Knives

Knives or daggers were short bladed tools and weapons used by many different peoples of Middle-earth.

By race

Elves

Elves made knives, carried them and used in hunting and in war. An Elf-wrought knife was a birthday-gift Húrin gave Túrin. Sting was made by Elvish smiths, probably in Gondolin. Curufin carried a knife called Angrist when riding from Nargothrond to Himring. Mablung used a knife to rip the belly of Carcharoth. Legolas carried a long white knife with a silver haft. He used it for "knife-work" during the battle of the Hornburg, killing several enemies.

Dwarves

Dwarves also forged knives and carried them in battle and during journeys. Angrist was made by the dwarf-smith Telchar. Azaghâl, Lord of Belegost used a knife to wound dragon Glaurung during Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Mîm had a long knife with poisoned runes on its blade. Some dwarves in Thorin's company carried small knives^, and used them to cut spiders' threads and fight against the spiders.

Men

Men used knives since the First Age. Beren used Angrist to cut one of the Silmarils from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. Húrin gave Túrin an Elf-wrought knife was a birthday-gift; Túrin later gifted that knife to Sador. Andróg used a knife to threaten Mîm the Dwarf. During the fighting in the hall of Brodda thralls that rebelled against Easterlings used meat-knives, while Easterlings themselves were armed with daggers and swords.

In later ages Númenóreans and Northern Dúnedain^, forged knives and daggers. Men of Agar also used knives and a group of knife-men served their Master Mogru. Beorn had eating knives - they were among few things made of metal in his hall. Men of Isengard had eating knives as well.

Hobbits also used eating knives.^, Sometimes they carried knives in their pockets. Sam had a knife that he used for dressing rabbits. Éowyn equipped Merry with a knife in addition to his Barrow-blade. Long knives were also used by Hobbits as weapons during the Scouring of the Shire. Since Hobbits were of smaller stature than Elves or other Men, they could use knives made by Elves or other Men as swords.^,

Sometimes knives were used by evil Men or for wicked deeds. Denethor carried a knife with which in his final despair he tried to kill Faramir. Knives were among the weapons used by ruffians of Saruman, one of their leaders had a long knife. Saruman himself tried to stab Frodo with a knife, which was stopped by Frodo's mithril-coat. Several moments later Saruman was killed by his henchman Grima Wormtongue, who used a hidden knife to cut Saruman's throat.

Orcs

Orcs used knives since the First Age as well. They throwed knives at captured Túrin. Later Orcs of the Misty Mountains forged daggers among other tools and weapons. Some of the orcs in the orc-band that captured Merry and Pippin were armed with knives. One of them had a black knife with a long blade, jagged like a saw-edge.^, Grishnákh had an orc-knife which is described as a long sharp knife (from Pippin's point of view) and as a short serrated blade with a carved handle, shaped like a hideous head. Knives were also used by orcs during the in-fighting in the tower of Cirith Ungol. During that fight Gorbag knifed Shagrat, while Shagrat used his long red knife to slain Gorbag.

Trolls

William, Tom, and Bert planned to use their knives to mince the dwarves before boiling them.

Famous knives

• Angrist was a knife made by Dwarven smith Telchar and wielded by Curufin and later by Beren. It could cleave iron iron as wood. Beren used this knife to cut a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth.
• Barrow-blades were long daggers or knives^, made by Northern Dúnedain.^, They were found in a barrow at Barrow-downs by Tom Bombadil and given to Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. The hobbits could use them as swords. Merry used his Barrow-blade to deal a bitter wound to the Witch-king during the battle of the Pelennor fields.^,
• Morgul-knives were magic blades used by the Nazgûl. A person wounded by such a blade turned into a wraith. The Witch-king used a long and thin Morgul-knife to wound Frodo at Weathertop.,
• Sting was an Elvish knife^, or dagger, probably made in Gondolin. It was found by Thorin and Company in the Troll's lair and taken by Bilbo, who used it as a short sword during his adventures. Later Bilbo gifted it to Frodo. It was used by Sam to wound Shelob.