The Hobbit - Orcrist
- Thread starter Nibenon
- Start date
Also, don't forget the blades are made of brittle stainless steel. The fastest way to get a set of shards of narsil would be to just take your UC Narsil and hack at stuff.
With the shorter swords/knives, you might be able to get away with the brittleness of the blade, but the longer ones are all definitely non-functional regardless of they are full tang or not.
Gideon Vanguard
Well-Known Member
+1
Despite how well made they may be (rat-tail versus full tang) they were designed to be little more than wall hangers. That goes for for a good deal of what United Cutlery has to offer. Not that they aren't beautiful to look at.
It's not too say that "real" swords featuring those type of design elements couldn't be made as Christrian Fletcher has made variations on the "Strider" and "Glamdring" sword patterns that were designed to be quite functional.
Christian Fletcher Heroic Line
Nibenon
Well-Known Member
Whoa Gideon, thanks, as if my heart (and wallet) wasn't already set on 18 different purchases. Never having seen those before, my entire existence hinges on having one.
Now, to find a steel mill that sells bulk spring (high carbon) steel for under 1K... never live here, the weather is nice, but supplies for battle are limited/nonexistant...
Now, to find a steel mill that sells bulk spring (high carbon) steel for under 1K... never live here, the weather is nice, but supplies for battle are limited/nonexistant...
Gideon Vanguard
Well-Known Member
I'm right there with you believe me, my brother owns a Borderwatch with custom scabbard+belt and its a beauty to behold. Having handled it several times in person it is a night and day difference when compared to handling a UC blade. Still I think he waited almost 6 months and spent the better part of $2000 to get his so they are definitely not meant to fit into everyone's collection/budget. I'll have to see if he has any pictures of it up in his webshots gallery.
I would encourage you to look around to see if you can find individual blades for sale if you wish to finish it yourself. I don't have any links available at hand but there are several places which sell bare blades. I'll have to look for some links.
Talyn626
Member
According to the text which I found on pg 51 of my revised edition paperback Elrond states, "These are not troll-make. These are very old swords, very old swords of the High-Elves of the west, my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin-wars. They must have come from a dragon's hoard or goblin plunder, for dragons and goblins destroyed that city many ages ago. This, Thorin, the runes name Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver in the ancient tongue of Gondolin; it was a famous blade. This, Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foehammer that the king of Gondolin once wore. Keep them well!"
So the way I read it all three blades are only necessarily related as being made by the same process and culture. Orcrist may have been the blade of a noted hero and Sting could have been a dagger to match either sword.
So the way I read it all three blades are only necessarily related as being made by the same process and culture. Orcrist may have been the blade of a noted hero and Sting could have been a dagger to match either sword.
Kit Rae
Sr Member
The reference to it being the "mate" of Glamdring has been a bit blown out of proportion. I don't recall if it is stated as such elsewhere in the hobbit, but it is mentioned in FOTR, in a reference to Glamdring.
"...girt at his side was the elven sword Glamdring, the mate of Orcrist that lay now upon the breast of Thorin Under the Lonley Mountain".
Sting would not have been mentioned as a mate of either by Tolkien since it is a long knife, not a sword.
What exactly Tolkien meant by 'mate' is unclear, but I think all he meant is that the two swords were found together, were both forged in Gondolin, obviously made it out of Gondolin together, and stayed together op to that point in The Hobbit. Mates. There is nothing in the text that I recall actually linking the blades by the same maker or design. I think that is an assumption people have made. Any of the three could have been made at any point in Gondolin, by any one of several smiths in the city. By inking the Sting and Orcrist design, the film makers are simply implying those two were likely made by the same smith, or at least for the same family.
Since the Goblins clearly recognized both swords as Biter and Beater, the term 'mates' by Tolkien may have been a reference to their assumed use against the Goblins in recent times. Probably wielded by Dwarves in the Battle of Azanulbizar. At some point the wielders lost them when they met their fate at the hands of the the trolls, Bill, Bert, and Tom.
I actually have one of the actor scale Orcrist props at the moment, and it is very clearly styled like Sting, but it also fits the book description on several points.
"...girt at his side was the elven sword Glamdring, the mate of Orcrist that lay now upon the breast of Thorin Under the Lonley Mountain".
Sting would not have been mentioned as a mate of either by Tolkien since it is a long knife, not a sword.
What exactly Tolkien meant by 'mate' is unclear, but I think all he meant is that the two swords were found together, were both forged in Gondolin, obviously made it out of Gondolin together, and stayed together op to that point in The Hobbit. Mates. There is nothing in the text that I recall actually linking the blades by the same maker or design. I think that is an assumption people have made. Any of the three could have been made at any point in Gondolin, by any one of several smiths in the city. By inking the Sting and Orcrist design, the film makers are simply implying those two were likely made by the same smith, or at least for the same family.
Since the Goblins clearly recognized both swords as Biter and Beater, the term 'mates' by Tolkien may have been a reference to their assumed use against the Goblins in recent times. Probably wielded by Dwarves in the Battle of Azanulbizar. At some point the wielders lost them when they met their fate at the hands of the the trolls, Bill, Bert, and Tom.
I actually have one of the actor scale Orcrist props at the moment, and it is very clearly styled like Sting, but it also fits the book description on several points.
Hi Kit. Great to see you here at the RPF.
How goes the preparation for the UC hobbit items?
Kit Rae
Sr Member
I have actually been a browser of the forum for a long while.
The Hobbit items are coming along very well. It took a long while to figure out what items to actually make, but the first wave or replicas are more or less settled upon. There was a ton of material from Weta to look through, and props are still being made as they shoot the films. I really like what I have seen so far, and they are being very consistent with what we have already seen in LOTR. A lot of cool stuff that I would love to talk about, but can't obviously.
The Hobbit items are coming along very well. It took a long while to figure out what items to actually make, but the first wave or replicas are more or less settled upon. There was a ton of material from Weta to look through, and props are still being made as they shoot the films. I really like what I have seen so far, and they are being very consistent with what we have already seen in LOTR. A lot of cool stuff that I would love to talk about, but can't obviously.
Beautiful! :thumbsup
Will this be a Weta release?
United Cutlery?
Will this be a Weta release?
United Cutlery?
SmilingOtter
Master Member
I really like the way the tip of the horn? tooth? protrudes through the pommel. Very cool.
Kit Rae
Sr Member
That's United's Orcrist replica, released yesterday. Dealers are taking preorders already.
Weta announced that they will be doing a prop replica version in Polyurethane, cast from the original molds.
jedimarkj
Sr Member
budk.com has some of the Hobbit weapons up.
Here's the description for Orcrist:
In Third Age of Middle-earth, Thorin Oakenshield and his Company of Dwarves came upon a troll lair in Rhûdaur. There Thorin found an ancient Elven sword named Orcrist, forged by the high Elves of the West, in Gondolin. Thorin claimed Orcrist for his own and vowed to cleave Goblins with it once again. He wielded the sword through most of the Quest for Erebor, using it against the Goblins of the Misty Mountains. The Goblins called it “Biter” and hated and feared it. The blade of Orcrist features a curved leaf shape on one side, and a straight edge on the other, a fitting design for a blade meant to cleave Orcs and Goblins. Adorning the pommel is an emblem of the heraldry of Ecthelion of the Fountain. The hilt is shaped from the tooth of a dragon. It is unknown if the tooth was acquired prior to the fifth battle of the First Age, or added to the sword with the inscription in the millennia after the Fall of Gondolin, most likely by the Dwarves of the North. This authentically detailed replica is a reproduction of the actual filming prop built by Weta Workshop of New Zealand and used in the motion picture, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. United Cutlery, industry leader in fine movie reproductions, has meticulously recreated the prop using only the finest grade materials and craftsmanship. Close attention to detail was a top priority. The sword is 38 3/4” long and features a 25 7/8" stainless steel blade with an etched runic inscription. The hilt is crafted with solid metal parts, simulated gem stones, and an acrylic resin grip cast from the original prop. It is presented with a wood wall display and includes a certificate of authenticity. Inscriptions on the sword in Elven runes: On the guard is the name Orcrist “Goblin-cleaver”. Blade Inscription (both sides): “The serpent’s tooth”. "
Here's the description for Orcrist:
In Third Age of Middle-earth, Thorin Oakenshield and his Company of Dwarves came upon a troll lair in Rhûdaur. There Thorin found an ancient Elven sword named Orcrist, forged by the high Elves of the West, in Gondolin. Thorin claimed Orcrist for his own and vowed to cleave Goblins with it once again. He wielded the sword through most of the Quest for Erebor, using it against the Goblins of the Misty Mountains. The Goblins called it “Biter” and hated and feared it. The blade of Orcrist features a curved leaf shape on one side, and a straight edge on the other, a fitting design for a blade meant to cleave Orcs and Goblins. Adorning the pommel is an emblem of the heraldry of Ecthelion of the Fountain. The hilt is shaped from the tooth of a dragon. It is unknown if the tooth was acquired prior to the fifth battle of the First Age, or added to the sword with the inscription in the millennia after the Fall of Gondolin, most likely by the Dwarves of the North. This authentically detailed replica is a reproduction of the actual filming prop built by Weta Workshop of New Zealand and used in the motion picture, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. United Cutlery, industry leader in fine movie reproductions, has meticulously recreated the prop using only the finest grade materials and craftsmanship. Close attention to detail was a top priority. The sword is 38 3/4” long and features a 25 7/8" stainless steel blade with an etched runic inscription. The hilt is crafted with solid metal parts, simulated gem stones, and an acrylic resin grip cast from the original prop. It is presented with a wood wall display and includes a certificate of authenticity. Inscriptions on the sword in Elven runes: On the guard is the name Orcrist “Goblin-cleaver”. Blade Inscription (both sides): “The serpent’s tooth”. "
Onkelpsycho
Sr Member
I will wait a little bit, but this sword could be under the stuff I will get from the Hobbit movie...
I guess there will be a knockoff soon, because it's very similar to sting...
I guess there will be a knockoff soon, because it's very similar to sting...
