![]() Those are the shards of Narsil – Elendil’s blade that was broken during the war against Sauron at the end of Second Age. As soon as he leaves, Aragorn picks up the sword and reverentially replaces it on its stand. As he cuts his finger (what else did he expect?), he feels Aragorn’s watchful gaze on him and drops the broken sword with disdain (perhaps cursing himself for following his dream instead of going back to sleep like most of us would have done). So out of curiosity, Boromir picks up the hilt and runs his finger along the broken edge (a moronic thing to do, if you ask me). (Okay, okay, I admit: in real life, who keeps valuable stuff lying about where anyone can get their hands on it?)Įarlier, Boromir had a dream in which he was asked to go to Imladris (elven name for Rivendell) and seek the sword that was broken. His quiet time is interrupted by a swaggering Boromir who walks up to a curious exhibit: shards of a broken sword preserved carefully on a beautiful piece of cloth. Remember the scene in ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ where a sombre Aragorn relaxes with a book in Rivendell, waiting for the Council of Elrond to take place? So Sting, the sword, which started nameless and as a knife, goes on to create its own history in the hands of brave little hobbits. ![]() Sam too has his adventures with Sting, and uses it to subdue orc guards and rescue Frodo. Of course, Shelob too emerges from her cave and stings Frodo, and then Sam takes up Sting for a while, believing Frodo to be dead. Later too, when Frodo’s exit from Shelob, the giant and hungry spider’s cave is blocked by thick webs, Sting is able to cut through them, allowing Frodo to escape. Thus, Frodo and Sam manage to capture Gollum, who is then forced to become their guide to Mordor. But Sting again strikes fear in Gollum – just the way it had done many years ago when Bilbo had carried it to his cave. Later, when he and Sam leave the Fellowship and strike out on their own across the mountains, Gollum follows them. Among them is Sting.įrodo first uses Sting in the battle inside the mines of Moria. When the Council of Elrond appoints Frodo as the ring, Bilbo hands over several things to Frodo. When Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin arrive at Rivendell in Aragorn’s company, Frodo finally meets Bilbo after many years. Sting goes on to see many more adventures with Bilbo – some of it we will get to see on Friday, and for others we will have to wait for December 2013 and July 2014.Įarly in the millennium, in the LOTR series, we got to see how Frodo acquired Sting from Bilbo. At the end of that adventure, he realized what a brave thing he has done, so he honors his sword by naming it Sting. Later, when Bilbo and company are lost in the forest of Mirkwood and the dwarves are captured by giant spiders bent on making a supper out of everyone, it is Bilbo who saves the day with his ingenious plan (which I shall not reveal) and the help of this sword. More importantly, when he meets Gollum deep in the heart of the mountain, this sword alone saves him because Gollum is afraid of it – not only because it is a sharp blade, but also because it had ancient magic of the Elves. This property provides Bilbo with a faint light to navigate inside the cave. Because this sword has a magical property: it glows when orcs (goblins) are near, thereby alerting the wearer of the sword. This sword helps Bilbo in the goblins’ cave in the Misty Mountains. When he first begins to carry it, he has no idea what adventures it (and he) will participate in. Even though it was the size of a long knife for its Elvish makers, for Bilbo’s hobbit size, it works well as a short sword. ![]() But in Bilbo’s – and later in Frodo’s – possession, it goes on to create its own history. Unlike other famous swords in Tolkien’s works, we don’t hear Sting’s history. It was made during the First Age – the long gone time about which Tolkien writes in The Silmarillion. For now, let us talk about Sting – Bilbo’s short sword, which was actually a long knife. Gandalf and Thorin take two majestic swords for themselves: Glamdring and Orcrist. But inside the troll’s cave, they find many treasures. So how did Bilbo find Sting?įor those of you who have not read the book, I shall not reveal exactly how Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves end up in a troll’s cave (it’s a nice little scary story, and Bilbo’s first real adventure). Frodo used it in The Lord of the Rings, and this Friday we will see Bilbo use it in The Hobbit.
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