Sting

[Leona]

I'm not sure if this will work, but I'll give it a try. I know sting was an elven blade, created for the goblin wars, but I wonder did it have a perivious name? Like Orcrist and Glamdring, I mean besides "Sting" which Bilbo entitled it.

[Scott]

As far as I know "Sting's" real name was Sting.
But then again I also remember something about Bilbo giving that name to it... maybe he just read the inscriptions and they said Sting themselves...
But I'm going to stick with Sting as being it's real name.

[The X Phial]

Bilbo named it Sting. Not every dagger had its own name. Orcrist and Glamdring were exceptional, not the norm.

[Birdland]

Remember that Orcrist and Glamdring were full-size swords, whereas Sting was originally a long dagger. It was only in the hands of a Hobbit that it gained the title of "sword".

[Helkahothion]

Yes. The one who explained the names (don't know again who it was) mentioned Orcrist and Glamdring, but not sting. Bilbo gave him his name after the battle with the spiders in Mirkwood. Do you think that the trolls knew that they where worth as much as they where?

Suilad,

Anuion

[Aule]

I doubt the Trolls knew there worth, i don't think Trolls would even use such a blade as they were Elven and most enemies seemed to fear anything Elven in oragin

[Helkahothion]

What was Sting's origin again? Noldor I believe right? Forged in the war against Melkor.

Suilad,

Anuion

[lore_master]

the inscription onm stings blade says: maegnes is my name, i am the the spiders bane.

[The Saucepan Man]

maegnes is my name, i am the the spiders bane.

But that's from the film, right? I remember reading that PJ's resident Elvish expert concocted an inscription for it. But I do not believe that any inscription is ever mentioned in the Books.

And, to make sense, that inscription would have to have been added at Bilbo's request, since I doubt that there was much need for a dagger dedicated to killing spiders in Gondolin. smilies/wink.gif

[Finwe]

Well, for all we know Gondolin had an extremely potent spider problem, and had to devote time to making weaponry to solve that problem! smilies/biggrin.gif

[lore_master]

i dont believe there was any mention to the inscription in the movie.
i think prof. said it in one of his letters or H.O.M.E.
but maybe im wrong

[Rumil]

smilies/wink.gif Finwe,

I just imagined Sting being forged to help elven maidens get spiders out of their bathtubs smilies/biggrin.gif

Does anyone know what the elvish for 'Sting' would be? (even though it wouldn't have been inscribed there as Bilbo named it). Alternatively, I wonder if Bilbo might have spent a bit of the 'Smaug vintage' on getting it engraved himself?

[Frodo2968thewhite]

The blade says "Maegnas aen estar nin, dagnir in ungyl im" (MAEGNAS is my name, and I am the spider's bane.) In Elvish, Maegnas means "sharp-point" so sharp-point would be your longer version of Sting.

[Helkahothion]

People, is Sting Noldor or Gondolin? Just been wandering about that.

Suilad,

Anuion

[the guy who be short]

Its Gondolin, but the Gondolinians were Noldor.
I always thought Sting was Orcrist. Or did Orcrist go to Durin? I havent read the hobbit for a while, you see.

[Helkahothion]

Orcrist acompanied Thorin in his grave together with the arkenstone I belive. Not sure though. Ah, so Sting was noldor, and when was it forged again? in the war with Morgoth, or am I mistaken?

Suilad,

Anuion

[Mahal]

Yep...it was forged in the wars against Melkor. And yes the Arkenstone went in Thorins grave together with Orcrist

[Helkahothion]

Wow, since I read the hobbit and reading the silm, I can finaly join into the conversations in the books smilies/biggrin.gif

Suilad,

Anuion

[The Saucepan Man]

I just imagined Sting being forged to help elven maidens get spiders out of their bathtubs

Perhaps it glowed blue when spiders were about too. That would be handy. smilies/wink.gif smilies/biggrin.gif

Can someone who knows about this inscription please post a reference to it in the books? I was never aware of any such inscription, but would be interested to know if it was conceived by JRRT or an invention of the film production team.

I can finaly join into the conversations in the books

Heaven help us! smilies/biggrin.gif

[Finwe]

I can just imagine Sting going off with a blue-lighted siren whenever spiders approached! Well, spiders aren't much better than Orcs. I think that all Elven blades are "keyed" to glow whenever a malevolent presence approaches. So I can just see Idril's dagger lighting up whenever Maeglin tried to get it on with her! smilies/biggrin.gif

[Helkahothion]

I wish my knife would light up blue when I am cheating and my teacher is going to look at me. That would be very confineant indeed. How did the elves get that knife to shine? Was it magic that was never mentioned or did it have an actual reason?

Suilad,

Anuion

[Frodo2968thewhite]

You're right about the war against Melkor, and the inscription says "Maegnas is my name, and I am the SPIDER'S bane," mabey the "spider" was Ungoliant.?! smilies/wink.gif

[Amarie of the Vanyar]

The inscription on Sting is never mentioned in the books. That's an invention for the movies.

But even if the inscription had been mentioned in the books, it would have been impossible that it were done in Gondolin in the First Age. Sting is the name Bilbo gives to the sword, and Maegnas is the elvish for Sting; so, that inscription could have only been done after Bilbo had named it.

I can imagine two possible 'histories' for the inscription:
The first one, it was placed on the sword in Rivendendell, and 'Spider' referred to the spiders Bilbo killed in 'the Hobbit'
And the second one, the Spider of the inscription is Shelob (Sam hurts Shelob with Sting) and in this case the inscription should have been done after the destruction of the Ring smilies/smile.gif

[Helkahothion]

And the second one, the Spider of the inscription is Shelob (Sam hurts Shelob with Sting) and in this case the inscription should have been done after the destruction of the Ring

Does not have to be. Many things in Middle-Earth where predicted before they happened. So it could be something like Malbeth or some sort.

Suilad,

Anuion

[Amarie of the Vanyar]

O, o, I'm just seeing it: the smith in Goldolin forging Sting and suddenly, he has a vision of Bilbo naming the sword, and then a vision of Sam hurting Shelob smilies/redface.gif

I like it Helkahothion!, It's really poetic smilies/smile.gif

[Helkahothion]

Ehm yeah, I more ment it as an accident. Like Orcrist taking down a Orc leader that it was not ment to kill. Something in those lines. Although I must admit it WAS really poetich. Or whatever the hell you spell that smilies/smile.gif

Suilad,

Anuion