Narsil

Yeah, banning Highland dress (kilts) and bagpipes was very much banning culture.

It wasn't so far as schools to 're-educate' a population's children, but....yes, I see Thingol's Ban in that real-life example.

Indeed. Every time we talk about the banning of jewels, I hear Alan Breck Stewart saying, "... and a man can be cast into jail if he has a kilt about his legs."

(From Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped)
 
It is trivially easy to save one sword from sacking invaders. I can think of any number of believable circumstances: it's well hidden, the bearer is out in the woods and avoids the sacking, the invaders temporarily seize the weapon and one of them keeps it and during a minor revolt/escape it gets taken back - those three were as fast as I could type them. You could come up with ten more in half an hour of brainstorming. The Dragon Helm is saved from the Easterlings by one of these.
It's harder to hide a helmet than hide a sword. And I doubt that a sword like Narsil would pass undetected.
 
I don't doubt that the sword could be hidden among the Edain until it goes to Numenor any number of ways. The only problem I think there would be with doing that is that if we don't follow the story of the sword, viewers will forget about it and not recognize it by the time it winds up in Elendil's hands.
 
You can hide a sword under your bed. Or in your straw mattress. Or in your thatched roof. Or under the floor boards. Or in the woodpile. Or in the rafters. Or in your barn.

I wouldn't recommend hiding it in the well, as the water won't be great for it.

But yes, it's quite easy to hide a sword. Especially when you have whole villages to hide it in!

As for Kidnapped, I am most familiar with the 1995 film ;)
Here's the part where they explain about highland dress being banned. (Though it's not in the mouth of Alan Breck Stewart)
 
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You can hide a sword under your bed. Or in your straw mattress. Or in your thatched roof. Or under the floor boards. Or in the woodpile. Or in the rafters. Or in your barn.

I wouldn't recommend hiding it in the well, as the water won't be great for it.

But yes, it's quite easy to hide a sword. Especially when you have whole villages to hide it in!

As for Kidnapped, I am most familiar with the 1995 film ;)
Here's the part where they explain about highland dress being banned. (Though it's not in the mouth of Alan Breck Stewart)

The Disney version from 1960 was surprisingly true to the book.
 
So Narsil will not be made for beating Sauron. Is there any particular significance to the Dwarven writing on Narsil then?
 
Of course, we don't want to imply that it is the only thing that causes the Faithful to resist Sauron. The actual people should be the ones getting credit, not the objects they possess. But we could have Sauron notice someone carrying Narsil and feel just a little uncomfortable.
 
If we want any of the language on the sword to match the language of Finrod's song duel from the Lay of Leithian, we could do that, too.
 
If we want any of the language on the sword to match the language of Finrod's song duel from the Lay of Leithian, we could do that, too.
YES! The engravings on Narsil shall say "Nereb and Dungalef and warriors ten, / so we are called, and dark our den."
 
Erm....maybe not *that* language!

"resisting, battling against power, of secrets kept, strength like a tower, and trust unbroken, freedom, escape, of changing and of shifting shape, of snares eluded, broken traps, the prison opening, the chain that snaps..."

was more what I had in mind ;)
 
Erm....maybe not *that* language!

"resisting, battling against power, of secrets kept, strength like a tower, and trust unbroken, freedom, escape, of changing and of shifting shape, of snares eluded, broken traps, the prison opening, the chain that snaps..."

was more what I had in mind ;)
But wouldn't it be so embarrassing for Sauron to get killed with a sword that says "Nereb and Dungalef and warriors ten, / so we are called, and dark our den?" :)
 
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