Dark One Dagger

"There's something I learned as the Dark One. If your name is on something, hold on to it."

- Emma Swan to Happy The Dark One's Dagger is a magical item featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the eighth episode of the first season.

Known Owners

 * Anna
 * August Booth
 * Belle French
 * Cora †
 * David Nolan
 * Duke of the Frontlands
 * Emma Swan
 * Hordor †


 * Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Mr. Gold's shadow
 * Nimue †
 * Regina Mills
 * Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold
 * Zelena
 * Zoso †

Known Users

 * Anna
 * August Booth (failed)
 * Belle French
 * Emma Swan
 * Hook † (formerly)
 * Merlin


 * Nimue †
 * Regina Mills
 * Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold
 * Zelena
 * Zoso †

Trivia

 * -|On-screen Notes=

On-screen Notes

 * The significance of the Dark One's name on the dagger is an allusion to the original Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, where Rumplestiltskin made a deal with the miller's daughter to discover his name.
 * Cora refers to the dagger as a "kris dagger". A kris is a prized Indonesian weapon known for its distinctive, wavy blade. They are considered to be spiritual objects.
 * According to Cora, if the Dark One is killed without the use of the dagger, he or she will expel the powers of the Dark One into the air after death without anyone else being next in line to inherit it.
 * Excalibur's blade, which the dagger was a part of, is normally silver-colored with black markings, but after the Darkness is absorbed into the sword, the blade becomes black, with silver markings. This is best seen as the sword disintegrates in Emma's hands. The new version of the dagger has the same color scheme.
 * -|Props Notes=

Props Notes

 * The design is based on ritualistic Indonesian knives.
 * When Belle is searching for the Snow Queen, she is is wearing a dagger-printed scarf.
 * In Isaac's alternate reality, Emma is wearing a pair of dagger-shaped earrings.
 * When Arthur is talking to David while sitting at the Round Table, a drawing of the dagger is lying on the table in front of him.


 * -|Other Notes=

Goofs

 * Throughout the series, the written letters of the Dark One's name keeps switching from one side of the blade to the other. Sometimes, the letters are right side up when the dagger is held in the right hand and facing the wielder with the first letter at the tip of the blade. At other times, the writing is right side up when the dagger is facing the wielder and held in the left hand with the first letter next to the hilt.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.
 * Hook's tattoo in "Tallahassee" shows the dagger embedded through a heart.
 * The Dagger appears on the page of Samuel's book in "Out of the Past".