More on Anduril: (from Encyclopedia of Arda)
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Details of the original forging of Elendil's sword are difficult to determine. It was made by Telchar of Nogrod, who also made the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin. Helpfully, a passage in Unfinished Tales tells us that the Dragon-helm was originally made for Azaghâl of Belegost, who died in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad in I 471; in order to make the helm specifically for Azaghâl, Telchar must have been working at about this time. Though we can't be certain of Narsil's origins, then, we can fairly safely place its forging in Telchar's workshop in Nogrod, probably during the fourth or fifth centuries of the First Age.
The Sword was broken in the War of the Last Alliance, with the fall of Elendil. Its burning light was lost, but Elendil's son Isildur used its broken shards to cut the Ruling Ring from Sauron's finger. The shards were eventually brought to Imladris, and they became an heirloom of the House of Isildur. During the War of the Ring, the sword was reforged, its light was rekindled, and it was borne by Elendil's distant descendant Aragorn, who renamed it Andúril.
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Under Telchar we also get the following information:
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A Dwarf of Nogrod in the Blue Mountains, and one of the greatest smiths in the history of Middle-earth. Among his works were Angrist (the knife that freed the Silmaril from the Iron Crown), Narsil (the sword of Elendil, later reforged for Aragorn as Andúril) and the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin.
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Its interesting to speculate on whether Gimli's words:
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'Well, if it has Anduril to keep it company, my axe may stay here, too, without shame.'
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are a reference to Anduril's Dwarfish origin.
Even more interesting is the fact that a dwarf made a sword which 'glowed'. We know Elvish blades like Sting, Glamdring & Orcrist shone when Orcs were near, but does this show that the Dwarves had access to the same 'technology'. Had they learned it from the Elves, or the Elves from them? Or were Sting, Glamdring & Orcrist also os Dwarvish make?
Whatever, I think we have to acccept that Anduril, the
Flame of the West,
did shine, literally, not 'metaphorically'. (Thanks must go to my 'researcher' in this,
Lalwende 
)
(p.s. just remembered the line from 'Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Nirnoediad:
'The
light of the drawing of the swords of the Noldor was like a fire in a field of reeds;' )