J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings of Middle Earth, like ‘The Lord of the Rings’, ‘The Silmarillion’ and ‘The Hobbit’ talk about the importance of weapons. Tolkien describes how the Elves used swords, shields, bows, axes, and spears resembling the armor of the North European culture. Elven Swords represented the prowess in the war as Tolkien writes that Elves and Dwarves had the best swords. Elvish swords were special as they glowed blue when Orcs were present. While Orcs used curved swords, Elves mostly used straight ones. Tolkien also suggests that shields were used with swords. Though most Elven swords in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ are curved, there are some named swords that resemble two-handed longsword [1].
Lhang
Perfectly matching the Elves, the Lhang is a fast, big sword featuring golden decorations. This single-edged, curved weapon is loaded with a lot of energy. It has a large handle that an Elf can hold with two hands. This sword is designed to sweep diagonal motions across the body. Lhang was used by the High Elves and the Galadhrim.
Elven Lord Saber
These were the Swords used by high Elves in the Second and Third Age. Featuring a shorter hilt as compared to other weapons, this sword was often used in place of Lhang at Rivendell [2]. The reason was that Lord Saber was far easier to use when sitting on horseback, a style of battle favored by Imladris. Elrond, Haldir, and Arwen used this version of the Elven sword.
Mirkwood Double-Bladed Polearm
This polearm is one of the weapons of the soldiers of the Elvenking who were responsible for watching over and protecting the great forest of the Woodland Realm. The sword version featured a greenwood shaft and double Elven blades in a steel of high strength. It is mostly used for stabbing or spinning parallel to the body of the elf.
Thranduil’s Swords
The twin swords are crafted using a single steel piece with hollows and decorations like cutouts. This version is an ideal representation of Sindarin Swords.
Wood-Elven Saber
The wood-elves were not so social as their brethren and used a different type of sword. This saber is generally used from behind a huge shield and allows stabbing strokes. It features decorations of carvings, cutouts, and wood. It can also be used like Lhang with two hands to get powerful slashes.
Aranruth
It was a sword of Elu Thingol the King of Doriath. Aranruth eventually became the sword of the Kings of Numenor.
References
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Swords
