Sword of the Barrow-downs
itemThe canonical form is an ancient sword of Westernesse craftsmanship, wrought long ago in the North-kingdom by the Dúnedain to battle the realm of Angmar and its sorcerer-king. No specific visual details on blade shape, length, color or adornment are provided in the text. It functions as a piercing and shearing weapon against undead foes but is plot-critically defined by its magical self-destruction immediately after delivering a wound to a Nazgûl.
The Sword of the Barrow-downs, an ancient blade forged by the Dúnedain of the North-kingdom to combat the Witch-king of Angmar, emerges as a pivotal relic in The Return of the King, its latent power awakening in the hands of Merry Brandybuck. Bestowed upon Merry after his harrowing escape from the Barrow-downs in The Fellowship of the Ring, the sword reveals its true purpose during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where it shears through the Nazgûl's fell beast and delivers a mortal wound to the Witch-king himself. True to its enchanted nature, the blade shatters spectacularly upon fulfilling its destiny, symbolizing the triumph of ancient Númenórean craft over the forces of darkness.
Evolution
The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings
The canonical form is an ancient sword of Westernesse craftsmanship, wrought long ago in the North-kingdom by the Dúnedain to battle the realm of Angmar and its sorcerer-king. No specific visual details on blade shape, length, color or adornment are provided in the text. It functions as a piercing and shearing weapon against undead foes but is plot-critically defined by its magical self-destruction immediately after delivering a wound to a Nazgûl.
Book Appearances
The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings
First appears Ch 6