mightest sword?

[TerraFrost]

hehe - first post in a few months in this forum!

anyways, what do ya'll (probably only evl, actually, hehe) think is the mightest sword forged in arda? anglachale is certainly one of the more unique ones, being sentient and being forged out of meoteric iron, but... angrist was able to cut a silmaril off of melkor's iron crown, and narsil was able to cut sauron's finger off. the only thing going for glamdring, it seems, is its rich history (worn by turgon of gondolin, and then by gandolf), and ringil's only claim to fame seems to be its owner - fingolofin.

further, on a somewhat similar vein, who was the best sword smith in arda? feaner would probably be the best of the children of illuvatar, save for the fact that i don't think him forging swords is every really mentioned. the main thing he did was create jewels. i think the title of best sword smith would probably have to go to telchar of nograd, imho...

[Evlfrost]

I would have to say Anglachel. Simply becuase as you said its sentient. Angrist however wasnt even a sword, it was a knife

ringil's only claim to fame seems to be its owner - fingolofin.

Yeah but you could also use that arguement agaisnt Narsil as well - Narsil's claim to fame is only because of Isildur and Aragorn. Remember that Ringil did wound Melkor seven times, which is far more impressive imo than narsil.

As for which smith is the best, I would probably have to agree with you on Telchar. Since he after all forged Narsil, Angrist and the Dragon Helm of Dor Lomin.

[TerraFrost]

that's a good point about ringil...

i remember that melkor lost his ability to assume varrious fauna's, although i forget the reason... i think one was the fact that the silmarils burned him, and also because of the wounds thorondir and fingolofin gave him?

[Evlfrost]

Im not sure if he lost it. Or if he just didnt change into any others.

[Rao]

you all are very weird, these swords did absoulutely nothing for their wielders. For they were all great warriors. you must look at the best sword by simply how much it helps its wielder. Just like the ring, it was forged with great power, but only one could use it. What sword significantly helped its wielder? Hmm..... do you any of you know?

[TerraFrost]

you're alive!

anyways, that's a good point about swords not significantly helping yelders, but i think there a few swords that helped 'em. although angrist, as evl pointed out, isn't a sword, it was said to be able to cut through steel really easily. also, in RotK, i believe it was said that no normal sword could harm a nazgul - only a magical one could. of course, the magical one shattered, but it, unlike most any other sword, i imagine, actually did do damage.

[Rao]

No, im undead, therefore not living, not dead. I'm cool

Not to mention, that the situtation also could be helped be the sword. Sting was easily the greatest sword ever made. Why? Becuz he greatly helped a mizzly, sissy hobbit, go where no army could go, no other man, elf, dwarf, or any other thing that didnt reek like shit could go. STING wins.

[Lord Reefer]

I'd have to agree with Rao. Although Sting was also only a dagger or short sword. The larger cousins being Glamdring and Orcrist. You only have to see how the orcs responded to these swords in the Hobbit to get an idea of their power. I believe also that all three were of Elven origin. Forged specifically to slay orcs and dark creatures. Personally I thought the elven sword smiths were the oldest and wisest and therefor would be the most skilled.

[Tar-Herunole]

Well, I would have to look it up again, but it seems asmethalsmiths the dwarves were superior than the Eldar, and only the Eldar could make better swords because they added the magic of their beings. In that sense I believe only those swords made in valinor with help of Aule (ringil) were best than those made by the elves who had learnt from the Dwarves (angrist, as Eol learnt from the dwarves, and Glamdring, as probably as made of the skills of the Noldo and Maeglin, son of Eol together)... Not sure though.

Even if we might not know of the value of a sword held by a major being because their power could be confounded, that doesn't mean that they were less powerful.

I can imagine that if only a magic sword could hurt the Nazgul, only a megamagic sword could hurt Melkor or Sauron, and even Elendil or Fingolfin would have a desintegrated sword and a laughing dark lord if not for their swords.

I woudl go for Narsil and Glamdring (but I am biass because I am of the House of Fingolfin )

[TerraFrost]

I can imagine that if only a magic sword could hurt the Nazgul, only a megamagic sword could hurt Melkor or Sauron, and even Elendil or Fingolfin would have a desintegrated sword and a laughing dark lord if not for their swords.

hmmm - good point!