Why is Isildur's Bane such a big deal?
 

What is the importance of Isildur's Bane and it's relationship to the quests of the Ring? I am just a little fuzzy on this area.

"Isildur's Bane" is a poetic description of The Ring.

It is called his Bane because it slipped off of his finger while he was trying to escape a company of Orcs, which exposed him to the enemy, who then killed him.

Oh I see! Someone once told me that Isildur's Bane was the sword that cut the RIng from Sauron's hand. What is the name of that sword?

The name of the sword was Narsil; that was the broken sword that Strider was carrying with him when he first met the four hobbits at Bree. After it was reforged at Rivendell, it was renamed Anduril in its second incarnation, so to speak. Altogether a remarkable sword considering that it was about 2,000 years old at that point, but it wasn't Isildur's Bane, even if it did help him acquire the Bane (though of course it should be considered that it also helped save ME for the time being by cutting it off of Sauron's hand).

Gondorians called the Ring Isildur's Bane because they didn't know what it was.

they called it 'isildur's bane' because it was isildur's bane.

Isildur's bane is the Ruling ring. after the overthrow of sauron he went to arnor for a year. Then, seeking the council of Elrond, he started out to Imladris. While the company was camping orcs sprang on them. Isildur gave the shards of anrsil to his esquire who gave them to valandil. Isildur put the ring on and jumped int he water but the ring slipped from his finger. He then stood upon the bank and orcs shot him.

It is called isildurs bane because that was the reason for his death

[ June 16, 2002: Message edited by: TarElendil ]

I think they thought it was sme huge weapon (in the way they saw a weapon).

Your right on obloquy. Anyway all this is correct about the words "Isildur's Bane" The reason it was his bane as most already know is cause thats what got him killed.()im not gonna go into it)

gondoreans in the late third age werent even sure if the One Ring had even existed. Very few even linked "Isildur's bane" tot he ring. Its possible that the legends passed down only spoke of "isildur's bane" and not "the ring".
and yea the reason its called his "bane" is because thats what got him killed
Example : Durins Bane- the balrog in moria

[ June 17, 2002: Message edited by: TarElendil ]

TarElendil, that makes sense. After a few generations, people start to doubt stuff that happened. (i.e. the Dragon at Long Lake the younger gen started to doubt that to.)

CAUSE ITIS THE FOKUS OF THE HOLE LORD OF THE RINGS STORY!!!!!11

Oh..sorry..

yea, what legolas said [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

Yes, the Gondorians had forgotten the Ring by the Third Age. Boromir believed that "Isildur's Bane" was the Orc-Arrow that slew him. He mentions it in "The Council of Elrond", but I couldn't find the quote.

It took Gandalf digging through the old records in the libraries of Gondor to find Isildur's own words describing the Ring and the events that led to him having it. Records that apparently had not been seen for thousands of years.

(I still love that scene in the film where Gandalf is digging through the records, while sipping a cup of tea! Reminds me of my old college days, searching the stacks. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] )

[ June 18, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

Thanks, I was confused too!

Tar-Elendil actually told the story reverse. Isildur comes to Rivendell with his four sons, and leaves the youngest there. When he is on his way to Arnor to be High King of the Dunedains, the orcs ambush them and kills both Isildur and his sons. Only three, I think, survives, among them Ohtar, the esquire who had the shards of Narsil.

Isildur was ambushed in the Gladden Fields on his way from Gondor to Arnor. Valendil was born in Rivendell and was left there at the time of the Last Alliance, he was not with Isildur when he was attacked in the Gladden Fields.

Kalimac,

I would like to find out more about the time when Narsil became Anduril. I am re-reading FotR and don't remember that event happening during The Council of Elrond. Maybe it was mentioned in one of the other books? Would you happen to have a reference for me or could someone else help out. Many thanks [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

The reforging is never shown in detail, a sad loss to us later students of elvish smithy! Aragorn tells Frodo beforehand 'the Sword-that-was-broken will be reforged ere I set out to war' and then we're told that it was reforged and the sun and moon and runes that were traced on it, and of its new name, Anduril Flame of the West. The sequence is grand and lovely, but as no hobbits weren't anywhere near the elves' forge and anvil, we miss out on seeing how it happened.

One thing on topic I'm not clear on-- there was no legend about 'Isuldur's Bane' by that name in Gondor, was there? I thought that name was first introduced in the riddle in Faramirs' and Boromirs' dreams.

Thanks Nar, I ended up finding the passage regarding the re-forging of Anduril in the chapter "The Ring Goes South". Its such a lovely paragraph I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before. Nice to make these little discoveries again though.