Sting (Middle-earth)
| Sting | |
|---|---|
Elijah Wood as Frodo, holding Sting, in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
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| Plot element from the The Lord of the Rings franchise | |
| First appearance | The Hobbit (1937) |
| Created by | J. R. R. Tolkien |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| In-story information | |
| Type | Magical dagger |
| Function | Weapon |
| Specific traits and abilities | Ornate dagger which glows in the presence of orcs or goblins, and is supernaturally strong |
| Affiliation | |
Sting is a fictional artefact from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy universe of Middle-earth. In the story, it is a magical Elvish knife or dagger presumably forged in Gondolin in the First Age.
In The Hobbit (1937), hobbit Bilbo Baggins finds the blade in a troll-hoard, along with the swords Glamdring and Orcrist. Although it is only a dagger by the standard of Men or Elves, it serves as a sword for the diminutive Bilbo. He uses it to fight off the giant spiders in Mirkwood, and names the blade after the talking spiders refer to it as his "sting". Gollum is afraid of Sting, which aids Bilbo in his confrontation with Gollum under the Misty Mountains. Bilbo gives Sting to his nephew Frodo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring (1954). When Frodo is betrayed at the pass of Cirith Ungol, Samwise Gamgee takes the blade to prevent it from falling into enemy hands, but later returns it to Frodo. In The Return of the King (1955), Frodo gives Sting and all of his other possessions to Sam before Frodo departs for the Undying Lands.
Sting has the magical ability to detect orcs or goblins nearby, glowing blue in their presence. When orcs or goblins were present, it glowed blue, as it did when the Fellowship encountered orcs in the mines of Moria. Tolkien establishes this as a common property of First Age Elf blades, particularly those forged in Gondolin. Sting is also exceptionally sharp. Bilbo manages to thrust it without effort deep into a wooden beam at Rivendell. Frodo also wounds a troll in Moria, after Boromir notches his own sword with his attempt. Sam uses Sting to cut through the giant spider Shelob's strong webs with ease, and also wound the spider, driving it away from the paralyzed Frodo.
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