Unboxing Arwen & Elrond's Sword, Hadhafang | Lord of the Rings Collectibles Review

Product Description (UC1298):
This is Hadhafang, the sword of Arwen Evenstar, the daughter of Elrond and betrothed of Aragorn. This licensed recreation measures 38 1/8" overall and offers a 30" 420 stainless steel blade with sharp edge and laser etched runes. The solid wooden grip is accented with metal pommel and unique vine design. Includes wooden display stand and certificate of authenticity.

While this was sent to me by a vendor, I was under no obligation to give this item a positive review. Any praise/criticism in my reviews is my genuine opinion/thoughts. If you are surprised that I really enjoy a LOTR piece of memorabilia, you really shouldn't be. :)

#unboxing #lordoftherings #arwen

[danielflynn]

I gave a research presentation for a college course on the historicity of the weapons designed for the films, and I actually spoke to Peter Lyon about some of them. We spoke about Hadhafang at good length and he advised it was primarily designed by Warren Mahy and the grip was originally NOT curved, but became curved during Peter's heat treating process when the blade was quenched. It warped into the shape and became a happy accident because Peter liked the shape. The first 8 inches or so of the sword blade are a ricasso, and the curved sections Peter referred to as barbs, rather like those one finds on vines. It was a design feature from Warren. The groove on the back of the ricasso section is a false edge. It's two bevels that help reduce a little weight and also look nice. Warren based the design for this sword on the Circassian/Russian/Cossack shashka and European military sabers from the 19th century. Peter also gave me measurements for the original prop when we spoke, so I can say that apart from the distal taper of the blade of your reproduction (there really isn't one), it's mostly a correct 1:1 replica. An additional fact I will give you is that Peter did intend to actually strap on the jeweler's magnification glasses and physically carve out channels in the grip to set gold-filled copper wire into, just like he did for the hero swords of Sting (except that was silver wire). He also intended to carve all the runes in the blade and set in brass wire and hammer it flush, but he was stopped from doing it because it would have taken much of his time for a sword that they did not expect to get the closeups Sting did. I inferred from his comments that he was relieved to not do the work, but also miffed that he didn't because he's a stickler for quality and craft.

[sofiemorena]

I got Hadhafang as a letter opener when I was little, I always adored the design of the sword and anything of the elves 😍 I also got to briefly speak with Peter Lyon when he gave a presentation on his works, very kind and amiable person!

[JordanSorensen]

I got this for Christmas back in 2004! Still have it proudly displayed in my house now. Still sharp!

[Jayjay-qeum]

In the original concept for the sword, the inscription contained an additional verse of text read as follows: Idril i hel en aran Gond dolen, which when translated read Idril, daughter of the King of the Hidden Rock (Gondolin). The text was omitted from the final design for the sword due to a lack of space on the finished prop. In the behind the scenes documentaries of the Hobbit films, the crew still assert that Hadhafang is a sword that once belonged to Idril, grandmother of Elrond. This is an invention of the film makers, yet it still gives lineage to the sword that Elrond wields. As such, it may be well be a sword of Gondolin.

[Relics_of_Arda]

I like how you've been using your Gandalf knife to unbox your stuff.

[elisha]

Looks awesome! Hadhafang honestly has one of my favorite designs out of all the LOTR swords. Number one's got to be Orcrist. I just love the curve designs!

[ElwingLuna]

Totally agree with you about Elrond’s sword drawn in Dol Guldur. I also know I am no elf; at 5ft1 I am firmly a hobbit or dwarf maiden.

[HoY_]

I bought this sword when it was released yeeeears ago! It's an amazing piece.

[rileycord]

Always loved the elven weapons in the trilogy. I hope one day they'll have Haldirs sword available. While it's pretty similar to Hadhafang, it's still really awesome looking.

[lrtw]

I got the Witch-King sword from UC a few months ago, I watch these unboxings to see what else I could add to my collection.

[VoiceoftheRings]

Awesome Reveiw! I just got this for Christmas from a Family Member! Its awesome! Mine was so

[_Eternal-Darkness_]

Arwen is one of my favorite characters from the movies, so this is really cool to see. Love the vids, keep up the good work. Oh, I also got the orcrist sword from the noble collection for Christmas

[janetlee]

Please do a deep dive for Idril. I get the feeling that PJ was inspired by the Lost Tales version of the Fall of Gondolin. It described her as fighting Maeglin like a tigress so I find it weird that the Silmarillion version omitted that sentence. I'd like to think Hadhafang is the reason Idril's line survived.

[AndrewCarlisleB]

This would be a cool one to collect. The 2 years I've been watching NOTR, Elrond has grown into one of my favorite characters.

[Katharina_Lieblich]

Ahhh! This is probably my favourite sword so far (with the exception of Anduril)! It's just mind boggling that people make these gorgeous things.

[andersonic]

I like the implication that, after confronting Sauron and the Ringraiths at Dol Guldur, Elrond decided to give Arwen his preferred sword so she'd be prepared to meet the enemy. As she indeed was at Bruinen.

[kanjiklubskywalker]

this sword looks amazing and unique fron most others, and it's rlly good for display. great work showing it off

[philt]

For my Lord of the Rings Sword wall display, I modified Hadhafang's plaque to mount it on the wall. The two tangs make it pretty easy actually.
Being a curved blade, I have it one one end of the display and Orcrist on the other to give the display some symmetry.

[soweli_Lukonsi]

I was gifted a fairly shoddy reproduction of this blade once. The tengwar is printed on and really all of the intricate paint work on it is one damp rag away from fading completely, but it's definitely one of my favorite possessions.

That's a truly gorgeous replica and after seeing it, I think it's time for me to buckle down and replace mine. One can't have too many elvish blades, after all.

[paulstevens]

Yes!! I got my Hadhafang several years ago, and I’ve displayed it proudly on my living room mantle ever since. My only question is, as a big Elrond fan, what took you so long?? 😊