The Greatest Bows & Arrows in Middle-earth | Tolkien Explained

[@NerdoftheRings]

What is your favorite weapon in Middle-earth? Don't forget to hit subscribe and the bell!

[@TheCinderestBlockAround]

Favorite weapon…has to still go to Narsil but Legolas’ bow is epic when it comes to my opinion on the bows, though first age/ second age things always fascinate me

[@smaug9956]

Dragon fire

[@arsenic73]

The one ring to rule them all

[@angelortiz9341]

Sting, because it was used by Bilbo Baggins and given to Frodo on the quest to destroy the One Ring. But of all the bow wielders in Middle-Earth, that has to go to Thorin’s nephew Kili who is skilled in archery.

[@principledpsychopath8461]

The whips of the balrogs .(I forgot to add that in particular if Gothmog had a special whip that would be my favourite )

[@kraff2988]

I love imagining the 1 nazgul having to walk home, knock on the gates of Mordor and explain to papa Sauron why he lost his fell-beast, and how Legalos beat him up for trying to pick on his little hobbit friends

[@meduseldtales3383]

@@Chelooby "Your fea is writing checks your hroa can't cash, Khamul!"

[@rafaelfarias4359]

He would say something like: "It wasn't fair my Lord. He shouted 'Elbereth Gilthoniel' and shot an arrow that looked like a lightning out of nowhere hitting my steed in full flight."

[@nirfz]

Don't know why, but i just pictured a Nazgul with hanging shoulders walking in the half dark while Fat's Domino's "I'm Walking starts to play"...😂

[@jonahstirbis3408]

The other 8 wouldn't stop laughing at him!

[@sentientmustache8360]

“Suladân, what happened to Gary?” “Gary?… my Fellbeast?” “Yes, where is it” “It’s… uh… resting” “Resting?” “Yeah, he just got shot by an arrow…” “Where?” “The eye… and… into the brain” “Where’s it resting now?” “…Underground” “…” “…” “This is your third dead Fellbeast this semester, Suladân” “I know…” “You know the punishment for this” “Yes…” “You will now ride upon the black donkey for the remainder of the third age” “fine, master”

[@TheCinderestBlockAround]

Bows really seem like an unseen side of Tolkien. When I think of bows I can really only recall two bows being renowned. Legolas’ Galadrim bow and the bow Bard used to slay Smaug. Excited to learn there were other bows of renown in Middle Earth!

[@TheCinderestBlockAround]

@@Chelooby same, the bow singing kind of points out that the Galadrim bow even sounds good when being shot, that’s how wholesome the elves and their crafts are.

[@TheCinderestBlockAround]

@Drewmer MRooster12 I didn’t know Beren had a bow

[@aurelian2668]

@@Chelooby The bow used by that elf in gondolin was also well known i think?

[@timw7256]

That's because you only watched the movies

[@Henbot]

It’s more his arrow for bard. It feels like being black arrow echoes back to numenor

[@DehJarlorNoob]

The bow is a warrior's weapon. Bows are historically appreciated by many cultures, and not least by the english. From the english longbowmen to the mongolian horse archers and the samurai, the bow was the main weapon most of the time. As a man of culture, Tolkien probably knew this.

[@moviewolverine89]

A moment of silence for the Nazgul who had to walk home to Mordor on foot(again) after having his ride killed(again) when he was THIS CLOSE to the Ring(again).

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

*Angry Názgul* "Aimbot I say. He used aimbot!"😂

[@ebonypegasus9864]

but... One does not simply walk into Mordor....

[@KororaPenguin]

"Has he had another mount shot out from under him?" -- Uglúk

[@tompark5047]

He should have stayed dead!

[@DoctorJeo115]

In the best way possible, I love how much tolkien work is milked, so much knowledge, and lore.

[@swordofstabbingold]

Milked like a well-fed cow, with plenty to spare no matter how much is taken.

[@edwardness7497]

Gil-galad's spear/glaive... always liked that weapon, seemed so elegant...

[@fingolfin9086]

Thank you for this, a great topic that is not likely to be covered by most. I’ve been obsessed with traditional archery ever since I first started reading fantasy literature in middle school and there’s not a ton of sources that talk about it.

[@michaldante9797]

Yes exactly and it´s a shame brought by stereotypes like that bows were used by slimmer/weaker races and characters. Average man not trained can pull probably 30lbs bow. Hunting bows are around 40 to 100lbs for big game. Warbows starting probably at 80 and goes up even to 250lbs ! Proper warbows able to penetrate some kinds of armor could not be used be any weaker characters ! And when it comes to skills it´s even more interesting because another stereotype is that archery was mainly stationary or on horseback. Many archers used bows in motion on foot ! The best part is of course making the best shot as possible. But you know all of that if you are already interested in history of archery.

[@alandavies55]

On a ramble round France, I was delighted to see the outline figures of the English archers on the roadside to Agincourt ( Azincourt in French) very sporting of the French to put them there.

[@gilanbarona9814]

Nice video. Keep up the good work. I own a collectible longbow that has black laminate on a wood core. It draws nearly 70 pounds. I shoot it once in a while and it feels like I am with an old friend whenever I do. I have taken to calling it Belthronding.

[@pj3679]

Turin's black sword could talk, that is kinda impressive. It spoke to him when he used it to kill himself.

[@morgothbauglir8687]

“Then he drew forth his sword, and said: 'Hail Gurthang, iron of death, you alone now remain! But what lord or loyalty do you know, save the hand that wields you? From no blood will you shrink. Will you take Turin Turambar? Will you slay me swiftly?' And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer: 'Yes, I will drink your blood, that I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay you swiftly.' Then Turin set the hilts upon the ground, and cast himself upon the point of Gurthang, and the black blade took his life.”

[@kevinbrown3610]

Summary guy to sword: "bro I'm sad can I have a hug" sword: "come here bro I got you"

[@natedorney7032]

The Mormegil or "black blade" was one of the weapons originally made by Eol the dark elf if memory serves me correctly... It was initially carried by Beleg who was warned of it's history and after beleg was accidentally killed by Turin, by him as well. Turin Turambar used it to kill glaurung the father of dragons before his end.

[@gosiawolinska7582]

My favorite wepapon has to be Ringil, its the sword that greatly injured the dark lord melkor

[@mypeeps1965]

AGREED!

[@binoyanmitra5244]

Absolutely!! It injured Morgoth seven times before dealing a punishing blow which would cripple the God of Evil

[@gosiawolinska7582]

@@Hhjhfu247 It's not confurmed but I believe that Morgoth destroyed, but I do agree that it could have been buried with the King, either way it was not seen again

[@randolphvanhook5829]

It could have broken on the final stab that crippled Morgoth. I don’t think that’s ever really stated, but it seems to be a thing in some of Tolkien’s works.

[@jyotisrivastava1122]

Ringil is the GOAT blade

[@johnnyfreitas7297]

Always a pleasure to see your videos! 👏😁

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks so much! Glad you are enjoying the channel!

[@TheKulu42]

I'd say my favorite weapon in Middle Earth is Sting. I've always imagined Sting as a big battle knife, Middle Earth's answer to the Bowie knife. Its blade would be between 8 to 12 inches long, just big enough to be "good as a short sword for a hobbit."

[@simoncooper6752]

So I'm guessing this will be a 3 part series about Middle-earth's swords, and bows and arrows, and my AXE!

[@meduseldtales3383]

Hopefull so. I only recently learned that Tuor had a famous axe called Dramborleg. In earlier version of the story, he killed *five* Balrogs with it during the Fall of Gondolin :-)

[@simoncooper6752]

@@meduseldtales3383 I didn't know that, though I've only recently started the Fall of Gondolin. Was it mentioned in Unfinished Tales?

[@meduseldtales3383]

@@simoncooper6752 It's in the Book of Lost Tales, so it's the version Tolkien wrote in 1917, and one of the first things he wrote about Middle-earth.

[@androkles04]

Considering I have Glamdring hanging on my wall, it's got to be my favourite epic weapon. And I do love me some Gondolin, with the Noldor being my favourite Eldar.

[@youareveryannoying9179]

Love your videos

[@jasong546]

I had no idea I would like this channel so much, and watch like it is a history of something real. What a nerd!

[@legolasgreenleaf727]

I've always deeply loved the bow of the Galadrim, it just stood out to me as so cool when I first read LOTR, but I must say I do love Belthronding as well!

[@mitchellealfred3349]

Thank you so much for this amazing video😭❤ I'm on my finals week, lot of works and stress but this lift up my day ❤

[@boazvankreuningen9015]

Great video!!!

[@cheetos1231000]

these videos are so good. i never thought i'd learn so much about MIddle Earth but i certainly don't regret it

[@witness2105]

I love watching your videos!! You should make a video on the Dagor Dagorath. And I know there’s not a lot on info on this battle but you should make a video on what you think it would look like. Think of it as a theory video.

[@Nikiran13]

Another great video! Looking forward to the next one!

[@florisvandenbrink1512]

As always, love your work

[@tedclubberlang8576]

Love your channel, keep up the good content. You should do a greatest axes of middle earth video

[@spencerwilliams2919]

You’re amazing this is amazing love the entire channel

[@BruceRKF]

Interesting as always! What I'd like to know though is, whether the baddies (Orcs and co.) also had any famous weapons they revered?

[@Alex9971000]

I’ve always wondered that too

[@rcnyoplait]

Melkor had Grond hammer of the underworld The battering ram that broke through minas tirith was named after it

[@brentsilvey2288]

Great video again!

[@bastianvillebro6420]

You should make a video about the history of the dwarves because that would be interesting with the khazad dum balrog and Smaug stuff as well as Durin and the history behind the elves and dwarves hating each other :)

[@phiology1983]

Another solid video! My favorite weapons in middle earth. Next video should be helmets.

[@Anton_the_Vampire]

I'm torn. I love the swords of the elves, such as the one wielded by Thranduil. But I also love bows! I love the idea of weapons having names.

[@pliskiniriquois8667]

I hope everyone has a good day, if not then a happy future from this point.

[@cake4013]

Thanks, you too!

[@harvtimetoit]

'The Great Legolas', ❤❤❤

[@reneg8]

I can't get over how wrongly Breor is holding the bow. There are a lot of others where the string is clearly on the wrong side.

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

Artists still have difficulty making realistic bow poses, and more than one bow in games are strung backwards.

[@lordsauron7559]

What was the music called at 8:58 part 2 of your morgoth video? It was so good!!!!!!

[@smaug9956]

The dark lord sauron. Hey good music

[@johnnybhoff226]

I’d wager the black arrow is one of if not the powerful arrow. But for bows, I’d say it’s more debatable.

[@swordofstabbingold]

It's really just Bard's lucky arrow that lasted the longest, that he reclaimed every battle. His confidence and faith in it gave it the accuracy to slay smaug.

[@jamiegregg9211]

awesome vid matt

[@brianjohnson5272]

"Black arrow you never failed me and I've always recovered you, I had you from my father and he from of old. If ever you came from the forges of the true king under the mountain go now and speed well!" Since is was four I can still remember that from the 70's Hobbit.

[@ofgondor5312]

You already KNOW my favorite by now... Beleg mf Cuthalion with his Bow & Arrow. So epic, I love your videos. Cool to hear about Numenoreans sending a black hail before them. Can't wait to see that in the show, but also hope its not too identical to "Our arrows, will block out the sun..." from the movie 300. #FreeMorgoth

[@zackclower3019]

I'm hyped to see the numenoreans period lol.

[@ofgondor5312]

@@zackclower3019 I hope we get a scene where the Númenorean’s roll up on the coast toto capture Sauron.

[@zackclower3019]

You know how fuckin epic the size of that army is gonna be. In March on the original barad dur. I'm getting chills hearing the march of the numbers of numenor.

[@ofgondor5312]

@@zackclower3019 yeah Amazon could overdue the epic ness in the battle scenes and I don’t think anyone would mind. Show runners: “Let’s add a bit of epicness…” *spills whole bottle of epicness into the show* Showrunners: “oops”

[@zackclower3019]

@@ofgondor5312 it's gonna be a dream to see one of the biggest armies I've read about for years and years.

[@9385dee7]

This channel is so fucking good.

[@krogaen741]

How about, "Greatest rock throwers" like, they just threw rocks really well. That would be cool I think

[@leinaD051]

Podrías, por favor, hacer un video mas sobre los arqueros de Numenor, o sobre Bardo y faramir, sabemos que los elfos eran arqueros increíbles, pero los humanos podían competirle a un elfo? y cuales fueron las hazañas mas increíbles con arcos

[@trevorjameson5171]

Omg you should totally do a video on what would happen if Shelob got the ring!!?

[@anthony99900]

Greta video. As much as I love swords the bow is the best weapon ever invented .

[@Modulates]

My favorite weapon is definitely Andurel, Flame of the West. Though combatant is gandalf hands down, though I need to revisit the silmarillioj

[@JohnPeacekeeper]

The Numenorean volley archers when fighting the Dwarves: *Shocked Pikachu face when they get immediately countered by some whirly dirly ballistas*

[@yodaistcool7088]

Your voice is so reassuring. I like it Edit ofc I like your vids too

[@jakebritton8143]

Really keen for the numenor video

[@joeybox0rox649]

Great job! 👍👍

[@tobiasball5225]

Fun topic. Well done. Currently, my favorite weapon is the electronic fly-swatter I am using to defend myself while having a cigar in the garage.

[@zlatkowar]

Don't know if you covered staves in your vids already. Pretty sure you talked about one of them at some point but don't know if there's enough content lore side to make comparisons and talk about their origins and specificities etc. But if it hasn't been done yet, it might be an idea to consider :3

[@erikagray9883]

Who on Middle Earth are the people giving these videos thumbs downs? 😮 I look forward to these all week!

[@braylon3233]

well smaug for one lol

[@erikagray9883]

@@braylon3233 hahah! Truth.

[@smaug9956]

@@braylon3233 wtf

[@meli7408]

I always had a thing for the dark side so I would say my favorite weapon is Sauron's black hammer. So brutal ! Also I really like the wolf head Grond

[@MariontheBagginsofFandoms]

The age old question: Bow and Arrow, Sword or Axe?!!!

[@dianewood2430]

@John Wallace Which did they use ❓ Bow 🏹 or sword ⚔️ ?

[@smaug9956]

Axe

[@dianewood2430]

@@smaug9956 Thanks 😊

[@dianewood2430]

@@smaug9956 No, wait. Longbow at Againcourt

[@zlatkowar]

Most important lesson learned from the elder scrolls franchise : stealth and bow is the way to go x'D

[@retroriven9740]

Guns of middle earth next

[@George.B.Walker]

The mention of the gondorian longbowmen wearing their quiver at their hip is actually the standard historically. English longbowmen wore their quivers on their hips, as did most archers in the medieval period

[@Ace-cr9qt]

Love ❤️ your Videos keep up the good work

[@imaginatvytitle]

Just here for Beleg and Belthronding 🤩

[@Enerdhil]

Matt, where did you find that Earendil was skilled with a bow? What specifically was your source? If I had known that Earendil was a skilled archer, I would have assumed that he killed Ancalagon the Black with an arrow, like Bard killed Smaug. Up until now, I have had trouble thinking of how he could have killed the dragon with a sword, so I thought maybe the sharp beak of the swan on the front of Vingilot impaled the winged beast.

[@NerdoftheRings]

There's a line in the Song of Earendil in Fellowship of the Ring that mentions his bow. In the chapter "Many Meetings".

[@Enerdhil]

@@NerdoftheRings Thank you sooooo much! You are a blessing to us lazy Tolkien lore fans! God bless you, and Eru too!

[@therealelderking5830]

There is actually no indication that he did because the Song of Earendil was written by Bilbo who may have taken a few poetic liberties. Nevertheless it does mention a bow of dragon horn.

[@Enerdhil]

@@therealelderking5830 For me, it solves the mystery of how Earendil could kill a dragon the size of a football pitch, or bigger. An arrow makes sense in Tolkien's Legendarium. The spear is the only other weapon I can think of that could kill Ancalagon from a "safe distance" away. I guess the concentrated light of the Silmaril could kill the dragon, but that is unlikely.

[@beatleblev]

The fight in the sky lasted all day and all night so I imagine it was a bit of everything you described: spear, bow, and a ram on the bow of Vingilot, with some white fire from the Silmaril thrown in for good measure. It would be almost impossible to fell the mightiest of dragons with one blow.

[@gengiim470]

You forgot one thing, Legolas is the only archer with infinite arrows 🤭

[@rockinHurley777]

Nope he runs out

[@stephenleggett4243]

He has to collect them from the battlefield, even considering some ork arrows passable.

[@gilross275]

he ran out of arrows at helms deep. after shieldsliding he switched to the daggers you could see the quiver was empty

[@rockinHurley777]

@@gilross275 exactly. And in the desolation of smaug of course

[@gilross275]

@@rockinHurley777 you mean battle of the five armies

[@phiology1983]

Hands down. Elvish archers are the best!

[@martinolsen007]

lord elrond definetly got the most badass sword :D

[@callme_sachin13]

@Nerd Of the Rings Been kinda addicted to your reviews... ❤️ I was looking for your video on songs of middle earth again recently...But it's not there anymore... what happened? 😵🤧 Copyright issue or something?

[@JMACCSArmiesOfMiddleEarth]

Love how all the ranger art work has the bow on the back not hip :P

[@johnathannicoll2594]

So what im learning i. These videos is that alot of really awesome weapons got lost all at once with the fall of numenor

[@neetutiwari7786]

heyy heyy heyy heyy what were you talking about the amazon prime and numeronians?????pleasee explain.... is there any series coming up???..... Btww lovee yourr videos❤❤❤❤

[@NerdoftheRings]

There is indeed. LOTRonPrime - aka the Lord of the Rings Second Age series being produced by Amazon

[@thedoctor2415]

The legendary scythe that kept the hobbits at bay, well after pippin and marry took the crops

[@calebcamarillo3203]

Hey what’s that music at the end of the video that you keep using, it’s very soothing

[@NerdoftheRings]

It’s called “Roaming the Fields” by Kyle Preston. You can find it on Spotify

[@kk-ls2wq]

Why not make videos of Feanor's line with their deeds.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Great idea! I will definitely cover Feanor and his sons in future vids!

[@Enerdhil]

@@NerdoftheRings That could be a +20 minute video.😁😁😁

[@georgemercer402]

Kili and Aragorn also used archery in certain situations, at least in the live-action movies they were featured in

[@benkutz5209]

This is freakin cool

[@LancetFencing]

well done

[@annaroselarsen4218]

Awesome video ! Bows are probably my favorite didn't the hobbits use bow as well?

[@NerdoftheRings]

Yep! They're in the vid. :)

[@annaroselarsen4218]

@@NerdoftheRings awesome i just started watching the video!

[@ethanallenhawley1052]

Shoutout to Debbie. Thank you!

[@puff_pastry6356]

i love these videos

[@kyanfleming7175]

And some say that lars Anderson was transported to an alternate reality middle earth and was first to teach the elves his mad archery skills 🤣

[@jendersonmohammed443]

Always wanted to learn archery

[@Serilaene]

I know of a certain bow & arrow that are quite powerful as well, not so much for their ability to kill, than their ability to *not* kill and what that implies. ゴゴゴゴ

[@Enerdhil]

Would that be Cupid's bow and arrow by any chance? The implication being it causes love?

[@Serilaene]

@@Enerdhil Y-Yeah... Yeah, totally. That's totally it. Haha. Hahaha. Hah... *pleasesendhelpimsurroundedwithstandusers*

[@Enerdhil]

@@Serilaene Fantastic Riddles in the Dark kind of puzzle. Now your homework is to put it to verse, that is poetic form.

[@traviscummings9178]

Just got done playing Shadow of Mordor, and I was curious what your thoughts were about it, especially as the legends are inscribed on the weapons.

[@worldtraveler930]

What was the name of the weapon used to chop off the hands and feet of Morgoth before he was cast into the void??

[@botaslaal8354]

Almost an insult that they gave "his (Legolas) most impressive moment" to Faramir in the movies 🙈🤫

[@Telcontar86]

Eh, they gave Legolas much better feats than that in the movies. Almost to the detriment of the character

[@fatihk1194]

In movies Legolas killed a Mumakil and its entire crew to pass Gimli in kill count.

[@gilross275]

very nice but the bow of legolas you portrait is a rivendell horsebow

[@Endremael]

Who would unlike this work of art?

[@smaug9956]

Anti archers....

[@swordwhale1]

I read somewhere that Tolkien always wanted to shoot well with a bow. I've dabbled in swords and bows, but the bow is likely my favorite... blame it on Legolas (from when I read LOTR in 1978). And all the D&D elves...

[@Soviless99]

the bows in the films inspired my arrow and bow making. the lotr film galadhrim bows greatly resemble scythian bows

[@AshenDruid]

Because of course the men of Numenor would prefer Dark Souls style weaponry

[@christianaplaon2477]

Can you please make a video of the Elven languages? I saw in the movie subtitle of the fellowship of the ring when Gandalf and Saruman use magical chant in the Caradras something Sindarin and Quenyan. Where the Miars know these languages before entering EA?

[@supershenron9162]

The twin black blades are my favorite

[@hnybee113]

Axes are weapons of extreme strength and balance and focus. That's why dwarves are the man.

[@gac7718]

Legolas shoots a fell beast out of the sky in the dark. That's pretty f'n cool! That should've been in 1 of the movies. I still think the Black arrow's the best though.

[@sikiliflores4122]

How about a video on shields just curious.

[@jasoncalvert4209]

Nobody speaks of the never-ending quiver. That in its self is a legion

[@shermanbland5417]

Watching these video just reminds me of how long we have to wait for the middle earth tv show to come out :/

[@pj3679]

I always liked the Holy Hand grenade of Antioch. oh, sorry wrong movie.

[@mrcyde]

Excellent!

[@metalbob3335]

Count not to five , but three .

[@MiD218]

Who are you to be so wose in tje waus of science?

[@mrcyde]

...and that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana shaped.

[@garytwinem5275]

Theoden: Give them a volley, then fetchez le vache.

[@denen404]

paused at 0.23 to say...I liked...before seeing vod...solely because this is something i've wanted to know for years but had no idea how to research. am kind of a bowmen nerd in strategy/fantasy also you should definitely try out divide and conquer third age total war for medieval total war II its simple to install the mod AND the games cheap and the mod is AMAZING and right up your alley when it comes to genre atleast also based on past content i'd give 1k likes a vid I watch if I could edit* at 1:04 i've already learned about something I've never even heard of....WTF I thought I was a lord of the rings nerd....apparently not.....omfg I'm rethinking life.... edit** so at 4:06 I'm now curious of the mod I mentioned uses the lore from the vod/info from the vod or not if not I'd love for some kind of implementation!

[@andreasderycke42]

4:36 wtf? Did Uruk-Hai Made bows of ME?!?

[@NerdoftheRings]

Lol. Yew wood. 😂

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

Interesting what if idea for you what if the Witch King was killed on Weathertop by one of the Hobbits (assuming Merry was the only reason the Witch King died and was the "no man" who would kill him).

[@Enerdhil]

Kamul would takeover and Frodo would still get stabbed by a Morgul blade, me thinks

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

@@Enerdhil I would love to see Sauron's reaction and he might be more careful in the War Of The Ring after the head of the Nazgul is killed in a relatively small fight and could send guards to Mount Doom. Also Frodo was stabbed by the Witch King so he might get out of being stabbed. Plus Theoden would still be alive and Merry could participate in the battle at the Black Gate.

[@Enerdhil]

@@Lord-Emperor-Vader In my take, Kamul would receive the crown and power of the Witch King and Theoden would still get killed, but then Eowen and Pippin would be in trouble. Maybe Eomer comes to the rescue and avenges his uncle and king's death with Eowen and Pippin's help.

[@arthurgoerner488]

I love Sting, it is a badass short sword.

[@beregond.]

I see that some of the specifics (measures, range . . .) you give are probable deductions from the data we have. But why do you think that the Rangers of Ithilien had hip quivers? Is this implied somewhere? I only find their quivers mentioned without further description.

[@jkre]

He never said rangers of ithilien had hip quivers. He was still talking about gondorian bowmen, eaven tough he already showed a picture of ranger

[@TheLordUrban]

Forgot the Woodsmen of Mirkwood. Even the great eagles were afraid of their bows.