|
"Can you see anything?" "Nothing. There's nothing." The descriptive majority of this article's text is unsourced, and should be supported with references. |
Weapons are tools and objects designed for hunting or combat.
The most common types of weapons were bows, arrows, spears, pikes, and swords. Other weapons were axes, favored by the Dwarves and few Elves (such as Rog). Variations included maces, war hammers, iron-studded clubs, et cetera.
History[]
As the Valar used the powers of the Ainur given to them by Eru, they had no real use for handheld weapons, at least not any of any recognizable conventions, and their greatest champion Tulkas bore no weapon and fought only with his hands. As Melkor began corrupting and despoiling the world, creating many unnatural monsters, weapons became necessary or, at the very least preferred for Oromë, was a great hunter and was often in Middle-earth hunting these unnatural abominations. He probably fashioned the weapons that he used, or perhaps Aulë assisted him, as he worked with and used many hand tools. Weapons were possibly used against Melkor when he had to be removed as a threat to the newly awakened Elves.
When Elves from Cuiviénen came to Aman, they learned much from the Valar but had no use for weapons as Aman was a hallowed place. Only when Melkor, who released from prison, began spreading many lies creating discord between the Ñoldor of the House of Finwë. It was then that they began fashioning weapons, particularly that of Fëanor, who had been taught by Mahtan, a great smith trained by Aulë. This was the first time weapons specifically designed for real warfare, and not hunting were to be made by one of the Children of Ilúvatar.
When Melkor returned to Middle-earth with the Silmarils, his armies attacked the Sindar, and they were almost unprepared, lacking heavy weapons and suffering heavy casualties. This event was the beginning of a long war and the beginning of a long era of protracted on-and-off warfare against the forces of darkness that would last for thousands of years. During these wars, weapons and armies would not only become commonplace but a perfected art-form, which would bring many new machines of war. Over this great space of time, other races would soon develop their crafts of weaponry.
Named weapons[]
Aeglos[]
Aeglos was the spear of the Elven king Gil-galad. It was said that none could withstand the spear of Gil-galad (and the sword of Elendil) and the weapon was used by Gil-galad in his duel with Sauron. It is not known whether Aeglos survived his death at the hands of the Dark Lord.
Anglachel[]
Anglachel (meaning Iron of the Flaming Star in Sindarin) was a sword smithed by Eöl the Dark Elf. It was one of two swords Eöl forged out of a black meteorite: the other, Anguirel, he kept for himself. Eöl gave this sword to Thingol as payment for staying in his forest, Nan Elmoth, though he did not relish giving it away. Thingol's wife, Melian, prophesied the following:
- "There is malice in this sword. The dark heart of the smith still dwells in it. It will not love the hand it serves; neither will it abide with you long."
Thingol gave the sword in keeping to his subject Beleg. Whenever Beleg took the sword out of its sheath, the sword is said to have sung with gladness.
At one time, Beleg was unbinding the unconscious Túrin, who had been held captive. However, while undoing his bonds, the sword slipped or fell and cut Túrin in his foot. Túrin then woke, and not knowing who it was, slew Beleg with Anglachel, a mistake that he mourned for a long time. Gwindor then gave the sword to Túrin, and Túrin traveled to Nargothrond, Gwindor's place of birth.
Anglachel was then reforged by the expert smithies at Nargothrond and was renamed by its new keeper, Túrin, to Gurthang, which means Iron of Death. The Orcs and Elves called the weapon, and Túrin, "Mormegil," signifying Black Sword. Túrin used Gurthang to kill the mighty dragon Glaurung but when he attempted to retrieve the sword, Glaurung's foul blood spewed on to Túrins hand, leaving him in a deadly swoon. When he awoke, Túrin discovered that his wife Níniel was his sister Niënor and that she had killed herself, in despair, he fell upon his sword.
- 'Hail Gurthang! No lord or loyalty dost thou know, save the hand that wieldeth thee. From no blood wilt thou shrink. Wilt thou therefore take Túrin Turambar, wilt thou slay me swiftly?'
- And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer: 'Yea, I will drink thy blood gladly, that so I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay thee swiftly.'
- As Túrin did this the sword broke and was then buried with him.
Anguirel[]
Anguirel was one of the two swords forged by Eöl, the Dark Elf from an iron meteorite. The other, Anglachel, he gave to Thingol for leave to dwell in Nan Elmoth, but Anguirel he kept for himself.
It was later stolen from Eöl by his son Maeglin when he and his mother Aredhel fled Nan Elmoth for Gondolin. It was presumably lost in the Fall of Gondolin. It was said in the Fall of Gondolin that Maeglin's company bore axes so he may not have wielded Anguirel in the battle.
Angrist[]
Angrist (Sindarin: Iron-cutter) was a knife made by Telchar of Nogrod and borne by Curufin. It was taken from Curufin by Beren, who used it to cut a Silmaril out of Morgoth's Iron Crown. However, as he was attempting to remove a second Silmaril, the knife broke in his hand and cut Morgoth, waking him and starting a pursuit.
Aranrúth[]
Aranrúth (King's Ire), was a sword that belonged to Elu Thingol, King of Doriath, and High King of the Sindar. It later became the sword of the Kings of Númenor but was eventually lost with Ar-Pharazôn, who was interred on the shores of Aman.
Axe of Tuor[]
The Axe of Tuor was the great axe used by Tuor during the Fall of Gondolin. It was also said to sound like eagles wings rushing as it was swung.
After he sailed for the West, the axe was kept by his descendants and eventually became a royal heirloom of Númenor. It was lost in the Downfall of Númenor near the end of the Second Age.
Black arrow[]
The black arrow was an heirloom of the house of Girion passed down to Bard. It was his last arrow remaining when Smaug attacked Lake-town and, directed by a thrush; he shot it into a weak spot in the dragon's armor, killing him.
The black arrow was forged by Thrór the Dwarf, who was "King Under The (Lonely) Mountain," according to The Hobbit. It is not known if it had any magical properties, but Bard said that he had successfully retrieved it every time he used it (like Beleg's arrow Dailir, see below). In the The Hobbit film trilogy, the arrow was envisioned as a ballista or scorpion bolt.
Barrow-blades[]
The Barrow-blades were daggers or short swords forged in Arnor in the mid-Third Age. They were found by the Hobbits in the barrow of a Barrow-wight and given to them by Tom Bombadil. Frodo's sword breaks in the confrontation with the Nazgûl on the banks of the Bruinen river near Rivendell and is replaced by Sting. Sam, Merry, and Pippin keep their swords.
Merry's barrow-blade played a major role in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields when he stabbed the Witch-king of Angmar in the knee with it. Being of Númenórean make, the sword was able to pierce through the wraith, who fell to the ground, giving Éowyn the chance to stab his head.
The Barrow-blades are described as red, with "flowing characters of Númenor" inscribed on them. They will not rust, so long as they are kept in their sheaths, and had been "wrought with spells for the doom of Mordor."
Belthronding and Dailir[]
Belthronding, an enchanted bow of black yew wood, and Dailir, an unerring, ever-returning arrow, both belonged to Beleg Cúthalion.
Bow of Bregor[]
The Bow of Bregor was an heirloom of the House of Bëor in the First Age. Owned by Barahir and Beren, the bow passed to their descendants the Kings of Númenor and was lost in the Downfall.
Dagmor[]
Dagmor was a sword that belonged to Beren.
Durin's Axe[]
Durin's Axe was a great heirloom of the Dwarves of Durin's Folk. It was the axe of Durin I, the father of the Longbeard Dwarves.
It remained in Khazad-dûm after it was deserted in the year 1981 of the Third Age. In TA 2989 it was found again by Balin's expedition and lost again in TA 2994 when the Dwarf-colony was destroyed.
Glamdring[]
Glamdring was a sword forged for Turgon in the First Age. For several thousand years it went missing until Gandalf (and company) found it (along with Sting and Orcrist) in the trolls' cave in The Hobbit and claimed it for himself. He continued to use Glamdring through the events of The Lord of the Rings.
Glamdring is translated as Foe-hammer, and the goblins in The Hobbit call it "Beater."
Glamdring, along with Orcrist, its mate, is described in The Hobbit as having "...beautiful scabbards and jeweled hilts", and Glamdring is referred to by Elrond as "Foe-hammer that the king of Gondolin once wore." In Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, one of the footnotes to the story " Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin" mentions that the sword of Turgon was "...white and gold...in a ruel-bone (ivory) sheath,..." While Glamdring is not mentioned by name, it is reasonable to assume that the same sword is described.
Like all High-Elven swords, Glamdring would glow with a blue or white flame when Orcs (or Balrogs) were near, like Frodo's sword Sting and Thorin's sword Orcrist, which were also made in Gondolin. However, this was left out of the Lord of the Rings movies by the filmmakers because they felt it would be confusing.
Grond[]
"Grond" is the name of two weapons:
In the First Age, Grond was the great hammer of Angband that Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, wielded like a mace when he fought with Fingolfin, High King of the Ñoldor. With every blow from the hammer that struck the ground, a crater was formed. Morgoth managed to kill the High King, but not without receiving seven wounds himself. It was often referred to as the hammer of the underworld.
During the War of the Ring in the Third Age, the name was used for a huge battering ram. A hundred feet long with a head shaped like a snarling wolf, it was used in the siege of Minas Tirith. Aided by spells laid on it by the Witch-king of Angmar, and the spells cast upon it during its forging in Mordor, Grond destroyed Minas Tirith's Great Gate in just three or four blows.
In Peter Jackson's The Return of the King, Grond has fire spewing from its gaping jaws and is pulled by four huge rhinoceros-like creatures (such "Great Beasts" were briefly mentioned as pulling it in the book). The wolf design is extended, with the whole battering ram carved to resemble a great wolf. Gothmog refers to it as "the wolf's head" in the film.
Gúthwinë[]
Gúthwinë (Old English battle-friend) was a sword that belonged to Éomer. It was borne by him at the Battle of the Hornburg, and presumably at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the Battle of the Black Gate.
Herugrim[]
Herugrim was a sword that belonged to Théoden. He had entrusted the blade to Gríma Wormtongue for "safekeeping," but Gríma hid it away and allowed it to rust. When Gandalf restored Théoden to power, the sword was brought out of storage and used by Théoden in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Morgul-knife[]
A Morgul-knife was a magical, poisoned dagger.
At Weathertop, during his journey to Rivendell with the One Ring, the Hobbit Frodo Baggins was stabbed with a Morgul-knife by the Witch-king of Angmar. A fragment of the blade remained within the wound, working its way toward his heart and threatening to turn Frodo into a wraith. Elrond was able to remove the shard and heal the wound, but each year on the anniversary of his stabbing Frodo became seriously ill. Only his eventual departure to Eldamar offered a permanent cure.
Athelas (or kingsfoil) is known to slow the poisonous effect of the Morgul-knife. This remedy is also known to heal other Mordor-associated illnesses, like the Black Breath of the Ringwraiths.
Another victim of a Morgul-knife was Boromir, the eleventh Steward of Gondor (not the Boromir of the Fellowship of the Ring). He died fourteen years after his wound, described as being 'shrunken with pain', but did not become a wraith.
Narsil and Andúril[]
Narsil was the sword of High King Elendil of the Dúnedain. It was forged during the First Age by the Dwarf Telchar, making it a cousin to the knife Angrist which cut a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth. The name contains the elements nar "fire" and thil "white light," referring to the sun and moon.
Elendil used Narsil in the War of the Last Alliance and, in combat with Sauron was killed and Narsil broken. His son Isildur took it up and used its hilt-shard to cut the One Ring from the hand of Sauron. Isildur took the shards home with him. During the Disaster of the Gladden Fields Isildur gave the shards to Ohtar, his esquire and bade him to escape. He took them to Rivendell, where Isildur's youngest son Valandil was fostered.
The Shards of Narsil were one of the heirlooms of the Kings of Arnor, and after the Northern Kingdom was destroyed, they remained an heirloom of the Chieftains of the Dúnedain, although it was not reforged until the War of the Ring.
In TA 3019 Narsil was reforged in Rivendell as the sword Andúril (Sindarin for "Flame of the West") for the heir of Isildur, Aragorn. He carried the sword during his journey south as part of the Fellowship of the Ring, and it featured prominently at several points in the story, where it was sometimes referred to as the Sword that was Broken.
Boromir, son of the Steward of Gondor, traveled to Rivendell in time for the Council of Elrond because of the prophetic dream shared with his brother Faramir, in which he was told to "Seek for the Sword that was broken." Aragorn often used the sword to help to establish his credentials as the Heir of Isildur.
In the movie trilogy by Peter Jackson, Narsil is not reforged until the third movie, when it is brought to Aragorn (who seems to need the encouragement) by Elrond. In the book, Aragorn actually wears the broken blade and shows it to the Hobbits when they meet at Bree, and it's reforging prior to the departure of the Fellowship is a decisive move toward kingship.
Orcrist[]
Orcrist was a noted sword of the Dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield. Orcrist is Sindarin for "Goblin-cleaver" ("Goblin" being another word for "Orc"). It was crafted by the Elves of Gondolin. Orcrist, as well as Sting and Glamdring, was found in a Troll lair on the Quest of Erebor.
Red Arrow[]
The Red Arrow was used by Gondor to summon allies in times of need.
Its flights were black, and its barbs were made of steel, and it took its name from a mark of red painted on the arrow's tip, standing for blood. The first mention of the Red Arrow is when Borondir of Gondor and five other messengers rode north along Anduin to seek out Gondor's old allies, the Éothéod, when Gondor was being overrun by Easterlings, in TA 2509. Borondir was the only survivor and presented the Red Arrow to the Éothéod lord Eorl the Young.
Later it became a summons to war for the Rohirrim. The Red Arrow was presented to Théoden by Hirgon in the War of the Ring, who was later found dead near the Pelennor Fields, still clutching the arrow.
Ringil[]
Ringil was the sword of Fingolfin, High King of the Ñoldor. It bit with chilling cold and glittered with blue ice. Fingolfin wielded it to great effect against Morgoth, wounding him seven times. However, he was slain by the Black Enemy, who broke his neck with his foot.
Sting[]
Sting was an Elvish knife made in Gondolin in the First Age. Sting was used as a sword by Bilbo Baggins, who found it in a troll-hoard together with Glamdring and Orcrist. Although it was just the size of a dagger by the standards of Men or Elves, it made an excellent sword for a Hobbit. Bilbo gave Sting to Frodo, just before the Fellowship of the Ring set off from Rivendell. Peter Jackson, the director of the movie series of the The Lord of the Rings films, added an inscription on the blade. This is not mentioned in any of Tolkien's works but is a completely original idea of Jackson's. The inscription is in Sindarin, but means "Maegnas (Sting in Sindarin) is my name, I am the spider's bane." It has the magic ability to detect any Orc presence near it. When this presence is felt, it glows blue, as it does when the Fellowship encounters Orcs in the mines of Moria. Gollum, who clearly dislikes anything made by Elves, is afraid of Sting. This fear helped Bilbo when confronting Gollum under the mountain in The Hobbit. It also helps Frodo to tame Gollum (temporarily) in The Lord of the Rings.
The Witch-king's weapons[]
In The Fellowship of the Ring, the Witch-king of Angmar wields a broadsword of steel, as do his fellow Nazgûl, as well as the Morgul-knife he stabs Frodo with. In The Return of the King, he wields a flaming sword at his confrontation with Gandalf at the Gate of Minas Tirith. He does not use it at his duel with Éowyn; however, instead, he wields a great mace.
- External link: Licensed Witch-king sword Reproduction
- External link: Licensed Witch-king dagger Reproduction
Weapons in general[]
Swords[]
One of the most common weapons in Middle-earth, Swords, makes a good stabbing weapon as well as a slashing weapon. Among the Elves, the Ñoldor were famed for their swords. The Dwarves used swords as well. In The Hobbit, Dáin's troops bear short swords and shields as well as mattocks. Telchar the Dwarf forged Narsil, the sword of Elendil, and later Aragorn II Elessar (as Andúril). As described in Unfinished Tales, the Númenóreans used a short sword called an eket. It was a stabbing weapon. Isildur threw all his weapons and armor away except his eket when escaping from an Orc-ambush at the Disaster of the Gladden Fields. Common Orcs used curved swords (the word Tolkien uses is scimitars) while Saruman's Uruk-hai used short broad-bladed ones.
Axes[]
Axes were primarily the weapons of the Dwarves. Dáin's Dwarves were described as wielding "two-handed mattocks." The Sindar of the First Age were lightly armed in battle and used axes as well. The Orc-men at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields used broad axes.
Bows[]
Elves were known to have used longbows (in the case of the Elves of Doriath and Lothlórien) and smaller bows (in the case of Legolas and the Elves of Mirkwood). The human Woodmen in The Hobbit were said to use great yew bows, as did Saruman's Uruk-hai. As described in Unfinished Tales, the Númenóreans used a type of bow called the steelbow, which was hollow and made of steel, as its name implies. It was much feared by their enemies.
Fingon was a renowned archer and, with his company of archers, even drove back a young Glaurung.
Spears[]
Spears were common in Middle-earth. The Vanyar were famous for their spears. The Rangers of the Grey Company bore spears in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The Elves of Mirkwood also bore spears in the Battle of Five Armies. Saruman used pikemen in the Battles of the Fords of Isen (though not at the Hornburg, as they do in the corresponding film).
Non-canonical weapons[]
Hadhafang[]
In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, "Hadhafang" is a sword used by Arwen. The sword and its history are not part of the original story but were invented for the movies. In the books, Arwen is never seen in combat. Since her character was given an action scene in the movie version, it was deemed necessary to give her a weapon and to provide the weapon with a back story like many of the fictional weapons described in the original novel. According to the movie trilogy's official publicity material, Hadhafang (whose name is a newly-coined Sindarin word meaning "throng-cleaver"), once belonged to the Elven Princess Idril, who wed a mortal man (Tuor) and bore Eärendil, the father of Elrond, who in turn was father to Arwen. Before Arwen's birth, Elrond wielded Hadhafang at the end of the Second Age of Middle-earth during the War of the Last Alliance in the great battle against Sauron on the slopes of Mount Doom.
Later his daughter, Arwen, used Hadhafang when she aided Frodo in his escape from the Ringwraiths. Inscribed on the blade are Cirth (runes) in Sindarin that say, "Aen estar Hadhafang i chathol hen, thand arod dan i thang an i arwen." Which transfers to "this blade is called Hadhafang, a noble defense against the enemy throng for a noble lady." (In Sindarin "Arwen" actually means "noble (or royal) woman").
Like all of the props used in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, Hadhafang was manufactured by Wētā Workshop.
Pale Blade[]
In The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, the Pale Blade is the sword borne by the Witch-king.
Non-canonical weapons[]
Crossbows[]
The Uruk-hai used crossbows at Helm's Deep in The Two Towers film, although Tolkien had not specified this in the books.
Lhang[]
"Lhang" is another Elvish sword developed by designers and armourers at Wētā Workshop for use in the films. It is reminiscent of the Japanese nagamaki. Some viewers have found this Eastern-influenced weapon odd, since Tolkien drew from Western sources for his work.
Gallery[]
Swords[]
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter III: "A Short Rest"
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter IV: "Over Hill and Under Hill"
| Named weapons of Middle-earth | |
|---|---|
| Hobbits | Barrow-blades • Sting |
| Dwarves | Durin's Axe • Orcrist |
| Servants of Evil | Grond (battering ram) • Grond (hammer) • Morgul-knife |
| Elves | Aeglos • Anglachel • Anguirel • Angrist • Aranrúth • Belthronding • Dailir • Glamdring • Orcrist • Ringil |
| Men | Andúril • Dramborleg • Black arrow • Dagmor • Gúthwinë • Gurthang • Herugrim • Narsil • Red Arrow |