Some of the greatest warriors in Middle-earth were not known for wielding a blade, but a
bow - from lone archers slaying dragons to bow-weidling armies sending forth great clouds
of arrows in battle.
Today on Nerd of the Rings, we are talking about the most famous bows - and arrows - in
the History of Middle-earth.
While we know that Legolas is among the many elves who are handy with a bow, there are
many characters across the different civilizations who favor archery in combat.
One that we will likely see in the upcoming Amazon show are the Numenoreans.
In Unfinished Tales, we learn about the island kingdom and their tactics - including the use of bows.
They specifically use bows made of hollow steel and used them to shoot black-feathered arrows.
Tolkien states:
These black-feathered arrows were said to measure nearly four feet in length and inspired
great fear in the enemies of Numenor.
In my last weapons video, we talked about the sword passed down the line of Numenor,
but there was also a bow that became an heirloom of the Kings - The Bow of Bregor.
Bregor was the second Lord of Ladros during the First Age.
His famous bow would be passed down through the line of Beor.
Bregor was a direct ancestor of such famous men of the first age as Barahir, Beren, Hurin, Turin, and Tuor.
Despite the House of Beor gradually dwindling to the point of no longer existing as its
own entity, the bow managed to survive into the Second Age.
As mentioned, it is passed down through the line of the Numenorean kings until the downfall of Numenor in 3319.
Another great bow of the First Age was Belthronding, the bow of Beleg.
This bow, made of black yew-wood, and the deeds accomplished by its master, give Beleg
his nickname Cuthalion, meaning Strongbow.
His greatness in battle alongside his friend Turin would lead to an entire realm being
named “the land of bow and helm”, with Beleg being the aforementioned bow.
In some of Tolkien’s earlier writings, he also names one of Beleg’s arrows - Dailir.
This arrow, like one that will come up later in the 3rd age - was always found unharmed by it’s master after use.
It is said that Dailir was finally broken as Beleg is carrying Turin away from the orcs and Beleg falls upon it.
As for Belthronding, after Beleg’s tragic death, Turin would bury the bow alongside it’s master.
Next we’ll quickly cover some other groups of people who preferred the bow and arrow,
despite not having any particular named bows.
While they are most associated with fighting with sword and spear on horseback, the Riders
of Rohan also had mounted archers in their ranks.
Unlike their Gondorian counterparts, the Rohirrim used shortbows that had a range of roughly 125 yards.
Meanwhile in Gondor, the soldiers there opted for a longbow.
These were accurate at nearly double the range of the Rohan bows and were just under six
feet in height and made of heartwood.
The arrows were a little over two feet and had four-inch steel tips.
The Two Towers also tells us that rather than wear their quiver on their back, these Gondorian
bowmen wore their quivers on their hips.
The Rangers of Ithilien, among whom we find Faramir, also used bows as their primary weapon
in their missions of stealth against the enemy.
While most commonly associated with axes and swords, we know that dwarves did use bows from time to time.
Specifically, Thorin Oakenshield threatens Bard and Thranduil with a bow found within
the mountain when they request he part with some of his treasure.
We also know from the chapter in The Two Towers covering Boromir’s death that orcs also used the bow and arrow.
While in other parts of the story we see orcs using bows made from horn, the Uruk-hai of
Isengard used longer bows made of yew, much like some of the men of Middle-earth.
Not to be forgotten are the Hobbits of the Shire.
While the Battle of Bywater during the Scouring of the Shire will no doubt come to mind as
a place we see hobbit archers, we know that a few hobbits also fought in the Battle of
Fornost, the final battle in Arnor where the Witch-king was defeated by groups of men and elves.
Before we dive back into some of our favorite elven archers and their weaponry, we should
mention some notable arrows in Middle-earth.
First, we have the Red Arrow.
While not used in battle, the Red Arrow played an important role in the histories of Gondor and Rohan.
The Red Arrow was used by Gondor to summon its allies to help in times of great need.
It was first sent out by Steward Cirion of Gondor to King Eorl the Young of the Eotheod,
and centuries later it would be delivered to King Theoden of Rohan as ordered by Steward Denethor of Gondor.
The second, and arguably most famous arrow in Middle-earth is the Black Arrow, used by
Bard the Bowman when the dragon Smaug attacks Laketown.
This arrow originated in the Lonely Mountain.
From Girion, the Lord of Dale, it was passed down - father to son, until finally coming
to his descendant - Bard.
As Bard and his bowmen are attempting in vain to bring down the dragon, Bard comes to the
final arrow in his quiver saying:
He hits the bare spot on Smaug’s belly, striking the dragon’s heart and killing
the great terror from the Mountain.
Finally, we will mention some more of the famous elves and their affinity for archery.
It should be noted that of all the peoples of Middle-earth, the elves were the first
to develop and master the use of the bow and arrow.
This skill, along with a great many others, they would pass on to men.
In one of Tolkien’s earliest versions of Gondolin - found in The Book of Lost Tales
- there is a great elf named Duilin, a Lord of one of the twelve houses of Gondolin - the House of the Swallow.
He is said to be the “surest of the archers of the Eldalie” or elves.
In this version of the story, the elves of the Swallow and of the Heavenly Arch rain
down arrows from the Northern walls of the city.
Duilin is killed by a fiery bolt of the balrogs from outside the city.
While only a brief mention, we also hear about Elrond’s father Earendil wielding a bow made of dragon-horn.
Earendil of course would be one of the great heroes of the War of Wrath, killing the greatest
of all dragons - Ancalagon the Black.
Finally, no video on the bows of Middle-earth would be complete without talking about the great Legolas.
One of the most famous elves of the Third Age, Legolas would use his skill as a member
of the Fellowship of the Ring, protecting many of his companions from the likes of orcs
and wargs early on in their journey.
When the Fellowship comes to Lorien, Galadriel gifts Legolas with a Bow of the Galadhrim.
This bow was longer and more stout than the bows of his homeland and is strung with elf-hair.
This great bow would serve the archer greatly in the battles to come.
Not only in places like Helm’s Deep, the great plains of Pelennor, and the dreadful
lands of the Morannon at the gates of Mordor - but also in perhaps his most impressive
moment - shooting a fell beast out of the sky, in the dark, near Sarn Gebir - killing
the steed and forcing it’s black rider to retreat to Mordor on foot and preventing it
attacking the Fellowship across the river.
In the coming weeks, we will talk about some of the greatest axe-wielding heroes in Middle-earth.
So be sure to hit subscribe and the bell so you don’t miss it.
Do you have a favorite heroic weapon?
Let me know in the comments!
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