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Originally Posted by alatar
What humans handled Narsil/Anduril, as I would think that Dwarves and Elves would be immune to whatever spells they may have presumably wove into the item? Was Ohtar 'part of the family?' Even if he weren't, Narsil's 'light' was extinguished (obviously) when he handled the shards.
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As far as I know, 'Ohtar' was the only Man to touch Narsil after Elendil's death apart from Isildur and the latter's descendants. It is said in UT that 'Ohtar' was actually the title of the person and not his actual name. However, it also says in Footnote 17 of the essay
The Disaster of the Gladden Fields, that Ohtar was 'of [Isildur's] own kin'. Whether that means royal blood or not, who knows?
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Originally Posted by alatar
So then we have Aragorn all a'huff about anyone touching his sword. Was this because the bearer would then be considered 'royalty?' That doesn't seem sensible. Also, Aragorn makes too much about leaving his sword, more than one would expect, especially after Gandalf cautions the group about speaking any haughty words to King Theoden. Is this just a result of Aragorn's weariness, where he not only disregards Gandalf's wisdom but also wants to begin asserting his claim to some station - not wanting to be mistaken for wizard ragtag?
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It appears that Aragorn takes his reponsibilities as the Heir of Isildur very seriously, to say the least. The Sword That Was Broken was probably the most recognisable symbol of his lineage. He showed it to the Hobbits in Bree when his identity was questioned. He did the same at the Council of Elrond to aid in proving himself to Boromir.
Perhaps he did simply want to impress upon Háma and the Rohirrim the value he placed in the lineage of the sword in the hope (apparently well-founded) that no one would molest it, and extra care would be taken to guard it, since he was urged by Gandalf to bow to Théoden's wished for that time.