Weapons and armour of Middle-earth are those of

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...

's Middle-earth

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

writings, such as '' The Hobbit'', ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

'' and ''

The Silmarillion ''The Silmarillion'' () is a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, assisted by the fantasy author Guy Gavriel ...

''. Tolkien modelled his fictional warfare on the Ancient and Early Medieval periods of history. His depiction of weapons and armour particularly reflect

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

an culture as seen in ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

'' and the Norse sagas. Tolkien established this relationship in ''

The Fall of Gondolin J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Fall of Gondolin'' is one of the stories which formed the basis for a section in his posthumously-published work, ''The Silmarillion'', with a version later appearing in ''The Book of Lost Tales''. In the narrative, Gon ...

'', the first story in '' his legendarium'' to be written. In this story, the

Elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

Gondolin In Tolkien's legendarium, Gondolin was a secret city of Elves in the First Age of Middle-earth. The story of the Fall of Gondolin tells of the founding of the city; of the arrival there of Tuor, a prince of Men; of the betrayal of the city to Mor ...

use the mail armour,

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

s, axes and bows of Northern European warfare. In Tolkien's writings, these kinds of weapons and armour are used by his fictional races, including

, Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, and

Orcs An Orc (or Ork) is a fictional humanoid monster like a goblin. Orcs were brought into modern usage by the fantasy writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially ''The Lord of the Rings''. In Tolkien's works, Orcs are a brutish, aggressive, ugly, a ...

. As in his sources, Tolkien's weapons are often named, sometimes with runic inscriptions to show they are magical and have their own history and power.

Terminology

Tolkien devised several

constructed language A constructed language (sometimes called a conlang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, instead of having developed naturally, are consciously devised for some purpose, which may include being devised for a work of fiction. ...

s with terms for types of weapons. * Sword: Noldorin Sindarin: ''magl, magol'', North Sindarin ''magor'',, p. 234.

Quenya Quenya ()Tolkien wrote in his "Outline of Phonology" (in ''Parma Eldalamberon'' 19, p. 74) dedicated to the phonology of Quenya: is "a sound as in English ''new''". In Quenya is a combination of consonants, ibidem., p. 81. is a constructed la ...

: ''makil'', ''macil'', Noldorin Sindarin: ''crist''. * Dagger, knife: Noldorin Sindarin: ''sigil'',

: ''cirma, sicil'' * Axe: North Sindarin: ''hathol'', Quenya: ''pelekko'' (Hooker notes the similarity of the Greek πέλεκυς pélekys: double-headed axe),

Khuzdul Khuzdul is a fictional language created by J. R. R. Tolkien, one of the languages of Middle-earth, specifically the secret and private language of the Dwarves. External history Tolkien began developing Khuzdul before the publication in 1936 ...

: ''bark'', pl. ''baruk'' * Spear:

: ''hatal'' also ''nehte'' * Bow: Noldorin Sindarin: ''peng'' also poetically ''cû'' ("arch"),

: ''quinga''. * Arrow: Quenya: ''pilin'', pl. ''pilindi'' The Etymologies under the root PÍLIM-. (Hooker notes the similarity of the Latin pīlum avelin, throwing spear with cognates in the Old High German fīl, meaning arrow Modern German feil Old English īl late Old Norse íla and the Dutch ijl Tolkien devised terms for specific types of weapons, such as ''lango'' (broad sword), ''eket'', ''ecet'' (short sword), and ''lhang'' (cutlass, sword).

Construction

In ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, "hero" weapons, used for "beauty" shots such as close-ups, were made from high-quality materials: sword blades from heat-treated spring steel; sword hilts from cast bronze or forged and ground steel. "Stunt" swords, used in combat scenes, were made with soft

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

blades and urethane grips. "Extras" swords were cast entirely from urethane, in one piece. Bows were made of urethane with an inner armature of spring steel. Legolas's arrows were all-digital, so the actor simply mimed shooting each arrow.

Types

Swords

Sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

s symbolized physical prowess in battle for Tolkien, following Northern European culture. Tolkien writes that

and Dwarves produced the best swords (and other war gear) and that Elvish swords glowed blue in the presence of

. Elves generally used straight swords while Orcs generally used curved swords. Both races have exceptions: Egalmoth of

used a curved sword and the

Uruk-hai An Orc (or Ork) is a fictional humanoid monster like a goblin. Orcs were brought into modern usage by the fantasy writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially ''The Lord of the Rings''. In Tolkien's works, Orcs are a brutish, aggressive, ugly, ...

of Isengard used short, broad blades. Tolkien often mentions the use of shields together with one-handed swords.

Knives

Knives are mentioned in Tolkien's works, sometimes as backup weapons—such as the unnamed long knife of

Legolas Legolas (pronounced ) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of the nine members of the Fellowship who set out to destroy the One Ring. He and the Dwarf Gimli ...

the archer. However, some individual knives are given more significance through naming (e.g.

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

, see below). Weapons that were only knives or short swords for adult Men or Elves could function as formidable swords in the hands of Hobbits, a diminutive people. In " The Scouring of the Shire",

Saruman Saruman, also called Saruman the White, is a fictional character of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, t ...

attempts to stab Frodo with a knife, but is foiled by the mithril shirt worn under his jacket. Shortly afterwards Saruman's throat was fatally cut with a knife borne by Wormtongue. For ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Legolas possessed twin fighting knives carried in sheaths near his quiver.

Special unnamed knives

There are some knives in Tolkien's fiction which do not have proper formal names, but nevertheless play important roles in the plot.

=Morgul-blades

= The Witch-king of Angmar, leader of the

Nazgûl The Nazgûl (from Black Speech , "ring", and , "wraith, spirit"), introduced as Black Riders and also called Ringwraiths, Dark Riders, the Nine Riders, or simply the Nine, are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. They were ...

, used a magical

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

called a " Morgul-blade" to wound Frodo Baggins at Weathertop. The dark magic of the knife gravely affects Frodo's well-being, threatening to turn him into a wraith, especially because its detachable point migrated in Frodo's body for more than two weeks before it could be extracted, thus causing great damage. Recurring ill effects from the wound contribute to Frodo's eventual departure to

Valinor Valinor ( Quenya'': Land of the Valar'') or the Blessed Realms is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the home of the immortal Valar on the continent of Aman, far to the west of Middle-earth; he used the name Aman mainly to m ...

.; According to the ''

J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia The ''J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment'', edited by Michael D. C. Drout, was published by Routledge in 2006. A team of 127 Tolkien scholars on 720 pages cover topics of Tolkien's fiction, his academic works, hi ...

'', the weapon may owe something to the tradition of the " elf-shot" found in

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

medical texts and charms, where it denotes illnesses of presumed supernatural origin.

=Barrow-blades

= Four magical daggers, which had been forged by the Men of

Westernesse Westernesse is a fictional kingdom in the Middle English romance of ''King Horn''. It also featured in the writings of Tolkien as a translation of Númenor, a realm in Middle-earth. King Horn In ''King Horn'', Westernesse can be reached by sea, ...

to fight the powers of Angmar, are recovered from a tomb guarded by the

Barrow-wight Barrow-wights are wraith-like creatures in J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. In ''The Lord of the Rings'', the four hobbits are trapped by a barrow-wight, and are lucky to escape with their lives; but they gain ancient swords of Western ...

by Tom Bombadil. He gives them to Frodo Baggins and his Hobbit companions, for whom the daggers are effectively swords. One of these "Barrow-blades" – that given to Merry Brandybuck – proves instrumental in bringing about the death of the Witch-king., "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", p. 117: "No other blade, not though mightier hands had wielded it, would have dealt that foe a wound so bitter, cleaving the undead flesh, breaking the spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will." The daggers had varying fates in ''

''. When the Nazgûl attacked Aragorn and the hobbits on Weathertop, Frodo slashed at one of them with his dagger but only damaged its cloak. He broke the blade when he fell from a horse, and left it behind in Rivendell, taking Bilbo's sword Sting instead.

Sam Gamgee Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional ...

left his beside Frodo in

Cirith Ungol In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and ...

and later had it returned to him by Gandalf. Pippin Took made use of his dagger in the

Battle of the Black Gate A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

to slay a

Troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

-chief. Merry's blade is destroyed during his attack on the Witch-king.

Axes

Battle axe A battle axe (also battle-axe, battle ax, or battle-ax) is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes. Many were suitable for use in one hand, while others were larger and were deployed two-ha ...

s are especially favoured by Dwarves in Tolkien's writings; they famously used the

battle cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious ...

: ''Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!'' (

: ''Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!'')., "The Battle of Helm's Deep" For ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Gimli the Dwarf was assigned various axes of different makes during the course of the films. The use of battle axes in other races tended to be more exceptional. The Sindarin Elves of Doriath favoured axes as weapons during the

First Age In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the history of Arda, also called the history of Middle-earth, began when the Ainur entered Arda, following the creation events in the Ainulindalë and long ages of labour throughout Eä, the fictional univer ...

. Other notable axe-bearers were

Tuor Tuor Eladar and Idril Celebrindal are fictional characters from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. They are the parents of Eärendil the Mariner and grandparents of Elrond Half-elven: through their progeny, they became the ancestors ...

(the wielder of Dramborleg), the Men of the White Mountains who marched to the defence of Minas Tirith in ''The Lord of the Rings'' movie (replacing the axe-wielding men of Lossarnach from the book) and a contingent of Easterlings among the besiegers of Minas Tirith.

Bows and arrows

Bows of different sizes and construction are featured in Tolkien's works. Elves of

Lothlórien In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Lothlórien or Lórien is the fairest realm of the Elves remaining in Middle-earth during the Third Age. It is ruled by Galadriel and Celeborn from their city of tree-houses at Caras Galadhon. The wood-elves ...

, Men, and Uruk-hai used

longbow A longbow (known as warbow in its time, in contrast to a hunting bow) is a type of tall bow that makes a fairly long draw possible. A longbow is not significantly recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow and are circular or D-shaped in cross ...

s, while Elves of

Mirkwood Mirkwood is a name used for a great dark fictional forest in novels by Sir Walter Scott and William Morris in the 19th century, and by J. R. R. Tolkien in the 20th century. The critic Tom Shippey explains that the name evoked the excitement of t ...

and

Mordor In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and to t ...

used smaller ones. These bows are said to be made of wood, horn and even steel. The most famous bowman in Tolkien's stories of the First Age of Middle-earth is the Elf Beleg; his bow was named Belthronding, and his arrow Dailir. Infamously Curufin, a lord of the

Noldor In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor (also spelled Ñoldor, meaning ''those with knowledge'' in his constructed language Quenya) were a kindred of Elf (Middle-earth), Elves who migrated west to the blessed realm of Valinor from the conti ...

, attempts to shoot the Elf-princess Lúthien with the bow of his brother Celegorm. His first arrow is intercepted by Huan; Beren attempts to intercept the second shot, and is wounded. In ''The Lord of the Rings'', set in the late

Third Age In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the history of Arda, also called the history of Middle-earth, began when the Ainu (Middle-earth), Ainur entered Arda (Middle-earth), Arda, following the creation events in the Ainulindalë and long ages of l ...

, a bow is the main weapon of Legolas, the Elf-member of the Fellowship of the Ring. When the Fellowship meet

Galadriel Galadriel (IPA: Help:IPA, �aˈladri.ɛl is a Character (arts), character created by J. R. R. Tolkien in his Middle-earth writings. She appears in ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Silmarillion'', and ''Unfinished Tales''. She ...

, she gives Legolas a new bow. He later uses it to shoot all the way across the great river

Anduin The geography of Middle-earth encompasses the physical, political, and moral geography of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, strictly a continent on the planet of Arda but widely taken to mean the physical world, and ''Eä'', all ...

and bring down an airborne Nazgûl. ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy assigns a bow to Aragorn and

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...

s to the Uruk-hai. However, in Tolkien's writings Aragorn is armed only with the sword Andúril (below), and crossbows are only mentioned in connection to hunting by Númenoreans in their lost homeland of Númenor. Sometimes individual

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

s are given special mention in Tolkien's works. In '' The Hobbit'', the '' Black Arrow'' was a royal heirloom used by

Bard the Bowman Bard the Bowman is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Hobbit''. A Man of Laketown and a descendant of the ancient Lords of Dale, Bard manages to kill Smaug, the dragon, after which he becomes king of Dale. Tolkien created the character specifi ...

to kill the dragon

Smaug Smaug () is a dragon and the main antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel ''The Hobbit'', his treasure and the mountain he lives in being the goal of the quest. Powerful and fearsome, he invaded the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor 150 years prior ...

. In ''The Lord of the Rings'', the ''Red Arrow'' was a token used by

Gondor Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Man (Middle-earth), Men in the west of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. The third volume of ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Return of the ...

to summon its allies in time of need., p. 72; , p. 364, 411 In the '' Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, the Red Arrow is omitted and its role is conflated with the

Beacons of Gondor Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. The third volume of ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Return of the King'', is largely ...

. Hobbits "shot well with the bow". The Shire sent archers to the battles of the Fall of Arnor.

Armour

Body armour in Tolkien's fiction is mainly in the form of

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

or scale shirts, in keeping with Ancient and Early Medieval periods of history. In contrast, the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy features later medieval

plate armour Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, es ...

suits. These kinds of plate armour are not found in Tolkien's writings, but plate does appear in the form of individual pieces such as vambraces (forearm guards) or

greave A greave (from the Old French ''greve'' "shin, shin armour") or jambeau is a piece of armour that protects the leg. Description The primary purpose of greaves is to protect the tibia from attack. The tibia, or shinbone, is very close to the skin ...

s (leg and shin guards). As with other items of war, Elves and Dwarves produced the best armour. The mail shirt forged by Dwarves from the fictional metal ''

mithril Mithril is a fictional metal found in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. It appears in many derivative fantasy works by later authors. It is described as resembling silver, but being stronger and lighter than steel. Tolkien first wrote o ...

'' appears in ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'', worn in turn by the protagonists Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. In Letter 211 of ''

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien ''The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien'' is a selection of J. R. R. Tolkien's letters published in 1981, edited by Tolkien's biographer Humphrey Carpenter assisted by Christopher Tolkien. The selection from a large mass of materials contains 354 lett ...

'', the author compared the war-gear of the Rohirrim to the Bayeux Tapestry, made during the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

of Anglo-Saxon England.

Helmets

Battle helmets are commonly used by virtually all races in Tolkien's writings. The

Rohirrim Rohan is a fictional kingdom of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy setting of Middle-earth. Known for its horsemen, the Rohirrim, Rohan provides its ally Gondor with cavalry. Its territory is mainly grassland. The Rohirrim call their land the Ma ...

were partly modelled on the

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

, who wore elaborate helmets; Éomer's helmet had a long white horse-tail. The Crown of Gondor was a jewelled battle-helmet; Aragorn received it at his coronation. Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee use Orc-helmets as part of their disguise in Mordor. In the First Age, Dwarves made dragon-helms, which were said to protect against Dragons. The most famous of these was the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin. The

Second Age In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the history of Arda, also called the history of Middle-earth, began when the Ainur entered Arda, following the creation events in the Ainulindalë and long ages of labour throughout Eä, the fictional univer ...

was dominated by Númenor. The Númenórean helmet, the ''karma'', reached particularly elaborate forms. Those of the Uinendili, a guild of mariners, were "made of overlapping plates of metal, the 'fish-crest' of leather embossed and coloured"., inside rear dust-jacket Tolkien's coloured drawing of the ''karma'' of a Uinendili captain features on the cover of ''

Unfinished Tales ''Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth'' is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980. Many of the tales ...

''.

Named items

Tolkien emulated his Northern European mythological and literary sources in creating named weapons for Middle-earth. Named weapons in Medieval literature include Hrunting and

Nægling Næġling () is the name of one of the swords used by Beowulf in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem of '' Beowulf''. The name derives from "næġl", or "nail", and may correspond to Nagelring, a sword from the '' Vilkina saga''. It is possibly the sword ...

in ''

'',

Tyrfing Tyrfing, Tirfing or Tyrving (the name is of uncertain origin, possibly connected to the Terwingi) was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which features in the Tyrfing Cycle, which includes a poem from the ''Poetic Edda'' called ''Hervararkvi� ...

in the '' Elder Edda'' and Gram in the ''

Völsunga saga The ''Völsunga saga'' (often referred to in English as the ''Volsunga Saga'' or ''Saga of the Völsungs'') is a legendary saga, a late 13th-century poetic rendition in Old Norse of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan (including the stor ...

''. The items illustrate the passage of time and the transfer of power or fate to their future bearers.

Named swords and knives

Anglachel

Anglachel (

Sindarin Sindarin is one of the fictional languages devised by J. R. R. Tolkien for use in his fantasy stories set in Arda, primarily in Middle-earth. Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the Elves. The word is a Quenya word. Called in Eng ...

: ''Iron of the Flaming Star'') was a sword forged of

meteoritic iron Meteoric iron, sometimes meteoritic iron, is a native metal and Primitive rock, early-universe protoplanetary-disk remnant found in meteorites and made from the elements iron and nickel, mainly in the form of the mineral phases kamacite and taenit ...

by Eöl the Dark Elf, given to

Thingol Elu Thingol or Elwë Singollo is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in ''The Silmarillion'', ''The Lays of Beleriand'' and ''The Children of Húrin'' and in numerous stories in ''The History of Middle-ea ...

King of Doriath as a fee for leave to dwell in Nan Elmoth. It could cleave all earth-delved iron. Later wielded by Beleg Strongbow and ultimately Túrin;; , p. 148, 419 Anglachel was reforged and renamed Gurthang (Sindarin: ''Iron of Death'', p. 443). Túrin used Gurthang to kill Glaurung, the Father of Dragons, and later used the sword to take his own life in recompense for the accidental slaying of Beleg and the unjust slaying of Brandir. The stories endow the sword with a personality; Melian the

Maia Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; la, Maia), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daugh ...

perceived malice in it as it was given to Beleg Cúthalion, and the elf Gwindor observed that Anglachel (so named then) seemed to mourn the death of Beleg at the hand of his friend Túrin by Anglachel itself. Túrin asked the sword whether it would slay him swiftly if he cast himself on its point, and it responded at length (the only instance of Gurthang speaking with voice). The depiction of the sword was influenced by that of the sword of the Finnish character Kullervo in the ''

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and r ...

''.

Angrist

Angrist (Sindarin: ''Iron-cleaver'') was a knife made by the great weaponsmith Telchar of Nogrod, and borne by Curufin. Beren, who had taken it from Curufin, used it to cut a magical

Silmaril The Silmarils (Quenya in-universe ''pl''. ''Silmarilli'', ''radiance of pure light''J. R. R. Tolkien, Tolkien, J. R. R., "Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies — Part Two" (edited by Carl F. Hostetter and Patrick H. Wynne), in ''Vinyar Teng ...

jewel out of

Morgoth Morgoth Bauglir (; originally Melkor ) is a character, one of the godlike Valar, from Tolkien's legendarium. He is the main antagonist of ''The Silmarillion'', ''The Children of Húrin'', ''Beren and Lúthien'' and ''The Fall of Gondolin''. ...

's Iron Crown; as Beren attempted to remove another, the knife snapped. In the earliest version of Beren's story in ''

The Book of Lost Tales ''The Book of Lost Tales'' is a collection of early stories by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien, published as the first two volumes of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume series ''The History of Middle-earth'', in which he presents and analyses ...

'', he uses an ordinary household knife; the element of Curufin's involvement in Beren's affairs came later., "The Tale of Tinúviel

Anguirel

Anguirel (Sindarin: ''Iron of Eternity'') is the sword forged by Eöl the Dark Elf, similar to Anglachel which was given to Thingol of Doriath in ''

''. It was the mate of Anglachel, was made of the same meteoritic iron, and had the same physical properties and capabilities as Anglachel, but there is no evidence of sentience in Anguirel. Anguirel was kept by Eöl until it was stolen by his son, Maeglin.

Aranrúth

Aranrúth (Sindarin: ''King's Ire'') is the sword wielded by King Thingol of Doriath in ''The Silmarillion''.; , p. 171 Later the sword of the Kings of Númenor.

Glamdring

Glamdring (Sindarin: Foe-hammer. "A Short Rest", p. 62) is a sword in ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''Unfinished Tales'', p. 53; ; , p. 115; , p. 272; , p. 54 forged in the First Age by the High Elves of the hidden city of Gondolin. It belonged first to Turgon, the King of Gondolin. Thousands of years later, in , Gandalf discovered it among the hoard of the three trolls in ''The Hobbit'', and he carried it throughout his journeys with Bilbo Baggins and the Fellowship of the Ring. It was the mate of

Orcrist The Weapons and armour of Middle-earth are all those mentioned J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings, such as ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmarillion''. Tolkien modelled his fictional warfare on the Ancient a ...

, and like Orcrist would glow blue whenever orcs were nearby. Glamdring was nicknamed "Beater" by the goblins of the Misty Mountains.

Gurthang

''See

Anglachel The Weapons and armour of Middle-earth are all those mentioned J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings, such as ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmarillion''. Tolkien modelled his fictional warfare on the Ancient a ...

Gúthwinë

Gúthwinë (

: ''gúð-wine'' ''Battle Friend''''Tolkien Dictionary''
/ref>) is the sword wielded by Éomer, third marshal of the Riddermark in ''The Lord of the Rings''., p. 139 The name is found in ''Beowulf'', where the hero uses the word as an epithet for the sword Hrunting, lent to him by Hrothgar's thane Unferth for the fight with Grendel's mother.

Hadhafang

Hadhafang is the sword invented for Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, where it was wielded by Arwen, although she is never actually seen using it in combat, as the blade's design was for main use on horseback, and footage of Arwen at

Helm's Deep The Battle of Helm's Deep, also called the Battle of the Hornburg, is a fictional battle in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'' that saw the total destruction of the forces of the Wizard Saruman by the army of Rohan, assisted by a fores ...

was ultimately cut. The name is derived from Tolkien's etymological word list written in the 1930s; here Tolkien provides the word ''hadhathang'' (dissimilated: ''havathang, hadhafang''), which he translates as "throng-cleaver", though he never used this name in his writings. Hadhafang is wielded by Arwen's father Elrond in ''The Hobbit'' film trilogy.

Herugrim

Herugrim (Old English: ''Fierce Sword'') is the sword that belonged to Théoden., p. 123

Narsil / Andúril

Narsil (

: roughly, ''Red and White Flame'', p. 438; Further information in ) is a sword in ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmarillion'',; , p. 272, 275; ; ; ; influenced by the legendary Arthurian sword Excalibur and by

Sigurd Sigurd ( non, Sigurðr ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon and was later murdered. It is possible he was inspired by one or more figures from the Frankish Meroving ...

's sword Gram, as described in the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

''Völsunga saga''. The sword was forged during the First Age by the Dwarf Telchar, book 3, ch. 6, "The King of the Golden Hall" of Nogrod, a famous weaponsmith and artificer who also made the knife Angrist (which cut a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth) and the Helm of Hador (later used by

Túrin Turambar Túrin Turambar (pronounced ) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. "''Turambar and the Foalókë''", begun in 1917, is the first appearance of Túrin in the legendarium. Túrin was a Man of the First Age of Middle-earth, ...

). By the end of the Second Age Narsil was borne by Elendil; during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men it was broken in two pieces in the war of against

Sauron Sauron (pronounced ) is the title character and the primary antagonist, through the forging of the One Ring, of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', where he rules the land of Mordor and has the ambition of ruling the whole of Middl ...

. Isildur used the hilt-shard to cut the

One Ring The One Ring, also called the Ruling Ring and Isildur's Bane, is a central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1954–55). It first appeared in the earlier story ''The Hobbit'' (1937) as a magic ring that grants the w ...

from Sauron's hand. The two shards, acquiring the additional name the Sword that was Broken, remained an heirloom of Isildur's heirs throughout the Third Age, and were thus inherited by Aragorn. Elvish smiths re-forged the sword for Aragorn before the Fellowship of the Ring began their quest and he renamed it Andúril (Quenya: ''Flame of the West'')., p. 437 The reforged Andúril is described as very bright, shining red and white with the light of the sun and moon., book 3, ch. 7, "Helm's Deep" ''The Silmarillion'' further states that the original Narsil already shone in such a manner, but its light was extinguished after it was broken. However, for the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, the filmmakers opted not to make Narsil and Andúril glow, keeping that property only for

. (Gandalf's sword

Glamdring Weapons and armour of Middle-earth are those of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings, such as ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmarillion''. Tolkien modelled his fictional warfare on the Ancient history, Ancient ...

also did not glow in the presence of orcs. Peter Jackson notes, in his DVD commentary on ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', that this was an oversight, not a deliberate change from the books.) Narsil andúril final (without text)

Tolkien writes that when Narsil was reforged, the blade had "a device of seven stars set between the crescent Moon and the rayed Sun, and about them was written many runes". The filmmakers had Anduril made with runes engraved on the blade of the sword that read as "''Anar Nányë Andúril i né Narsil i macil Elendilo. Lercuvanten i móli Mordórëo. Isil''" (Quenya. 'Sun. I am Andúril who once was Narsil, sword of Elendil. The slaves of Mordor shall flee from me. Moon.'), and another inscription on the hilt ''Narsil essenya, macil meletya; Telchar carnéron Návarotesse'' (Quenya: "Narsil is my name, a mighty sword; Telchar made me in Nogrod").

Christopher Tolkien Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 16 January 2020) was an English academic editor, becoming a French citizen in later life. The son of author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien edited much of his father' ...

suggested that Narsil was introduced during the writing of ''The Lord of the Rings'' rather spontaneously: "It is possible that the Sword that was Broken actually emerged from the verse '

All that is gold does not glitter Shakespeare's influence on Tolkien was substantial, despite Tolkien's professed dislike of the playwright. Tolkien disapproved in particular of Shakespeare's devaluation of elves, and was deeply disappointed by Shakespeare's prosaic explanatio ...

': on this view, in the earliest form of the verse ... the words ''a king may yet be without crown, A blade that was broken be brandished'' were no more than a further exemplification of the general moral

hat not everything is what it appears to be A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

", p. 137 Following this, references to the sword were introduced during major recastings of "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" and "The

Council of Elrond "The Council of Elrond" is the second chapter of Book 2 of J. R. R. Tolkien's bestselling fantasy work, ''The Lord of the Rings'', which was published in 1954–1955. It is the longest chapter in that book at some 15,000 words, and critical for e ...

" chapters., pp. 77-80, 120. Originally the sword was only called "the Sword of Elendil" or "the Broken Sword"; later the name ''Branding'' (from Old English ''brand'', "sword") was devised for the Sword Reforged., p. 290

Orcrist

Orcrist (Sindarin: Goblin-cleaver), a sword in ''The Hobbit''., ch. 3, "A Short Rest"; ch. 18, "The Return Journey" was originally forged in Gondolin and was nicknamed "Biter" by the goblins of the Misty Mountains. After finding it in a troll-hoard, Thorin Oakenshield carries the sword through the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood before being taken prisoner by the

; it was laid on his tomb after his death in the Battle of Five Armies. It is the mate of

Ringil

Ringil (Sindarin: ''Cold-Star / Cold-Spark'') is a sword wielded by

Fingolfin Fingolfin () is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, appearing in ''The Silmarillion''. He was the son of Finwë, High King of the Noldor. He was threatened by his half-brother Fëanor, who held him in contempt for not being a pure-bre ...

in ''The Silmarillion'' and ''The Lays of Beleriand''. It bit with chilling cold, and glittered like ice with a pale light. This was the sword with which Fingolfin wounded Morgoth seven times, causing the first dark lord to limp forever afterward., "The Lay of Leithian", Canto XII In Tolkien's early writings, Ringil was the name of one of the two pillars supporting the Two Lamps of primeval Middle-earth. (Part I) pp. 69–70

Sting

Sting is a large Elvish dagger in ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. It functioned well as a sword for the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins., ch. 2, "Roast Mutton"; ; , p. 221, , p. 173, 204 Bilbo named the weapon after using it to fend off the giant spiders in Mirkwood forest, then later passed it on to Frodo to use in his quest to destroy the One Ring. Sting glows blue when orcs are nearby, as in Moria. In Europe, bilbo blades were exceptionally fine swords, named after the city of

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

which made them. It is possible that Tolkien connected Bilbo's name and his acquisition of this weapon. In

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

's ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' film adaptations, Sting is depicted as leaf-shaped, with gentle curving edges. Engraved on the blade and

cross-guard On a sword, the crossguard, or cross-guard, the individual bars on either side known as quillon, is a bar of metal at right angles to the blade, placed between the blade and the hilt. The crossguard was developed in the European sword around the ...

are letters in Sindarin that read phonetically, ''Maegnas aen estar nin dagnir in yngyl im''. Translated into English, they read, "''Maegnas'' is my name, I am the spider's bane." According to the Appendix of ''The Silmarillion'', the element ''maeg'' in Sindarin means "sharp" or "piercing". The film version of Sting is long (24 while in scabbard) and wide at the hilt. Its scabbard is made of brown leather and reinforced with metal. In Tolkien's ''The Hobbit'', Sting does not bear an inscription.

Named bows and arrows

Belthronding

Belthronding (Sindarin/Ilkorin: ''Intractable Bow'') is the bow wielded by Beleg Cúthalion (Strongbow) in ''The Silmarillion'' and ''

The Lays of Beleriand ''The Lays of Beleriand'', published in 1985, is the third volume of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume book series, ''The History of Middle-earth'', in which he analyzes the unpublished manuscripts of his father J. R. R. Tolkien. Book Inscrip ...

''.; , p. 26, 117, 127

Black Arrow

The Black Arrow was used in Esgaroth by Bard the Bowman; he mentions that it has been used many times, always successfully, and always recovered. An heirloom from many generations of Bard's family, that he believed had been made in the forges of the

King under the Mountain The king asleep in mountain (D 1960.2 in Stith Thompson's Motif (folkloristics), motif index system) is a prominent folklore Trope (literature), trope found in many folktales and legends. Thompson termed it as the Kyffhäuser type. Some other des ...

; Bard recites its history, urges it to "go now and speed well", and shoots Smaug. The arrow was lost with the Dragon's corpse in the Long Lake., ch. 14 "Fire and Water"

Dailir

Dailir is the arrow favoured by Beleg, the great bowman of the First Age of Middle-earth. Beleg was always able to retrieve this arrow for reuse.

Red Arrow

The Red Arrow is a black-feathered arrow barbed with steel; its tip was painted red., book 5, ch. 3 "The Muster of Rohan" It was a token used by Gondor to summon Rohan in time of dire need. In '' The Return of the King'', the Red Arrow was presented to Théoden by Hirgon with the message: "...the Lord Denethor asks for all your strength and all your speed, lest Gondor should fall at last." Théoden pledged his assistance, but Hirgon was killed during the ride back to Minas Tirith, leading Denethor to believe that no help was forthcoming from Rohan. The Red Arrow has a historical antecedent in the Old English poem ''

Elene ''Elene'' is a poem in Old English, that is sometimes known as ''Saint Helena Finds the True Cross''. It was translated from a Latin text and is the longest of Cynewulf's four signed poems. It is the last of six poems appearing in the Vercelli man ...

'' in which

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

summoned an army of mounted

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

to his aid against the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

by sending an arrow as a "token of war".

Other named weapons and armour

Aeglos

Aeglos (Sindarin: ''Snow Point'', i.e. icicle; also spelled Aiglos) is the spear wielded by Gil-galad;; ; , p. 148, 417 ''Aiglos'' is also the name of a type of plant in Middle-earth which most notably grew on Amon Rûdh. ''Aeglos'' is also the name of a

Tolkienist Tolkien fandom is an international, informal community of fans of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially of the Middle-earth legendarium which includes ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'', and ''The Silmarillion''. The concept of Tolkien ...

semiannual almanac published by the Polish Silesian Science-Fiction Club, parent organisation of the Polish Tolkien Society.

Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin

The Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin, also called the Helm of Hador, is the fabulous helmet of the lords of the House of Hador, including

Húrin Húrin is a fictional character in the Middle-earth legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien. He is introduced in ''The Silmarillion'' as a hero of Men during the First Age, said to be the greatest warrior of both the Edain and all the other Men in Midd ...

and Túrin. The helm was made of heavy steel, decorated with gold and

runes Runes are the letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, a ...

; a gold likeness of Glaurung the Dragon was set upon its crest. It was made for the Dwarf-king Azaghâl by Telchar, the great Dwarf-craftsman of Nogrod., part 1 "

The Lay of the Children of Húrin The Lay of the Children of Húrin is a long epic poem by J. R. R. Tolkien which takes place in his fictional fantasy-world, Middle-earth. It tells of the life and ill fate of Túrin Turambar, the son of Húrin. It is written in alliterative verse ...

", second version ch. 2, p. 115, line 678 Azaghâl ruled the neighbouring city of Belegost; he gave it to

Maedhros Maedhros () is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, first introduced as a major character in ''The Silmarillion'' and later mentioned in ''Unfinished Tales'' and ''The Children of Húrin''. Maedhros was a mighty Noldorin Elf ...

, who gave it to Fingon. Fingon then gave it to Hador, along with the lordship of Dor-lómin., part 1 ch. II p. 75

Dramborleg

Dramborleg (Sindarin: ''Thudder-Sharp'', p. 172; (vol. 2), "The Fall of Gondolin") is the axe belonging to Tuor, son of Huor in ''The Book of Lost Tales'' and ''Unfinished Tales''.

Durin's Axe

Durin's Axe was part of the regalia and weaponry of the Dwarf-kings of

Khazad-dûm In the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria, also named Khazad-dûm, is an ancient subterranean complex in Middle-earth, comprising a vast labyrinthine network of tunnels, chambers, mines and halls under the Misty Mountains, with doors on ...

. Some years before the War of the Ring, Balin attempted to recolonize Khazad-dûm (by then called Moria), and the early records of the colony mention Durin's Axe, indicating it was sought for or even found.

Grond

Grond (Sindarin: ''Club'') is the mace of Morgoth used against Fingolfin in ''The Silmarillion'' as well as a battering ram in ''The Lord of the Rings'',, p. 112 used to assault the Great Gate of Minas Tirith. Grond the battering ram was in-universe named after Morgoth's mace: "Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old.", book 5, ch. 4 "The Siege of Gondor". In the Rankin-Bass adaptation of '' The Return of the King'', the ram Grond is called "the arm of the devil" and "the hammer of the underworld".

References

Primary

:: ''This list identifies each item's location in Tolkien's writings.''

Secondary

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Middle-earth Weapons And Armour * * *

Weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

Middle-earth weapons Middle-earth is the fictional setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the ''Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf''. Middle-earth is t ...