Orcrist was an Elven sword from Gondolin, the mate of Glamdring, and the sword of Thorin II Oakenshield during The Quest of Erebor.
It was feared and called Biter by the Orcs.[1]
Description
Made by the Elven smiths of old, Orcrist had a beautiful scabbard and jewelled hilt.[2] There were runes on the sword which bore its name.[3] At first glance, Gandalf identified the sword as a "good blade."[2] Like Glamdring and Sting, Orcrist glowed blue whenever Orcs or goblins were near.
History
First Age
During the First Age, Orcrist was forged alongside its "mate", Glamdring, by elven smiths of old and may have been used by King Turgon or one of the Lords of the Gondolindrim. It was described to "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", and was most likely lost during the Fall of Gondolin.[1]
Third Age
Orcrist was discovered with Glamdring centuries later. Thorin and Company made the discovery in the trolls' cave. Once in Rivendell, Elrond recognized Orcrist as one from Gondolin, and Thorin promised to honor the sword.[3]
Thorin used Orcrist throughout the rest of the Quest of Erebor to slay goblins in the Goblin caves after the killing of the Great Goblin, but he lost it when he was captured by the Wood-elves of Mirkwood. Orcrist was confiscated[4] and was not returned to him, until his death, when King Thranduil placed it upon Thorin's tomb under the Lonely Mountain, and it "gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached".[5]
Etymology
The name Orcrist means "Goblin-cleaver", from "Orc" and the Sindarin ris ("to cut").[6] It was called Biter by the Orcs of Misty Mountains.
In Ñoldorin Elvish, Orchrist was a variation of Orcrist, which comes from the risto ("slash, rip").[7]
Portrayal in adaptations
The Hobbit film trilogy
Legolas wields Orcrist
In the The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Orcrist is taken by Legolas when he and a group of elves capture Thorin's company, and it is subsequently shown being wielded by Legolas when he fights Bolg and other Orcs in defense of Lake-town.
In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Legolas uses Orcrist to stay his father Thranduil's blade when intervening in a conflict between he and Tauriel, in Dale. He then draws Orcrist to battle Bolg once more, but ultimately sacrifices Orcrist to save Thorin's life, throwing it from afar, into the chest of the orc who nearly killed Thorin, high up on the frozen waterfall. Thorin then retrieved the sword from the dead orc's chest as it fell over the edge and used it in the climactic battle with Azog on the Celduin near Ravenhill. Orcrist easily held up to Azog's much larger mace as well as his sword. Thorin dealt the mortal blow to Azog, by allowing Azog to pierce his chest, bringing Azog close enough to impale his heart. With Azog on his back, Thorin presses Orcrist deep enough that it splits the ice beneath Azog's body.
While it is an Elvish sword, it does not appear to glow blue (or glow at all, for that matter) when Thorin is in the presence of Orcs in the film. This reflects the fact that Glamdring did not glow in the films as well.
The design and make
Orcrist Runes
In Peter Jackson's The Hobbit films, Orcrist appears more similar in shape to Sting. Its appearance - a single-edged weapon with a somewhat curved pommel - is also somewhat reminiscent of Hadhafang, the blade wielded by both Arwen and Elrond in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The main difference is that Hadhafang has a curved blade, whereas Orcrist's is straighter. It is also shown to be very powerful as it is able to knock back a vicious swing from the Goblin King with ease.
Master Swordsmith Collection of Orcrist
The grip is made of a large tooth capped in a metal pommel. The pommel also displays Ecthelion's herald giving speculation that Orcrist was his sword. The runes running along the blade have been translated to be NAGOL E-LŶG or "Tooth of-Snake [or Dragon]".[8] In the movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey The sword's designers went with a single-edged blade due to its name Goblin Cleaver. However, an early scene of old Bilbo shows replicas of Orcrist and Glamdring in the background, where the Orcrist replica does have a curve on the flat edge.
Orcrist's spine was kept fairly straight, meaning it should also function well as a thrusting weapon. With this in mind, movie version Orcrist is surprisingly versatile, and well-suited to a dwarf; one may presume that a stout dwarf could wield it with the force needed to cut through nearly any Orc-made armor.
Trivia
| Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. |
- As a mighty sword from Gondolin, it is widely speculated that King Turgon or one of the Lords of the Gondolindrim was the wielder of Orcrist. Some possibilities are Egalmoth (who survived the Fall of Gondolin and may have taken his sword with him) and Ecthelion of the Fountain (who died after slaying Gothmog). According to The Fall of Gondolin, Ecthelion led a charge and killed countless Orcs with his sword,[9] which may be attributed to the fact that the Orcs of Misty Mountains feared Orcrist.
Translations around the World
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 獸咬 |
| Russian | Оркрист |
| Vietnamese (Viet Nam) | Bổ Đôi Yêu Tinh |
| Barrow-blades • Sting | |
| Durin's Axe • Orcrist | |
| Grond (battering ram) • Grond (hammer) • Morgul-knife | |
| Aeglos • Anglachel • Anguirel • Angrist • Aranrúth • Belthronding • Dailir • Glamdring • Orcrist • Ringil | |
| Andúril • Dramborleg • Black arrow • Dagmor • Gúthwinë • Gurthang • Herugrim • Narsil • Red Arrow | |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Hobbit, Chapter IV: "Over Hill and Under Hill"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Hobbit, Chapter II: "Roast Mutton"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Hobbit, Chapter III: "A Short Rest"
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter VIII: "Flies and Spiders"
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter XVIII: "The Return Journey"
- ↑ Parma Eldalamberon, Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 5: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies"
- ↑ Jude Fisher, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Visual Companion
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 2: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, III: "The Fall of Gondolin"
