Barrow-blades
Shards of Westernesse: Cold as ice, bright as flame, forged to slay shadows.
The Barrow-blades are ancient weapons forged by the Men of Westernesse during the Second Age, specifically crafted to combat the evil forces of Angmar and the Witch-king of Arnor. Buried alongside their original owners in the barrows of the Barrow-downs for centuries, they gathered a haunting chill that intensified with time. In the Third Age, Tom Bombadil rediscovered these blades and gifted them to the Hobbits of the Fellowship. Their unique enchantment allows them to harm creatures of shadow immune to normal steel, most notably enabling Frodo Baggins to wound the Lord of the Nazgûl at Weathertop—a strike that broke the Ringwraith's magical protection.
- Origin
- Númenórean smiths (Second Age)
- Material
- Steel with runes of power
- Primary Wielders
- Frodo Baggins, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Pippin Took
- Unique Property
- Effective against Nazgûl and spirits
- Current Status
- Lost or returned to Rivendell after the War
- Enchantment
- Runes of fire and cold
Lore & Background
Forged in the glory days of Arnor, these weapons were designed by Elendil's people to strike fear into the hearts of the Witch-king's armies. They were not merely tools of war but symbols of a lost kingdom's resilience. When the North Kingdom fell, the blades were laid to rest in the barrows of the Barrow-downs, waiting for a time when they would be needed again. Over millennia, the blades absorbed the malice of the Barrow-wights that guarded them, causing their metal to grow cold and their edges to gleam with a pale, ghostly light.
Tom Bombadil, the master of the forest, recognized their latent power and retrieved them from the grave of the Barrow-wight king. He cleaned the blades and spoke runes over them, awakening their dormant purpose. The inscriptions on the hilts, written in an ancient tongue of Westernesse, are said to burn with a cold fire when enemies of the West draw near. This dual nature—cold steel that burns like fire—is what makes them so deadly to the Ringwraiths, beings who exist partially outside the physical world and cannot be harmed by ordinary weapons.
In Their Own Story
The air in the barrow was thick with a greenish fog, smelling of damp earth and old decay. Frodo felt the weight of the dagger in his hand, heavier than it looked, yet cold as ice against his palm. As the Barrow-wight lunged from the shadows, its eyes glowing like dying embers, the Hobbit thrust forward instinctively.
The blade did not just cut; it flared with a sudden, pale light that seemed to freeze the very air around them. The wight shrieked, a sound of pure agony, as the ancient steel bit deep into its spectral form. In that moment, Frodo saw not just the monster before him, but the long-dead kings and warriors whose courage had been poured into this metal centuries ago. The blade hummed with a silent song of defiance, driving back the darkness until the wight crumbled into nothingness.
Reader's Guide
The Barrow-blades serve a dual purpose: they are practical weapons for close-quarters combat and magical artifacts designed to disrupt spiritual entities. In the physical world, they function as sharp daggers capable of harming flesh and bone, though their primary historical use was against the wraiths of Angmar.
Their true power is activated when facing enemies tied to the Shadow; against such foes, the runes ignite with a pale light that sears through spiritual defenses.
Did You Know?
- The runes on the blades were written in a script used by the Men of Westernesse, which is an ancestor of the Common Speech.
- Frodo's blade broke when he stabbed the Witch-king at Weathertop, leaving shards embedded in his wound that caused him great pain for years.
- Merry's use of the Barrow-blade was instrumental in breaking the magical protection around the Witch-king, allowing Éowyn to deliver the final blow.
- Tom Bombadil retrieved the blades from the specific barrow of a fallen king, suggesting an awareness of their history and destiny.