Many swords that later appear in The Lord of the Rings are present in The Hobbit, such as Glamdring, carried by Gandalf, and Sting, which you might recognize as Frodo’s companion. But that latter one actually got its start long before The Lord of the Rings, and as you likely know it was Bilbo’s Sword in The Hobbit before it was ever Frodo’s. Here’s what you should know about it.

Sting was a short sword, dagger-sized in proportion, that was made by the Elves in Gondolin during The First Age. Sting may have been wielded by the Gondolindrim, and how it was lost at during the Fall of Gondolin is not concretely known, but the fact of the matter is that by the Third Age, it had fallen into the possession of the three trolls encountered by Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin’s company in The Hobbit. Perhaps the most notable feature of Sting was that it shone with "a cold light" in the presence of orcs. The mystery of the magic behind this feature is not disclosed to the reader, but the blade was described as "glowing blue" or "glittering blue with blue flame at its edges."

Quite small by comparison to Orcrist and Glamdring, Sting was really more of a dagger by the standards of Elves and men, but its small size and stature made it perfect as a short sword in the hands of a Hobbit like Bilbo or Frodo. After the trolls were petrified and the treasure trove looted, Bilbo took up Sting, though the sword remained nameless until Bilbo was captured and trapped in a cocoon by the spiders of Mirkwood. With Sting, he cut himself free from the cocoon that ensnared him and then slew the spider that was guarding him. While other blades struggled against the cord-like silk of the spiders of Mirkwood, Sting sliced through these bonds with great facility. It was after this heroic foray that Bilbo christened the sword with the name Sting.

This utility of Sting is reflected in Peter Jackson’s depiction of the sword from The Hobbit in The Return of the King, in which Frodo easily slices through Shelob’s silk in her lair in Cirith Ungol, much to Gollum’s chagrin. On that note, Bilbo gifted the sword to Frodo before he departed from Rivendell with the ring to destroy it in the fires of Mordor. Frodo carried the sword through the rest of the books and was depicted with it throughout Peter Jackson’s adaptation in film. In The Lord of the Rings, Sting is depicted as a short sword with a leaf-shaped blade, not entirely unlike a Greek Xiphos. Elven scrollwork decorates the hilt of the short sword, and the blade is inscribed with “Maegnas aen estar, nin dagnir in ygnyl in”, which translates from Sindarin to English as “Sting is my name, I am the spider’s bane.”

We sell this sword from The Hobbit, and ours is an exact replica of the sword Sting carried by Bilbo in The Hobbit trilogy. Our replica sports a 15 ⅜” stainless steel blade with a leaf-shaped profile and an Elven flourish. The hilt is decorated with solid metal components and features an intricate vine-inspired design on the grip. The scabbard is wrapped in leather and the chape and throat are decorated with metal fittings, just like the hilt. Overall this replica of the most iconic sword from The Hobbit exhibits exceptional attention to detail and craftsmanship. Of equal importance is the fact that this is an officially licensed replica, and comes with an official Certificate of Authenticity, guaranteeing its value as a collector’s piece. Hang this replica of Sting in your office, in your living room, and make it a statement piece or a conversation starter; it’ll be sure to captivate attention no matter how you display it.

Our officially licensed Sting replica is only one of the swords from The Hobbit that we carry in our collection here online at True Swords. In addition to Sting, we also carry Glamdring and Orcrist replicas, which are mentioned in the book and also featured in the movies, as well as other swords, such as the sword of Fili. We also carry other replicas of weapons from The Hobbit trilogy, such as replicas of the swords carried by the Mirkwood elves, along with Tauriel’s fighting knives. Alongside these bladed swords and weapons, we carry replicas of armor as well as the staffs carried by Gandalf throughout the movies. Shop our collection of officially licensed swords, weapons, and merchandise from The Hobbit and if you have any questions about anything we sell, get in touch with us directly and we will be more than happy to help.