Barrow-blades

The Barrow-blades are a set of four long, leaf-shaped daggers of marvellous workmanship, forged many long years ago by the Men of Westernesse. These Men were the foes of the Dark Lord, but they were overcome by the evil king of Carn Dûm in the Land of Angmar. The blades were recovered from a Barrow-wight's hoard by Tom Bombadil, who chose one for each of the four hobbits—Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin—after he rescued them from the wight's barrow. Tom declared that the old knives were long enough as swords for hobbit-people, and that sharp blades were good to have if Shire-folk went walking east, south, or far away into dark and danger. The blades gleamed as Tom drew them from their black sheaths, which were wrought of some strange metal, light and strong, and set with many fiery stones. Whether by some virtue in these sheaths or because of the spell that lay on the mound, the blades seemed untouched by time, unrusted, sharp, and glittering in the sun. The hobbits hung their new weapons on their leather belts under their jackets, feeling them very awkward and wondering if they would be of any use, for fighting had not before occurred to any of them as one of the adventures in which their flight would land them.

Origins and Purpose

The blades were forged in the North-kingdom when the Dúnedain were young, and their chief foes were the dread realm of Angmar and its sorcerer king. They were work of Westernesse, wound about with spells for the bane of Mordor. This is confirmed when Aragorn, searching the bodies of the Orcs that had captured Merry and Pippin, finds the knives and their sheaths among the pile of grim weapons. He declares them no orc-tools, but blades borne by the hobbits, which the Orcs feared to keep, knowing them for what they are. The blades are damasked with serpent-forms in red and gold, and their sheaths are black, set with small red gems.

The Fate of Merry's Blade

Merry's Barrow-blade plays a crucial role in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. When the Witch-king of Angmar, the Lord of the Nazgûl, is about to kill Éowyn, Merry stabs him from behind, shearing through the black mantle and passing up beneath the hauberk to pierce the sinew behind his mighty knee. This blow, delivered by a blade forged long ago to fight the sorcerer king of Angmar, breaks the spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will, allowing Éowyn to deliver the final stroke. After the deed, Merry's sword is smoking like a dry branch thrust in a fire, and as he watches, it writhes, withers, and is consumed. The blade had dealt a wound so bitter that it cleaved the undead flesh, and no other blade, not though mightier hands had wielded it, could have done the same. The sword of the Barrow-downs, work of Westernesse, passed away in that moment.

The Fate of Frodo's Blade

Frodo's Barrow-blade, Sting, has a different history. It is a small sword in an old shabby leathern scabbard, given to him by Bilbo Baggins. When drawn, its polished and well-tended blade glitters suddenly, cold and bright. Bilbo thrust it with little effort deep into a wooden beam before giving it to Frodo. Sting is an elven-blade, forged in the dark ravines of Beleriand, and it shines with a cold light when Orcs are near. Frodo uses it in the Chamber of Mazarbul to stab the foot of a cave-troll, drawing black blood. He also uses it to threaten Gollum, and later to cut the great web of Shelob. Sting survives the Quest and is returned to Frodo in Ithilien after the Ring's destruction.

The Fate of Sam's Blade

Samwise Gamgee also carries a Barrow-blade. He uses it to fend off Gollum and to stab at Shelob's clustered eyes, one of which goes dark. The blade scores a dreadful gash in the great spider's hide, though it cannot pierce her thick, age-old skin. Sam's blade is later found among the tokens brought by the Mouth of Sauron to the Black Gate, but it is recovered by Gandalf. Sam is later given a new sword, but his original Barrow-blade is preserved as a token of his deeds.

The Fate of Pippin's Blade

Pippin's Barrow-blade is used in the Battle of the Black Gate. When a great hill-troll of Gorgoroth overbears Beregond and reaches out a clutching claw, Pippin stabs upward with his written blade of Westernesse. It pierces through the hide and goes deep into the vitals of the troll, whose black blood comes gushing out. The troll topples forward, crushing those beneath him. Pippin's blade is not mentioned again, but it is implied that it was lost or destroyed in the fall.

Significance

The Barrow-blades are more than mere weapons; they are artifacts of a lost age, imbued with the power to fight the servants of the Dark Lord. Their forging by the Men of Westernesse, their recovery from the Barrow-wight's hoard, and their use in the War of the Ring all tie them to the larger struggle against Sauron. The fate of Merry's blade, in particular, is a direct fulfillment of the prophecy that the Witch-king would not fall by the hand of man, as it was a hobbit wielding a blade made for that very purpose that enabled his defeat.