holy Arrows). Although the Hollows are a very real threat to humanity, [[GodEmperor Yhwach]] is a mysterious, [[BigBad evil being]] who is trying to remake the world in his image. The Quincy holy crusade is therefore threatening the entire cosmic balance.

-->--Description of the Artemis Bow, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChroniclesEchoesOfTime''

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Quincies fight [[TheHeartless Hollows]] with EnergyWeapons which fire what their enemies, the Shinigami, call "Arrows of Light". The Quincy [[TheEmperor Progenitor King]] stole the name of the [[AGodAmI Abrahamic God]] and created the Vandenreich, a [[ANaziByAnyOtherName xenophobic, military organisation]] that regards itself as messengers of God, whose powers create sacred [[GratuitousGerman Heilig Pfeil]] (Holy Arrows). Although the Hollows are a very real threat to humanity, [[GodEmperor Yhwach]] is a mysterious, evil being who is trying to remake the world in his image. The Quincy holy crusade is therefore threatening the entire cosmic balance.

* Invoked, but also subverted in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. A sub-race of humans known as Quincy use a spiritual bow and arrow known as Heilig Pfiel -- literally (broken) German for ‘Holy Arrows’ -- that can vanquish evil creatures known as Hollow. The subversion is that ''this is a very bad thing'', as the Quincy destroy the soul of the Hollow instead of cleansing it of evil like other spiritual warriors, and destroying too many souls will lead to TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Besides the name and the [[CrystalDragonJesus Christian imagery]], there’s nothing actually ‘holy’ about these arrows.

* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', the Light Arrows are special holy arrows that can dispel evil magic, and are usually employed or created by Zelda using the power of the Sages. They’re commonly used to aid in fighting [[BigBad Ganondorf]].

** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'': Zelda uses and abuses the Light Arrows all over her moveset and will lend them to the player character for the final battle.

Compare EnergyBow, ArrowsOnFire. May overlay with LightEmUp and HolyHandGrenade. See also HeroesPreferSwords, ArcherArchetype.

* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'', main heroine Kagome and her past self Kikyo use arrows as mediums to channel their priestess powers to attack enemies.
* ''Anime/{{Digimon}}'', Angewomon's attack is Celestial Arrow, an arrow of light energy. As an Angel Digimon, she’s particularly powerful against demonic enemies like Myotismon and [=LadyDevimon=].

* Invoked, but also subverted in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. A sub-race of humans known as Quincy use a spiritual bow and arrow known as Heilig Pfiel--literally (broken) German for ‘Holy Arrows’--that can vanquish evil creatures known as Hollow. The subversion is that ''this is a very bad thing'', as the Quincy destroy the soul of the Hollow instead of cleansing it of evil like other spiritual warriors, and destroying too many souls will lead to TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Besides the name and the [[CrystalDragonJesus Christian imagery]], there’s nothing actually ‘holy’ about these arrows.

* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'', Fairy-types have the Silver Bow and Arrow weapon to power up. The Fairy-types Skelengel and Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry wield bows in their artwork, and in some video games other Fairies are depicted as fighting with bows.

*** The deity Chih-Chiang Fyu-Ya has a magical bow that can hit any target within sight and causes any weapon thrown at him to return and hit its user. If anyone else attempts to use his bow the arrows from it will hit the user.

*** Odin has a plus 3 bow that can fire 10 arrows per minute.

** TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}} campaign setting. The goddess Ehlonna has a bow that never misses its target even when fired at maximum range. Half of her arrows have a plus 3 bonus and the rest are Arrows of Slaying for various Evil woodland creatures.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', the Light Arrows are special holy arrows that can dispel evil magic, and are usually employed or created by Zelda using the power of the Sages. They’re commonly used to aid in fighting [[BigBad Ganondorf]].
** In earlier Zelda games, particularly the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI original game]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]], Silver Arrows were the only thing capable of defeating [[FinalBoss Ganon]].

* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', the angel Flonne is able to use an attack called Holy Arrows. However in practice it’s more a case of FeatherFlechettes, as she fires angel feathers as projectiles without actually using a bow.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', the strongest Bow-type weapon in most games that include them is usually the Artemis Bow, and less commonly the Perseus Bow. There are sometimes accompanying arrows bearing the same names.
* ''VideoGame/CrisisCoreFinalFantasyVII'', the goddess of the Lifestream Minerva combines her armor pieces into a giant bow and fires her staff like an arrow for her ultimate attack, Judgment Arrow.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', Serah’s LimitBreak is Artemis Arrow, mistranslated as Ultima Arrow in the English localization. (Though the association was probably not intended, there's a summon in Ivalace known as Ultima the High Seraph.)
* ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'', Pit is able to use the holy Light Arrows, once wielded by the goddess Palutena.

* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'', some games have the copy ability Angel that comes with [[PowerGivesYouWings a pair of wings]], a HolyHalo, and a bow and arrow.

* Shana and Miranda in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'', who both and represent the light/holy Dragoon spirit and fight with bows and arrows. They’re also quite useful at healing.

* GreekMythology has Apollo, god of archery, and Artemis, goddess of the hunt.

** GreekMythology

** NorseMythology deities

* In ChineseMythology, the Yellow Emperor is credited as inventing the bow.

** HinduMythology

* In HinduMythology, the rainbow is referred to as ‘Indra’s bow’[[labelnote:Sanskrit]]indradhanus इन्द्रधनुस्[[/labelnote]]. He later gives this bow to Prince Rāma, an avatar of Viṣnu. This bow is now used as a symbol of the far-right Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena in India.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', Serah’s LimitBreak is Artemis Arrow, mistranslated as Ultima Arrow in the English localization.

* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'': Zelda uses and abuses the Light Arrows all over her moveset and will lend them to the player character for the final battle.

!Examples:

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-->"A bow that shines with sacred light. Blessed by the gods of the hunt."