Who is giving the nod to whom? D&D's Ravenloft 1st edition in 1983 has a hilt only (at first I presume) sunsword. Thundarr the cartoon had their "starts as only a hilt, like a lightsaber" Sunsword in 1980.
Guessing the cartoon had to have done it first/named it first, even though the Hickman's worked on their Ravenloft at home thing in like 1978 or 1979 as a homebrew, it wasn't published till 1983... so that's probably when they went with the name. And the fact that you only find the hilt... I mean yeah, they are all a copy of lightsabers from Star Wars (1977), but you know... cool anyhow.
I just occurred to me that the success and coolness of the Thundarr cartoon in 1980 and 1981 surely had some influence on getting the Conan The Barbarian 1982 movie made, right?
Somewhere I read that for DnD, the sunsword of Ravenloft was the first and basis for all future swords of that type (either sun or light based or something).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundarr_the_Barbarian
Quote from 1st edition Ravenloft/Strahd, on the 4th card it says:
"Fourth, determine where the sunsword hilt is (see Treasures and Tomes on p. 31 for a description of the sunsword). ...."
Quote from Thundarr The Barbarian (note much to do with the sword, I just like the intro quote):
Thundarr the Barbarian
The year: 1994. From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction! Man's civilization is cast in ruin!
Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn...
A strange new world rises from the old: a world of savagery, super science, and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice! With his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength, his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the forces of evil.
He is Thundarr, the Barbarian!
UPDATE: the Ravenloft 1e version of the sword is a hilt in one area and a blade in another area... in other words, it needs to be put back together a la Lord of the Rings's Anduril.
Option from the random card drawing thing:
Strahd wants the Sunsword.
Here is a high and noble card. One of you carries a weapon
that is stronger than any other against the evil in this land.
Only one part is missing from this weapon. That part is
found in the evil one's lair.
See Treasures and Tomes on p. 31 for details about the sunsword. Strahd wants to destroy the sunsword. He believes (correclly) that one of the PCs (a random fighter) has has been
unknowingly carrying the sunsword lor some time. If the
sunsword hilt is found and reunited with the blade, Strahd
could be in real trouble.
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