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Katniss' bow and arrow, Cato's sword, and Marvel's spear.

Weapons were prominent features of the Hunger Games event. At the beginning of every Games, weapons were among the principal supplies found at the Cornucopia, and were initially acquired during the bloodbath. Tributes who did not obtain weapons at this stage had to acquire them later, either from the Cornucopia itself or from another tribute. Weapons were also sometimes sent to tributes as sponsor gifts from their districts and mentors.

Weapons

Clove's knives and Peeta's medicine ball.

Outside of the Hunger Games, the ownership of weapons was strictly prohibited. In order to prevent uprisings and rebellions in the districts, the only individuals permitted to own weapons were the Peacekeepers, prompting Katniss Everdeen to hide her bow and arrows in the woods. While her father could have made money from selling bows, he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion if he got caught. Despite this, Katniss continued to hunt, and although this was technically illegal, District 12's relatively lenient Peacekeepers overlooked it.[1]

Ownership of utilitarian weapons, such as knives, seemed to be permitted,[1] since they were used for everyday purposes. The industries of certain districts presumably involved the use of weapons under extremely close observation, including spears, nets, and tridents in District 4 (fishing), and axes in District 7 (lumber).

The main exception to these restrictions was District 13, which gained political independence from the Capitol during the Dark Days and was able to stockpile a vast arsenal of firearms, missiles, and other military equipment. During the Second Rebellion, spearheaded by District 13, the rebels were able to acquire sufficient weapons and support to wage war against the Capitol. Legal restrictions on weapon ownership following the war are unknown, but it is implied that the district citizens have much more freedom to own and use weaponry.

Weapons in the Hunger Games

Awl

An awl can take various forms, but typically consists of a slender spike and some form of handgrip (similar in design to a screwdriver). More of a tool than a weapon, it is traditionally used in handicrafts such as wood and leather working:

  • During the 75th Hunger Games, Katniss obtained an awl from the Cornucopia and gave it to Mags.[2] After the group realized that the trees in the arena were full of water, the awl was used to bore holes in the trunks in preparation for inserting the spile.[3]

Axe

Johanna Mason's axes from Catching Fire

Johanna Mason's axes from Catching Fire

An axe (ax) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood. It has also been widely used as a weapon and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. Axes can take many different forms depending on their intended use, but generally, they consist of an axe head with a handle, or helve:

  • In The Hunger Games film, the District 9 male briefly used an epsilon axe - named for its similarity to the Greek letter epsilon (ϵ) - during the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. He tried to kill Katniss with it, but Clove killed him with one of her throwing knives before he could complete the deed.[4]
  • In Catching Fire, Johanna Mason is highly proficient with axes, which she used to kill Cashmere. Since Johanna comes from District 7, where the main industry is lumber, Katniss muses that she must have been handling axes since she was a toddler.[5]
  • Lamina and Treech both used axes during the 10th Hunger Games.

Throwing axe

While axes are normally used as melee weapons, they can also be thrown, and some are especially designed for that purpose. The latter is never specifically mentioned in the novels, but some characters indeed use axes as distance weapons:

  • During the 50th Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy was on the verge of defeat at the hands of the District 1 female, who was armed with an axe. When she threw it at him as he got to an edge of a cliff, he was able to dodge it, lulling her into believing that he would die first as he had been disemboweled. However, the force field surrounding the arena caused the axe to fly back and kill her, allowing Haymitch to emerge as the victor.[6]
  • In the 74th Hunger Games, the District 3 male acquired one, but Marvel stole it from him. It is speculated that the District 7 female acquired one also, both phases of the training and the bloodbath.
  • In the 75th Hunger Games, Johanna acquired a pair of axes from the Cornucopia, and was able to throw one so hard that it lodged in the body of the Cornucopia itself. Her district partner, Blight, also obtained one.

Blowgun

A blowgun is a simple weapon consisting of a small tube used for firing light projectiles, such as darts:

  • During the 50th Hunger Games, Maysilee Donner acquired a blowgun with 24 darts from the Cornucopia. By dipping the darts in the numerous poisonous substances found in the arena, she made them fatal. Maysilee saved Haymitch from a Career Tribute who was about to kill him and the two became allies until they both made it to the final five.[6]

Bow and arrow

Main article: Bow and arrow
Katnissdrawingherbow

Katniss drawing her bow.

The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures. Katniss learned her archery skills from her father, and she uses a bow to hunt for food. It also becomes her weapon of choice in the arena. Gale Hawthorne is also a skilled archer, which he learned from Katniss:

  • Katniss uses bows as weapons in both the 74th and 75th Hunger Games and after she joins the rebellion.
  • In the 74th Hunger Games, there was apparently only one bow supplied at the Cornucopia, and it was briefly used by Glimmer before being acquired by Katniss.
  • In the 75th Hunger Games, multiple bows were supplied, since the Gamemakers only provided weapons. Notably, Katniss uses her bow along with a wire and lightning bolt to destroy the arena by taking out the force field.
  • In The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, a bow and a quiver of arrows were among the weapons provided for the 10th Hunger Games. When Coriolanus Snow was sent to get Sejanus Plinth out, he noticed that the bow was broken into two, hinting that at least one tribute tried to use it as a blunt weapon.[7]

Crossbow

The crossbow is a mechanized version of the bow and arrow that originated in China over 2000 years ago. Rather than being held upright, the crossbow is mounted horizontally across the handle, or stock, and equipped with a trigger. Although it takes longer to load and fire than a traditional bow, it can be learned much more easily and the missile, or bolt, can be launched at any time without the physical strain of holding back the string.

  • In The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Otto used a crossbow during the bloodbath.[7]

Electrocution

Electrocution is a process involving electrical current and some form of conductor.

  • Beetee Latier won his first Games by setting up an electrical trap with wire.[5] In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, it was specifically stated that his trap killed six tributes at once.[8]
  • Beetee also used electrocution in the 75th Hunger Games. He coiled a metal wire around his knife and tried to stab the force field when a bolt of lightning struck a particular tree. However, Brutus and Enobaria cut the wire, and he injured himself stabbing the force field. Katniss eventually tied the wire around her arrow and shot it at the force field, shorting it out and creating an escape route.[9]

Improvised weapons

  • In the 10th Hunger Games, Teslee was able to reprogram a drone so it would block other drones' homing signals, causing them all to swarm Mizzen. This made him lose his balance and fall to his death.[10]
  • In The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Lucy Gray Baird tried to fend off Coral’s alliance with a rock when they cornered her.[7]
  • In The Hunger Games film, a clip from a previous Games shows the District 2 male tribute beating the District 10 male to death with a brick.
  • At the feast in the 74th Hunger Games, Thresh dented Clove's skull with a rock, killing her. In the film adaptation, he bashed her head against the Cornucopia, killing her instantly.

Land mine

FoxFace - Mine

Foxface stepping around the mines.

In the 74th Hunger Games, the District 3 male tribute was able to dig up land mines, plant them around the Careers' supplies, and re-arm them in order to protect their hoard. However, Katniss fired three arrows at a bag of apples, causing them to scatter across the ground, detonating enough mines to set off a chain reaction so they all went off. The supplies were utterly destroyed.[11]

Knife

Backpack at Cornucopia

Katniss' backpack with Clove's knife in it.

A knife is a weapon with a sharp blade and a handle. The length of the blade can vary but is typically shorter than a sword's.

  • During the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss gained a knife as her first weapon; when Clove threw a knife at Katniss in an attempt to kill her, Katniss was able to block this knife with her backpack, where it lodged. It had a long blade and was serrated near the handle. This knife enabled Katniss to saw off the branch that a tracker jacker nest was attached to and dropped it onto the Careers sleeping below.
  • In The Hunger Games film, it is briefly shown during the bloodbath that Glimmer was using a knife to stab the District 6 female and the District 5 male. Foxface used the blade of a knife from the ruins of the Cornucopia, following its destruction.
  • In the 75th Hunger Games, Katniss obtained two long knives from the Cornucopia and gave one of them to Peeta Mellark. Peeta used the knife as his main weapon in the games, killing several monkey muttations while in the jungle. He also used it as a tool to draw a map of the area on large leaves, so they could keep track of the various obstacles that were released every hour.
  • Haymitch always sleeps holding a knife. When Katniss woke him prior to her Victory Tour by pouring water on him, Haymitch woke up swinging it before coming to his senses.[12]

Kukri

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Marvel killing the District 8 boy with a kukri.

A kukri is a style of knife made famous by the Gurkhas of Nepal, where the blade curves forwards and down, rather than backwards and up like other curve-bladed knives:

  • In The Hunger Games film, Marvel is shown to knock down the District 8 male and then proceed to stab him to death with a kukri. He is shown later walking towards the Cornucopia with the kukri in his hand.

Throwing knife

In theory, most knives can be used as throwing weapons, but some are specifically designed for the purpose:

  • Although Katniss prefers a bow, she has some experience with wielding and throwing knives in order to finish off a wounded animal.[13]
Knife-0

Katniss is pinned to the ground by Clove, who pulls out a knife.

  • In the 74th Hunger Games, throwing knives were Clove's preferred weapon. During the bloodbath at the Cornucopia, she used one to kill the boy from District 9 and attempted to do the same to Katniss, but Katniss blocked the knife with her backpack.[14] At the feast later in the games, Clove was shown carrying an assortment of knives in her jacket, and she threw two at Katniss in a second attempt to kill her. Katniss blocked the first with her bow, but the second gashed her just above her left eye, throwing off her focus and allowing Clove to tackle her.[15]
Cfireglosspractice

Gloss trained with throwing knives at the 3rd Quarter Quell.

  • In The Hunger Games film, the knife thrown at Katniss during the bloodbath seems to be a conventional Bowie knife. Although it had a sharp blade serrated near the handle like the book description, it was noticeably larger and heavier than most of the other knives in Clove's arsenal.[4]
  • In the 75th Hunger Games, Enobaria was able to land a knife in Finnick Odair's thigh. While the novel doesn't specifically mention if the knife was thrown, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire shows that it was. The film also showed Cashmere and Gloss practicing with throwing knives in the Training Center.[8]

Mace

A mace consists of a length of shaft topped by a heavy weight. Historically, there have been many variations of this weapon; some heads may be spiked or have angular striking surfaces, and others may place the weight at the end of a chain, which in turn is connected to the shaft:

  • In one unidentified Hunger Games, spiked maces were the only weapons in the Cornucopia, and the tributes had to bludgeon one another to death.[16]
  • It is unknown if anyone in the 74th or 75th Hunger Games used them, but in the 75th Games numerous maces were supplied.

Bar mace

Cato slits random girl!

Cato hits the District 4 female with a bar mace

A bar mace is a narrow pole weapon consisting of a hand grip attached to two flattened metal bars intersecting at the middle, giving the weapon a "+"-shaped cross section. It is a simple but efficient weapon that can be used to bludgeon and hit opponents:

  • Bar maces do not appear in the books, though they are used in The Hunger Games film: Cato is seen using a bar mace to injure the District 4 female, as well as during the final fight of the 74th Hunger Games. He also used one to kill the District 4 male.

Machete

Peeta machete Heritage Auctions

A machete is a type of heavy, long-bladed knife which can be used as an agricultural tool and as a weapon:

  • During the 10th Hunger Games, Bobbin from District 8 is seen using a machete.[7]
  • While not specifically mentioned in the books, machetes make appearances in the films and related material. The Hunger Games Tribute Guide lists a machete as one of Cato's weapons, though it is unknown when he used it (this is all before he acquires the sword he uses later in the games).[4]
  • During the 75th Hunger Games, Peeta is described as wielding a "long knife", originally obtained by Katniss from the Cornucopia.[2] The film adaptation of Catching Fire interpreted this weapon as a machete.[8]

Net

A trident is seen amongst the weapons in the 10th hunger games

A net in the pile of weapons during the 10th Hunger Games.

A net is composed of fibers woven in a grid-like structure. It blocks the passage of large items, while letting smaller items and fluids pass. It requires less material than something sheet-like, and provides a degree of transparency. Nets can be used to catch fish, birds, animals, or for ensnaring people:

  • Nets are mainly used by District 4 for fishing, but they were also utilized by Finnick during the 65th Hunger Games. He wove a net from a kind of vine he had found in the arena to entangle his opponents with then spear them with his trident.[17]
  • In The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Mizzen, the District 4 male, used a net during the 10th Hunger Games.[7]
  • Another person who used a net to kill someone was Marvel during 74th Hunger Games. He used the net to entangle Rue and killed her with a spear.
  • In the 75th Hunger Games, Finnick again arms himself with a net and trident, weaving additional nets to use for fishing. Katniss fell into the coiled wire and thought she had fallen into Finnick's net, as at that point she believed Finnick and Johanna Mason were trying to kill her.[9]

Pickaxe

A pickaxe is a mining tool that has a sharp metal spike on each side of its long handle. It is typically used for prying, but has also been adapted for warfare.

  • One appears in the pile of weapons in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.[7]
  • Katniss mentions that District 12 coal miners learn to wield pickaxes, but they have to be 18 or older to work in the mines, so most of their tributes are too young to know how to make use of them in the arena.[5]

Pitchfork

A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and metal prongs fixed to one end. In the 10th Hunger Games, Reaper Ash obtained a pitchfork at the start of the Games.[18]

Poison

Poison is a deadly substance that can kill anything that ingests it.

During the 10th Hunger Games, Coriolanus Snow gave Lucy Gray his mother's silver compact to sneak rat poison from the Capitol Zoo into the arena as a weapon against the other tributes.[19] Wovey later died after drinking from a water bottle poisoned by Lucy Gray[20] and Reaper Ash drank from a puddle poisoned by Lucy Gray while he suffered from heat exhaustion.[10] Lucy Gray later admitted to Snow that her intention had been to poison Coral, but Wovey got the water bottle instead.[21] The discovery of Snow's cheating forced him into the Peacekeeper service for 20 years.[10]

Scalpel chain

Scalpel Chain

A scalpel chain is an Capitol designed weapon preferably made for the Hunger Games. This weapon almost looks like a metal rope with multiple spikes consisting further down the rope:

  • In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the District 5 male can be seen holding the weapon when approaching Katniss; however, he was quickly impaled by Finnick's trident.[8]

Sickle

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A sickle prop from The Hunger Games

A sickle is an agricultural tool that is traditionally used for harvesting crops, but could also be used as a weapon. Typically, they consist of a short handle connected to a curved or crescent moon-shaped blade, and are used for slashing and cutting:

  • A sickle was Tanner's weapon of choice in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.[7]
  • Sickles appeared in the 74th Hunger Games as weapons among the supplies at the Cornucopia. The District 5 male used one to kill the District 3 female by slashing the back of her neck with it. Thresh also used a sickle to kill the District 7 male during the bloodbath, before he made his escape.
  • In the Catching Fire film, while the tributes are hanging onto the spinning island at the center of the area, the weapons in the Cornucopia are scattered, and Peeta nearly takes a sickle to the head.[8]

Slingshot

A slingshot is a projectile weapon that can be used to fling small objects such as stones at short distances. Skilled slingshot users, such as Rue, are highly accurate and can hit a target with each shot.[22] After fleeing the Cornucopia, Rue fashioned a slingshot.[23]

Snare

A snare is a rope or wire that is tied to an object to trap prey and kill it:

  • Gale Hawthorne is an expert at making and using snares to trap game; for example, he could make one that trapped his prey, but kept it out of reach of predators until he could retrieve the kill. He and Katniss first met in the woods when she was about to examine a rabbit that had been caught in one of his twitch-up snares. Prior to knowing Gale, Katniss had not had previous success with snares, although her father had used them.[24]
  • In the Training Center just before the 74th Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss try out the snares station and worked there for about an hour until they master the basic snares that can catch some food and leave a tribute trapped. Katniss used snares to trap game while in the arena.

Spear

Still02-brutus

Brutus using a spear at training center.

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a long shaft and a pointed head. Depending on the time period and culture, the head could take many different designs and be made from a variety of materials; the end of the shaft may simply be sharpened, or the head may be a separate piece made of more durable material - such as stone, bone, or metal - and attached to the shaft. Spears are one of the few weapons that are always supplied at the Cornucopia:

  • A spear was one of the weapons shown in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, retrieved by Mizzen.[7]
  • Cato was highly accurate with a spear during training in The Hunger Games film.[4]
  • In the 74th Hunger Games, Marvel used a spear to kill Rue.[25]
  • The boy from District 3 was also given a spear when the Careers left their pile of supplies to go to the site of Rue's decoy fire.[11]
  • In the first film's bloodbath, the District 7 male tribute used a long, pilum-like spear to attack Thresh, and Marvel killed the District 7 female with one. Later in the film, Peeta and the District 3 boy were armed with spears that had single-edged blade-like tips and different shafts.[4]
  • In the 75th Hunger Games, Brutus threw a spear at Peeta. In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the spears that Brutus trained with were similar in appearance to the ancient Roman pilum.[8]

Sword

Cato glimmer

Cato with his sword.

A sword consists of hand grip, or hilt, attached to a blade. Depending on the design of the sword, it may be used primarily for cutting and/or thrusting, and the blade may have one or two edges:

  • In The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes film, Panlo used a sword during the bloodbath.[7]
  • Cato, the male tribute from District 2 in the 74th Hunger Games, used a sword as his primary weapon; described as "a short, heavy blade"[26], he used it to severely injure Peeta Mellark's leg. In The Hunger Games film, this sword was shown hanging inside the wall of the Cornucopia, which ties in with Katniss' observation that the most valuable supplies were not easily accessible.[14]
  • At the 75th Hunger Games' bloodbath, Enobaria got a sword from the Cornucopia that she later used to slash vines out her way.[8]

Serrated sword

Serrated-sword

The District 4 female cuts the District 3 females leg.

A serrated sword consists of a short hand grip attached to the blade, which is black with a white stripe running down the middle. One side is smooth and sharp while the other is serrated and pointed:

Trident

Finnick trident Heritage Auctions
Coral wielding a trident.

Coral wielding a trident.

A trident is a three-pronged spear that can be used both as a weapon and for spear fishing. It was carried by various religious figures throughout history, such as the Greek Poseidon, the Roman Neptune, and the Indian Shiva. In addition to stabbing, the prongs on a trident can be used to trap other weapons and deflect them away from the wielder:

  • During the 10th Hunger Games, both tributes from District 4, Coral and Mizzen, used tridents as their primary weapon. Working together they successfully managed to kill many tributes with their tridents, including a member of their alliance, Tanner.
  • During the 65th Hunger Games, a golden trident was delivered to Finnick Odair. Katniss described it as possibly "the most expensive gift" she had ever seen given to a tribute, and it helped Finnick to emerge as the victor.[17]
  • During the 75th Hunger Games, numerous tridents and a net were provided at the Cornucopia, which Finnick also used. In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the design of Finnick's trident included 3 blades protruding from the side of the shaft, as well as a long point extending from the top. With this design, the weapon could slash like a sword, as well as stab and be thrown like a spear.[8]

Weapons used by the Capitol

Baton

Baton

Peacekeepers readying their batons in District 11

A baton is a long, narrow rod that can be made from many different materials. As a weapon, a baton may be used to strike, jab, block, bludgeon, and aid in the application of armlocks:

  • In The Hunger Games film, Peacekeepers used batons to suppress the uprising of District 11.[4]
  • In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Peacekeepers used collapsible batons to subdue the crowd in District 11.[8]

Capitol bombs

Main article: Bombings

The Capitol was known to carpet bomb rebellious districts into submission, as was the case with the uprising of District 8[27] and the bombing of District 12.[28]

Gamemaker traps

Traps devised by Gamemakers, typically for use in a Hunger Games arena.

Fire

Firee

Fire in the arena.

During the 74th Hunger Games, the Gamemakers unleashed a massive wall of fire to force the tributes closer together in the arena. Because of the fire's height and uniformity, Katniss could tell that it didn't occur naturally. The Gamemakers also shot fireballs at the tributes, severely injuring Katniss's leg. The Careers apparently got caught in the blaze too, as Katniss noticed their raspy voices due to smoke inhalation.[26] Rue's forearm was seemingly burned during the fire attack as well.[23]

Fog

During the 75th Hunger Games, one of the twelve hourly obstacles encountered in the arena was a poisonous fog. Any skin that came in contact with the mist instantly erupted in extremely painful swellings, and too long or too heavy exposure resulted in death (as happened to Mags). Submersion in water helped to dull the pain and draw out the poison, but the skin was left heavily scabbed afterwards.

Although the Gamemakers could seemingly control the direction and speed of the fog's movement, like all the hourly obstacles, it remained within its designated sector of the arena.

Land mine

Explosion

An explosion at the Cornucopia caused by land mines.

A land mine is an explosive device, concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near the device. Such devices are typically detonated automatically by way of pressure from the target stepping or driving on it, though other detonation mechanisms may be possible. The device may cause damage either by a direct blast or by fragments that are thrown by the blast:

  • Mines are deployed in front of the metal plates on which the tributes stand when they are delivered via the tribute tubes to prevent anyone from gaining a head start on the weapons and supplies at the Cornucopia. These mines are activated by pressure and are extremely sensitive. One year, a female tribute accidentally dropped her tribute token, a small wooden ball, and she was blown to pieces.[29] Once the minute is up, the mines are disarmed by the Gamemakers.
  • In the 75th Hunger Games, the tributes were launched from a saltwater lake with the Cornucopia at the center. Whether or not the Gamemakers had mines in the water is unknown, since no one left their platform early.[30]

Muttations

Main article: Muttation

Gamemakers genetically engineered many twisted creatures to set upon tributes in the arena.

Capitol guns

Guns - Captol

Peacekeepers armed with guns.

In Panem, guns are only authorized for use by Peacekeepers. According to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the standard Peacekeeper’s rifle could fire a hundred rounds before reloading.[31] In Catching Fire, Katniss mentioned machine guns set up on rooftops,[32] and she said Twill's stolen Peacekeeper gun could convert solar energy into "deadly rays of power", eliminating the need for ammunition.[27]

Although the novels never go into detail regarding the exact model of firearms used, Peacekeepers in the films are armed with FN P90 submachine guns, TAR-21 rifles, FN F2000 rifles, as well as Vector CP1 pistols. In some scenes, their armored trucks have M2 Browning machine guns mounted on top. In The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the Peacekeepers are armed with Heckler and Koch G3 battle rifles.

Pod

Main article: Pod

Pods are Gamemaker-designed obstacles deployed throughout the city to kill invading rebels.[33]

Water cannon

A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control:

  • Water cannons do not appear in the books, but are used in The Hunger Games film by the Peacekeepers to suppress the uprising in District 11.[4]

Whip

GaleRomulusWhip

Romulus Thread whipping Gale Hawthorne.

A whip is a weapon, mostly used for punishment but also for combat. It is used by "cracking" the whip through the air, making it hit an opponent painfully. Whips also typically feature a hard butt that can be used as a bludgeon.

  • Romulus Thread whipped Gale Hawthorne forty times for poaching. Darius tried to stop the whipping and was knocked unconscious with the butt of the whip.[34] In the film, the whip used by Thread bears a strong resemblance to a scourge.[8]

Weapons used by District 13

"I have to admit the arsenal takes my breath away. Row upon row of firearms, launchers, explosives, armored vehicles."
—Katniss's first impression of District 13's arsenal[src]

District 13 bombs

  • District 13 rebels bombed the mountainside of the Nut in District 2.[35]
  • In the City Circle bombing, District 13 aircraft with the Capitol seal dropped silver parachutes over a crowd of children, who had been primed by Hunger Games sponsor gifts to recognize these as aid parcels. However, these parachutes were actually bombs, and when medics came in to help the wounded, a second explosion killed them as well.[36] This turned people in the Capitol against President Snow and ended the war, since everyone believed he was behind the parachute bombs. However, the bombing had actually been done under the orders of District 13's President Alma Coin.[37]
    • The strategy behind this bombing was devised by Gale Hawthorne and Beetee Latier.[38]

District 13 bow and arrow

District 13 had an entire wall of archery weapons. In particular, Katniss took note of a militarized bow that was weighed down with scopes and gadgetry; this was the one Gale picked out for his personal use throughout the novel.[39] The Mockingjay films adapted this as a crossbow.[40][41]

District 13 guns

Having gained political independence from the Capitol, District 13 had its own supply of guns, which they distributed to rebel forces across all districts during the First and Second Rebellion. In the films, the standard-issue infantry rifle is shown to be the Heckler and Koch G36K carbine, although rebel forces in the other districts are shown using all types of firearms, most of them being from the era of the Second World War, including M1 Carbines and MG-42 machine guns.

District 13 land mine

Simulated Street Combat training involved the possibility of triggering a mine in preparation for the assault on the Capitol.[33]

Nightlock pills

During the Second Rebellion, soldiers from District 13 were given suicide pills to swallow in the event that they were captured. Dubbed "nightlock", they had the same effect as poisonous nightlock berries.[42] Following Katniss's assassination of President Coin,[43] she attempted to bite into her nightlock pill, but Peeta stopped her.[44]

Squad 451

Main article: Squad 451

Squad 451 was a sharpshooter unit created to film propaganda for the war effort. As a result, some members used special signature weapons alongside or in place of their standard-issue firearms.

  • In District 13, Beetee was tasked with designing Katniss's black Mockingjay bow. Katniss described it as having "exquisite balance" and "elegant design"; to her, the curve of the limbs suggested the wings of a bird in flight. His assignment was to make it purely for aesthetics, but Beetee "left the outside simple, and left the inside to [his] imagination."[39]
    • The bow was programmed to only recognize Katniss's voice. If she wanted to use it as an ordinary bow, she could turn off its special features by saying "Good night" until the sound of her voice woke it again. Beetee designed a variety of color-coded arrows to go along with it as well: razor sharp, incendiary, and explosive.[39]
  • Beetee also made a trident for Finnick with its own special features, though most were not described. The only one Katniss noted was that if Finnick pressed a button on a metal cuff on his wrist, it would call the weapon back to him after he'd thrown it, like a boomerang.[33]

Other weapons

After being airlifted from the 75th Hunger Games arena by a District 13 hovercraft, Katniss grabbed a syringe, intending to use it to mercy-kill Peeta rather than let the Capitol hurt him. After stumbling onto a meeting between Haymitch, Finnick, and Plutarch Heavensbee, she attempted to attack them with it, but Haymitch subdued her.[28]

Use of poison by President Snow

In The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Snow took rat poison from the back alley of Pluribus Bell's nightclub and slipped it into the morphling that Sejanus Plinth had received for his breakdown. When Snow presented Plinth's personal effects to Dean Casca Highbottom, he deliberately slid the bottles of morphling into the trash, knowing that Highbottom - a morphling addict - would later retrieve them, ingest the rat poison, and die. This was his first murder with what would become his signature weapon.[45]

Over the next 64 years, Snow would rise to power as the president of Panem, and he maintained control by poisoning allies and enemies alike who posed a threat to him. Snow often drank from the same poisoned glass to deflect suspicion. Although antidotes saved his life, he was left with mouth sores that wouldn't heal. He wore roses to cover up the persistent stench of blood.[46] In The Hunger Games film, Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane was locked in a room with nightlock berries, suggesting that Snow was executing him by forced suicide.[4]

By the time of his execution, his sores had seemingly worsened because he occasionally coughed up blood.[37][43] Ironically, Snow's habit of poisoning people may have ultimately led to his demise; Snow was believed to have either been trampled by the angry mob, or to have choked to death on his own blood.[44]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 1
  2. 2.0 2.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 19
  3. Catching Fire, Chapter 20
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 The Hunger Games film
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Catching Fire, Chapter 23
  6. 6.0 6.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 14
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
  9. 9.0 9.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 26
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 20
  11. 11.0 11.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 16
  12. Catching Fire, Chapter 1
  13. The Hunger Games, Chapter 4
  14. 14.0 14.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 11
  15. The Hunger Games, Chapter 21
  16. The Hunger Games, Chapter 3
  17. 17.0 17.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 15
  18. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 14
  19. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 12
  20. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 19
  21. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 24
  22. The Hunger Games, Chapter 7
  23. 23.0 23.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 15
  24. The Hunger Games, Chapter 8
  25. The Hunger Games, Chapter 17
  26. 26.0 26.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 13
  27. 27.0 27.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 10
  28. 28.0 28.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 27
  29. The Hunger Games, Chapter 11
  30. Catching Fire, Chapter 19
  31. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 22
  32. Catching Fire, Chapter 4
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 Mockingjay, Chapter 18
  34. Catching Fire, Chapter 8
  35. Mockingjay, Chapter 15
  36. Mockingjay, Chapter 24
  37. 37.0 37.1 Mockingjay, Chapter 25
  38. Mockingjay, Chapter 13
  39. 39.0 39.1 39.2 Mockingjay, Chapter 5
  40. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
  41. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
  42. Mockingjay, Chapter 6
  43. 43.0 43.1 Mockingjay, Chapter 26
  44. 44.0 44.1 Mockingjay, Chapter 27
  45. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Epilogue
  46. Mockingjay, Chapter 12
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