The literal translation of the name Dramborleg, given to the famous axe borne by Tuor the father of Eärendil. It took its name from a combination of two Elvish words, signifying that it could be used to beat like a club, or to cut like a sword.
The origins of Tuor's axe are not fully explained. We know that he initially trained with the axe of his father Huor, so by the age of sixteen he was proficient in the use of the weapon, and he used that axe to fight the Easterlings of Lorgan. In that fight he failed and was captured, but he later escaped, again using an axe as a weapon.1
After long and weary travels across Beleriand, Tuor eventually found his way to Gondolin, where he remained for some years. When that city was attacked by Morgoth, he fought in its defence, presumably using his Thudder-Sharp axe.2 The city fell to Morgoth's forces, but Tuor and his family were able to escape, and he seems to have carried the axe with him. At least, the Axe of Tuor later found its way the Númenor, where it was considered one of the treasures of the isle, but it was lost when that island was overcome by the waves in the Downfall.
Notes
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Most likely, the axe of Huor that Tuor had originally borne would have been lost when he was captured by Lorgan's Easterlings. He escaped specifically when sent to gather wood, so the axe he used to slay his guards was presumably a simple wood-axe, rather than the original battle-axe of his father.
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2 |
We have effectively no information about how Tuor received his axe. Indeed, it might conceivably have been the same one he used to escape from the Easterlings, but the fact that it bore a name like 'Thudder-Sharp' implies that it was a dedicated battle-axe. It was presumably forged during Tuor's years in Gondolin, perhaps even by the same smiths who made the swords Glamdring and Orcrist.
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- Updated 4 September 2021
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