Tell me more ×
Movies & TV Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for movie and tv enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.

The Swords

After the group kills the Troll's trying to eat them, they go to their cave where they find a collection of Elf swords. Gandalf gives Bilbo a magic Elf sword that glows when Orcs/Trolls are near.

Bilbo's Sword

The Elf City

Later in the film after escaping from the Orcs the group finds themselves in the Elf city. They share a dinner with the Elfs, where they hear stories and names about the swords they found.

Bilbo pulls out his sword, but a Dwarf sitting beside him tells him to put it away, because it was to small to have a story.

What was the name of Bilbo's sword, and what was it's story?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 8 down vote accepted

Sting

Sting was an ancient blade made by Elvish weapon-smiths in Gondolin. It was lost during the Fall of Gondolin, the same battle in which Turgon fell and Glamdring was taken. The blade was carried by Bilbo in The Hobbit after he found it in a Troll-hoard.

http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Sting

Engraved on the blade are Sindarin letters that read phonetically, "Maegnas aen estar nin dagnir in yngyl im". Translated they read, "Sting is my name; I am the spider's bane". According to the appendix of The Silmarillion, the element maeg in Sindarin means 'sharp' or 'piercing', and the Etymologies section in The Lost Road and Other Writings gives the meaning of the element nass as 'point', so "Maegnas" is literally translated as "sharp-point".

share|improve this answer
Well, yes. But Bilbo gives it that name when he is fighting the spiders in the forest. – dmckee Jan 21 at 2:24
No, the name was written on the sword. – Michael Stern Jan 21 at 5:10
6  
When found in the trolls' cave, there was no writing on the knife/sword/(letter-opener). After his adventures in Mirkwood, Bilbo named his blade "Sting" and had the Elves engrave it as given above. – Jim Green Jan 21 at 12:43

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.