ringil

Ringil is a fictional sword from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium, most closely associated with Fingolfin, the High King of the Noldor in Beleriand. It is described as a great and gleaming blade, one of the renowned Elven swords that figure in the tales of the First Age.

In the narrative of Fingolfin’s duel with Morgoth at Angband, Ringil is singled out for its exceptional reputation. The weapon is said to have shone with pale light and to have allowed Fingolfin to wound the Dark Lord Morgoth during their confrontation, an extraordinary feat given Morgoth’s power. The encounter is depicted as one of the most memorable episodes in the histories of the Elves and the Valar, though the details surrounding the duel are punctuated by the broader tales of war and sorrow that follow.

The later history and ultimate fate of Ringil are not clearly recorded in Tolkien’s published writings. After Fingolfin’s time, the blade’s course disappears from the narrative, and there is no canonical account of its end or who, if anyone, kept it. As a result, Ringil remains one of the legendary Elven swords whose exact lineage and destiny are left unspecified in the texts.

Etymology of the name Ringil is discussed among scholars of Tolkien’s languages, but the precise meaning is not definitively stated in the primary works. The name is generally treated as Sindarin, with speculative translations such as “gleaming blade” or related interpretations, reflecting its association with light and weapons of notable renown.