Anduril Sword

The Sword of Kings: The Anduril Sword

The Anduril sword of Lord of the Rings is a classic. It’s immediately recognisable by most fantasy fans and enthusiasts, especially those with a specific interest in Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth.

This is a replica that should be ideal no matter what your intentions are for your Anduril sword. Battle ready fans will be pleased to find that this replica is functional as well as beautiful, hand crafted to be able to withstand some punishment and to provide a powerful swing when wielded with two hands.

This Anduril sword would also make a beautiful display piece, whether on its own or as part of a larger collection. If you are a collector of iconic fantasy swords in general, or examples of a great Lord of the Rings sword, Anduril should definitely be a centrepiece of such a collection or display.

The Design of the Anduril Sword

While its function in the story can’t be refuted, much of what makes Anduril such an important part of Lord of the Rings is its memorable and classic design. The Anduril sword replica may have some very minor differences to the sword shown in the film or described in the book, but it’s an incredibly close recreation which is easily identifiable as Aragorn’s signature weapon.

Anduril is a longsword, the double-edged blade itself being similar to that of many European longswords of the medieval period. It has a deep fuller that runs down the full length of the sword. Unlike most medieval longswords, Anduril also has an engraving down the centre of the blade, running in the fuller.

The engraving on the blade reads “Sun. I am Anduril who was once Narsil, sword of Elendil. The slaves of Mordor shall flee from me. Moon”. If this seems like a mouthful, bear in mind that the engravings are in Elven runes, which take up much less space on the sword than English script.

This type of inscription isn’t unheard of with historical medieval weaponry, but it is unusual and mostly seen with ceremonial weapons. The engraving is one of the things that holds the Anduril sword apart and sets it apart from similar fantasy longswords. Of course, many swords in Lord of the Rings are engraved, but this engraving is partially what identifies the Anduril sword and, consequently, Isildur’s heir.

The design of Anduril continues to stand out as we look at the hilt. The guard is symmetrical and mostly straight, with the exception of the ends of the guard which flare out in a wide rounded teardrop shape. This shape is replicated with the unique pommel, which is another identifying feature of Anduril.

The grip, or handle, is designed to be held easily in both hands. Half of the grip is textured black leather, allowing for a firm and comfortable hold on the sword, while the other half is metal, leading smoothly into the distinctive pommel.

The Anduril sword replica also comes with a scabbard of black leather, with a metal tip. This scabbard goes nicely with the black leather grip and can be carried about comfortably. This allows for a fantastic part of a fantasy outfit, whether you’re cosplaying as Aragorn himself or another fantasy character.

Remember that this is a King’s blade, and so deserving of respect.

The Three Versions of The Anduril Sword Replica

Here at Medieval Ware, we have three versions of the Anduril sword for sale. They are identical in design in every way but the forging method. One version of the Anduril sword is skilfully hand forged and ready for battle. It is a very good quality blade, using decent steel.

However, the other version of this replica is forged using the traditional Japanese method of folding the steel. What this method does is create multiple layers and layers of steel by folding it over and pounding it down repeatedly. This results in a beautiful and original rippled pattern in the steel, which will be slightly different for every blade.

The Japanese developed the folded steel method to refine impurities out of the iron, creating a better-quality blade than otherwise possible. This wasn’t always necessary for other parts of the world, nor is it necessary with modern steel which is already of a good quality.

However, modern smiths still use this folded steel method to create the beautiful flowing pattern that really sets a blade apart and makes it look all the more special. This folded steel isn’t to be confused with Damascus steel, which was made using a different process but does result in a similar pattern. 

The Elite Anduril sword replica is made using a modern version of Damascus steel. The metal of the hilt, guard, and blade itself has been constructed using a mixture of four different types of steel, which has a stunning result.

The Full Story Behind the Reforged Sword of Anduril

Like almost any other famous Lord of the Rings sword, Anduril is epic, for lack of a better word. The design of the sword is exquisite, and it is absolutely soaked in history. However, the Anduril sword is unique even among the weapons of Middle Earth.

By the time of the Third Age, when Lord of the Rings was set, Anduril had the dubious honour of being both an incredibly ancient sword and a very new one. Before we look into Aragorn’s sword, Anduril, it might be an idea to first look into the famous progenitor sword, known as Narsil.

Narsil, The Original Gondor King’s Blade

The origins of Anduril can be found millennia before the time of Aragorn and the Third Age, all the way back to the First Age. The First Age was a time when magic, the Elves, and great feats were thriving, as opposed to the Third Age when everything magical was on a decline in Middle Earth.

The First Age is also when many of the famous swords of the Lord of the Rings were forged, usually by Elves. However, the Elves were not the only great smiths and craftsmen around at the time. The Dwarves were also responsible for some of the famous swords that were forged. One of these swords was Narsil, which was forged by Telchar.

By the Second Age, when Sauron created the One Ring, Narsil was most famously known as the sword of the first King of Gondor. It was wielded by King Elendil who fought side by side with Elrond in a great battle between the alliance of men and elves and the forces of Mordor.

However, during this battle, Narsil was broken when Elendil was slain. In the books, the sword was broken into two pieces, but the film depicts the sword being shattered by Sauron’s strike. In any case, Narsil is now a very short sword and Sauron has broken an ancient artifact which was arguably one of his worst crimes to date. That may be debatable.

At this point, Isildur takes up the handle of Narsil and uses the remaining blade to strike out at Sauron. Isildur is obviously annoyed at either the breaking of the ancient and precious sword, or the death of his father. Anyway, this wild strike succeeds in cutting off Sauron’s fingers, along the One Ring and so leads to his defeat.

The shards of Narsil were passed down as an heirloom of the heirs of Arnor and eventually ended up in Rivendell, where they were finally reforged into Anduril.

Aragorn, King of Gondor

Before we look at Anduril itself, let’s consider the man who came to wield Anduril. Aragorn, son of Arathorn and heir to the throne of Gondor. He has a bunch of other titles, but that’s the long and short of it.

Aragorn was introduced to us as ‘Strider’, a mysterious Dunedain Ranger of the North who protected and guided Frodo and friends on their journey to Rivendell. At this point he was 87 years old but was still a man in his prime thanks to his Dunedain heritage. Of course, he didn’t just look great for his age, Aragorn also proved to be a skilled and strong fighter, to the point that he often wields his two-handed longsword with only one hand.

When Aragorn and his charges made it to Rivendell, his true identity was discovered. Far from a humble ranger, Aragorn is shown to be Isildur’s heir and the rightful owner of the shards of Narsil. He is reunited with the shards in Rivendell. Aragorn continues to protect the group, until he eventually finds his way back to Gondor and is crowned king and eventually dies at the ripe old age of 210.

Of course, it’s not as easy as all that. Along this journey, Aragorn proves himself to be the kind of man who isn’t just the rightful king by blood, but by character. He isn’t just a great warrior, although this aspect of Aragorn shouldn’t be understated, but he shows an incredible strength of will to the point of challenging and intimidating Sauron himself in a psychic struggle. Bearing in mind that even Gandalf of all people was afraid of challenging Sauron, we can see exactly what kind of man Aragorn was.

Aragorn’s 87 years before the War of the Ring helped to forge him into exactly the kind of king needed to wield a sword such as Anduril. He was raised by both elves and men, which led to him possessing Elven wisdom, as well as being a skilled healer and horse whisperer.

This aspect of healing is especially true when paired with his heritage which may well give a natural propensity towards healing others, if we consider that the people of Gondor believed that “The hands of the King are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known.”

All of this culminated in Aragorn being accepted and crowned as king almost immediately after the defeat of Sauron. That is, if the fact that he walked in wielding the reforged ancestral sword of the line of Gondor, leading the army of the dead and eventually storming the Black Gates of Mordor wasn’t enough.

Becoming Aragorn’s Sword: Anduril Reforged

“Renewed shall be Blade that was Broken,

The crownless again shall be king.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

Much of Aragorn’s character and story is tied into Anduril and, in some part, Narsil. So, let’s go back to Rivendell where Narsil is still broken. Aragorn’s characterisation when it comes to his kingly heritage does vary between the books and the film, and this is illustrated with the reforging of Narsil into Anduril.

In the Peter Jackson Adaptation, Narsil was first shattered into several pieces rather than just two and has been stored at Rivendell for some time. Aragorn himself seems to be reluctant to take the throne of Gondor, being filled with doubt both of himself and of mankind in general.

Because Narsil and Anduril represent the line of Gondor, this change in characterisation means that Narsil isn’t reforged until the third book. This is due to the fact that Aragorn had to accept his role as king before receiving the sword.

In the books, Aragorn always has the goal of taking his rightful place as king. To illustrate this, he is the one who carries the broken blade of Narsil to Rivendell and it is reforged into the sword of Anduril before he leaves with the Fellowship.

Whichever version of the story you are more familiar with, eventually Narsil was reforged into Anduril and became Aragorn’s sword. Anduril proved to be a formidable weapon, benefiting from the craftsmanship of both the master Dwarf and of the Elves.

However, its exact power as a blade was never expressly described beyond the scabbard being enchanted to protect the blade and being able to cleave armour with unusual ease. We do know that as Narsil was originally of Dwarven construction, both Narsil and the Anduril sword didn’t glow in the presence of orcs.

This is because the main strength that Aragorn drew from Anduril was what it symbolised.

Symbolism: Where True Power Lies

We know that Narsil and Anduril represent the line of Gondor, but what did that actually mean? It starts off relatively simple. Narsil found its way into the hands of Elendil, the first king of Gondor.  

When Narsil was broken, it represented the line of the kings of Gondor weakening, and finally breaking. However, even broken, Narsil and the line of man were still capable of chopping off Sauron’s fingers.

The broken blade of Narsil was carried by the heirs of Elendil’s line, from Isildur all the way down to Aragorn. Then, during the War of the Ring, Narsil was reforged into Anduril. This represented the return of Aragorn as king of Gondor.

However, the symbolism is just beginning. Even before Aragorn was officially crowned king, the sword of Anduril repeatedly demonstrated his position as the rightful king. This allowed for Aragorn to use Anduril and his authority to help him in his quest.

Some of the more impressive feats that Anduril allows is for Aragorn to command the army of the dead to help him protect Gondor. Because it showed him to be the rightful heir, they were forced to accept his authority. In the film, this is illustrated by Anduril being the only sword able to affect the ghostly leader of the dead, who is then cowed into submission.

Aragorn also used Anduril to intimidate Sauron. Yes, that Sauron. He used the Palantir of Orthanc, which Gandalf refused to use in an attempt to hide from Sauron, to taunt Sauron by showing him Anduril. This actually worked.

While Aragorn’s significant mental fortitude likely played a part in Sauron’s reaction, Anduril was what really sealed the deal. Narsil was the sword that cut the One Ring from his fingers and led to the destruction of his physical form, so to see it reforged and wielded by the heir of Isildur would have certainly been enough to draw his attention. If not, there was always the attack on the Black Gate. Aragorn was nothing if not persistent.

On a more metatextual level, there’s something to be said about a sword that was originally forged by a Dwarvern smith, then reforged by elves, to be finally wielded by a man to challenge Sauron.

If you’re a LOTR fan you seriously need to check out the Aragorn Knife, Gandalf Sword, Legolas Sword, Hadhafang and Ranger Sword!

Tech Specs

There are three different variations of the Anduril sword for sale here at Medieval Ware.

The Anduril sword has the following specifications:

•         Blade Material: 5160 High Carbon Steel
•         Handle and Scabbard Material: Black leather
•         Total Length: 48.5” or 123.19cm
•         Blade Length: 36” or 91.4cm
•         Blade Width: 2.3” or 5.84cm
•         Weight: 5lbs 4 oz or 2.3kg
•         Point of Balance: 4” or 10.2cm

The other two versions are much the same in design and dimensions but differ in forging methods.

•         The Anduril Sword folded steel blade version has been made using the Japanese method of folding the steel to give the metal on the blade a rippled pattern.
•         The Anduril Sword elite version is a limited-edition version which has been forged using Damascus steel for the blade, guard, and pommel, using a blend of four different types of steel: The blend is of 1095, 5160, L-6 and O1 steel.