In The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn, known earlier as Strider, begins his journey with the shards of Narsil, which is later reforged into Anduril, which he carries on campaign during The War of the Ring.
It is one of the most iconic blades from the book, and certainly one of the more memorable ones from the movies; but test your knowledge of Tolkien lore to see if you knew the following 6 facts about this iconic Lord of the Rings sword.
- It is the sword that cut the ring from Sauron’s hand. Before Anduril was reforged, it was the shard of Narsil, the sword that was forged in the First Age by a Dwarf smith, Telchar. It was carried by King Elendil and wielded in the Battle during The War of the Last Alliance. In the final battle, Kings Elendil and Gil-Galad faced Sauron directly; both of them were killed and Elendil’s son, Isildur, took up the hilt shard of the sword and cut the ring from Sauron’s finger. This fact is the one you probably knew if you were familiar with any of these.
- What happens in the movie is quite different from what happens in the book. In the family trilogy, Narsil is not reforged into Anduril until the middle of The Return of the King, wherein Elrond presented the new sword, Anduril to Aragorn. In the books, Narsil is reforged into Anduril during the Council of Elrond and the new sword is carried by Aragorn on campaign throughout most of the events of the books.
- Anduril’s new scabbard was inlaid with an enchantment. When Narsil was reforged into Anduril, it was made with a new scabbard as well, which was made by the Galadhrim and overlaid with Elven runes naming the sword and its lineage; there was also an enchantment placed on the scabbard so that as long as the sword was drawn from it, it would not break or become stained.
- When it was first forged, it was made with a companion knife. Telchar, who forged Narsil, forged along with it Angrist, the knife that Beren used to pry one of the Silmarils from the Iron Crown of Morgoth in Angband.
- It is a reforged sword. As stated, Anduril is a sword that was remade from the shards of Narsil, in the books pursuant to the Council of Elrond that Aragorn might carry it with him through The War of the Ring.
- The name means “Flame of the West”. Anduril’s name comprises two Quenya morphemes, “Andure” and “Ril” which means “sunset” (or “west”) and “brilliance,” so the name is often translated as above or as “Brightness of the Sunset.”
Where to Get an Official Lord of the Rings Sword Replica
Want to add an official replica of this Lord of the Rings sword to your collection? Visit BUDK. They carry a wide range of Lord of the Rings sword and weapon replicas; check out their website and get in touch with them if you have any questions about specifications or authenticity.
