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In the films, Aragon uses his Ranger Sword during the events of the Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. He used it during the battle at Weathertop, Balin's Tomb, Amon Hen, Warg Attack, and the Battle of Helm's Deep.

Aragorn's Ranger sword

When Elrond gives Aragorn Andúril, he starts using it as his primary weapon.

What happens to his Ranger sword afterwards? Did he abandon it? If so, why didn't just give it to anyone like Eomer, Theoden or any man of Gondor or Rohan?

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    In the book, Aragorn carried the hilts of Aduril as his sword. He never carried another. Commented May 29, 2017 at 16:48
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    @Quasi_Stomach the "hilts?" Do you mean the shards? Commented May 30, 2017 at 21:09
  • @ErnestFriedman-Hill I think the idea that the sword was in shards was more from the movie. The quote from the book I was thinking of was 'He drew out his sword, and they saw that the blade was indeed broken a foot below the hilt. "Not much use is it, Sam?" said Strider. "But the time is near when it shall be forged anew."' Commented May 30, 2017 at 21:41
  • Appendix B says in theThird Age section: 3 Ohtar brings the Shards of Narsil to Imladris.
    – Nolimon
    Commented May 21, 2018 at 1:45

3 Answers 3

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We don't know

This sword is never mentioned in the books, so my answer will be completely non-canonical.


Films

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn uses it to fight and defeat the nine Ringwraiths. Later at Amon Hen, Frodo and Aragorn discovers Frodo's sword, Sting turns blue, signaling the Orcs had arrived. Then Aragorn and the fellowship fight off the Uruk-hai attack, allowing Frodo to escape in the confusion. Aragorn then uses it in the ensuing skirmish.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, it was finally used in Battle of the Hornburg to defend Rohan, after which it was never seen again, because he revealed himself to Sauron as the king returned, via a Palantír brandishing Anduril, the Elves had reforged it from Narsil.

It is unknown what happened to the sword afterwards, it was possibly abandoned by Aragorn.

This is a fairly accurate summary of the use of Aragorn's Ranger Sword by Lord of the Ring Fandom Wikia.

Books

The only weapon Aragorn kept when he met Frodo and Co. were the shards of Narsil. This Ranger Sword never appears.

'I did not know,' he answered. 'But I am Aragorn, and those verses go with that name.' He drew out his sword, and they saw that the blade was indeed broken a foot below the hilt. 'Not much use is it, Sam?' said Strider. 'But the time is near when it shall be forged anew.'

He reforges Narsil into Andúril before he leaves with the Fellowship.

The Company took little gear of war, for their hope was in secrecy not in battle. Aragorn had Andúril but no other weapon, and he went forth clad only in rusty green and brown, as a Ranger of the Wilderness.


Why didn't just give it to anyone like Eomer, Theoden or any man of Gondor or Rohan?

They already had their own swords. They didn't need another one. Even if Aragorn did give his sword away, we wouldn't know: the sword was never brought up again in the films (or the books).

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  • That Wikia page is very poorly written Commented May 30, 2017 at 9:26
  • To an extent. Most of the information there is just rephrased from the original text. This doesn't make it inaccurate or unreliable, though some editers might add it their personal opinions at the bottom of the page.
    – Voronwé
    Commented May 30, 2017 at 9:35
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    He doesn't have a sword to leave in Rivendell in the books
    – Doctor Two
    Commented May 30, 2017 at 11:18
  • Probably just pawned it off, then. I mean the movie is way too epic and legendary and all to mention that stuff, but you know, you can always use extra cash.
    – Misha R
    Commented Nov 12, 2023 at 1:29
  • In the films Aragorn brandished Narsil at Sauron via the Palantir in The Return of the King after he broke the siege of Minas Tirith… he did so from in front of the throne of Gondor.
    – Lexible
    Commented Nov 12, 2023 at 2:43
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In the books (at least by the time he meets the hobbits at Bree) he only had Narsil's hilt until he got it reforged (good luck trying to fight with that . . .)

He drew out his sword and they saw that the blade was indeed broken a foot below the hilt.

As for the movies, he didn't have the ranger sword on him or Brego when he left Dunharrow, so he must have left it behind. But it wouldn't have just been left at the campsite; I bet either Elrond or the Rohirrim took it - not the ones fighting but the ones who returned to Edoras, remember the court travels with the riders for traditional farewell as Eowyn says

"It's tradition of the women of the court to farewell the men."

If the sword were elven-made I would say Elrond for sure, but I think it's man-made just from the way it looks. It actually looks more like the Nazguls' swords than anything elvish (the spacer in the grip, the cone-shapes pommel). But of course Elrond could have just taken it anyway, so it's a toss-up.

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  • Can you provide any sources with your answer? It's good but some sources would make it stronger
    – Edlothiad
    Commented May 30, 2017 at 12:48
  • Only sources are the LOTR books and movies.
    – Thanaeros
    Commented May 30, 2017 at 14:18
  • I know but can you include quotes?
    – Edlothiad
    Commented May 30, 2017 at 14:23
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If the movies did not show what happened to it or it wasn't mentioned in commentary, there won't be an answer. In the books Anduril was reforged much earlier (while they were still in Rivendell). It was not a particularly special sword either, other than Aragorn owned it, most of the people he might have given could have easily had their own sword.

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  • In the Lord of the Rings Wiki, it says that this sword was abandoned. Why didn't just give it to anyone? Instead of abandoning it Commented May 29, 2017 at 16:50
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    You're using the definition of abandoned too strictly. When I move, you can say that I abandoned my old house for my new one, but that doesn't mean someone else won't use it after me. I doubt the sword was thrown on the ground and left. It just wasn't an important enough detail to show specifically where it ended up.
    – Alarion
    Commented May 29, 2017 at 17:01

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