Orcrist

2013-01-12T01:09:25Z

Marsh Ring: Described was spelled incorrectly

{{disambig-two|Thorin's sword|journal|[[Orcrist (journal)]]}}
[[File:Audrey Corman - Orcrist.jpg|thumb|''Orcrist'' by [[Audrey Corman]]]]
'''Orcrist''' was the sword of the leader of [[Durin's folk]], [[Thorin]]. It had a fancy scabbard and a jeweled hilt. Thorin obtained the weapon when he and his company searched the [[Troll's Cave|trolls' cave]] early in the quest of [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]].<ref>{{H|Mutton}}</ref>

Goblins called the blade '''Biter'''.<ref>{{H|Hill}}</ref> It had been crafted by the [[Elves]], who not only made it a valuable weapon, but also a feared one, particularly among traditional enemies of the Elves: Orcs and other evil creatures of Middle-earth.<ref>{{H|Rest}}</ref> Like [[Glamdring]] and [[Sting]], the blade could detect the presence of Orcs and warn its bearer by glowing blue.

Thorin was mortally wounded at the [[Battle of Five Armies]]. After his death Orcrist was placed upon Thorin's tomb and it "gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached".<ref>{{H|Return}}</ref>

==Possession==
[[File:The Hobbit (film series) - Thorin and Orcrist.jpg|thumb|left|Orcrist in [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]]]
As the "mate" to King [[Turgon]]'s sword Glamdring, Orcrist was likely borne by a high ranking lord in the King's entourage.

Since [[Maeglin]] presumably still had his father's sword, [[Anguirel]], it was not his. [[Duilin of Gondolin|Duilin]] bore a bow, while [[Galdor of the Tree|Galdor]] carried a club and [[Rog]] a mace. [[Tuor]] seems to have come to [[Gondolin]] after Glamdring had been forged, and if this was the mate it should have been forged before his arrival as well. In any case, Tuor bore an axe, not a sword.[[Glorfindel of Gondolin|Glorfindel]] died outside of the city; [[Egalmoth]] wielded a curved-blade, most likely a falchion; in any case, Orcist was not curved and [[Egalmoth]] survived during the [[Fall of Gondolin]]. [[Salgant]] was a lesser lord and was feeble and subservient to Maeglin. [[Ecthelion|Ecthelion of the Fountain]] perished in Gondolin as he slew [[Gothmog (balrog)|Gothmog]], even though he fell into the [[Fountain of the King]], his hands were greatly wounded before meeting [[Gothmog]] and sword dropped, so Orcrist might be left in the city and picked up by one of the enemies possibly by a dragon.
Another possibility is [[Penlod]], however, who's house ([[House of the Tower of Snow]]) was lesser in status than Ecthelion's ([[House of the Fountain]]).

As described in [[the Hobbit]], Orcrist "had killed hundreds of goblins in its time, when the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them in the hills or did battle before their walls". Only [[Rog]], [[Duilin]], [[Egalmoth]], [[Tuor]] and [[Ecthelion]]'s houses defended at the gates before the walls, and none of them except [[Ecthelion]] bore a sword. Thus, the most probable assumption is that Orcrist belonged to [[Ecthelion]], but this is never stated explicitly in any of Tolkien's writings.
In the [[Fall of Gondolin]], it is stated that [[Ecthelion]] led a charge that resulted in the deaths of thousands of [[orcs]], which made his name a terror to their race – the fact that the orcs were angry upon finding that [[Thorin]] wielded Orcrist may be an echo of this carnage. It is interesting that if Orcrist did belong to [[Ecthelion]], the two swords were both used to fight the two most famous balrogs, Orcrist to fight [[Gothmog]] and [[Glamdring]] to fight [[Durin's Bane]].

==Etymology==
In [[Sindarin]] Orcrist means "Goblin-cleaver" (''[[Orch]]'' + ''[[rist]]'').{{Fact}}

{{Weapons}}
{{References}}
[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Swords]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]

[[de:Orcrist]]
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[[fr:encyclo/artefacts/armes/orcrist]]

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Orcrist