This came to my mind while watching RotK movie and especially Anduril's unveiling.

Well the question is (or should I say, the only question then was) : What was so special about Anduril?

I asked this immediately in the forums as it came to my mind. Two people answered, Gildor and Amarie, as follows:

This is from Amie's log of the conversation...

(Floyd_n_milan) what was so special about Anduril?
(Gildor) I was made from the shards of Narsil
(Amarie) It is Narsil put back together, the blade that cut the ring of Saurons finger, a sign of Aragorns inherritage
(Floyd_n_milan) so?
(Floyd_n_milan) i know that
(Floyd_n_milan) still
(Floyd_n_milan) Narsil?
(Amarie) So?????
(Floyd_n_milan) explaination please
(Amarie) Narsil, Isildurs sword
(Floyd_n_milan) im asking so what
(Floyd_n_milan) why would that make it so special
(Floyd_n_milan) was there any spell on it or something?
(Amarie) It cut Saurons finger of!!! It hurt the dark lord, make him loose the Ring and most of his powers, he lost the battle

So, as can be seen from that log, obviously, it didn't clear my doubts(!), but in fact, gave me some more questions. So here's the list(!) of questions :

1. What was so special about Anduril?

2. Why would it hurt Sauron if he was so powerful and was wearing the ring at the time?

3. After the ring was cut from his hands, why would Sauron lose his self and all? Was he that weak without the ring?

4. Would Aragorn be able to kill the Witch King (Lord of the Nazgul)?

This is with referance to the thread Death of the Witch-King. It is to be noted though, that I haven't read the whole thread. I've read the posts regarding Merry's sword. So please excuse me if this question is useless!!

5. Somebody please explain about Narsil.

That's all I can think of right now. Hope someone answers. And I must warn all of you that some more questions might arise out of the answers!!!

Anduril is very special. It is the heirloom of Isildur's house. It proves Aragorn is the heir of Isildur. Do you remember when ARagorn said he looked int he palantir,a nd he said he showed Sauron Anduril, and he was scared. Sauron didn't know there was an heir of Isildur still around, but the sword proved it. It was a big deal when Sauron was destroyed. Just like Nelson's ship is preserved today still in Britain. Cause it was a big deal when nelson won the battle. But of course it was an even bigger deal defeating Sauron.

Yes, Sauron was powerful. But not even he was indestructible. And the Ring doesn't make him indestructible. Elendil was much stronger and powerful than a normal king, because he had just come from Numenor, where men lived longer. And with the help of Gil-galad... well, you can see they woudl've been a pretty strong alliance. But even they, with their might and power, could not kill Sauron without getting themselves killed. It took a lot to kill Sauron. But no one in Middle-earth is indestructible. The obvious question is "Then, if he could be destroyed witht he Ring, why was Gandalf and the Council and the lot of them acting as if if the Ring was taken to Sauron, then he would be unstoppable?" The answer is that they were not as strong as they were when they defeated Sauron. most of the Elves had gone over the sea. Men had diminished in their power. There was no way they could've defeated Sauron a second time.

Sauron was dead before the Ring was cut off his hand. Isildur cut the Ring from hsi hand AFTER Gil-Galad and Elendil killed him.

I don't think Aragorn cuold've killed him. Not in my opinion. They say no Man could kill him. Of course, you can ask why Eowyn could. It's debatable whether Man meant 'mankind' or 'male' in the context where that was said. But you could argue that Merry was the one who stabbed him. And he was not a Man. some people say that Eowyn killed him, and the prophecy ws wrong, because it meant 'mankind,' and so Aragorn could kill him. Some say that Eowyn could kill him because she was a girl, and so Aragorn could not kill him. Some say Merry killed him, and it meant mankind, sot he prophecy was right, and Aragorn could not kill him. Some say Merry killed him, and it meant male, and Merry is male, and so the prophecy was wrong, and ARagorn could therefore kill him. I myself beleive that Merry killed him, Aragorn couldn't, that it meant 'mankind,' because in the German copy of the Lord fo the Rings, it says 'mankind,' (THere are different words in German for the two meanings: Mann and Mench.) and so the prophecy was right. I think it was Glorfindel who said no man cuold kill him. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Narsil was wrought by Telchar of Nogrod, who was a very skilled dwarf. I'm not sure how it got to Elendil, but it did. He used it to help kill Sauron. It passed to Isildur, and then Valandil, and so down to Aragorn. The rest is in The Lord fo the Rings.

I have another question, which I've posted on the Power of the Rings of Power thread. The question is relevant to both the threads, but seems to fit in better in that thread.

You have to remember that Sauron was merely completed by the Ring... he initially made it to control the other Rings of Power, rather than amplify his own strenght. The Ring bore his keeper into the spirit world, yet it didn't remove him from the material world; Sauron could be killed (physically speaking) with or without his Ring on.



Sauron, when forging the Ring, used a lot of his power so that it could control the other Rings; he put forth into it his malice and his knowledge to create the ultimate weapon: the one gives total control and tempts everyone! However, in making such a weapon, he had to put a lot of his own being into it, practically his liaison with the material world; so, when the Ring was taken from him, he lost his physical form and needed some (long) time to get it back. Cause, from what Gollum says "The Black Hand has only four fingers", we can imagine Sauron has managed to take some form, though not the one he had when he still got the Ring!

THat's what I meant. He was mortally wounded. Therefore killed. But I disagree about it being achieved by cutting the Ring off his hand. This is a quote from the Fellowship of the Ring:



But this doesn't prove anything. It only says that Gil-Galad and Elendil overthrew (and we now know mortally wounded and so killed) and Isildur cut the Ring from Sauron's hand. Here's another quote, however:



Note particularly this part: "But sauron himself was overthrown, and Isildur cut the Ring from his hand..." This says that Sauron was mortally wounded (overthrown) BEFORE Isildur cut the Ring from his hand. At least that is how I see it. I think if it was the other way around, it would be: "But Isildur cut the Ring from his hand, and Sauron himself was overthrown...."