Dark One Dagger

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.

History
The Dark One's Dagger has a curse that grants innate arcane knowledge and immense magical power to whoever's name is inscribed on its blade. This person is known as the "Dark One". Unfortunately, a person who possesses the dagger can control the Dark One and his powers. At some point, a Duke of the Enchanted Forest gains possession of the dagger, and uses it to control the current Dark One, Zoso, into committing atrocious deeds. During an Ogre War, a soldier of the Duke named Hordor goes to a village to round up all children who have recently turned fourteen, which makes it mandatory that they must join the army. He grabs one girl, Morraine, as her parents beg for mercy. He makes a show of intimidating them and the other villagers by using the dagger to make the Dark One magically force the girl's parents into submission. Zoso becomes tired of being a slave to whoever possesses the dagger and finds the perfect substitute to take on the Dark One's powers in a cowardly father, Rumplestiltskin, who wishes to protect his son, Baelfire, from being drafted into the Ogre War. While disguised as a beggar, he persuades Rumplestiltskin to steal the dagger from the Duke's castle. Rumplestiltskin successfully steals the dagger and summons Zoso. When insulted by the being, he stabs the Dark One in a fit of anger, only to realize Zoso is the beggar from earlier on. As the man dies, free of his burden, Rumplestiltskin gains the powers of the Dark One as his own name appears on the dagger. In the morning, Rumplestiltskin stalks back to his home and murders all the soldiers, including Hordor, who mocked him.
 * -|Before the Curse=

Soon, Rumplestiltskin gains a fearsome reputation that causes the villagers to cower in his presence as he delves magical punishments to people for the smallest slight. Baelfire takes his father's physical and mental change badly and becomes extremely concerned about the manner in which the curse is corrupting him. Rumplestiltskin insists he needs magic to protect his son. He takes out the dagger to further demonstrate the only way to be rid of the curse is if someone stabbed him with it. As he explains this, their maid, Honora, comes in and accidentally glimpses the dagger. After she is sent away, Baelfire promises to find a way for his father to be released from his powers without dying. Rumplestiltskin agrees to give up his powers if there is another method of removing them. Later, out of paranoia, Rumplestiltskin kills Honora to keep her from ever delving knowledge of the dagger to outsiders, despite that she is mute, which horrifies Baelfire. With the help of the Blue Fairy, Baelfire procures a magic bean to bring himself and his father to another land free of magic. However, Rumplestiltskin backs out of their deal at the last minute when Baelfire opens up a portal with the bean. As they both nearly fall into the portal, Rumplestiltskin clings onto the surface with his dagger while holding his grip on Baelfire. Despite his love for Baelfire, he is simply too afraid of being without his powers, and makes a split second decision by letting go of his son's hand. Baelfire vanishes into the portal as it closes. At first, Rumplestiltskin is relieved to still have magic, but then regrets losing his son.

When the Dark Curse is enacted by the Evil Queen, all inhabitants are taken to another world and wiped of their Enchanted Forest memories. Rumplestiltskin gains a new life as Mr. Gold in Storybrooke. He does not recall his memories until meeting the prophesied savior of the curse, Emma, and only then remembers the importance of his dagger. He buries it in the forest to keep Regina from possibly gaining power over him. During a work day at the pawnshop, Mr. Gold catches August snooping around the back room. He becomes suspicious of the man's intentions and breaks into August's guest room at the inn. Shockingly, he finds a drawing of an exact match of the dagger. At the nunnery, Mr. Gold spies on August in deep conversation with Mother Superior. He corners her when she is alone to question her about what August said. She states that August sought out advice for how to reconcile with his estranged father. This piece of news stuns him as Mr. Gold hypothesizes that August is his long lost son. He gets advice from the town therapist, Archie, to be honest with his son by asking for forgiveness. That night, Mr. Gold openly apologizes, in tears, to August. As proof that he's changed, Mr. Gold digs up the dagger after August asks for it. However, he quickly catches on that this person is not his son when August attempts to control him with the dagger. Mr. Gold nearly kills him with the dagger for the deception, but doesn't when August discloses that he himself is suffering from a terminal illness.
 * -|During the Curse=

After the Dark Curse is broken, Mr. Gold is furious upon learning Regina has been keeping Belle locked up. Despite promising Belle that he would not use magic to seek revenge, Mr. Gold uses the dagger as a medium on a magic medallion and summons a soul sucking creature called the Wraith to go after Regina. When Belle discovers what he has done, she leaves him. The Wraith fails to kill Regina, however, and Belle eventually returns to Mr. Gold. She decides to stay, despite that he is a monster, hoping there is still good left in him.
 * -|After Broken Curse=

Mr. Gold leaves town with Emma and Henry for New York City in search of his son. With him gone, Cora, Hook and Regina formulate a plan to find the dagger. Cora knows if they possess the dagger, Mr. Gold can be controlled. Suspecting he would only trust one other person with the dagger's location, Regina goes to the hospital and searches through an amnesiac Belle's bag to find a library book call number. They search through the shelves, but the book is missing and in its place is a parchment with scribbles. Unknown to Cora and Regina, Hook placed the paper there earlier as a method of misleading them. He plays along and deciphers the markings on it as a map leading to the dagger. Then, Cora knocks him out so only she and Regina can have the dagger. They plan to force Mr. Gold to kill David, Emma and Mary Margaret so Regina will be blameless in Henry's eyes.

Regina and Cora follow the map to a location in the forest behind Johanna's house, and the two wonder if the map is a trick by Hook. Mary Margaret overhears their conversation and goes with David to gain Mother Superior's help to track down the dagger. Meanwhile, Hook sails his ship to New York to poison Mr. Gold. Emma receives a phone call from her parents asking for the dagger's location. Back in Storybrooke, Mother Superior is unsuccessful at lifting an enchantment on the pawnshop as Mary Margaret suggests using dark magic. David learns from Emma of the dagger's location in the clock tower. They grab the hidden dagger behind the minute hand of the clock just as Cora and Regina materialize to intimidate them into giving it up by threatening Johanna's life. Mary Margaret finally surrenders the dagger to save her friend, but relief is short-lived as Johanna is suddenly thrown out the clock tower by Cora to her death. She and Regina teleport back to the mayoral office. Cora takes a seat and sets the dagger down as they talk about their priority to control Mr. Gold and gain Henry.

Cora quickly recognizes that Mr. Gold is slowly succumbing to death when she notices his name on the dagger begins to melt away. If he dies without being killed, all the Dark One powers will dissipate into the air without anyone inheriting them. She decides to become the next Dark One stabbing Mr. Gold. Regina questions this decision, suspicious of her mother's intentions, but Cora covers up the ambition for power by saying she needs it so no one can stand in their way of getting Henry. Concurrently, Mary Margaret grows disillusioned and is tired of seeing innocent lives lost because of Cora, and desires to kill her. Mr. Gold returns to Storybrooke as the poison in his body grows. In a bid to save himself and help Mary Margaret, Mr. Gold suggests she use a enchanted candle to cause Cora's demise so he can be healed. When Cora and Regina assemble for attack, Mary Margaret slips out without being seen and goes to a vault. She casts a curse on Cora's heart and then tricks Regina into returning it the owner. For a moment, Cora has a heart-to-heart with Mr. Gold, admitting that she truly loved him, before readying herself to make the killing blow on him with the dagger. She is stopped when Regina plunges the heart back into Cora's chest, and the dagger clatters out of her hands onto the floor. A few seconds later, Cora begins to perish while Mr. Gold's chest wound is completely healed and his name on the dagger returns fully as he picks it up.

While venturing the island of Neverland in search of Henry, who has been captured by Pan and the Lost Boys, Mr. Gold lights a bonfire and pulls out the dagger; standing in position so his shadow bounces onto a large boulder. Then, he slices away at the area surrounding both feet; allowing his shadow to move freely on its own. Handing over the dagger, Mr. Gold orders the item to be hidden in a place not even he himself will know where to find, which the shadowy figure swiftly follows through with.

After a journey back to Storybrooke, Pan conspires to recast the Dark Curse. As Mr. Gold is rendered powerless with a magic absorbing bracelet, he makes a decision to sacrifice his own life for his loved ones. During a confrontation with Pan, Mr. Gold declares his love for both Belle, and his son Neal, but apologizes since he can't be together with them. Mr. Gold summons his shadow to bring back the dagger, which he uses to stab Pan as well as himself. Pan melts away as Malcolm takes his place. Though Malcolm attempts to persuade him to stop so they can start over as a family, Mr. Gold twists the dagger deeper into both their wounds as a golden light shines from the blade and engulfs them as they disappear out of existence. Accompanied by Belle, Neal is guided to the vault of the Dark One in the Enchanted Forest by a talking candelabrum named Lumiere. Once there, they plan to use a key to open the vault and resurrect Rumplestiltskin. Even though it's discovered Lumiere tricked them on orders of the Wicked Witch of the West, Neal proceeds to unlock the vault; unintentionally giving up his own life to bring back his father and the Dark One's dagger. While Rumplestiltskin clings to both his son and the dagger, the Wicked Witch steals the weapon. Shortly after Rumplestiltskin absorbs Neal into his body to keep him alive, the Wicked Witch commands him, via the dagger, to kill Belle. Before he can carry out the order, Lumiere distracts the Wicked Witch long enough for Belle to flee. The Wicked Witch of the West casts a new curse to return everyone to Storybrooke. She assumes the identity of a resident midwife, Zelena, and imprisons Mr. Gold in her captivity. In her scheme to gather David's courage as one of the ingredients for a time spell, she purposely cuts Mr. Gold with the dagger while shaving him. With the blood, Zelena uses it take a plant, night root, from the pawnshop to cause David to fight a manifestation of his greatest fear so she can steal his courage.
 * -|After Undone Curse=
 * -|During New Curse=

After realizing Mr. Gold escaped, Zelena tries summoning him with the dagger to no avail due to Neal's interference. Frustrated, she sends her flying monkey to fetch him. Zelena later comes across Mr. Gold in the woods watching over the corpse of Neal, who passed away after being separated from his father's body. Despite that Mr. Gold exposed Zelena's true identity to David and Emma, she still finds it beneficial to have the Dark One's brain, which is also one of the ingredients for her spell. Zelena regains control over Mr. Gold; ordering him back into his cell.

In a face-off with her half-sister, Regina, Zelena shows up on Main Street wielding the dagger as an enslaved Mr. Gold trails her. With Neal's death still fresh on her mind, Emma challenges Zelena. The witch sees her as an unworthy opponent and has Mr. Gold magically fling Emma aside.

Forced to do Zelena's dirty work again, Mr. Gold sways Robin Hood, under duress, into handing over Regina's heart. Following this, Zelena gives Mr. Gold a new suit, which he has no interest in wearing, but his captor reminds him that she is asking nicely and otherwise could make him comply with the dagger's power. Dolled up, he has no choice but to sit down for dinner with her. During the meal, Zelena explains the time spell she is going to enact to change her own past. She even offers to take him along so he can reunite with his son. Feigning interest, Mr. Gold admits he was wrong to have chosen Regina over her in the past. To make up for it, he seduces her, though his true aim is to grab the dagger. However, Zelena catches onto his trickery and angrily makes him return to his cage.

Trivia

 * The importance of the knowing name on the dagger is a play on the original Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, when he 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.
 * 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, therefore ending the curse.
 * Hook has a tattoo of the dagger going through a heart, which has Milah's name on it.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.
 * The dagger is part of Hook's tattoo in "Tallahassee".