Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shows a strange black sword – here are our thoughts on what this relic could be. Mere days after a packed teaser, Amazon has dropped yet another trailer for The Rings of Power during a highly-anticipated panel at SDCC 2022. Between the Balrog cameo and Sauron speculation, one standout feature from this new footage is a magical black sword.
The black blade first appears in The Rings of Power‘s SDCC 2022 trailer as a broken hilt held by Tyroe Muhafidin’s Theo – a human character created especially for TV. A second shot then shows the sword magically reforging in a hazy wisp of smoke and fire, remaking the blade as if it were never broken. The very same hilt can be spotted in Amazon’s The Rings of Power character posters, and the icy symbol cracking across an anvil in the SDCC 2022 trailer looks suspiciously similar to the mark upon the black sword’s hilt. Evidently, this weapon plays a big role in The Rings of Power.
There’s no irrefutable parallel between The Rings of Power‘s dark blade and existing Lord of the Rings mythology, but a famous magical black sword does exist in Middle-earth history books – Gurthang. Not only was Gurthang broken in the First Age (explaining its state of disrepair in The Rings of Power), but the sword possessed magical properties and a spirit of its own (explaining the strange reforging). Gurthang shouldn’t appear in a Second Age Lord of the Rings story by rights, and this sword might be a totally new addition for The Rings of Power. But if the mystery blade does have roots in the source material (and if we assume Gorr didn’t simply drop his necrosword in the wrong franchise), Gurthang is the strongest option.
LOTR: Rings Of Power’s Black Magical Sword Explained
Originally dubbed Anglachel, this legendary sword was crafted by the twisted elf Eöl using metal from a meteorite that fell to earth (possibly tying into The Rings of Power‘s own falling meteor, though it’s very unlikely the same). Possessing a bloodthirsty nature and personality of its own, Anglachel bonded with its original owner, the elf warrior Beleg Cúthalion, but tragedy struck when Beleg was accidentally killed by his own blade. The unfortunate culprit, a man called Túrin Turambar, became the next owner and renamed Anglachel “Gurthang,” but ultimately succumbed to tragedy himself and fell upon his sword after begging it for death. Gurthang broke upon killing yet another owner, and its pieces were buried with Túrin.
In Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, young Theo may hold some distant link to Túrin’s House of Hador, and the hilt of Gurthang has been handed down through generations. Once upon a time, the blade would slay servants of Morgoth, most notably Glaurung the dragon. As Sauron resurfaces in The Rings of Power, perhaps the bloodlust within Gurthang’s hilt is awakened, warning Theo’s village that great danger approaches.
Several key details point away from The Rings of Power‘s black blade being Gurthang. There’s no convincing reason the iconic weapon should play a role in Second Age events, especially since it must then disappear again before The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Secondly, The Rings of Power‘s sword seems to bear a sigil that resonates elsewhere in the trailer. Even if Gurthang reawakened, why would its symbols begin popping up across Middle-earth?
If not Gurthang, it’s possible The Rings of Power‘s black sword once belonged to Sauron, and reforges itself after sensing his presence returned to Middle-earth. This would explain the old man asking Theo whether he’s ever heard Sauron’s name, and fits much neater with Second Age lore than digging up Gurthang. Tolkien’s writing leaves enough room on the topic of Sauron’s arsenal to expand on what weapons he might’ve used, and what magical qualities they might possess.
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