Gurthang
Gurthang the twice reforged form of the ancienct blade Anglachel, which Túrin used to
perform great deeds, such as slaying the Drake Glaurung and which King Arveleg I used to temporarily banish The Witch King of Angmar.
Túrin succeeded in slaying Glaurung with Gurthang at Cabed-en-Aras but fell into a swoon when he wrested it from Glaurung's belly. He was then told by Brandir that his wife was in fact his sister Nienor as recounted by Glaurung, and in a rage, Túrin slew Brandir. Discovering from Mablung that this was in fact true, Túrin returned to Cabed-en-Aras to commit suicide, addressing Gurthang with courteous words: until finally at the end of his sad tale he turned the blade upon himself. Gurthang broke as it slew him, and the shards were buried with him in his pyre assembled by the men of Brethil. 'Hail Gurthang! No lord or loyalty dost thou know, save the hand that wieldeth thee. From no blood wilt thou shrink. Wilt thou therefore take Túrin Turambar, wilt thou slay me swiftly?' And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer: 'Yea, I will drink thy blood gladly, that so I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay thee swiftly.' Laying long on the Isle of Tol-Morwen the shards were recovered by and expedition sent by King Arveleg I of Arthedain prior to his unifcation of Arnor. Having it reforged once again, now in the fires of Forges of Telcar on Lake Nenuiel by Craft-Lord of Eregion, Dirhael the Smith, and his aid Mim the Dwarf. In its current form it stretches' the length of a Great Sword of War as wielded by Hurin in the days of Old. Using Gurthang as a symbol of his lineage and of his divine right to rule the Edain and the Númenoreans in Exile Arveleg united the peoples of Arnor and the Kingdoms of Arthedain, Rhudaur, and Cardolan, though all the powers of the enemy in the north bore upon him. After the death of King Arveleg I Gurthang was passed down to King Arvegil I, now serving as an heirloom of his house and symbol of the continued rightoues defiance of the Line of Elendil.
Anglachel
Anglachel (S. Iron of Leaping Flame - Shooting Star Iron) was one of two greatest swords forged by Eöl the Dark Elf (its mate was Anguirel). Forged from an ingot derived from meteorite named Galvorn, the blade was black but also glowed with a 'pale fire', and was so hard that it could easily slice through iron. It was said that the sword was imbued with Eöl's malice and was apparently sentient. Eöl gave Anglachel to his overlord, King Thingol of Doriath, as payment for letting him dwell in the Forest of Nan Elmoth. Thingol would not wield the sword, as his wife Melian warned him that there was malice in the blade, so it stayed in the armoury of Menegroth. In F.A. 487, Thingol allowed Beleg Strongbow to take any weapon he desired in his search of his friend Túrin, and Beleg took Anglachel. However, he would not return to Doriath after finding Túrin, and would fight by his side in the following years. Once their emplacement was destroyed by Morgoth's armies, Beleg tracked down the Orcs taking Túrin captive to Angband. In the dead of night, he sought to free Túrin in secret, but when he used Anglachel to cut Túrin's bonds, the spite of the blade's forger made it slip and pricked the unconscious body of Túrin. Awakening from his stupor, Túrin thought the Orcs had returned to torture him, and during the struggle he slew Beleg with the blade. Being given the blade by Gwindor after the burial of Beleg, Anglachel's edges became dull and turned a dead black, ceasing to glow. This was attributed to its apparent sentience, as Anglachel was in a state of mourning over the slaying of Beleg.Gurthang
Túrin later reforged the sword with the help of the smiths of Nargothrond. The edges of the blade shone with pale fire, but the blade itself remained as black as it had been when named Anglachel and Túrin renamed it Gurthang (S. Iron of Death). Long did Túrin wield it in rashness and folly though he might try with all his might elsewise. The sword was wielded by Túrin throughout his time at Nargothrond as he became a captain and led the Elves of Nargothrond into open warfare, a tactic they were not well versed in. His increasing fame with Gurthang gave Túrin a new name: Mormegil "The Black Sword" of Nargothrond. Túrin's exploits with the Elves of Nargothrond culminated with the Battle of Tumhalad which led to the ruin of Nargothrond. While sequestering in the Forest of Brethil orcs began to threaten the forest in great numbers when Túrin once again took up Gurthang to repulse them. Glaurung then came to Brethil pursuing Túrin, a desperate council was held in Ephel Brandir as to how to deal with the threat. Túrin told the Haladin of the tale of Azaghâl Lord of Belegost and how his knife forced Glaurung to flee, Túrin then declared "But here is a thorn sharper and longer than the knife of Azaghâl", and showed them Gurthang. Then the Haladin cried out "The Black Thorn of Brethil!"Túrin succeeded in slaying Glaurung with Gurthang at Cabed-en-Aras but fell into a swoon when he wrested it from Glaurung's belly. He was then told by Brandir that his wife was in fact his sister Nienor as recounted by Glaurung, and in a rage, Túrin slew Brandir. Discovering from Mablung that this was in fact true, Túrin returned to Cabed-en-Aras to commit suicide, addressing Gurthang with courteous words: until finally at the end of his sad tale he turned the blade upon himself. Gurthang broke as it slew him, and the shards were buried with him in his pyre assembled by the men of Brethil. 'Hail Gurthang! No lord or loyalty dost thou know, save the hand that wieldeth thee. From no blood wilt thou shrink. Wilt thou therefore take Túrin Turambar, wilt thou slay me swiftly?' And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer: 'Yea, I will drink thy blood gladly, that so I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay thee swiftly.' Laying long on the Isle of Tol-Morwen the shards were recovered by and expedition sent by King Arveleg I of Arthedain prior to his unifcation of Arnor. Having it reforged once again, now in the fires of Forges of Telcar on Lake Nenuiel by Craft-Lord of Eregion, Dirhael the Smith, and his aid Mim the Dwarf. In its current form it stretches' the length of a Great Sword of War as wielded by Hurin in the days of Old. Using Gurthang as a symbol of his lineage and of his divine right to rule the Edain and the Númenoreans in Exile Arveleg united the peoples of Arnor and the Kingdoms of Arthedain, Rhudaur, and Cardolan, though all the powers of the enemy in the north bore upon him. After the death of King Arveleg I Gurthang was passed down to King Arvegil I, now serving as an heirloom of his house and symbol of the continued rightoues defiance of the Line of Elendil.
Item type
Weapon, Melee
Creation Date
F.A. 490
Creator
Related ethnicities
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