Elven Weapons




This is the page where the weapons of the race of elf can be seen. On this page there will be no heavy weapons as the elves wield light well-crafted or shoot a keen bow.


War Kit


(In order from left to right): Quiver containing Elven Arrows, Elven Sword with Sheath beside it and Bow of the Galadhrim.

Elven Arrows in Quiver:

The Arrows of the Galadhrim were nearly four feet long and made from either unstained ash or occasionally the mallorn heartwood from the golden trees of lorien. The tips were long and broad headed and made of pure gold. The barbs gave the tip the appearence of a mallorn leaf but were also useful and good for tearing the elven foes, they were lethal against most targets. The flights where long white goose or swan feathers, and these were skillfully tied to the shaft in a spiral pattern with a single cork - screwing loop of gold wire. Elven arrows were the only ones at that time to employ a spiral etching, so it can be esumed that the Elves were unique in discovering that an arrow fired with a spiraling flightis much more accrute than a normal one. To withsatnt the force generated by these powerful bows, the nocks were reinforced with transverse piece of deer antle so that the wood did not shatter when released.

The Quiver was made of leather stood roughly half the length of the arrows, and its mouth resembeled two overlapping leaves. The quiver was emblished with a embossed gold vine pattern.



Elven Sword and Sheath:

The sword was unique in Middle-Earth, and represnted the pinnacle of matching a weapon to the warrior who wielded it. The sword was a little over five-feet in legth, in overall recurved shape of a enlogated 'S'. The handle represented half of the total length of the weapon and its leather-wrapped hilt was etched in in gold with a leaf pattern that stretched from the pommel to the guard. The reason for such as long handle was so that it could be wielded with two hands, one placed behind the guard and one by the pommel. The widely spread grip was developed by the Elves to give the maxium rotation when moving the sword through the whirling strike that was there own distintive fighting-style.

When attacking the Elf would putthe wide blade into a acutely angled trajectory; as thier foe came within range the Elf would extended there lower hand slightly to increase the distance that the sword tip had to travel before bringing the wieght of the whole arm through that was nearest the blade and slashing across the body of the enemy. As the blade passed across him the Elf would quickly complete the downward sweep, rotate the grip and bring down the sword round ready for another attack upon the unfortunate victim or upon whoever was next in line. The hand speed of the Elf meant that this devastatingly fas attack: the first that an orc would know of it would be when it looked down ans saw its entrails pooling at its feet.

Bow of the Galadhrim:

The bows of the Galadhrim were probably the most beautiful in all of Middle-Earth, and certainally the most powerful; they were made from the legendary mallorn trees that grew only in the Golden Wood of Lórien. The heartwood of these trees was silvery white in colour, but took a rich golden colour when left to dry before gradually heated and bent into the strong, recurved lines unique to the Wood-elves. the seven-foot staff was sealed with mallorn resin and gilded in an elegant embossed pattern of twining gold leaves either side of the leather hand grip; the curved ends of the staff were gilded and bore a spur, but the nock was located a few inches futher in. The length of the bow that they could never be fully drawn, but it still meant that the elves would pull the string back beyond thier eye rather than up to it: this required a huge amount of individual strength and years of training as the bows would have had a draw of more than 200 pounds. It is said that the strings of the bow carried within them a single strand of elven hair, to give greater strength and power to the arrow's fligth. The combination of the inherent power of the mallorn wood and the energy generated from the curves in each arm of the bow meant that that the Galadhrim could send an arrow with pin-point accuracy across distances, perhaps a quater of a mile or more.



Royal Weapons:
  

Hadhafang:

The sword that carried in during the Last Alliance was handed down to him by his father Earendil , who in turnrecieved it from his mother, Idril, daughter of king Turgon of Gondolin.Its blade was recurved, sharpened along the lower edge, and tapared acutely to a sharp point. The upper edge has raised spur in front of the handgrip that was the gaurd, and there was a similar spur about a hand-span along the lower blade at the end of the ricasso, which would allow Elrond to grip the sword in order to pull it out of the enemy corspe. In battle, Elrond would have thrust at his enemies and slashed down upon them one-handed, using the whirling, circular strokes employed by Elven Swordsman. Hadhafang means 'throng-cleaver' in Sindarin, and bore the following inscription along the blade:

aen estar Hadhafang I chatholen, thand around dan I thang an I arwen
'This blade is called Hadhafang, A noble defence against the enemy throng for a noble lady.'

When Elrond returned to Rivendell, Hadhafang was also placed in the grand chamber, together with Aiglos and the shards of Narsil. In the films, Elrond was not the last of his line to wield his sword, for it ws taken by Elrond's daughter, Arwen, when she left to meet Aragorn and the Hobbits. The circle of ownership was thus completed: first wielded by Idril and lastly by Arwen, both Elven princesses who wed themselves to mortal men.    


Aiglos:

The legendary spear belonging to Gil-galad was greatly feared by every orc in the whole of Middle Earth, for they knew that to face it on baatlefield it meant that death was at hand. Named Aiglos, or 'icicle', by the Elves, it stood nine feet high; the blade was recurved and almost two feet long and etched in brass filigree. It was a mighty waepon and could have only been wielded by the mightiest of warriors. In appearence, Aiglos was more like a glaive than an ordinary spear, and was wielde two-handed by the High-king. He would have scythed through his enemy using broad, sweeping sideways strokes, slashing backwards and forth through them, as well as skerwering several at a time before they could ever hope to become in striking range of him. The Blade More and Elvish inscription:

Gil-galad ech vaegannen matha,
Aith helegnín i orch gostatha;
Nin cíniel na nguruthos
hon essnin ístatha: Aiglos.

'Gil-galad wields a well made spear;
The orc will fear my point of ice.
When he sees me, in fear of death
He will know my name: Aiglos.'

After Gil-galad fell in battle and the foot at Mount Doom, Literally in the hands of Sauron, Aiglos was bourne by Elrond back to Rivendell. Here it was placed in the grand chamber along side the shards of Narsil, so that the two legendary weapons should remain as close in death as thier two wielders had been in life.

Aragorn Hunting Knife:

When the fellowship departed the Elven kingdom of Lothlorien, Celeborn made a gift to Aragorn of an Elven hunting knife. Like many elven blades its sinuos lines reminiscent of a new shoot's growth; the handgrip was made of hardwood, possibly oak, and the canted pommel made of brass. Its buetifully curving had the following inscription written down in stylized Sindarin:

Gud Daedheloth
'Foe of Morgoth's Realm'

Being Right handed, Aragorn wore his sword on his left side and his knife at his back; if drawing only one weapon, the sword would have been drawn across the body to release it from the scabbard, but the knife hilt would have been gripped in the fist and drawn upwards, ready to hammer down like a nail onto the enemy. When both weapons were drawn, the knife would have been held in the left hand and used to stab and slash like small sword; by bringing the two blades in the shape of an 'X' they could be used to defend the enemy blows, blocking and trapping thier weapon before withdrawing the knife and using it to attack the foe who would now be at close range. The sword was housed in a leather scabbard fitten with a brass locket and chape that was kept out of the way at the back of the sword belt, suspended by two small leather straps. The belt also carried a whetstone on a small leather holster and a leather pouch containing his travel repair kit of oil, cloth nd perhaps grit to rub along the blade to get rid of rust.

Glamdring:





Legolas' Mirkwood Kit



(In order from left to right:) Mirkwood Arrow, (Top, left and right) Mirkwood Knife in Sheath, Mirkwood Knife, (Underneath) Mirkwood Quiver and Mirkwood Bow.



Legolas White Knives:


Mirkwood Bow:


Mirkwood Arrows in Mirkwood Quiver:



Legolas' Lothlorien Kit:


(In order from left to right:) Silver Mallorn Bow of Lorien, (top and bottum) Legolas' gaunlets, (top, left and right) Mirkwood Knife in Quiver, Quiver, Mirkwood Knife, (Bottum) White Arrows of Lorien in Lorien Quiver, White Arrow of Lorien.


Silver Mallorn Bow of Lorien:


White Arrows of Lorien in Lorien Quiver:



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