Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are incredible masterpieces of detail, serving both as a loving tribute to J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic novels and a display of the incredible skills possessed by the artisans of the Wētā Workshop. While there are plenty of differences between the Lord of the Rings movies and the books, the creative spirit on display shows a deep reverence for Tolkien’s legendarium. The films bring Middle-Earth to life so that we can see how powerful magic items abound in Lord of the Rings, carried by mighty heroes and diminutive hobbits both.
The heart of The Lord of the Rings, and to a lesser extent The Hobbit, is a story about how the most innocent hero can succeed against a seemingly unassailable evil. Middle-Earth’s history is full of humble heroes vanquishing Dark Lords like Morgoth, or other mighty battles that serve as a parallel to the spiritual conflicts they represent. As befitting such an epic, the heroes of Middle-Earth carry swords with legacies as epic as the battles in the films themselves.
You are watching: Every Hero’s Sword In The Lord Of The Rings & Hobbit Movies Explained
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The Barrow-Blades
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Herugrim
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The Sword of Éowyn
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Hadhafang
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Gúthwinë
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Glamdring
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Orcrist
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Sting
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Narsil
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Andúril
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The Barrow-Blades
Forged By The Dúnedain, Wielded By Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, And Samwise Gamgee
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In The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn gives these daggers to the hobbits at Weathertop before the attack of the Nazgûl. Frodo lost his in that confrontation, although it was soon replaced by his uncle’s sword, Sting. Samwise’s was lost when rescuing Frodo from Cirith Ungol. Peregrin’s served him well at the Black Gate, where he wounded a troll. Yet perhaps the most storied of these blades was the one Meriadoc used against the Witch-King of Angmar at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
In the books, the hobbits receive their Barrow-blades from Tom Bombadil, who picks them out of a heap of treasure after he rescues them from the Barrow-wights.
Meriadoc had ridden into that battle alongside Éowyn, princess of Rohan. When the Lord of the Nazgûl was about to slay her, Meriadoc drove his Barrow-blade into the back of the monster’s leg. While any other blade would have failed, that one had been forged by the men of Cardolan, one of the splinter kingdoms of old Arnor, in order to fight the hosts of Angmar, and so it was able to wound the Witch-King enough that Éowyn was able to land the killing blow.
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Herugrim
Forged By The Men Of Rohan, Wielded By Théoden King
Herugrim is the sword of Théoden, King of Rohan. After Théoden was freed from the malign influence of the traitorous Saruman the White, Gandalf returned his sword to him, and Théoden was clearly comforted by the weight of the blade in his hand. Herugrim served the king well in the fights at the Hornburg and at Pelennor Fields, where it slew many orcs and Haradrim; unfortunately, the steel of Rohan was no match against the cursed Witch-King of Angmar.
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“Herugrim” is an Old English name translating to “very fierce” or “cruel” (via Bosworth Toller’s Anglo-Saxon Dictionary). While J. R. R. Tolkien devised the languages spoken by the elves and dwarves of Middle-Earth, he based the tongue of Rohan on that spoken by the real world’s Anglo-Saxons in the fifth century CE, which he studied extensively; in Tolkien’s translation of the epic poem Beowulf, where the word is used to describe the fight between Beowulf and the monster Grendel’s mother, he translated it as “fell,” meaning “of terrible evil” or “deadly.”
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The Sword of Éowyn
Forged By The Men Of Rohan, Wielded By Éowyn
The sword that graced the hand of the White Lady of Rohan was an unremarkable blade in all ways except one. It was a simple, straight-bladed, one-handed sword, the same as thousands of others that had been wielded by the men and women of Rohan for centuries. Yet in the hand of Éowyn, it became the instrument of a prophecy thousands of years in the making.
“Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall.“
The Nazgûl, Sauron’s Ringwraiths, were led by the sadistic Witch-King, who in the early fourteenth century of the Third Age forged Angmar, his own kingdom of evil from where he worked to destroy the kingdom of Arnor. In 1974 of the Third Age, the Witch-King’s armies were defeated by a host led by the ancient elven hero Glorfindel; seeing the Witch-King vanish from the field, Glorfindel prophesied, “Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall.“
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At the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the Witch-King and his forces were on the brink of crushing the city of Minas Tirith. While the Rohirrim’s valiant counterattack had forced the horde of orcs and Haradrim to split their focus, the Witch-King hunted down Rohan’s king, Théoden, and unhorsed him, hoping that his death would break the Rohirrim. Yet Éowyn, who had ridden with the Rohirrim against Théoden’s direct order, was on hand to defend her uncle, and she slew the Witch-King with a single blow, although her blade shattered once it pierced his twisted, undead body.
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Hadhafang
Forged By The Elves Of The First Age, Wielded By Elrond And Arwen
An original creation of Peter Jackson’s films, Hadhafang (Sindarin for “throng-cleaver”) is the name of the sword Elrond carried in the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring; his daughter Arwen is also seen carrying it as she fends off the Nazgûl while carrying the wounded Frodo Baggins across the Ford of Bruinen. Elrond also wields Hadhafang in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies when battling the Ringwraiths.
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Publicity material for The Fellowship of the Ring film indicates that Hadhafang was an elven sword that saw glory during the Fall of Gondolin, carried by the elven princess Idril Celebrindal, daughter of High King Turgon. Idril, who married the noble human warrior Tuor, was actually Elrond’s paternal grandmother, although she departed west for Valinor seven years before his birth.
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Gúthwinë
Forged By The Men Of Rohan, Wielded By Éomer
Gúthwinë was the blade of Éomer, nephew of Théoden and brother of Éowyn. Éomer wielded it to great effect when he led the charge of the Rohirrim to break the siege of Helm’s Deep, as well as at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
While the films and their promotional material never give Éomer’s sword a name, he does say it aloud in the text of The Two Towers as part of his battlecry, “Gúthwinë for the Mark,” at the Battle of the Hornburg.
“Gúthwinë” is a Rohanese word meaning “battle-friend.” Tolkien scholars theorize the etymology is a compound of the Old English “guÞ” (“war” or “battle”) and “wine” (“friend”). The Bosworth-Toller Dictionary of Old English defines “guÞ–wine” as “comrade.”
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Glamdring
Forged By The Elves Of Gondolin, Wielded By Gandalf
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Glamdring was forged in the very first days of the world, and was the sword of Turgon, the Elven-king who founded the mighty city of Gondolin after the Noldor elves fled Valinor for Middle-Earth. Glamdring likely earned its name, which translates to “foe-hammer,” as Turgon fought against Morgoth’s hordes during the siege that destroyed Gondolin. That battle also claimed Turgon’s life; as he commanded the elven armies from atop the city’s highest tower, Morgoth’s dragons collapsed it, and Turgon died beneath the rubble.
As an elven-blade, Glamdring and others like it glow a gentle blue when orcs and other creatures of Morgoth’s influence are nearby.
The sword was lost as Gondolin burned, but at some point was carried away to Eriador or other eastern parts of Middle-Earth, as it survived the destruction of the region of Beleriand. For six millennia, the blade languished in obscurity, until it was recovered from a troll-horde along the Great Road of Eriador by Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, and company. Gandalf the Grey took it as his personal blade, and he used it against many foes, including using it to slay the balrog known as Durin’s Bane, until he eventually departed Middle-Earth at the beginning of the Fourth Age.
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Orcrist
Forged By The Elves Of Gondolin, Wielded By Thorin Oakenshield
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Orcrist, whose name means “goblin-cleaver,” was a companion blade to Glamdring, forged at the same time and possibly even carried by Turgon or one of his lords during the fighting to defend Gondolin. The sword was lost at the same time, and was even found with its counterpart by Thorin Oakenshield’s company. Thorin took the blade for himself; although the dwarf king was reluctant to carry an elven blade, he found it quite useful when his company was beset by goblins while crossing the Misty Mountains.
Unfortunately for Thorin, Orcrist was taken from him when he and his company were captured by Thranduil’s elves in Mirkwood. Legolas Greenleaf, Thranduil’s son, carried Orcrist for a time thereafter, using it against Bolg and his orcs when they assaulted Lake-town, and then again during the Battle of the Five Armies; he did return it to Thorin during the battle, allowing him to wield it against his nemesis Azog the Defiler. After his death, Thorin was laid to rest in Erebor with Orcrist atop his breast.
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Sting
Forged By The Elves Of The First Age, Wielded By Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, And Samwise Gamgee
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An ancient and otherwise unremarkable long-knife, Sting was forged by elves, likely in the First Age. Whatever its true origins, it was a part of the troll-horde looted by Thorin’s company, and was taken by the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, in whose hand the blade served more as a short sword.
Sting earned its name as Bilbo used it to fight off the spiders of Mirkwood and rescue Thorin and the other dwarves. Upon Bilbo’s return to Hobbiton after the death of Smaug, he displayed the blade above his mantleplace, where it remained for fifty years, until Bilbo took it with him to Rivendell. Bilbo then gifted it to Frodo upon his nephew’s arrival there bearing the One Ring; Frodo carried the blade with him for the rest of his journey to Mordor. His gardener, Samwise Gamgee, also bore Sting when rescuing Frodo from Shelob and the orcs of Cirith Ungol.
“Sting is my name, I am the spider’s bane.”
In The Lord of the Rings films, Sting bears an inscription in Sindarin: “Maegnas aen estar nin dagnir in yngyl im,” which translates to “Sting is my name, I am the spider’s bane.” As The Hobbit film trilogy shows Sting to have an unadorned blade, it is implied that the elves – either of Mirkwood or of Rivendell – engraved the blade to honor Bilbo.
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Narsil
Forged By The Dwarf Telchar Of Nogrod, Wielded By Elendil And Isildur
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Forged in the depths of the First Age, Narsil was likely carried by many elven hands in the wars against Morgoth and, later, his servant Sauron, but if it accomplished any notable deeds in those conflicts, no scholars recorded them. The sword eventually made its way into the hands of Elendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor, at the end of the Second Age.
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At the fateful Battle of Dagorlad, where the Last Alliance of Elves and Men made their stand against Sauron, Narsil shone in Elendil’s hands with the light of the Sun and Moon, befitting its name, which translates from the Elven language Quenya to “red and white flame.” Yet that flame failed Elendil in the end, as Narsil shattered beneath him when he fell to a mighty blow of Sauron’s war-mace.
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Elendil’s son Isildur took up Narsil’s broken hilt and severed the finger on which Sauron wore the One Ring, destroying the Dark Lord’s physical form. Following that victory, Isildur carried the shards of Narsil with him until his death at the Gladden Fields. The shards were then taken to Rivendell, where they were kept safely in Rivendell for three thousand years under Elrond’s watchful eye, as he had prophesied that the blade must be reforged when the One Ring was found and Sauron again threatened Middle-Earth.
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Andúril
Reforged By The Elves Of Imladris, Wielded By Aragorn
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Although he was the one who foresaw the need for Narsil to be reforged, Elrond Half-Elven was reluctant to do so, even as he and the rest of the Wise became aware that Sauron was again amassing his power in Mordor. It took the earnest plea of Elrond’s daughter, Arwen, who was concerned that Elrond’s own apathy would lead to him abandoning her beloved Aragorn in his greatest hour of need.
Receiving Andúril, however, helped convince Aragorn it was time for him to claim his legacy as Isildur’s heir.
Reluctantly, Elrond took Narsil’s shards and reforged them, naming the new blade Andúril, “the flame of the West.” Riding hard, Elrond met Aragorn at the encampment at Dunharrow where he was preparing to ride to war with the Rohirrim. Receiving Andúril, however, helped convince Aragorn it was time for him to claim his legacy as Isildur’s heir, and so he took the new blade first to the Paths of the Dead, then to the Siege of Gondor, and then onward to the final confrontation of the War of the Ring in front of the Black Gates of Mordor.
(Sources: Bosworth-Toller Old English Dictionary)
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The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Movie(s)
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Created by
J.R.R. Tolkien
First Film
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
Cast
Norman Bird
, Anthony Daniels
, Elijah Wood
, Ian McKellen
, Liv Tyler
, Viggo Mortensen
, Sean Astin
, Cate Blanchett
, John Rhys-Davies
, Billy Boyd
, Dominic Monaghan
, Orlando Bloom
, Christopher Lee
, Hugo Weaving
, Sean Bean
, Ian Holm
, Andy Serkis
, Brad Dourif
, Karl Urban
, Martin Freeman
, Richard Armitage
, James Nesbitt
, Ken Stott
, Benedict Cumberbatch
, Evangeline Lilly
, Lee Pace
, Luke Evans
, Morfydd Clark
, Mike Wood
, Ismael Cruz Cordova
, Charlie Vickers
, Markella Kavenagh
, Megan Richards
, Sara Zwangobani
, Daniel Weyman
, Cynthia Addai-Robinson
, Lenny Henry
, Brian Cox
, Shaun Dooley
, Miranda Otto
, Bilal Hasna
, Benjamin Wainwright
, Luke Pasqualino
, Christopher Guard
, William Squire
, Michael Scholes
, John Hurt
TV Show(s)
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Character(s)
Frodo Baggins
, Gandalf
, Legolas
, Boromir
, Sauron
, Gollum
, Samwise Gamgee
, Pippin Took
, Celeborn
, Aragorn
, Galadriel
, Bilbo Baggins
, Saruman
, Aldor
, Wormtongue
, Thorin Oakenshield
, Balin Dwalin
, Bifur
, Bofur
, Bombur
, Fili
, Kili
, Oin
, Gloin
, Nori
, Dori
, Ori
, Tauriel
, King Thranduil
, Smaug
, Radagast
, Arondir
, Nori Brandyfoot
, Poppy Proudfellow
, Marigold Brandyfoot
, Queen Regent Míriel
, Sadoc Burrows
Video Game(s)
The Lord of the Rings Online (dupe)
, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
, The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum
, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
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Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment