Andúril

Andúril, also known as the Flame of the West, is a sword that appears in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings books and the subsequent film adaptations of those books. However, the depiction of Andúril in the films differs from its depiction in the books. Andúril is first seen as the sword reforged from the shards of Narsil, King Elendil's sword.

Origin

Andúril was originally the sword Narsil, forged by the dwarven master smith Telchar of Nogrod. It was King Elendil who wielded Narsil [1] during the War of The Last Alliance. Narsil broke into two pieces when Elendil and Gil-galad teamed up to battle Sauron. After his defeat, Elendil's son Isildur picks up his father's sword during the climactic battle of the war and uses it to cut off the One Ring from Sauron's hand. After Isildur's death, his squire, Ohtar, took the shards to Arbor and gave them to Isildur's son Valandil. The shards of Narsil became heirlooms passed down to the heirs to the throne of Arnor. Narsil was reforged into a new sword by the Smithies of Rivendell after the Council of Elrond. [2] Aragorn named this sword, Andúril, the Flame of the West. In Lothlórien, Aragorn was given a sheath for Andúril by Galadriel and Celeborn. Adorned with designs of flowers, leaves, and elven runes, along with the sword's lineage and name, the scabbard for Narsil was made by Galadhrim, and it had the special ability, a cause of enchantment, to allow any blade drawn from it to be impervious to damage, whether in victory or defeat. Aragorn used it to establish and legitimize his claim to the throne of Gondor as the Heir of Isildur when he, along with Gimli and Legolas met Éomer for the first time. He also reluctantly set the blade aside before meeting Théoden, informing Háma that if anyone other than him would meet death if they drew the Andúril from its scabbard.

Portrayal In The Movies

The blade first appears as Narsil in the Fellowship of the Ring. It is wielded by Elendil during the Battle of Dargorlad where he raised the sword high to rally his troops. During the Battle against Sauron, both Elendil and Gil-galad are slain. His son Isildur picks up the sword wanting to battle Sauron. However, Sauron brushes away Isildur's attacks and stomps on Narsil, shattering it. Sauron then goes to finish off Isildur but he manages to use the hilt shard of Narsil and cuts off the One Ring from Sauron's hand. It is only after Aragorn and the Hobbits reach Rivendell that Narsil appears again, found to be under the care of Elrond. In Rivendell, Boromir is in awe of the fabled sword and runs his finger along with the hilt shard of the blade and he ends up cutting himself. He is surprised that even after 3000 years, the blade is still sharp. When he notices Aragorn looking his way he drops the hilt shard. We find Narsil appearing again when Aragorn and Rohirrim are stationed at Dunharrow in The Return of The King. Heeding Arwen's pleas, Elrond reluctantly has the smithies of Rivendell reforge Narsil into a new sword, Andúril.

At Dunharrow that Andúril is presented to Aragorn by Elrond. After this, Elrond informs Aragorn that his daughter, Arwen is dying. He also informed Aragorn about the fleet of Corsairs that were approaching Gondor. His grim news was however tempered by his advice. He said to Aragorn that if he took the Paths of the Dead with the power of the Andúril, he would be able to call forth and command an army that far outmatches any living army, giving him a chance to deal with the Corsairs and also save Arwen. Aragorn uses Andúril to establish his credentials as the Heir of Isildur manages to convince the leader of the residents of the Paths of the Dead to fulfill their oath to support Gondor in its time of need, unlike Legolas's arrow or Gimli's ax. Andúril now becomes Aragorn's primary weapon. There is a deleted scene that shows Aragorn confronting Sauron just before the Battle before Morannon. He goads Sauron by showing him Andúril which was reforged from the "sword of Elendil", the same one that defeated him during the Second Age.

Physical Attributes

In the books, it is depicted as an arming sword, a blade wielded by one hand to be used in tandem with a shield. This is evident when Andúril is likened to Boromir's sword and Boromir who is a sword and shield fighter would definitely not wield a longsword. Also, Aragorn while arming up for the Battle of the Hornburg picks up a shield from Théoden's armory lending further credence to the notion that Andúril is an arming sword. The inscription upon the blade said "Nanye Andúril i ne Narsil i macil Elendilo. Lercuvanten i mali Mordoreo", this translates to "I am Andúril who was Narsil, the sword of Elendil. Let the thralls of Mordor flee me". However, in the movies, Andúril is shown as being a longsword, a two-handed weapon, and even though a longsword would not fit into the general setting of the Lord of the Rings, it is not outside the realm of possibility that Andúril was a longsword. The elves were master craftsmen and could very well make a longsword for Aragorn to wield. Andúril was engraved with elven runes saying "Anar. Nányë Andúril I né Narsil I macil Elendilo. Lercuvantan i móli Mordórëo. Isil.", in Quenya. This translates to "Sun. I am Andúril who was once Narsil, sword of Elendil. The slaves of Mordor shall flee from me. Moon". The blade also had engraved on it the designs of the Seven Stars between the Sun and the Moon. With this, Elendil, Anárion, and Isildur's symbols, too, were engraved on it.

Trivia

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