Seek for the Sword that was broken

From Tolkien Gateway
After the dream by Anke Eißmann

Seek for the Sword that was broken is a rhyme that appeared in dreams to Faramir and later his brother Boromir.

Rhyme[edit | edit source]

"In that dream I thought the eastern sky grew dark and there was a growing thunder, but in the West a pale light lingered, and out of it I heard a voice, remote but clear, crying:

Seek for the Sword that was broken:
In Imladris it dwells;
There shall be counsels taken
Stronger than Morgul-spells.
There shall be shown a token
That Doom is near at hand,
For Isildur's Bane shall waken,
And the Halfling forth shall stand."

― Boromir in The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Council of Elrond"

History[edit | edit source]

When Faramir had the dream, he did not speak of it. He had the dream twice again, and his brother had it once. Neither knew what exactly the "Doom" and "Isildur's Bane" referred to, nor where "Imladris" was. Their father told Boromir that Imladris was where Lord Elrond dwelt, and the road being too dangerous, Boromir took it upon himself to follow this lead.

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

1981: The Lord of the Rings:

The song is sung by Matthew Vine in a high-pitched voice at the Council of Elrond. It is the reason for Boromir's coming to Rivendell, and is explained by Aragorn, Gandalf and Elrond.

See also[edit | edit source]