Glamdring

Glamdring
Location	Gondolin, various
Appearance	Sword with gemstones and runes
Gallery	Images of Glamdring

"This, Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foe-hammer that the king of Gondolin once wore."

― Elrond, A Short Rest

	Glamdring.mp3
	By Ardamir. (Help; more articles)

Glamdring was a sword, said to have belonged to Turgon, but best known as the sword of Gandalf during the War of the Ring.

History

Beater

According to Elrond, Glamdring was worn by the King of GondolinTemplate:Ref. Though he did not directly identify this king as Turgon, there was no other King of Gondolin. As the Orcs of the Misty Mountains dreaded this weapon enough to call it BeaterTemplate:Ref, Turgon must have wielded it with great success in either of his two battles against Morgoth - the Nírnaeth Arnoediad or the Fall of Gondolin. In the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, Turgon is said to have "hewed his way to the side of his brother"Template:Ref. No other heroic feats surround the sword there. No tales are known of Turgon's swordsmanship surrounding the Fall of Gondolin; by all accounts, he fell as the Tower of Turgon collapsedTemplate:RefTemplate:Ref.

Survival

The sword miraculously survived roughly 6500 years from the Fall of Gondolin in F.A. 510 to its eventual rediscovery in T.A. 2941. In that period, it traveled from Gondolin to a Troll's cave in the Trollshaws.

File:Unknown Artist - Turgon.jpg

Turgon with Glamdring

How it survived that long, is never mentioned. Elrond proposed two theories: either the presumed it had been plundered from other plunderers, or it was a remnant of an ancient hoard in some hole in the mountainsTemplate:Ref. In an earlier version, Elrond proposed they came from a Dragon's hoardTemplate:Ref. In the commentary to that section, Rateliff suggests it is "very plausible that Turgon's sword would have fallen into goblin hands, given the scenario described in 'The Fall of Gondolin', Elrond's comment that 'dragons destroyed that city many ages ago' creates difficulties in the chronology"Template:Ref.

At Gandalf's side

In May T.A. 2941, Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins and a group of dwarves encountered three trolls in the Trollshaws - William, Bert and Tom. The Trolls captured Bilbo and the Dwarves, but Gandalf destroyed them by exposing them to sunlight. Glamdring, along with Orcrist and Sting, were found in a cave nearbyTemplate:Ref. Gandalf claimed the weapon as his own, amazed by its appearance and inscription. The inscription was set in a script of runes Gandalf did not know; Elrond did. He translated the runes, and called it "Foe-hammer"Template:Ref.

Gandalf would use the sword well; its first victim was the Great Goblin. Other Orcs fled as they recognized the sword as "Beater". This means either some Orcs were at the Fall of Gondolin, or that they had legends about two glowing swords - Beater and BiterTemplate:Ref. Further use of the sword in the Quest for Erebor is uncertain; though it is likely that Gandalf used it in the Battle of Five Armies.

Gandalf bore Glamdring at his side when the Fellowship of the Ring left Rivendell in T.A. 3018Template:Ref. He did not use it until the Battle of the Chamber of Mazarbul, and a short time later in the standoff with Durin's BaneTemplate:Ref. After the collapse of the bridge, Gandalf continued to fight the Balrog on the Endless Stair and Durin's Tower, but he does not tell whether he used Glamdring for that or his staff in the Battle of the PeakTemplate:Ref.

Gandalf's spirit perished there, but was sent back because his task was not yet complete. Though he claims to have been sent back nakedTemplate:Ref, he still had Glamdring when he, accompanied by the Three Hunters, entered EdorasTemplate:Ref. Gandalf would continue to bear it throughout the War of the Ring, but it is not mentioned again until Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin arrive at the Prancing Pony in BreeTemplate:Ref.

Fate

What happened to Glamdring is not known, though it is likely Gandalf took it with him when he left Middle-earth on September 29, T.A. 3021Template:Ref.

Appearance

Glamdring and Orcrist are described in The Hobbit as having "beautiful scabbards and jeweled hilts"Template:Ref. They would glow blue in the presence of Orcs. The sword of Turgon (whether or not this is Glamdring remains open to debate) is described as "a white and gold sword in a ruel-bone (ivory) sheath"Template:Ref.

Rune inscription

When he took the sword, Gandalf said he could not read the runes. Elrond did, however. This could be considered strange, because in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf is portrayed as a person of at least equal wisdom and knowledge to Elrond.

Troubled by this problem, Tolkien devised the "Runes of Gondolin"Template:Ref, first published in Mythlore 69. An inscription of the runes "GLAMDRING" would read "MZ(unknown)ŪNRI(unknown)M" in Angerthas Moria. The actual inscription remains unclear, howeverTemplate:Ref.

Etymology

The word Glamdring is comprised of two elements. The first element is glam, literally meaning "noisy", but poetically used as "Orc". The second element is dring, said to mean "hammer"Template:Ref. Its Common Speech name was Foe-hammerTemplate:Ref.

The name of the sword is, strangely, in Sindarin. This seems odd: in an essayTemplate:Ref written late in Tolkien's life, he explicitly states that Turgon had re-established Quenya as the language of his household in Gondolin.

Portrayal in adaptations

File:Bakshi-lotr.jpg

Glamdring in Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings.

In David T. Wenzel's The Hobbit, Glamdring appears to be an arming sword. There are are no gemstones on its hilt or scabbard. Unintelligable runes are seen on the fuller. It glows red, rather than blue, in the presence of orcs, who call it by all three names; Glamdring, Foe-hammer and Beater.

In Rankin/Bass' The Hobbit, Gandalf acquires Glamdring in the trolls' cave. Gandalf can not read the runes. Elrond states he can; but appears to recognize it at first glance. After leaving Rivendell, Glamdring does not appear again.

In Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings, Glamdring is portrayed as an ordinary longsword, with no inscription visible. It is featured as the centerpiece of most posters, although it does not feature so prominently in the movie.

In Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King, Gandalf does not use a sword, only his staff.

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, Glamdring is a longsword that does not glow blue in the presence of Orcs. The Noble Collection replica of the sword is 47 inches (approximately 120 centimeters) in lengthTemplate:Ref.

The rune inscription is engraved in the cross-guard, and adds power to the sword. With this extra power Gandalf was able to defeat Durin's BaneTemplate:Ref. "Turgon aran Gondolin tortha gar a matha i vegil Glamdring gûd daedheloth, dam an Glamhoth". This translates to "Turgon, king of Gondolin, wields, has, and holds the sword Glamdring, Foe of Morgoth's realm, Hammer of the Orcs"Template:Ref. This is also in Sindarin, causing the same problem as the name of the sword.

Footnotes

1. Template:NoteThe Hobbit, A Short Rest.
2. Template:Note The Hobbit, Over Hill and Under Hill.
3. Template:Note The Silmarillion, Of the Fifth Battle.
4. Template:Note The Book of Lost Tales Part 2, The Fall of Gondolin.
5. Template:Note The Silmarillion, Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin.
6. Template:Note The Hobbit, A Short Rest.
7. Template:Note The History of The Hobbit Part One: Mr. Baggins, Rivendell.
8. Template:Note Ibid.
9. Template:Note The Hobbit, Roast Mutton.
10. Template:Note The Hobbit, A Short Rest.
11. Template:Note The Hobbit, Over Hill and Under Hill.
12. Template:Note The Fellowship of the Ring, The Ring Goes South.
13. Template:Note The Fellowship of the Ring, The Bridge of Khazad-dûm.
14. Template:Note The Two Towers, The White Rider.
15. Template:Note Ibid.
16. Template:Note The Two Towers, The King of the Golden Hall.
17. Template:Note The Return of the King, Homeward Bound.
18. Template:Note The Return of the King, The Grey Havens.
19. Template:Note The Hobbit, Roast Mutton.
20. Template:Note Unfinished Tales, Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin, note 31.
21. Template:Note "Runes of Gondolin" by Lisa Star.
22. Template:Note Elfling messages 34823 and following.
23. Template:Note The Lost Road and Other Writings, The Etymologies, roots GLAM- and DRING-.
24. Template:Note The Hobbit, A Short Rest.
25. Template:Note The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Shibboleth of Fëanor.
26. Template:Note The Noble Collection Glamdring, Weaponmasters.com
27. Template:Note The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare by Chris Smith.
28. Template:Note "Sword Inscriptions" by Ryszard Derdzinski, Gwaith i-Phethdain.