Orcrist

Orcrist, the Elven sword made in Gondolin, was forged alongside Glamdring. The sword is made with a straight back and a single-edged blade. And its purpose is to slay Goblins and Orcs. Thorin II Oakenshield wielded the sword in The Quest of Erebor. Orcrist was also seen being used by Thorin in “The Hobbit” trilogy.​

The name Orcrist- Sindarin; “Orc” and “Ris”, meaning “to cut”. According to the legend, the sword has been used to slay thousands of Orcs in the past. So much so, that the Goblins of the Misty Mountains feared the sword and recognized it as the Biter. It is also known as Orchrist in Noldorin Elvish.​

The sword is very well-made and a visual treat, with engravings on the blade and jewels on its hilt. It has a beautiful wooden scabbard, which portrays the old artwork of the elven smiths. The blade was made to defend against the creatures of the dark. The name of the sword is engraved on the blade. Recognized by Gandalf as a good blade to wield, Orcrist glowed whenever Orcs were nearby. Glamdring and Sting were two other swords with similar features.​

Some readers believe that the Orcrist was used by either King Turgon, or a Lord of the Gondolindrim, during the Goblin Wars. However, it was lost when Gondolin fell. It is speculated that Egalmoth, a survivor from the fall of Gondolin, had taken Orcrist with him. And later on, he passed it onto Ecthelion of the Fountain. The Fall of Gondolin shows Ecthelion leading battles against the Orcs of Misty Mountain while wielding the Orcrist. It was during this battle, in which, the Orcrist instilled fear amongst the Orcs. Ecthelion passed away after killing Gothmog. But before the fall, the elves of Gondolin had used it to hunt and kill goblins in the hundreds. The Goblins were hunted in the hills or fought with before the walls. Driven away to hide in their caves and mountains, the Goblins trembled in the presence of Orcrist.​

Thorin and his company found Orcrist along with Glamdring when they ventured into the cave of the trolls. Gandalf was amongst them during the discovery. Afterward, it was brought to Rivendell, where Elrond identified it as an elven sword, forged by the elves of Gondolin. Thorin, at the time, made an oath to honor the sword and took it. After the Great Goblin was slain, he continued to wield the blade to kill Goblins in the Goblin caves, up until the end of the Quest of Erebor. The Orcrist was lost again when Thorin was captured by the Elves of Mirkwood. [1] The elves confiscated Orcrist, along with all other weapons, from their captives. The Wood-Elves returned Orcrist by the time the Battle of Five Armies had ended. Thranduil, who was wielding the confiscated sword at the time, gave the blade back to Thorin as a post-mortem tribute. The sword was placed on the tomb of Thorin. There, it is said to radiate in the presence of enemies.​

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: [2] Orcrist is seen being wielded by Legolas during a fight to defend Lake-Town against Bolg and his Orcs. The Battle of the Five Armies: We get the first glimpse of the Orcrist in Dale, when Legolas uses it to intervene between his father, Thranduil, and Tauriel. Soon afterward, he uses it again to fight with Bolg. Legolas saves Thorin’s life with it. He threw the sword, sending it plunging into the heart of the Orc that was attacking Thorin in the height of a frozen waterfall. Thorin retrieved the sword from the corpse of the dead orc and used it to kill Azog in Celduin, Ravenhill.

The sword put up a commendable challenge for the huge mace of Azog. The scene shows Thorin taking a fatal blow from Azog’s mace, which pierced his chest. But the injury brought Azog close enough for Thorin to thrust Orcrist into Azog’s chest. The sword entered deep enough to break the ice beneath and kill him. In the film, the Orcrist doesn’t seem to glow at all whenever Orcs are nearby. But, Glamdring, the mate of Orcrist, did not glow either.​

There is a noticeable resemblance between Orcrist and the sword, Sting, in The Hobbit films. The single-edged blade with a bent thump at the handle also resembles Hadhafang. The only difference being- a curved blade for Hadhafang and a much straighter blade for Orcrist. Hadhafang, however, was a blade used by Arwen and Elrond in the Trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. Coming back to Orcrist, it is displayed as a powerful sword in the movies. Powerful enough, to easily knock back any swing from the Goblin King. The thump at the handle of the sword is metallic, with a tooth at the tip of it. Ecthelion had a proclaimer engraved in the sword when he was wielding it. It was to identify Orcrist as his sword. The rest of the engravings on the blade has been acknowledged as NAGOL E-LYG, translated to “Tooth of Snake/Dragon”. In the first installation of The Hobbit trilogy, the blades forger decided to make it single-edged to go with the Goblin Cleaver name. But the Orcrist had a curved edge when it was seen in the background along with Glamdring, during a scene of old Bilbo. The difference is probably because the director had used a replica instead of the actual sword made for the films. Originally, Orcrist is a thrusting weapon, meant to be used to slay Orcs and Goblins. Hence, the blade has a straight spine. The sword made for the films is rather nifty in appearance and made for dwarves. Orcrist was meant to be a fitting sword for a stout dwarf. In the stories, it possesses the power to cut through any Orc armor.​