Forged in the
First Age some time between c.I 126 and I 510
Rediscovered by
Gandalf in May or June III 2941
Probably passed into the West 29 September III 3021
Origins: Forged in
Gondolin for
Turgon
Meaning: Given as '
Foe-hammer'1
Other Names: Beater, Foe-hammer
Of
Glamdring's early history, we know almost nothing. From
Elrond's words, we can say that it was forged some time in the second to fifth centuries of the First Age (the centuries when Gondolin existed), and that it was borne by Turgon (the only
Elf to hold the title 'King of Gondolin'). After Gondolin was built, Turgon was in battle twice: at the
Nirnaeth Arnoediad and at the
Fall of Gondolin. Glamdring was greatly feared by the
Orcs even thousands of years later, so Turgon must have wielded it ferociously on both these occasions.
After Gondolin's Fall, Glamdring passed out of history or rumour for more than 6,000 years. The fact that it survived the
War of Wrath, though, tells us that it must have left
Beleriand before the end of the First Age, perhaps carried eastward by a band of Orcs2. More than that cannot be said, except that somehow, by the late Third Age, it had fallen into the hands of the three
trolls called in The
Hobbit Tom, Bert and Bill Huggins.
It was discovered in their troll-hoard by Gandalf,
Bilbo and the
Dwarves as they travelled eastward on the Quest of
Erebor, and claimed by Gandalf. After it was identified by Elrond, Gandalf wore it for eighty years. He had it with him when the
White Council drove
Sauron from
Dol Guldur, and he bore it through the
War of the Ring itself.
Famously, he used it to battle the
Balrog at the
Bridge of Khazad-dûm, and it fell with him there into the abyss. Glamdring survived that fall3: Gandalf had it with him when he returned, and he bore it throughout the last days of the War of the Ring and beyond. We know that he still had the
sword when he rode through
Bree with the Travellers in October III 3019, but
Tolkien doesn't mention it after that point. It seems safe to assume, though, that Gandalf was still wearing Glamdring, as he had for eighty years, when he boarded
the White Ship at the end of
the Third Age.
What Did Glamdring Look Like?
We know much less about Glamdring's appearance than its history. It is consistently described as 'white' (in The Fellowship of
the Ring II 5 The Bridge of Khazad-dûm). When enemies were near it 'shone with a pale light' (ibid). In the same circumstances, the Elven-knife
Sting glittered along its edges, but in Glamdring's case, the entire blade seems to have glowed. Finally, we know from The Hobbit that both Glamdring and its mate
Orcrist had runed blades, giving at least their names.
Notes
1 Actually, the literal translation of glam is 'noise', not 'foe'. 'Foe-hammer' comes from
glamhoth dring, 'noise-host hammer' - glamhoth is an
Elvish term for Orcs.
2 This is only one possible way that Glamdring might have left Beleriand. It assumes that the sword was looted from the wreck of Gondolin, but it isn't easy to explain why it should have been carried into
the east. Alternatively, it might have been rescued from the Fall of Gondolin by (say)
Tuor, and taken eastward by the
Elves. In this case, though, we would need to explain how it was lost a second time, and how Elrond (who was with the Exiles of Gondolin at the end of the First Age) had apparently forgotten about it.
3 If it is difficult to explain how Glamdring escaped destruction in the War of Wrath, its escape from the depths of
Khazad-dûm is doubly puzzling. What details we have come from Gandalf's account in The Two
Towers III V The White Rider. This makes it clear that Gandalf had somehow managed to hold onto Glamdring as he fell. As he fights the Balrog in the depths, he says that 'ever I hewed him', which means he must have had the sword with him.
Glamdring isn't mentioned again until long afterwards. Gandalf must have kept it as he climbed the Endless Stair, and perhaps used it in the
Battle of the Peak to finally destroy
Durin's Bane. What isn't clear, though is how it survived Gandalf's destruction and re-embodiment - he says explicitly 'naked I was sent back'. We have to imagine that it survived the ruin of
Celebdil's peak, and was perhaps later recovered by
Gwaihir.
Dates: Forged in the First Age some time between c.I 126 and I 510
Rediscovered by
Thorin in May or June III 2941
Entombed1 with Thorin late III 2941
Origins: Forged in Gondolin
Meaning: 'Orc- (or Goblin-) cleaver'
Other Names: Biter, Goblin-cleaver
The sword of Thorin
Oakenshield, discovered by him in a troll-hoard on his journey to Erebor, and buried with him after his death in the
Battle of Five Armies.
1 Exactly what happened to Orcrist at Thorin's funeral isn't completely clear. The Hobbit tells us that the sword was placed by
Thranduil 'upon his tomb', and that it 'gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached' (The Hobbit 18, The Return Journey). These quotes seem to suggest that Orcrist wasn't actually buried with Thorin, but instead just laid on his tomb.
In
The Lord of the Rings, there's a suggestion that this may have changed. We are told there that Orcrist '...lay now upon the breast of Thorin...' (The Fellowship of the Ring II 3, The Ring Goes South). This seems to suggest that the sword was actually placed within Thorin's tomb, and not just placed on it, though this text is admittedly ambiguous.
hope it all helps
Celeb