Aragorn's Weapon

[Harad]

- I did not know, - he answered. - But I am Aragorn, and those verses go with that name. - He drew out his sword, and they saw that the blade was indeed broken a foot below the hilt. - Not much use is it, Sam? - said Strider. - But the time is near when it shall be forged anew. Sam said nothing.

Did Aragorn really use as his primary weapon the hilt-shard of Narsil for, perhaps, 70 years of Rangering?

 

[daisy]

I have also been confused by the Narsil angle - I always thought it wasn't with him and was being forged for him and was given to him , but now I find on page 188 of my copy, Aragorn bringing out his sword and, " they saw that the blade was indeed broken a foot below the hilt.'Not much use is it, Sam?', said Strider. 'But the time is near when it shall be forged anew."
So it seems he has been running around with a broken sword, and perhaps the shard is with Elrond? Or, perhaps the sword is broken , but not in pieces, but broken in two vertically?
And then it was re-forged by the elves and re-named but yes it seems he ran around for about seventy years with a broken sword and didn't he have a bow?

Perhaps not the 'expert' you were looking for but I gave it a shot!

 

[aragil]

Well, I've read from several very disreputable tertiary sources, and they theorize that Aragorn probably had another weapon which he carried around most of the time, and that he probably did use a bow, being such an excellent woodsman. Gandalf had told Aragorn to look out for the Hobbits, and in that event he might have been toting Narsil as a special occasion. Perhaps he thought the Hobbits knew Bilbo's rhyme, or perhaps he thought he was going to the doom of the free world, and so decided that it would be best to be carrying his ancestor's sword when the end came.
Anyway, I also thought it was odd for Aragorn to be toting around the heirloom, and wasn't entirely upset that in the movie Aragorn had left it in the shrine.

 

[daisy]

It seems you and I used the same quote here- so are you asking why he was carrying around the broken sword or what, seeing as you already knew it was with him pre-Council...

 

[Harad]

In the movie he uses a bow next to Legolas at Moria. Talk about a paucity of evidence!

 

[daisy]

So there is no mention of other weaponry in LOTR ? i seem to recall a passage where he is described as just having the sword.Of course, he also takes the blade of the nazgul with him after Frodo is stabbed but this probably doesn't count....
So far I haven't found any mention of another weapon other than Narsil....Have you?

 

[Harad]

We are only talking about the period up until Rivendell. But of course this covers the 60 years before LOTR started.

How about when Aragorn, in disguise, performs his "errantries" in Rohan and Gondor. Wouldnt it have been odd for him to whip out a hilt-shard as a weapon? Wouldnt the locals have been amazed, and maybe start to put 2+2 together?

I dunno.

 

[Landroval]

Right, or wouldn't they think "What a loser, can't he get a whole sword?". I vote for the "special occasion" theory.

Landroval

 

[Dhôn-Buri-Dhôn]

When the Company set out from Rivendell, Aragorn is described as having "Anduril but no other weapon..." (Anduril is the new name of the re-forged Narsil.)

But I can't find any reference to any other weapon he might have carried in the pre-Fellowship days. Yet it's hard to imagine him armed only with a stumpy little sword-fragment!

 

[daisy]

But his gorgeousness

He also has his hypnotic eyes and babe-licious bod!!!!( of course this is slightly sarcastic....ooops wrong thread!).

 

[Beleg Strongbow]

Originally posted by Donnie B.
When the Company set out from Rivendell, Aragorn is described as having "Anduril but no other weapon..." (Anduril is the new name of the re-forged Narsil.)

But I can't find any reference to any other weapon he might have carried in the pre-Fellowship days. Yet it's hard to imagine him armed only with a stumpy little sword-fragment!

This exaclty what i would have said. Well done Donnie B. But this is what i beleive in.

 

[Elfarmari]

In Appendix A of LotR, it says that Elrond gave Aragorn the shards of Narsil when Aragorn was 20.

and here also are the shards of Narsil. With these you may yet do great deeds. .

From this, I would think he carried with him and used them, but I'm not sure what good a broken sword would do.

I know it doesn't say this anywhere in the book, but I always pictured him carrying another sword, or a bow or something.

 

[Harad]

From age 20 on would cover all his time in Rohan and Gondor and most of his rangering. If he kept other weapons, it unlikely there was another sword, since his scabbard was occupied with Narsil. The two scabbard theory?

 

[¤-Elessar-¤]

dont you think that maybe he kept the sword with him out of respect for his lineage and his forefathers? He wouldn't be seen in gondor weilding the shards of Narsil, he simply toted them sentamentally(sp)

 

[HLGStrider]

I always assumed that when Elrond said "Here are the shards of Narsil, with which you will do great things" he was refering to the sword as a whole, not the shards of it, suggesting that Aragorn would have it reforged someday and use it. I can't see much fighting with a broken sword.
I agree with the carrying it for sentimental reasons theory. The only fighting he did before it was reforged in the book was with brands. What good would a sword be against Wraiths? I think he would've had to have carried another weapon during errantry, probably he was armed by whatever throne he served. He would've kept the blade hidden, however.
My brother hates Aragorn because of his sword, by the way. I love Aragorn and was always talking about him adoringly. Then Ben got the Two Towers on book on tape. He comes to me. "I can't believe you like this guy. He is obsessed with his sword. He won't leave it out in the hall for five minutes so he can talk with a king. Come on. The things already been broken once. Was he afraid they'd break it again?"
I can't explain things like honor to Ben...

 

[Harad]

He was a Ranger living in a very dangerous world. He fought in Rohan and Gondor for the King and Steward there. His major, or only weapon, would not be for "sentimental" value, but for "killing" value. His forefathers, Chiefs of the Rangers, only averaged 60 years each in that dangerous job. I would think that Aragorn, being a bright guy, would not handicap himself using a hilt-shard rather than a complete sword. Maybe the hilt-shard of Narsil was good enough. One has to argue that the Narsil hilt-shard was a better weapon than another sword, that was complete.

 

[HLGStrider]

Well, I'm sure he probably did have other weapons, he just continually carried Narsil. Perhaps it WAS stronger as a hilt than other swords.

What is the average sword length? Narsil was broken a foot below the hilt. Was that broken in half or was a forth of it gone?

Oh well... I am going to go exercise...

 

[Harad]

A foot long "sword" would be a huge handicap in any battle. Typical sword lengths are 3-4 feet.

 

[Eonwe]

Remember when Pippin or Merry comes back and says there are Trolls ahead, and he just gets a big branch? And he uses fire against the Nazgul.

It is pretty hard to believe, esp. with his jaunts in Rohan and Gondor, and the shards of Narsil would be pretty difficult to hide. I will check UT to see if there is anything about him carrying another weapon in Gondor or Rohan.

 

[Eonwe]

Remember when Pippin or Merry comes back and says there are Trolls ahead, and he just gets a big branch? And he uses fire against the Nazgul.

It is pretty hard to believe, esp. with his jaunts in Rohan and Gondor, and the shards of Narsil would be pretty difficult to hide. I will check UT to see if there is anything about him carrying another weapon in Gondor or Rohan.