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In _Unlimited Blade Works_ , we eventually learn that Archer was summoned as
Rin had a relic associated with him (i.e. the pendant Shiro keeps). In the
recent anime adaptation, there is also some statement to the effect of "a
relic is required to summon a servant".

Similar sentiment is expressed in the _Fate_ route of the visual novel. On the
last day, Saber tells Shiro that he must have been able to summon her as a
result of having had Excalibur's sheath embedded in him (similar to how it was
embedded in Irisviel in _Fate/Zero_ ):

> To summon a heroic spirit, one needs a symbol connected with that spirit.

This seems in line with the other summonings we see, such as Waver's use of a
cloak to summon Iskandar and the trouble the Einsberns take to retrieve the
sheath so that Kiritsugu summons a good servant. Finally, some remark Lord El
Melloi makes about having to find a relic last minute suggests that a relic is
always required.

**Is this ("a relic is always required for a successful summoning") correct?
If so, did Rin have anything she knew to be a relic when she summoned
Archer?** (I feel like she didn't, but if a relic is required, I would have
assumed that she'd be aware of this, as a reasonably competent magus.)


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2015-08-03T02:16:47.093
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question
fate-stay-night fate-zero
What happens if there is no relic in a summoning?


A catalyst is not required, but most Magi prepare for one because they have
been preparing to partake in the Holy Grail War for years.

> Most Masters will prepare a catalyst with which to summon their desired
> Heroic Spirit, but it is not absolutely necessary. Without a specific
> artifact, the Grail will, rather than base it on their power, chose a
> Servant based upon similarities to the summoner's own nature.

Source: [Servant -
Summoning](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Servant#Summoning)

This coincides with Gilles de Rais' summoning in the 4th Holy Grail War:

> His Master was Ryuunosuke Uryuu, a serial killer who unwittingly performed a
> successful summoning ritual using the blood of a murdered family. Ryuunosuke
> lacked a cataylst so the Grail chose a servant with the closest personality
> to Ryuunosuke. He first introduces himself to his Master as Bluebeard.

Source: [Caster (Fate/Zero) -
Role](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Caster_\(Fate/Zero\)#Role)

You can see a list of all the the heroes who are known to have been summoned
with a catalyst in the [Catalyst
section](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Servant#Catalyst) of the Servant page,
and you'll notice that not only Gilles is missing.

You'll also notice that the mirror used to summon Medusa was a weak catalyst,
so Sakura's similar personality helped summoning Medusa:

> Mirror dug up from a temple in Eritrea, an item with ties to an old Earth
> goddess of Greece. It is noted to have been a weak catalyst to Medusa, so
> Sakura Matou's similar personality plays a role in the summoning.


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