The mysterious retrieval of Glamdring, Foe Hammer

[Aranaug]

Well, dealing with the light issue, it seems obvious enough to me that if the staff fell. He could easily have grabbed it and relit it. Here's the scene in my mind. Glamdring is on his side. Since in theory he'd use both hands when breaking the bridge with the staff. He drops the staff and grabs the bridge and fell. The Balrog probably pulled Gandalf closer to him when they fell, since he was tied to the whip. And when they hit the water, Gandalf easily could have looked up and seen the staff or the sword falling ( I assume the combined weight of the two was enough to beat out the sword and staff). Depending on which one he sees he could have grabbed one of them. And the Staff would in theory still be giving off light. So that would be easy enough to see .

 

[Anamatar IV]

the staff broke. No more light. Weight doesnt matter for how quickly things fall. Plus gandalf wouldve let glamdring go before he fell. How else could he grasp at the edge?

 

[pohuist]

Originally posted by Aranaug
Since in theory he'd use both hands when breaking the bridge with the staff.

Why?

 

[Lantarion]

Last posted by Aranaug
Here's the scene in my mind. Glamdring is on his side...

This following quote contradicts with your theory:

Last posted by JRR Tolkien: 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Bridge of Khazad-dûm'
The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on his staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white.

 

[pohuist]

Originally posted by Lantarion

This following quote contradicts with your theory:

Last posted by JRR Tolkien: 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Bridge of Khazad-dûm'

 

[joxy]

Originally posted by Nenya Evenstar
There have been some questions going around about how did Gandalf, after falling into the abyss behind the Balrog in the Mines of Moria, retrieve his sword to battle with the demon in the depths of Moria.

Hi Nenya, I said I'd meet you here! I was all set to suggest that G somehow found a split second to sheath the sword after breaking the bridge and before the whip entangled him- but then Lantarion has just pointed out that G arrived "naked" at the top of the mountain- so no sword by ANY scenario?!

 

[Anamatar IV]

yeah-the balrgos fire probably burned it. I cant see gandalf grasping at the edge holding onto his sword and manage enough time to say fly you fools.

 

[ApplCobbler]

Originally posted by Anamatar IV
yeah-the balrgos fire probably burned it. I cant see gandalf grasping at the edge holding onto his sword and manage enough time to say fly you fools.

Because.....where you come from, people cant talk and do things at the same time?

 

[Anamatar IV]

Originally posted by ApplCobbler


Because.....where you come from, people cant talk and do things at the same time?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! im sorry but you just mentioned an incredibly funny inside joke in my school. Im still laughing!!! okay ive contrlled my self. If gandalf tried to grasp at the edge with the sword he wouldve fallen faster. I doubt the fellowship would here him whisper fly from half way dpwn the chasm.

 

[falcolite]

Originally posted by Anamatar IV
the staff broke. No more light. Weight doesnt matter for how quickly things fall. Plus gandalf wouldve let glamdring go before he fell. How else could he grasp at the edge?

How do you really know that when his staff breaks that the light from it will go out? If you have a torch, and the stem of it splits into two pieces, the fire still burns. Also when watching the movie, theres the scene where the fellowship has to jump across a missing piece in a bridge, where Frodo and Aragorn get stuck on one side and the fellowship on the other, well, if you watch you will notice Aragorn holds on to his bow while hanging/climbing onto the edge. Could it be possible that Gandalf held on to his sword while he hang and said "Fly You Fools"?

 

[Anamatar IV]

well a bow wont kill you if you hit yourself with it will it? Gandalf probably had to be careful and try to avoid killing himself. Wouldnt that seem logical

 

[falcolite]

logical yes, but im sure Gandalf was worrying way more about more important things at that moment, Im quite sure that he would must more prefer to make it up the edge of the bridge, sword in hand, and take a little scratch, then fall like he did.

 

[Anamatar IV]

a LITTLE scratch? Try a stab straight through the head killing him anyways.

 

[falcolite]

Just because he holds on to his sword, does not mean that it will hurt him. You do not always get stabbed in the head when holding a sword, nor always get hurt. Yes its very likely one could get hurt, but that does not mean that he will always get hurt.

 

[Anamatar IV]

act it out:

your entire body is hanging over an endless abyss. You have your right hand holdinng your sword on the bridge. To hold onto the bridge with your right hand the will be pointing at a diagonal that, when you have your head up, will point at left face. When you pulled you body up you propell yourself into the blade.

 

[falcolite]

Yes, that sounds likely, but yet, the sword can be farther ahead than where your head is. There are many ways to hold on to something, while dangling. May you also take in to consideration how short of a time it actually takes to say "Fly you Fools"? And plus the act you portrayed clearly doesn't prove that it would kill him. Yes cut, I agree, but to actually kill him, he would need to hit that sword very fast, something very unlikely when he is dangling from a bridge.

 

[Nenya Evenstar]

Hi Nenya, I said I'd meet you here! I was all set to suggest that G somehow found a split second to sheath the sword after breaking the bridge and before the whip entangled him- but then Lantarion has just pointed out that G arrived "naked" at the top of the mountain- so no sword by ANY scenario?!

Great to see you joxy. Thanks for stopping by! I'm trying to figure this out. Perhaps "naked" is just being used for clothing and not weapons. I've come up with two solutions. Either Gandalf fell into the abyss holding on to the sword (what falcolite says really makes a lot more sense than catching the sword in mid-air or swimming to retrieve it) or, as your post made me think, MAYBE Gandalf did not fight with physical weapons!!!! Why has this not occured to any of us before? The only problem is the passage, "Forever I hewed him." Perhaps this is merely a term Tolkien used but did not mean literally? After all, both Gandalf and the Balrog were Maia and more than capable of fighting a battle without physical weapons.