Archer

An archer is a person that hunts or fights in battle with the bow and arrow as the main weapon. Archers existed in many races of Tolkien’s Endor (Earth), the most prominent of them was the Archers of Elven race and Rangers from the race of men.

The Dwarf Archers featured in The Hobbit, among the fellows of Thorin Oakenshield. In Peter Jackson’s Desolation of Smaug. [1] Thorin used it himself during his negotiation with the Wood-elves and people of Laketown at the entrance of the Iron Hills. Archery was not common dwarven weaponry as they preferred hammers, axes, and other special weapons to it. Thorin and the company also used bows they received from Beorn in Mirkwood, and Thorin struck a stag with the bow. This indicated that the Khazads had some archery skills even when it’s not their favorite weapon.

The Elves of Lorien made big bows from Mallorn wood and Elven hair tied to it. They used arrows with golden Mallorn-leaf-shaped tip, the arrows which they formed from made ash, it had a length that's usually four feet. Elves perfected the art of arrow-making with their knowledge of fletching. They created arrows of exceeding accuracy that can hit the target from a quarter of a mile. Legolas was the Third Age’s most skilled archer, renowned for his accuracy in unlikely positions. He used his arrow from Mirkwood until he received the gift of the long stout Galadhrim’s bow from the powerful Lady of Galadhrim herself.

The organized army of Gondor had units that consisted of men archers. They had 68 inches (1.73 meters) longbows made from Heartwood. Their arrow had four inches long steel tips on the 28 inches (0.71 meters) long arrow. The archers of Gondor could leave a target 200 yards (0.18 kilometers) away with a devastating wound. The Gondorian archers wore the quiver that bore their arrows on the waist, unlike the Elves and others that strapped it to their back. In Minas Tirith, only archers were sent from Morthbond as support.

The Ithilien Rangers were mainly archers. Their bows were simple although very long at 80 inches (2.03 m) in length. The arrows stretched 28 inches (0.71 meters) and had similar accuracy to the Gondorian, which was 200 yards (0.18 kilometers). They had green fletching for their arrow.

The Rohirrim army had an archers unit. They attack while mounting on horses, a short bow was more appropriate for them for control on the horses. The short bow had obvious disadvantages, as arrows from it needed 125 yards (0.11 kilometers) from the target. But what they lack in range, their arrows had a wide surface area. The Rohirrim arrows were special with a cutout in the heads. The cutout would cause a larger wound. The Rohirrim also had arrows with fletching made from leather.

The southerners and the Easterlings were both allies of the Dark Lord. They have equally skilled archers. The Haradhrim were largely great archers, they would have their snipers attack from atop a Mumakil. Their bow was short but was not lacking any devastation, so they were deadly adversaries in battle. Haradrim has many members of the army centered around the Mumakil and its archers. The horse archers were another group of deadly archers. The Easterlings have foot archers and special recurve bow archers positioned for destruction.

The Orcs and Goblin were shown in my adaptations with bows. They do not have a specific type of arrow but a range of long and short bows instead. Orcs and Goblins were the most unlikely of archers, but they are not to be underestimated. They do not have the skill of Elves and Rangers, with only a reach of 50 to 100 yards. The orcs are so vicious that they lace their arrow with poison but their attacks can be unexpected and fatal.

Halflings have the least need for weapons and war, but would first turn to their archery skills if there was a need for fighting. The Halflings have memorable moments of archery, for instance, the Halflings made a promise to support Arnor, and they fulfilled their promise to send support to King Arvedui. The skill of The Hobbits’ was useful in taking down Grima Wormtongue. Almost all races described in the works of Tolkien and their adaptations showed some level of skill with the bow. Some races like the elves mainly attack with their archery skills while others like the dwarves preferred axes and hammers.

1. ^The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013).