The Sage Medieval Fantasy Dagger (#1825)

“They are old swords, very old swords of the High Elves of the West, my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin-wars. They must have come from a dragon’s hoard or goblin plunder, for dragons and goblins destroyed that city many ages ago. … This, Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foe-hammer that the king of Gondolin once wore. Keep them well!”

–The Hobbit, Chapter 3

In Tolkien’s Silmarillion, the fall of Gondolin is a tragic tale of epic proportions. One of the reasons for the depths of the story’s tragedy is certainly because of the height from which the city fell – Gondolin was the greatest city the elves ever built, and yet it came to ruin because of deception and treachery. If Gondolin had not been a city of such great beauty and power it’s destruction would not have been felt so keenly. Only the Battle of Sudden Flame may have been a greater defeat for the elves in all of Tolkien’s writings, and yet from the destruction of Gondolin came the seeds of hope for Middle Earth.

During the wars against the Dark Lord Morgoth, the Valar Ulmo (long a supporter of the elves in Middle Earth) chose to provide for them a bastion of light against the darkness. He showed Turgon, one of the Noldor and son of Fingolfin, a hidden valley in the mountains that would be nearly impossible for the enemy to find. Turgon spent 75 years with his people building the city of Gondolin, and when it was completed led a great number of the Noldor and Sindar to live in it. This was to be the last great hope of the elves, and in order to maintain secrecy none were allowed to leave without permission. Gondolin was a bright city of marble and stone, and many great elves lived there and practiced their arts. This included the creation of many weapons that were imbued with magic to make them more effective against the servants of Morgoth.

Unfortunately, Turgon’s faith in the secrecy of his city led to downfall. 400 years after it was founded, Turgon was warned by a messenger from Ulmo that the city would be destroyed – but the great elf king trusted in the hidden valley too well. Like in many tales the downfall of this city came form within; Turgon’s nephew Maeglin, though a smith and warrior in service of Gondolin of great renown, had a dark desire in his heart. He wished to marry his cousin Idril, Turgon’s daughter, something he was never permitted to do. When Idril later wed the mortal man Tuor, Maeglin became bitter and resentful, and when given the opportunity he betrayed the city to Morgoth in exchange for a promise that Idril would be given to him when the city fell. Gondolin was razed to the ground by Morgoth’s armies, and Maeglin was killed by Tuor in the assault. Despite this tragedy the child of Tuor and Idril would go on to lead Middle Earth to victory against the forces of Morgoth.

The Sage Dagger is our short version of the Sage Sword, based on Glamdring the weapon of Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings films. Glamdring, also called the Foe Hammer, is a sword made by the elves of Gondolin many thousands of years before the Lord of the Rings takes place. After the destruction of Gondolin it went missing, until it was found by accident in a troll cave by Bilbo Baggins and his Dwarven companions during the events of The Hobbit. Our dagger version of the Sage is intended to be a companion to the two-handed sword version. This is a short (12″ blade), leaf-blade dagger with a wide base, narrow neck, and flared tip. The ricasso of the dagger has swooping curves leading into the sharply defined fuller. The guard and pommel are miniature versions of the Sage Two Handed Sword, making it stand out as an obvious companion piece. As many of the great weapons of Gondolin were made by the hand of Maeglin before he turned to the dark, it is possible that Glamdring itself was made by him – in which case, this too could be one of his make. A responsive and graceful weapon, the Sage Dagger is perfect as a standalone weapon or as a companion to its larger version.

Specs
5160 High Carbon Steel
Dual hardened tempered to a Rockwell of 53
Total length: 18.5″
Blade length: 12″
Handle length: 3 1/4″
Blade width at base: 1 1/2″
Weight:  1lbs 5oz