The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Known to have been used in the Battle of the Hornburg on 3/4 March III 30191
Race
Division
Culture
Pronunciation
goo'thweeneh
Meaning
'Battle friend'

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About this entry:

  • Updated 2 November 2010
  • This entry is complete

Gúthwinë

The sword of Éomer

" 'Gúthwinë!' cried Éomer. 'Gúthwinë for the Mark!' "
Éomer's battle-cry at the Battle of the Hornburg
from The Two Towers III 7
Helm's Deep

The sword borne by Éomer of Rohan during the War of the Ring, with which he fought at the Battle of the Hornburg. Éomer's sword also gains an earlier mention at his first meeting with Aragorn, and again in the account of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and though it is not named in either of these cases, it seems fair to assume that Éomer was wielding Gúthwinë rather than some other sword. It is not known where or how Éomer acquired his sword, nor is the sword ever described in any detail, but the meaning of its name is known. That name comes from Old English gúth winë, meaning 'battle friend'.


Notes

1

For Gúthwinë to have earned its own name, it presumably had a pedigree reaching back some years, and may even have been an heirloom of the house of the Lords of Aldburg, from whom Éomer was descended. The only direct evidence we have of its use, however, was at the Battle of the Hornburg, when Éomer used its name as his battle-cry.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 2 November 2010
  • This entry is complete

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