The Lord of the Rings films display worlds full of magic, fantasy, and wonder, but they also feature a lot of battles. Considering the number of battles that decide the fate of Middle-Earth throughout the ages, there have been many powerful weapons used at several points in Middle-Earth history. These weapons range from seemingly plain staffs to powerful magical objects that can spread the influence of the most powerful evil being in existence. Although many powerful weapons have been wielded, which is the most powerful?
While Lord of the Rings features many conventional weapons, Middle-Earth doesn’t limit itself to the standard definition. With the use of magic and ancient beings, “weapon” takes on a greater meaning than what many may consider. The One Ring is undoubtedly a powerful weapon in battle and beyond. There is a reason after all why Sauron sought it over the course of the ages. The power it contains would have made this ancient being corporeal and allowed for another dark age to begin. Despite all of this, the One Ring actually isn’t the most powerful weapon.
The Tale Of Narsil
Near the end of the second age, Elendil led his army up against Sauron and his minions. Elendil’s weapon of choice was the blade Narsil, a weapon forged for him by the Dwarves. While he fought valiantly, the blade was broken and Elendil’s life was taken by Sauron. His son Isildur then took up the handle of the broken Narsil and, using what was left of the blade, cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand. Sauron thus lost his corporeal form and it wouldn’t be until the late third age that he would regain enough power to reassert his power.
Isildur took the shards of Narsil home, and they eventually found their way to Rivendell. These shards would be passed down through heirs until they came to be in the possession of Aragorn. The rightful heir to the throne of Gondor, Aragorn carried the shards as more of a weight of burden rather than a sign of his rightful place in the world. It was said that the next king of Gondor would wield the blade, and Aragorn consistently rejected this legacy. In the films, Arwen was able to convince Elrond to reforge the blade for Aragorn. She chose to become mortal and be wed to Aragorn, and thus Elrond reforged the blade so that Aragorn could take his place on the throne and be worthy of Arwen.
The Legacy Of Anduril, The Flame Of The West
With this motivation in hand, Aragorn took up this newly-forged blade, now named Anduril or the Flame of the West, and claimed his throne as the king of Gondor. When Mary and Pippin find one of the Palantir that Sauron uses to scour their mind, Aragorn takes the Palantir from them and shows Sauron the blade as a threat. With this, he officially declares himself the king of Gondor and taunts Sauron with the blade, reminding him of what had happened when last Sauron had encountered it.
Following the forging and the threat, Aragorn begins wielding the blade against the pawns of Sauron. These various battles eventually lead to the final battle and push to destroy the One Ring. In order to ensure the most powerful force for the good guys, Aragorn traveled the Paths of the Dead and summoned the Dead Men of Dunharrow. These spirits owed a debt to the heir of Isildur for having betrayed Gondor. Aragorn was able to prove himself to be this heir by wielding the blade Anduril, thus securing their help against Sauron.
Aragorn then led the Army of the Dead in battle and was able to secure victory. After this, his battle eventually led him to the final charge toward Mordor. With the goal of distracting Sauron, Aragorn led a charge against the Black Gate with forces of men. Before starting his charge, Aragorn drew Anduril, a symbolic and empowering gesture that stated the power men could have outside of the help of Elves or Dwarves. With this charge, it could be argued Aragorn launched the age of man. The success of this charge led to Frodo destroying the One Ring and allowed the fourth age to begin.
While it seems unreasonable to call a simple sword, lacking in magic of any kind, the most powerful weapon in Middle-earth, it’s simply the truth. Although the One Ring holds great power and Gandalf’s staff can withstand him channeling his power, this sword ended and began ages. It united the men of Middle-Earth against an all-powerful force after that same blade had stopped that same force in the past. Narsil, or Anduril as it was later known, represents the rule over Gondor, the ability to forgive the spirits of the dead, and dominion over the Dúnedain. It is powerful in every sense of the word, and thus holds the title of the most powerful weapon in Lord of the Rings and in all of Middle-Earth.