10 Coolest Named Weapons in The Lord of the Rings, Ranked (2024)

Lord of the Rings' naming systems are some of the most detailed in fantasy history. Tolkien created countless languages to make his world feel as real as possible. Each character's name reveals countless things about who they are and the sorts of things they value, and it's just a testament to how incredible of a writer Tolkien is that everything feels so powerful.

His intense worldbuilding doesn't stop with the character names, however. The weapons used by these figures have names that are just as thought out as those of the people who wielded them.

10 Gurthang Is Mired in Tragedy

Gurthang never appeared in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but that didn't make it any less impressive of a weapon. It was reforged from Anglachel. Turin inadvertently killed his friend Beleg Cuthalion, who requested the sword from Thingol despite many assuaging him to the contrary. Thus, Turin renamed Anglachel to reflect its newfound dark history. Gurthang directly translates to "Iron of Death," and Turin himself took a new name through his grief.

Wielding Gurthang, Turin achieved one of the most impressive feats in the history of Middle-earth. He slayed Glauriung, one of the five dragons who plagued Middle-earth throughout the first few ages of its existence. However, Turin himself became a casualty of the sword. When he discovered that not only had his wife killed herself, but that she was also his sister, he fell onto his sword. Interestingly, the blade spoke to him, letting him know that this was the way for the blade to forget that it had killed its former master as well. Ultimately, Gurthang was buried alongside Turin.

9 Guthwine Was a Loyal Companion

Guthwine belonged to one of the fiercest warriors in Middle-earth: Eomer, one of the leaders of the Riders of Rohan. He kept the blade alongside him during some of the greatest conflicts in the realm's history. Primarily, it was used at the Battle of the Hornburg, but he's assumed to have had it with him at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the Battle of the Black Gate - both of which Eomer played a massive role in. It gained a reputation as one of the trademark swords of Rohan and slew more Uruks than anyone could count.

Interestingly, its name translates to something in Old English rather than existing only in the languages in Tolkien's legendarium. Guthwine means "Battle-friend," and it's the most fitting name possible for a sword that accompanied its wielder through many of the greatest battles in Middle-earth.

8 Glamdring Was Gandalf's Most Trusted Weapon

Glamdring didn't always belong to the wise Gandalf the Grey (later the White). Back in the First Age, the blade may have been used by Turgon during the Fall of Gondolin - after which it went missing for over six thousand years, including through the entire War of Wrath that ravaged Middle-earth. Gandalf eventually stumbled upon it in a Troll cave during the events of The Hobbit (at the same time he found Sting and Orcrist, two of the other most well-known weapons in Middle-earth), and it was a loyal companion to him throughout the War of the Ring.

Glamdring translated roughly to "Foe-hammer" from Quenya, and it certainly lived up to its name. Using this blade, Gandalf slew the Great Goblin in Goblin-town, proving his combat prowess once and for all. During the War of the Ring, he often wielded it in tandem with his sword, which made him a nearly unbeatable foe to all those who crossed paths with him. It played a major role in the Battle of the Black Gate and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and garnered such a reputation that the Orcs of the Misty Mountains referred to it solely as "Beater."

7 Herugrim Was a Generational Treasure

Herugrim was the traditional weapon of the kingdom of Rohan. It had been in the royal family for at least five hundred years by the time of the War of the Ring. Countless kings before Theoden had used it, and certainly it remained in the royal family for years after his death as well (likely passing to Eomer, who took up stewardship of the kingdom after his uncle's death at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields).

For a while, however, Herugrim fell out of the king's care. While Grima Wormtongue worked alongside Saruman to poison the king's mind, Theoden gave him the weapon in the name of safekeeping. However, this backfired when Wormtongue put it somewhere and allowed it to rot rather than caring for it as the kings before him had. When Theoden regained awareness of his surroundings, he ordered Hama to bring the blade back to him. He used it until his downfall, and it played a major role in Middle-earth's victory over the forces of Sauron.

6 Anglachel Is the Predecessor of Gurthang

Before Gurthang endured great tragedy, it was one of the most renowned weapons in the realm of Middle-earth. Alongside its brother, Anguirel, it was forged by Eol from a fallen meteorite. Though he resented the fact that he had to give it away, the sword became a gift to Thingol in exchange for him allowing Eol to stay in Nan Elmoth. Thingol then passed it on to Beleg Cuthalion, who the sword adored above all else. Every time Beleg used it, it was rumored to have sung with gladness as it was unsheathed, as it so greatly loved being used by him.

Aptly, Anglachel translates to "Shooting Star Iron" from Sindarin, which makes it sound as though it would only ever be used for good deeds in the grand scheme of the world. Interestingly, Anglachel seemed to have a mind of its own. Eol's resentment seeped into the blade, making it bloodthirsty and desperate to be used in any battle possible. Still, it had a moral core stronger than most other things. It hated being used to draw innocent blood above all else and even went so far as to mourn its former user Beleg after he fell at the end of the blade because of poor circ*mstances.

5 Aeglos Played a Part in Many Battles

Gil-galad is one of the most fearsome fighters in the history of Middle-earth, and very few of his feats would have been manageable if not for the help of his beloved glaive Aeglos. He used it throughout most of his major military triumphs, including during the War of the Last Alliance. Though it seemingly disappeared after his death, it had a reputation throughout Middle-earth as one of the most terrifying weapons in the world. Those who found themselves on the wrong end of it knew that death loomed on the horizon for them.

In Sindarin, Aeglos translates directly to "snow-point." The blade has yet to appear in any major adaptations of The Lord of the Rings in anything further than a passing reference. In the final episode of the first season of The Rings of Power, he clutches the blade as he departs from Ost-in-Edhil - suggesting that perhaps, it'll play a bigger role in the upcoming season released on August 29th. Additionally, it appears briefly in the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring, when Gil-galad fights alongside Elrond against Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance.

4 Narsil Influenced the Legacy of Middle-earth

Telchar of Nogrod, one of the great Dwarven smiths, created Narsil back in the First Age. However, its true history didn't begin until the Second Age, when it made its way to Numenor and passed to the Lords of Andunie. Not much is known about the period it spent there until it landed in the hands of Elendil. He wielded it during the Battle of the Last Alliance, but it broke during the fight and Elendil. His son Isildur then took up what remained of the blade and used it to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. It's one of the most well-known weapons in Middle-earth.

Narsil translates directly to "red and white flame," and was stated to be a symbol of both light and dark and of the sun and the moon. After its usage in the War of the Last Alliance, the shards of Narsil lay dormant for a while. They were a symbol of the breaking of the line of Gondor, and the failure of Men to do what they must in the most crucial moment of Middle-earth's history. In the films, they served as a reminder to Elrond that there was very little hope left in Middle-earth for him - making it all the more impactful when the blade was reforged and given to Aragorn as a symbol of his faith that the man could be the one to save the realm from darkness once and for all.

3 Orcrist Struck Fear Into All Those Who Saw It

Orcrist, forged back in the First Age, was created at the same time as Gandalf's blade Glamdring. It could have played a role in the Fall of Gondolin and was lost alongside its mate in the conflict. However, it still did substantial damage to the enemy forces there and became known as "Biter" by the Goblins who were slain by it.

Orcrist translates to "Goblin-cleaver," which is an apt name for a weapon that is used primarily for that purpose. When Gandalf rediscovered Glamdring in the Troll cave near Eriador, he relocated Orcrist as well. He passed it on to Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the company traveling to retake Erebor in The Hobbit. When Elrond recognized that the blade had come from Gondolin, Thorin promised to honor its legacy in all he did; however, he eventually had it taken from him during a run-in with the Wood-elves of Mirkwood, who deemed him unworthy of possessing such a legendary weapon. When he fell in the Battle of the Five Armies, Orcrist was buried alongside Thorin Oakenshield.

2 Sting Accompanied Its Masters to the Ends of the Earth

Sting came from the same cache as Glamdring and Orcrist. It was substantially smaller than the other two and could have been nothing more than a dagger in its original usage. Ostensibly, it was lost during the Fall of Gondolin alongside Glamdring and Orcrist and lay dormant for years until Gandalf stumbled across them during the events of The Hobbit. Like the other two swords in its family, it glowed blue when enemies were nearby, allowing its wielder never to be caught off-guard by danger.

Its original name isn't known, but Bilbo nicknamed it Sting while fighting against the Spiders of Mirkwood, and it stuck for generations to come. Bilbo later passed the blade down to his nephew, Frodo, when the young boy came to see him in Rivendell on his way to deliver the Ring to Mordor. Sam also utilized it when he believed that Frodo had fallen in his fight against Shelob. Sting's ultimate fate remains unknown, but its pivotal role in the greater calculus of Middle-earth remains undisputed.

1 Anduril Has the Coolest Name of Any Sword in The Lord of the Rings

Anduril was reforged from the shards of the shattered Narsil, which lay dormant for years before it was made into the blade it is today. Though its story changes between the book and the movie, it is consistently one of the most well-known weapons in the franchise. It belonged to Aragorn, who wielded it as a symbol of his newfound leadership of Gondor during the War of the Ring. He used it through the fiercest fights in the series, including the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the Battle of the Black Gate, and it carried him to victory no matter how dire his circ*mstances looked at first glance.

Anduril, which translates directly to "flame of the West," is the coolest name of any weapon in Middle-earth. It pays tribute to Narsil, the red and white flame, while also reinforcing the hope that comes from Aragorn taking it up against the forces of evil trying to overwhelm the goodness inherent in their world. While using it, Aragorn becomes the flame of the West in and of himself. He's the last hope for those who try to stand against evil and proves his mettle a thousand times over throughout the War of the Ring.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is a series of epic fantasy adventure films and television series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The films follow the adventures of humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and more in Middle-earth.

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

First Film

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Latest Film

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Upcoming Films

The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim

First TV Show

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

Latest TV Show

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

First Episode Air Date

September 1, 2022

Cast

Elijah Wood , Viggo Mortensen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Astin , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Sean Bean , Ian McKellen , Andy Serkis , Hugo Weaving , Liv Tyler , Miranda Otto , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Martin Freeman , Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Richard Armitage

Character(s)

Gollum , Sauron

Video Game(s)

LEGO Lord of the Rings , Lord of the Rings Online , The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum , The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: War in the North , The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth , The Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth 2 , The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Genre

Fantasy , Action-Adventure

Where to Stream

Max , Prime Video , Hulu