The Anduril Sword
“The Sword of Elendil was forged anew by Elvish smiths, and on its blade was traced a device of seven stars set between the crescent Moon and rayed Sun, and about them was written many runes; for Aragorn son of Arathorn was going to war upon the marches of Mordor. Very bright was that sword when it was made whole again; the light of the sun shone redly in it, and the light of the moon shone cold, its edge was hard and keen. And Aragorn gave it a new name and called it Andúril, Flame of the West.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
In 1937, a British First World War veteran and college professor named John Ronald Reuel Tolkien quietly published an unusual book. The book was entitled, “The Hobbit,” and was the sort of story that – unexpectedly to its author – gripped the imagination of every generation since. The Hobbit was the first of Tolkien’s books set in the land of Middle-earth, a fictionalized version of Europe’s long distant past. The most famous of these books was The Lord of the Rings, a three-part epic high fantasy novel that was absolutely formative for the fantasy genre and the subject of inspiration (if not outright plagiarism) for every author that came afterward. Films and stage productions have been made of his works, college and universities teach courses and seminars about the meaning of his books – were they pure fiction? Or political allegory?
In letters written later in his life, Tolkien admitted that his books were not (as was the popular understanding) an allegory for the Second World War, or even for the First World War in which he served and lost all but one of his childhood friends. Instead, his books were intended to be a modern take on the classic faerie story – a tale that would have not only internal consistency but outward applicability in any age. Perhaps this is why the stories continue to give inspiration and meaning to people born many decades since they were originally written – a fact that would please Tolkien greatly. And as a faerie story, there are many examples of strange and magical weapons in the pages of The Lord of the Rings – none are more famous than Anduril.
In order to understand the importance of the Anduril sword, one must first understand its position in the history of Middle-earth. During a time known as the Second Age there was a great island kingdom called Númenor, whose kings were descendants of a union of Humans and Elves. This mighty race of explorers grew powerful, and prideful in their power, so much so that they sought even to challenge the gods. This was to be their downfall, and the island of Númenor was sunk beneath the ocean in a terrible cataclysm. The surviving few, a faithful remnant of Númenor, travelled to the mainland and founded the kingdoms-in-exile of Gondor and Arnor. The ruler of these kingdoms was Elendil, High King, and out of the ruins of Númenor he carried with him the ancient sword Narsil – an heirloom from the first king of the Númenoreans.
War came to Middle-earth, and Elendil raised up his people to march along side the Elves and their King, Gil-galad. The Last Alliance brought their might against the forces of Mordor and the Dark Lord Sauron, who wielded the terrible power of the One Ring against them. Forced to face Sauron himself in single combat, the sword Narsil was broken and Eldendil was slain. Isildur, the heir of Elendil, took up the broken shard of Narsil and cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand, ending his terrible reign over the free peoples of Middle-earth. The shards of Narsil were passed down in the family, even after the House of Elendil fell into decay and they were Kings no longer.
When the events of the first book of The Lord of the Rings begin, the One Ring (thought lost to time for centuries) has been found, and the scattered remnants of the people of Middle-earth must rally for another war. A distant descendant of Elendil – the ranger Aragorn, not a king but a wanderer in the wilderness – must take up both the cause of his ancestors and the blade to defeat Sauron once and for all. The shards of Narsil are reforged by the Elves, and into Aragorn’s hands is given a new sword – Anduril, the Flame of the West. Aragorn rises to lead Middle-earth, Anduril in hand, and bring them out of the shadow and into a future free from Sauron’s tyranny as the new king of Gondor. Anduril is at the center of this mythological story arc, as depicted in the poem Tolkien wrote about the hero Aragorn’s journey:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
-J.R.R. Tolkien
As fans of Tolkien’s incredible works, we at Darksword Armory are pleased to recreate the sword of the King of Gondor. The Darksword Armory Anduril is hand Crafted with 5160 High Carbon steel, dual hardened to a Rockwell of 60 at the edge and 48-50 at the core. The beautifully detailed leather handle is accentuated by the unique pommel, making this one of the most recognized fantasy swords. The blade is forged with a deep full length fuller. The Anduril sword, as with all our swords, is a powerful battle ready sword, capable of delivering considerable damage with a two-handed swing. Given the pommel geometry, the Anduril sword was not topped with a peened pommel but rather hot peened. That being said, the pommel and tang were heated and pressure set. This is a favorite among fantasy sword collectors, and for good reason. We are proud to contribute even in a small way to the appreciation of the work of a literary master such as Tolkien.
Jeremy –
I ordered my in 2015 as an early birthday present! Shipping and packaging was great; no frills boxing but it was carefully packed and arrived undamaged. The engraving/runes on the blade are really clean. The black filling was coming off well before I received it though and so I hit it with some polish and cleaned it up. I miss it and may someday go back to fill it back in. The hilt is a little rough, not as clean looking as the images show. It could do with a little bit of sanding to smooth things out, the biggest thing is that there’s a groove or a lip at each of the openings. I think it adds a nice bit of detail, but make sure you have some q-tips on hand to clean it!! it’s a pain sometimes. But I think it looks a lot nicer in lieu of not having the gold engravings. The leather wrap is nice and tight, haven’t had any problems or complaints there at all.
Lastly, but the main reason I bought this sword instead of competitors, the blade is fantastic! Perfectly straight, highly polished. When I initially unboxed it I was a little disappointed in some of the short comings. When I pulled it from the scabbard all that faded away. It’s smooth and even, I don’t see any texture or unevenness (the wave present from forging in earlier models that people noted).
Overall it does have the element of handmade due to some of the blemishes. I think that’s an element of DSA that has its own appeal. I don’t mind it on this sword, if it had the gold engravings then it would have a very different look and I would expect the finish to be a little more complete. As for historical accuracy….that’s not why I picked this sword. It is a little heavy in comparison to similar historical swords, but it has a good balance and I’m not exactly carrying it around ever day. The sharpening is ok, nothing special and could be improved upon but the geometry is good. Many water bottles have been felled… along with various produce selections.
~ Jake Vickery, Australia –
I received the sword today…its bloody brilliant! Its a beautiful piece and I will definitely be getting more of your swords in the near future and will be recommending your swords to friends. I also want to say massive thanks for keeping me informed and updated on the process. Thanks again.
~ Christopher Joustra, USA –
I have just recently received the Anduril I ordered and I would just like to say thank you. The sword is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for the great craftsmanship and quality.
~ Cam Huffman, U.S.A –
The Anduril arrived today. I have to say I am more than happy with the sword – Bravo to you all!! I am trying to finish up my concept information for the custom sword quote – amazing work!! Thank you again!
Aglara Andune (verified owner) –
It just arrived today, and it has thoroughly exceeded all expectations! it handles absolutely beautifully, and the balance is fantastic. The hand crafted nature shines through very clearly, adding a lot of character to this already gorgeous blade. The runes are very clear, and spelled properly. Even though it lacks the stars, sun, and moon, I feel it adds to the beauty and doesn’t detract. Wonderful job, thank you so much!
ALFREDO PORRA (verified owner) –
Beautiful sword, it´s my third from Darksword, the first was the Templar Sword (1340) and the second the Henry V (1325), Like the others, it sword is very, very good, The three are the best in my collection!
Michael Braine (verified owner) –
I just received the Anduril, my first sword from DSA. It is beautiful and feels very nicely balanced, if a little heavier than I expected. The runes are clean and clear, detailed exactly like the pictures and I love the stitching on the leather.
I would like to extend my thanks for producing such a beautiful piece, I am in love with it! I will be buying more swords from DSA.
Joel (verified owner) –
I have adored Lord of The RIngs – books and films – more than any other fantasy world for a long time. For anyone with a similar love for LoTR, this sword is most certainly everything you would want or look for. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say DSA had some elves employed working on this sword behind the scenes 😉
The size, feel, toughness and aesthetic of this sword all live up to what one would hope for in a high-end high-quality sword. When I hold it, I feel like Aragorn. I can hardly believe I just wrote that, but dammit it’s true! If you like swords that can give as much hit as they can take, if you want to feel unworthy holding a sword because it’s simply too damn good, if you love the crap out of Lord of The Rings, buy this sword 10 times.
And then 10 more.
“Very bright was that sword when it was made whole again; the light of the sun shone redly in it, and the light of the moon shone cold, and its edge was hard and keen. And Aragorn gave it a new name and called it Andúril, Flame of the West.”
True beauty that is.
D.B. –
I ordered this sword a couple of years ago. And its built like a tank. No doubt in my mind it woukd defend my life. The craftsmenship & quality is all there.
BUT…
The reason I give it 3 stars instead of 5. Is because of the hilt. Im not sure what metal the used. But it dulls/corrodes FAST!!! Like so fast, youll have to mirror chrome polish it every single week & NEVER touch it bare handed or itll dull faster. Mine hasnt been been cleaned in just a weeks. And it is a dull dark gray. So disappointing. The blade on the other hand, looks bright & mirror polished like it did on day 1.
Chris –
Let me just start off by saying this was an amazing sword, and it was very well designed. The packaging was great, and it ensured the sword was extremely safe during it’s trip to me. The overall design of the sword is fantastic, the runes look beautiful. However, I should go over two things that irked me about this sword
1. The hilt design; It doesn’t suck, it’s just noticeably uneven (if that makes sense). The sword blade isn’t in the middle of the hilt, instead it’s further to the left. You can only really tell this if you look down the hilt and see it.
2. This is more of my problem, but due to the humid area in which I live, the sword rust up more easily (Within a week of me receiving it). Most notably, around the area towards the end of the scabbard, around the hilt.
Overall, it’s a great buy, and it’s the best version of this sword you can find online.
Carter Sills (verified owner) –
The Anduril was a Christmas gift from my wife. She knew that I loved the Lord of the Rings and picked this out for me. I received and unpacked it today. It is truly a work of art. Beautiful and well crafted. Could not find anything wrong except the scabbard fit is a bit too tight. I imagine it will loosen some over time. Most scabbards do.
Highly recommend this sword to others. I will be buying from Darksword again soon.
Daniel –
Just got my Anduril today and I am blown away this is by far the BEST sword I have ever purchased in my life! I will defiantly be buying other knives and swords from here from now on. 100% recommend to anyone who is looking for a great fantasy sword!
Jon (verified owner) –
I bought this as an early graduation gift to myself during their Christmas promo due the fact I’m a huge LOTR fan, and the free dagger made it even more tempting to pull the trigger. This is my second sword by them, the first being the monarch from their herald line, and I have to say there is a marked difference in the quality of the blade itself. I am impressed with the quality and balance of the sword, the engravings are deep, and although there was some black residue left over from filling it in, it quickly disappeared after a few draws from the scabbard. The leather handle feels good in the hand and it feels more nimble than the Monarch which is almost half its weight. I am happy to confirm that the fittings are all magnetic and that the edge is hard and keen. however I am more impressed with Darksword Armory in terms of their customer service, They have been excellent on keeping me updated on when I would receive the sword since I bought it while it was still in production and although it took almost a month for it to reach me(due to it being in production), they more than made up for it! I wouldn’t hesitate in buying another sword from them if their Anduril is indicative of the quality they put out.