The Shards of Narsil / Anduril Symbol Analysis

Narsil was a famed longsword that symbolized the strength and fortitude of the Men of the West (Numenoreans) in withstanding evil forces in Middle-earth. During the High King Elendil’s final battle with the Dark Lord Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance, Narsil broke into two shards beneath the Elendil’s body when he was slain. His son, Isildur, then wielded the handle-shard to cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand. The heirs of Isildur have since handed down the shards of Narsil as an heirloom that represents their lineage to the thrones of Arnor and Gondor. Aragorn’s decision to reforge the shards of Narsil in Rivendell signals that he is officially setting out to fulfil the prophecy of his ascension to those thrones. Elvish smiths reforge the shards into a bright new blade called Anduril, Flame of the West—this reconstruction parallels the transformation that begins to take place of the rugged Strider into the noble Aragorn. Names in Middle-earth are important; in this case Tolkien has called the Sword that was Broken “Narsil,” meaning fire (“nar”) and white flame (“thil”) in the elven language Quenya, while the Sword that was Reforged is “Anduril,” meaning west and sunset (“andunne”) and brilliance (“ril”). The representation of Narsil as the flames of sun and moon, and Anduril as the literal Flame of the West, indicate the weapon’s purpose in aiding noble men to combat enemies of the darkness. Specifically, Narsil and Anduril symbolize the greatness of the House of Númenor in their longstanding defiance of Sauron, when many other humans have fallen to the Dark Lord’s corruption.