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"There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself." -Gandalf

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"I'm going on an adventure!"

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Chapter 3 focuses on the group arriving at a city of elves and learning the meaning behind the map of the mountain.

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"Thirty white horses on a red hill,
First they champ,
Then they stamp,
Then they stand still.
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[Teeth]"

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In the first chapter of The Hobbit, the readers  are immediately introduced to the main character - Bilbo Baggins - who thinks of himself as a side character.

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Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, hobbits "are little people, roughly half the size of humans, with thick hair on their feet, round bellies, and a love of good food, comfort, and security."

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Already we are in a fantasy world as hobbits don't exist in real life.

On the day the story begins, Bilbo is enjoying a pipe outside his front door when an old man with a long cloak and a staff arrives.

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Soon, dwarves begin to arrive, and as Bilbo’s neat little home becomes crowded with dwarves, Bilbo becomes increasingly confused and annoyed. At last, Gandalf arrives with the head dwarf, Thorin. The thirteen dwarves and the wizard nearly clean out Bilbo’s pantry before finally settling down to discuss their business.

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Gandalf wants Bilbo to help on the adventure - to be the burglar! No one else thinks this is a good idea, even Bilbo.

Thror became King under the Mountain, but his treasure attracted unwanted attention. The dragon Smaug came and killed all of Thror’s people. The dragon has been guarding the treasure ever since.

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Bilbo wakes up late the morning after Gandalf’s visit. He is surprised to see that the dwarves have left without him. He is just sitting down to a quiet breakfast when Gandalf enters and rushes him off to an inn where Thorin and the rest of the dwarves have been waiting to begin their journey.

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Suddenly they see what looks like the light of a fire in the distance. They move closer to investigate it, and Bilbo is sent ahead in his first official task as burglar.

Trolls will eat just about anything, but they are also short-tempered and dull-witted. They proceed to fight about how to interrogate Bilbo.

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The trolls stop fighting just long enough to hide in the trees and throw a sack over each approaching dwarf. Soon, they have everyone tied up except Bilbo, whom they’ve forgotten. The trolls decide to cook the dwarves immediately, but then a voice, which sounds like one of the trolls, starts an argument, and the three trolls start fighting again. The sun peeks over the horizon and the trolls all freeze—sunlight turns trolls to stone.

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The trolls stop fighting just long enough to hide in the trees and throw a sack over each approaching dwarf. Soon, they have everyone tied up except Bilbo, whom they’ve forgotten. The trolls decide to cook the dwarves immediately, but then a voice, which sounds like one of the trolls, starts an argument, and the three trolls start fighting again. The sun peeks over the horizon and the trolls all freeze—sunlight turns trolls to stone.

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to see the scene in the movie - watch here!

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Gandalf and Bilbo release the dwarves, who are shaken but otherwise unharmed. Searching nearby, they find the trolls’ cave and a number of well-wrought weapons, which they take as payment for their pains.

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"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."

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This stop is Rivendell, a city of elves located just beyond the Edge of the Wild, near the foothills of the Misty Mountains, which the company will have to pass. As the company approaches Rivendell, a number of elves approach them and invite them back to eat and rest.

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Elrond the elf can interpret the ancient runes, or markings, found on the company’s new weapons and on Thorin’s map of the mountain. The swords taken from the trolls, he tells them, are renowned goblin-killers from the great wars between the elves and the goblins. Gandalf’s sword is called Glamdring, and Thorin’s is named Orcrist.

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On Thorin’s map, Elrond is able to read moon-letters—writing visible only in the light of the moon in the proper phase—that describe how to find the secret entrance on the Lonely Mountain. Though they are puzzled by the message, the group is in high spirits when they depart from Rivendell. Everyone is well rested and prepared for the road ahead.

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"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks,” read Elrond, “and the setting sun with the last light of Durin’s Day will shine upon the key-hole."

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The climb over the mountain is long and treacherous. A violent thunderstorm breaks suddenly, forcing them to find shelter. Luckily, two of the dwarves find a cave in a side of the mountain. They bring in the ponies and make camp for the night.

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In the middle of the night, Bilbo wakes up, just in time to see the ponies get dragged into an enormous crack that has opened in the cave wall. He yells, and out of the crack jump dozens of goblins, who tie up and carry off each member of the company.

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The Great Goblin sits and he demands to know what the travelers are doing in his mountain. Thorin tries to explain about the storm, but one of the goblins brings forth the sword that Thorin took from the trolls, which he was carrying when captured. This sword, Orcrist, the goblin-cleaver, is well-known among the goblins.

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The Great Goblin sits and he demands to know what the travelers are doing in his mountain. Thorin tries to explain about the storm, but one of the goblins brings forth the sword that Thorin took from the trolls, which he was carrying when captured. This sword, Orcrist, the goblin-cleaver, is well-known among the goblins.

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The Great Goblin lunges at Thorin to eat him; however, the lights go out and in the panicked dark, the goblin-cleaver gleams and cuts the head of the Great Goblin off.

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Gandalf leads the dwarves through the passages and deeper into the mountain. The goblins follow quickly after them, and one of the goblins catches up to the dwarf Dori, who has been carrying Bilbo on his back. Bilbo falls off, strikes his head on the ground, and loses consciousness.

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"They knew the sword at once. It had killed hundreds of goblins in its time, when the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them in the hills or did battle before their walls. They had called it Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver, but the goblins called it simply Biter. They hated it and hated worse any one that carried it."

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Elrond identifying Orcrist and Glamdring

Orcrist was one of the legendary swords in the world of The Hobbit. The sword was seen throughout all The Hobbit films being wielded by Thorin, a dwarven king. It was used during the Quest of Erebor but the way the sword was found was a stroke of luck. If you would like Orcrist for yourself, check it out here on Amazon.

How did Thorin get his sword Orcrist?

When Thorin and the rest of his party started their journey, they didn't have any proper weapons. This was until they encountered some trolls and found their way inside their cave. There they found a lot of gold as well as weapons.

It was inside the trolls' cave where they found Orcrist along with its mate, Glamdring and one other weapon, Sting. Perhaps it was fate that brought them to the weapons as these were old, special weapons from the first age..

Although dwarves are known to be great blacksmiths, Orcrist was actually made by elves. This was made clear by Gandalf when they were first found.

He could tell that the weapons were forged in Gondolin during the first age and according to him, "You could not wish for a finer blade."However, he did not know more. SoThorin, a dwarven king, used an elvish sword along his journey, which were people he wasn't too fond of at the time. Regardless, Thorin still used it because he thought it was also of high quality.

However, to complete their journey, he would need the help of elves and at one point, the history of Orcrist and Glamdring was revealed to them by Elrond as he welcomed them into Rivendell.

It was then that Thorin and company found out that Orcrist was also called the Goblin Cleaver. This was because, during the Goblin Wars of the First Age, Orcrist was used to kill hundreds of goblins. Just the sight of the sword struck fear into the hearts of many goblins that see it. This included the Goblin King himself.

While the original owner of the sword was not certain, it might have been King Turgon himself or any of the Lords of the Gondolindrim who originally owned Orcrist. Regardless, Orcrist was an infamous sword to the goblins. Additionally, the sword's fame was increased when the sword was taken up by Thorin during the Quest of Erebor and the story of The Hobbit. Being made by the elves, Orcrist had abilities that Elven weapons from the first age typically possessed. It also had a beautiful scabbard and hilt with a jewel on it. In this article, you'll get to know more about Orcrist and how it has become such an important weapon in the world of The Hobbit.

What Does Orcrist Look Like?

The race of elves has a distinct way with how they designed everything. With the design of Orcrist, one can already tell that it was an Elven made weapon, even if the design was that of the first age.

Orcrist is a single-edged blade. It had runes etched on the blade that translated as "The Serpent's Tooth". While the type of metal that was used to create the Elven blade is unknown, its grip is made from a dragon's tooth.

The inscriptions on the sword starts off from its hilt and stretch across half of the blade. Its dragon's tooth grip has markings along its side which are probably meant to make it easier to handle.

Orcrist's scabbard also has inscriptions which translated as "Born from the Maws of Dragon, I am Always Hungry and Thirsty". The scabbard is designed in a way that the runes of the hilt seamlessly connect to the runes of the scabbard when Orcrist is sheathed.

Moreover, the scabbard of Orcrist has wood for its base and is protected by metal. Apart from its wooden section, it's covered with a lot of fine details from tip to hilt.

While some sources say that the runes on the blade actually bore its name, the inscriptions for the sword's name is actually the etchings on its guard.

The sword's belt is also adorned with a lot of details. It has a lot of intricate leatherwork and even the metal pieces are not left out in terms of being beautifully made. From the sword, scabbard, the belt, straps, much of the Elven design is emphasized.

Typically, specifications for film weapons are not stated but with the Orcrist, we actually have specifications from the studio that made the Orcrist for the film. Here are the physical specifications for Orcrist:

Blade Length: 37 inches

Total Length: 49.2 inches

Total Width: 7.9 inches

Although they did mention the weight and balance point for the sword, we can't really use those measurements because the specifications are only for the prop and not for the real Orcrist.

What Are the Abilities of Thorin's Sword?

Some weapons in the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings possess abilities that make them truly stand out from the rest. Also, nothing fits the heroes of the story better than them having enchanted and magical weapons that can greatly help them out with their journey.

Included in the number of weapons that are enchanted are elven weapons, especially those that have been forged during the first age. Of course, this includes Orcrist. It is important to note that Glamdring and Sting were also elven swords forged during the first century along with Orcrist.

We mention those other swords because some of the abilities that they share have only been seen to be used by one of them. Still, since they have been forged during the same time and by the same Elven smiths of old, it can be assumed that the three Elven weapons share similar abilities.

Here are but a few abilities of Orcrist that was shown in the films:

Orcrist Glows When Certain Enemies Are Nearby

Orcrist glowing blue

When there are orcs and or goblins nearby, the Elven swords would give out a blue glow. This helps the wielder by warning them that there could be potential danger nearby.

It can also help the wielder when fighting in a dark cave or anywhere else that is dark, due to the light it emits. This is also especially handy against creatures that detest light. While it is known that Elvish swords give out a blue glow when there are orcs nearby, for some reason, the Orcrist did not appear to have this ability in the films, but it did so in the books.

Thorins Sword Was Good Against Spider Webs

Spider webs created by giant spiders in the world of The Hobbit can't be easily cut. They are hard to get out of and normal weapons can't do much against these spider webs.

When Bilbo and his party encountered giant spiders in Mirkwood, he was able to cut off spider webs using his elven long knife, Sting. While Thorin was not seen cutting spider webs with his Orcrist, it can be safe to say that Orcrist has the same abilities as Sting.

Orcrist was Feared by Goblins

Elven weapons are feared by orcs and goblins. However, Orcrist has an amplified effect on goblins being the infamous goblin cleaver. Goblins would be in terror just seeing the weapon as was shown when they were captured and brought to the Great Goblin.

These are but the abilities of Elven swords that were shown in the films.

Who Was Able to Wield Orcrist?

King Turgon In the First Age Wielded Orcrist

While it is not certain if King Turgon is the original owner of the Orcrist, it is widely speculated that he or one of the lords of the Gondolondrin was the very first owner of the sword.

King Turgon was an elf and was the king of Gondolin and was also the high king of the Noldor. If King Turgon turned out to be the original owner of the sword, Orcrist would become more symbolic having been wielded by another king, Thorin Oakenshield.

Thorin Oakenshield Wielded Orcrist

The Orcrist is Thorin's signature weapon. He was able to acquire it when they found the Orcrist along with other weapons and treasure in a Troll's cave. Throughout their Quest for Erebor, he wielded Orcrist.

However, there were times that he temporarily lost possession of the sword. One instance was due to them being captured. While Thorin did put the sword to great use and even until his death, the sword would remain by his side.

Thorin Leading the Charge in the Battle of the Five Armies

Legolas Wielded Orcrist

Upon capturing the dwarves including Thorin, the Orcrist was confiscated by Legolas and the elves of Mirkwood. Although the dwarves did manage to escape, Orcrist remained in Legolas' possession. Legolas was then seen again with the Orcrist wielding it as he battled against Bolg in Laketown in the Movie. This is not in the book, however.

In the movie, Thorin was able to once again have Orcrist when Legolas saved him by throwing the sword towards the chest of an orc that nearly killed him. Ultimately, Thorin died after his battle with Bolg.

Where is the Orcrist After Thorin's Death?

Since Thorin died after his battle with Bolg, Orcrist lost its wielder. However, instead of someone else taking ownership of the Elvish sword, the Orcrist was buried along the body of Thorin. Until death, Thorin still has his Orcrist with him.

Summary:

More than the sword's already epic history, it was made even more legendary when Thorin wielded it as his weapon during his adventure to regain back the control of Erebor. Orcrist was a sword that definitely stood the test of time.

It proved just how incredible the smithing skills of the elves were even when the sword was forged a long time ago during the first age. Unfortunately, as the sword was buried, the only way we could get to see more of Orcrist is if a film is to be made that also includes the sword's history.

Regardless, we hope you learned more about Orcrist, the sword wielded by Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit films. It was a legendary weapon and played a significant role in the story. It helped Thorin with his journey was mentioned by Gandalf, with an Elvish sword forged by the elves in Gondolin like the Orcrist, you could not wish for a finer blade.

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Thorin's Sword, Orcrist, Biter, The Goblin Cleaver | Swish And Slash

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Orcrist was one of the legendary swords in the world of The Hobbit. The sword was seen throughout all The Hobbit films being wielded by Thorin, a dwarven king. It was used during the Quest of Erebor but the way the sword was found was a stroke of luck.

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When Bilbo regains consciousness, he can see nothing in the darkness. Feeling around on the floor, he happens to come across a ring, which he puts in his pocket. He has no idea where the rest of the company is, or in which direction the exit lies. Picking the path he feels he had been traveling with the dwarves, he soon comes across an underground lake.

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There, he discovers a strange creature named Gollum. When Gollum sees Bilbo prowling around, obviously lost, he is interested and a bit hungry, so he approaches the hobbit. Bilbo brandishes his sword when he hears Gollum’s hissing voice.

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Gollum does not wish to contend with the sword, so he proposes a riddle game. If Gollum’s riddle stumps Bilbo, he will eat Bilbo, but if Bilbo’s stumps Gollum, Gollum will show Bilbo the way out of the mountain. Bilbo has no choice but to agree, and they begin asking each other riddles. In the end, Bilbo wins through a bit of trickery.

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The Hobbit riddles

Alive without breath
As cold as death
Never thirsty, ever drinking
All in mail never clinking

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ANSWER

A fish.

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt
It lies behind stars and under hills
And empty holes it fills
It comes out first and follows after
Ends life, kills laughter

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ANSWER

Dark.

Voiceless it cries
Wingless flutters
Toothless bites
Mouthless mutters

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ANSWER

Wind.

What has roots as nobody sees
Is taller than trees
Up, up, up it goes
And yet never grows?

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ANSWER

A mountain.

A thing that all things devours
birds, beasts, trees, flowers
gnaws iron, bites steel
grinds hard stones to meal
slays king, ruins town
and beats mountain down

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ANSWER

Time.

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The Hobbit riddles and answers | Riddles in the dark | Riddlester

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Alive without breathAs cold as deathNever thirsty, ever drinkingAll in mail never clinking | | | A fish. It cannot be seen, cannot be feltCannot be heard, cannot be smeltIt lies behind stars and under hillsAnd empty holes it fillsIt comes out first and follows afterEnds life, kills laughter | | | Dark.

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Referring to the ring he had found, he asks, “What have I got in my pocket?” and Gollum cannot guess the right answer. Gollum, however, does not intend to let his meal get away so easily. He goes to his island in the middle of the lake to get his “precious,” a golden ring that makes its wearer invisible—the very ring that Bilbo had found.

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Unable to find the ring, Gollum suspects the hobbit of stealing it and runs at him in a rage. Through sheer luck, Bilbo happens to slip on the ring, and Gollum runs right past him. Realizing the ring’s power, Bilbo follows Gollum, who heads toward the exit thinking that Bilbo is ahead of him. When Gollum gets near the exit, he stops because there are goblins crowded around it. Bilbo leaps over him, runs past the goblins unnoticed thanks to the ring, and just barely manages to squeeze through the door into freedom and fresh air.

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it is important because now we know how to enter the mountain...if barely