J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and its adaptations have produced many of the fantasy genre's most iconic swords. Some were symbols of Middle-earth's heroes, such as Andúril, which represented Aragorn's status as the heir of Isildur, and Sting, an unassuming Elven knife that Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam turned into a legendary blade through their exploits. Others were the terrifying tools of Middle-earth's villains, such as the Witch-king's Morgul-blade, which could inflict a fate worse than death upon its victims.

Yet there was a lesser-known weapon in Tolkien's legendarium that simultaneously filled both roles, and it originated not from Middle-earth but from the stars far beyond. The section "Of Túrin Turambar" from The Silmarillion told the tale of Middle-earth's most tragic family and woven into their story was that of a black-bladed sword called Gurthang, the Iron of Death. Gurthang was a cursed, sentient sword made of meteoric iron. It aided two of The Silmarillion's heroes in their battles against the Dark Lord Morgoth's forces, but it also spelled their respective dooms.

Gurthang Was One of The Lord of the Rings' Deadliest Weapons

Much like Andúril, Gurthang was the reforged and renamed version of an older sword: Anglachel. Anglachel was a creation of Eöl the Dark Elf, a skilled but villainous blacksmith from early in Middle-earth's history. Eöl used the iron from a fallen meteorite he discovered to create a strong yet malleable black metal called Galvorn. He then forged Galvorn into the sword Anglachel, which was so sharp it could cut through ordinary iron with ease. Eöl poured his hatred into Anglachel, cursing the blade and giving it a degree of sentience. This was reminiscent of how Sauron would imbue the One Ring with his dark power several thousand years later in The Lord of the Rings.

Unlike Sauron, however, Eöl did not use his creation. Instead, he reluctantly gave Anglachel to King Elu Thingol as thanks for allowing him to stay in the forest of Nan Elmoth. Thingol's wife, Melian, was one of the Maiar, the same type of divine spirit as Sauron and the Wizards from The Lord of the Rings. She could sense that Anglachel possessed an evil energy: "There is malice in this sword. The dark heart of the smith still dwells in it. It will not love the hand it serves; neither will it abide with you long." Thingol heeded his wife's warning, though he did not destroy the blade. He kept it in his armory, where it waited for the day it could finally taste blood.

Anglachel Claimed Many Lives -- Including its Wielders'

• Eöl also made a Galvorn sword for himself called Anguirel as well as a suit of Galvorn armor; these and Anglachel were the only known Galvorn items.
• Anglachel roughly translated to "Iron of Flaming Star" in the Elvish language of Sindarin.
• Tolkien described Anglachel as "the dread blade."

That day came in the year 489 of the First Age. Beleg Strongbow, a march warden of Thingol's kingdom, planned to join his friend Túrin in the north. Before he left, Thingol told him, "For many deeds you have earned my thanks... At this parting ask for any gift, and I will not deny it to you." Beleg requested a weapon since his sword struggled against Orc's armor. Thingol allowed Beleg to take anything he wished from the armory -- aside from his personal sword, Aranrúth -- and Beleg chose Anglachel. Melian warned him against it as she had her husband, but Beleg thought it was worth the risk. It was not long before Beleg had a chance to use Anglachel; soon after he arrived in the north, Orcs captured Túrin, and Beleg set out to rescue him.

Tolkien wrote that the sword "rejoiced to be unsheathed." Tolkien often ascribed emotions to inanimate objects, but in this instance, his choice of words demonstrated that Anglachel had a will of its own; it seemed to enjoy combat. Túrin was unconscious when Beleg eventually found him and cut him free from his restraints. Accidentally -- or perhaps because of the sword's bloodlust -- Beleg nicked Túrin's foot with the blade. Túrin awoke in a frenzy, thinking that an Orc was attacking him. He wrestled Anglachel out of Beleg's hands and killed him with it, only realizing what he had done when a flash of lightning illuminated his fallen friend's face. As Melian had predicted, Anglachel betrayed its wielder, another similarity to the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings.

Anglachel Held a Grudge Against Túrin

• Gurthang was also called the Black Thorn of Brethil.
• In an early draft of what would eventually become The Silmarillion, Tolkien instead called the black sword Gurtholfin, meaning "Wand of Death."
• Archaeologists have discovered blades made of meteoric iron in the real world, including a dagger from King Tut's tomb.

After coming to his senses, Túrin kept Anglachel, hoping to avenge Beleg by using it to kill more Orcs, yet ever since Beleg's death, "its blade was... dull and its edges blunt." The Elves speculated that the reason for this sudden change was that Anglachel was mourning the death of its old wielder. They reforged it, renewing its luster and sharpness, and Túrin renamed it Gurthang. He used Gurthang to slay countless monsters, including Glaurung, the first dragon in Middle-earth. Yet even though the sword was effective again, it was no less cursed. After many tragedies befell Túrin, he lost his will to live. Raising his sword, he cried, "Hail Gurthang! No lord or loyalty dost thou know, save the hand that wieldeth thee. From no blood wilt thou shrink. Wilt thou therefore take Túrin Turambar, wilt thou slay me swiftly?" He heard the sword reply, "Yea, I will drink thy blood gladly, that so I may forget the blood of Beleg my master."

Túrin then threw himself on the blade, shattering it. Túrin was under extreme duress, so his conversation with the sword may have been imagined, or it may have been another example of poetic license. However, Gurthang's consistent personification -- enjoying bloodshed, cutting Túrin, seeming to mourn Beleg, and then encouraging Túrin's death -- implied that the sword truly contained some of Eöl's will. Gurthang's sentience and malevolence made it even more intimidating than The Lord of the Rings swords, as the likes of the Morgul blades were only tools for their wielders.