this is what is wrriten on Hadhafang..the Sindarin tounge

aen estar Hadhafang i chathol hen, thand arod dan i thang an i arwen."

english: this blade is called Hadhafang, a noble defense against the enemy throng for a noble lady."

Swords are so charged with significance, emotion and character! They are symbols of personal virile potency for men...almost the very badge of manhood. But this was the sword of a lady. I'm just curious what the significance of a woman's sword is?

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hmm.. i dont know for sure but i'm guessing its supposed to prove that whichever woman owned that sword was... powerful or something?! idk!!

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It seems that most swords show power and strength. This could be the significance of a woman's sword, but I think there is something else to it too. In a woman strength was not looked for, and fighting was not something a woman did. To own a sword and know how to use it would set you apart from the other women, you would be different. You might be considered brave, or just plain stupid.

It is hard to find the significance of a woman's sword back then, because now it is quite common to find a woman fighting or capable of fighting. It's quite hard to imagine a time when woman did not own swords or any weapon at all. Now that I think about it, a woman's sword could represent change in the times.

hmmm theres something about it in LotR: Weapons and Warfare, which i bought at my school's book fair a while ago i'll look it up tommorow. never mind its 2:17 am tommorow is today. but i intend on sleeping a little, too!! i'm tired.

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The noble lady of which that inscription speaks is Idril Celebrindal, daughter of the Turgon, king of Gondolin. Unfortunately my sources have let me down on this topic, so I shall do my best to recall the relevant information from my memory.

Idril led the secret escape from the city of Gondolin during Morgoth's assault on the city. The sword was made for her by the smith's in gondolin, and she used it in defence of the remnant of her people during their escape.

When she sailed into the west in the 560th year of the first age, she left the sword as an heirloom of her house, and thus it ended up with Arwen in the time of the war of the Ring.

[I hope I got that right ]

O, and the inscription I know of is longer than the one Lady Eowyn posted. And it is this:

Aen estar Hadhafang i chathol hen, thand arod dan i thang an i arwen, Idril i hel en aran Gond Dolen

[It] is called Throng-cleaver this broadsword-blade, [a] defence noble against the [enemy] throng for [a] noble-lady, Idril, daughter of the king [of the] Hidden Rock.

Cool! I can think of ways how you Could have figured that out, What did you do?

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Tolkien did make some strong female characters as well (Lúthien, Idril, Eowyn among others) and I'm not sure I agree that swords were a symbol of power alone. Like Darrell mentions Arwen owned Hadhafang as a heirloom, but we never hear anything of her using it (in the books).
Many of the characters carry swords but most times they don't use them in the crucial situations - or at least that's not my impression. Gandalf's staff is more important when he is fighting the balrog in Moria and also later on, Frodo mostly uses Sting as an 'orc-o-meter'. Well, that was only two examples and not very convincing, but I'm trying to suggest that other features and characters were as important as swords in the story. I would argue that only Anduril plays a crucial part to its bearer and to the plot.

(By the way Radagast, if I'm not mistaken the full Elvish text and translation can be found on the main page - and also by a google-search on Hadhafang )

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IMHO, Swords command respect for the business of war, and warriors. For in the end the sword matters naught, but for the person bearing it.

"What is the Sword compared to the hand that wields it...?" Thulsa Doom of Conan the Barbarian.

Oh, and by the way..Here's a picture of mine.

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"I am Anduril, who was Narsil, let the thralls of Mordor fear me".
Translation of the blade.

Don't forget one thing with Gandalf, the staff was useful, but in the end Glamdring brought down the Balrog.

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"I am Anduril, who was Narsil, let the thralls of Mordor fear me".
Translation of the blade.

Aye, Gandalf's sword was powerful, but as you said, it became powerful because of the person who wielded it. It's like with the Ring, it gives the bearer strength and power according to his size and skills. I see Glamdring more as a symbol of Gandalf's power. He is a wizard and his powers lie within himself, he simply uses other "tools" to generate that power and the staff is the symbol of the Order of the wizards (this is why it's so symbolic when Gandalf breaks Saruman's staff in RotK).

[Dumanyu, your sword is beautiful by the way!]

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I agree, it is a beautiful sword. Did you have it made for you?
Swords seem to have a mind and a character of their own in Tolkien's world. If you remember, Turin Turambar once begged his sword to slay him quickly, and the sword answered him. Also, some swords were of greater might or worth than the others and some had magical properties, such as Sting's ability to glow blue when Orcs drew near.
The impact of the sword in battle definitely depends on the person who wields it though. Some swrods were not meant to be used by certain people, and always people who used swords not meant for them ended up ruined. At least in all the stories I've ever read.
Does JRR ever mention Arwen using the blade in any of his stories? I don't think I've ever heard that she did.
I'm just reading the Sil, so I haven't got t the part with Idril yet, but I have a feeling that it's coming up because hurin just accidentaly showed Morgoth where Gondolin is.
Isn't that what Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were made for? The goblin wars of Gondolin? Oh dear. I can't wait to read it now!

No, I didn't have it made for me, as great a thought as that is. That's the official release of Anduril, from the LOTR. I saw it and couldn't resist buying it. It took a year to actually have it delivered, and I was certainly chomping at the bit, for that year.

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"I am Anduril, who was Narsil, let the thralls of Mordor fear me".
Translation of the blade.

Wow. It is beautiful. It looks exactly like Anduril. Well, because it is exaclty Anduril . It's just a copy though, right? Not the Anduril. The one they used for the movies. Oh wow. that would be so awesome if it was. Probably really expensive though.
I wonder if they made something like thos for Hadhafang? It's definitely not as important of a sword as Anduril, but I might actually like to own a copy of it even more, as I'm a girl.

Tinuviel,
You may certainly get a copy of most of the swords from the films, including Hadhafang, Sting, Glamdring (my next acquistition), Gimli's ax, and Legolas' knives, plus a whole lot more.
PM me and I'll get you the link to the site.

One thing I'll say for Anduril..it's heavy!!! So if anyone is interested, bear that in mind. I'm sure Hadhafang is alot lighter, as it come with a table stand, like you'd see with a Samurai sword. I have Anduril in a custom made oak cabinet, and the sword weighs close to 20 lbs. and is about 58" long (I had to hang the cabinet with a special steel plate, because it bent conventional hooks from the hardware store)..it truly is something to see and swing.

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"I am Anduril, who was Narsil, let the thralls of Mordor fear me".
Translation of the blade.

(Ack, confusing, Darrell and Dumanyu have the same avatar... I'm a very visually oriented person, and both the names start with a D...lol)

Yeah, as Dumanyu mentions, you can get replicas from many different places online. I think they even advertise on A-U sometimes (look on the buttom) of the site). A Google search on "Hadafang or Anduril sword" should give you some matches.

Dumanyu, I had no idea Anduril would be so heavy. I know they forged it as regular swords would have been... umm... "back then", but do you also think Viggo actually fought with a sword that heavy... wouldn't it have been rather... dangerous for his orc-opponents... ? lol

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