Glamdring

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

― Elrond, A Short Rest

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File:Unknown Artist - Turgon.jpg

Turgon with Glamdring

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 Gondolin¹. 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 Beater², 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"³. No other heroic feats surround the sword there. No tales are known of Turgon's swordsmanship surrounding the Fall of Gondolin; by all acounts, he fell as the Tower of Turgon collapsed^{4 5}.

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.

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 mountains⁶. In an earlier version, Elrond proposed they came from a Dragon's hoard⁷. 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."⁸

At Gandalf's side

Glamdring by John Howe.

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 nearby. ⁹. 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"¹⁰.

Gandalf would use the sword well; it's 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 Biter¹¹. 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. 3018¹². He did not use it until the Battle of the Chamber of Mazarbul, and a short time later in the standoff with Durin's Bane¹³. 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 Peak¹⁴.

Gandalf's spirit perished there, but was sent back because his task was not yet complete. Though he claims to have been sent back naked¹⁵, he still had Glamdring when he, accompanied by the Three Hunters, entered Edoras¹⁶. 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 Bree¹⁷.

Fate

Whate 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. 3021¹⁸.

Appearance

Glamdring and Orcrist are described in The Hobbit as having "beautiful scabbards and jewelled hilts"¹⁹. 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"²⁰. Tolkien made one scetch of Glamdring. The sword has a short, diamond shaped blade²¹. Whether this was the actual appearance of the sword, or only served to show the inscription (see below), remains to be seen. The sword as drawn would require a very broad scabbard.

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", first published in Mythlore 69²². The inscription is also shown; nine runes written on the blade of the sword. These runes say, with the Runes of Gondolin, "GLAMDRING". However, if they were to be read with Angerthas Moria in mind, they would read "MZ(unknown)ŪNRI(unknown)M".

Etymology

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"²³. Its Westron name was Foe-hammer²⁴.

Portrayal in adaptations

File:Bakshi-lotr.jpg

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

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, allthough 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 states the sword is 47 inches (approximately 120 centimeters) in length²⁵.

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 Bane²⁶. "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"²⁷. The language is Sindarin, which causes a problem: in an essay²⁸ written late in Tolkien's life, he explicitly states that Turgon had re-established Quenya as the language of his household in Gondolin.

References

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