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"I will give
you a name," [Bilbo] said to it, "and I shall call you Sting."
~ The Hobbit, Chapter 8
Tolkien does not elaborate on the origins of Sting in either the Hobbit
or The Lord of the Rings. Since Sting is found in the company of Glamdring
and Orcrist, it is assumed that it was originally forged in Gondolin by
the great elven smiths.
Sting is never really described in detail throughout the Hobbit or the Lord of The Rings. When it is found in the troll horde in The Hobbit, it is only described as a simple knife, which by virtue of the diminutive size of hobbits, would serve as a short sword.
"… Bilbo took a knife in a leather sheath. It would have made only a tiny pocket-knife for a troll, but it was as good as a short sword for the hobbit." ~ The Hobbit, Chapter 2
Sting was found with Glamdring and Orcrist, both of which are described as having "beautiful scabbards and jewelled hilts." Other than noting that Sting was found in a leather sheath, no other description is initially given. Later, when Bilbo gives it to Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring, it is described as a "small sword in an old shabby leather scabbard" with a "polished and well-tended blade." There is no mention of engravings, runes, gem inlays, or an elaborate hilt that would indicate that Sting was something special. It can be inferred that Sting is relatively small, even by hobbit standards, as Bilbo was able to conceal it in his breeches.
"…-
the little dagger that he got from the trolls, and that he had quite forgotten;
nor did the goblins seem to have noticed it, as he wore it inside his
breeches." ~ The Hobbit, Chapter 5
It is interesting to note that in The Hobbit, Sting is first described as a knife (Chapter 2), then as a dagger (Chapter 5), and finally as a sword for the remainder of the books. Based upon its ability to glow in the presence of orcs/goblins it is assumed to be of elven manufacture from the age of Gondolin (First Age). In general, knives are used as tools rather than weapons and typically have only one edge. Since it seems unlikely that the elven smiths would have gone to the effort of enchanting a simple knife, it can be assumed that Sting started its life as a dagger, which probably served as a backup weapon at the side of some elven warrior, possibly even the original wielder of either Glamdring or Orcrist.
Sting is portrayed in the recent movies as an ornate short sword. It has a leaf blade and is similar in appearance to the gladius wielded by the Roman soldiers, or the short bronze swords wielded by the earlier Greeks, and some of the Celtic short sword designs from early in the Iron Age. The leaf blade design would bring the weight of the weapon forward towards the point, making it an excellent slashing weapon in close quarters.
Two display models of Sting are currently in production. The first, crafted by United Cutlery, is scaled to "hobbit size" at 22 inches in overall length. The second, created by the Noble Collection, is scaled to human size, or "movie scale" (i.e., what Elijah Wood would have carried in filming) and is 27 inches long. Both productions come with display mounts. Currently only the Noble Collection offers a scabbard (sold separately), but United Cutlery is supposed to be releasing one at some point in the future as well.
In addition, Arms of Valor has provided the United Cutlery version of Sting to War of the Ring for a competition giveaway. Orc has completed his review of this piece and you can read about it here.
If you want to comment about this article or ask Orc a question, you can e-mail him. Alternatively, you can go to our Weapons Forum and have a chat there.
