New series Rings Of Power will soon be hitting screens, revealing what came before The Lord Of The Rings and even The Hobbit. Throughout the story so far, there are many powerful trinkets and baubles hidden in every nook and cranny of Middle-earth. In fact, the One Ring of Power is just, well, one ring in a sea of magical items that make the wielders near-omnipotent (though no other artifact conveys quite as much power).
Swords, for that matter, are no different. Depending on who wields them or who they are meant for, they can have a personality and backstory of their own. As such, they also give the wielder some semblance of power. One could argue that the magical swords in Lord of the Rings are even better than the rings. After all, they won't betray you. Here are some of the strongest.
Hadhafang
Hadhafang is not exactly in the books, meaning it's not canon. It was merely added by the film-makers for the film adaptation of Lord of the Rings, but it's in no way lore-breaking. Based on its designated backstory, Hadhafang's original owner was Idril, an elven princess who wed a mortal man and had a child with him, named Eärendil (Elrond's father).
Hence, it was first seen (in the films) in the hands of Elrond during the Last Alliance of Men and Elves on the slopes of Mount Doom. Later on, however, Elrond gave it to Arwen, who poetically also fell in love with a human like the Hadhafang's original owner.
Thranduil's Sword
Thranduil's unnamed sword is similar to Hadhafang. It's also non-canon and was only added by the film-makers for The Hobbit trilogy. Thranduil's sword also shares a similar design to Hadhafang and was presumably light enough to be wielded with one hand. It's a shame that it wasn't named, since Thranduil, the Elven king of the Woodland Realm, was quite efficient with it.
In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Thranduil can even be seen wielding two of these blades, one in each hand. Like his son Legolas, Thranduil has proven that he's just too godly for a film adaptation, even with two nameless swords. His sword still gets more merit than Hadhafang, though, since it's actually seen unsparingly used in combat.
Herugrim
Unlike the previous two, Herugrim is canon and was conceived by Tolkien himself. It might have been seen it already since its unique design is quite hard to miss in The Two Towers; its current wielder during that time is Théoden. However, it's a lot older than Théoden, having existed for 500 years being passed on to whoever is crowned the King of Rohan.
Its importance is not just limited to being a royal heirloom, of course. It proved instrumental in Gandalf healing a weakened Théoden back to full strength. Théoden was progressively being poisoned by Grima Wormtongue (Saruman's servant). It was because of Herugrim that he remembered his own strength better after breaking free of Wormtongue and Saruman's grasp. Not only is The Lord Of The Rings full of iconic quotes, but it also has exquisite detail.
Gurthang
Gurthang is canon but never really made it into the film adaptations. It was only mentioned in The Silmarillion but was a powerful sword nonetheless. It belonged to Túrin Turambar, a human of Middle-earth who became a tragic hero after discovering he was more of a Jaime Lannister than an Eddard Stark.
Túrin actually used Gurthang in order to slay the dragon Glaurung. It's no mere tool for killing too. It appeared to have a mind of its own. It even seemingly spoke to Túrin when he was about to kill himself over grief since his wife killed herself. The devastated hero actually asked Gurthang to end him swiftly-- to which the sword replied "Yea." It's canon (image via: Silentwitness97).
Morgul-Blade
The Morgul-blade is not exactly a sword; it's more of a long dagger. Regardless, it deserves a spot in this list for causing agony to the Ringbearer, Frodo Baggins. In the films, it first appeared in the hands of the Witch-King of Angmar, the leader of the Ringwraiths, who used it to stab an invisible Frodo.
The Witch-King could have used his regular sword but he felt extra evil; the blade is reserved for Mordor's greatest enemies to be used as a punishment. That's because the Morgul-blade is innately magical and poisonous. A mere scratch on a living creature is usually enough to kill them after its poison reaches the heart of the victim. It's not known for sure, but fans assume that the blade turns to dust in sunlight; in The Fellowship of the Ring, the blade evaporated hours after Frodo was stabbed with it, only when Aragon held it up "in the growing light."
Narsil
The blade of the King and the weapon of choice among the heirs of the Dúnedain. In the films, it was wielded by King Elendil during The Last Alliance of Men and Elves in the battle against Sauron. That didn't end well and Narsil was shattered into pieces after Sauron defeated Elendil.
Isildur, Elendil's son and the next heir, inherited what's left of the blade. Still, even in its sorry state, it was able to "slay" Sauron and part his ring from him. Unfortunately, it was never repaired again and remained shards even after being passed from heir to heir. Narsil was, however, still a famed weapon for being crucial in Sauron's defeat--the Dark Lord now fears the sight of Narsil on the battlefield.
Sting
Sting is one of the most popular swords in the Lord of The Rings, one of the best movies of all time, and even The Hobbit trilogy. It was originally a short sword forged by the Elves, but made for a perfect weapon for Hobbits. As such, it fell to the hands of Bilbo Baggins; it has since been his signature weapon and tool until he found the One Ring.
While Sting may not be a weapon fit for a King, it arguably keeps its wielder safer than any other sword. As it's known, Sting glows bright blue whenever orcs and/or goblins come near the sword. For a Hobbit, it's an indispensable tool to help them avoid bigger and faster enemies. Both Bilbo and its eventual inheritor, Frodo, have used Sting to its full potential.
Orcrist
Orcrist has two other names: Goblin-cleaver and Biter, the latter of which was given by goblins. They actually feared the sword so much as to give it their own infamous legend. Hordes of goblins and orcs lost their heads due to Orcrist. It was forged by the elves for that purpose and was wielded prominently by Thorin II Oakenshield, who ironically, is a dwarf.
Thorin lost it after being captured by the Elves of Mirkwood and it was later wielded by Legolas when he fought against the orc Bolg in the films. The Orcrist has also been regarded as the bigger brother of Sting. Like the short sword, it also glows whenever its intended prey is nearby, meaning orcs and goblins.
Glamdring
Wizards (The Istari) were generally more powerful than kings in Middle-earth. Gandalf the Grey (and later, the White) was no exception, and was one of the most powerful beings in The Lord Of The Rings. So, apart from his staff, he wielded a legendary sword more feared than Orcrist, which is Glamdring. Of course, since it's a wizard's weapon of choice, Glamdring is no ordinary blade. The Elven smith who forged it also placed rune inscriptions on the hilt and guard of the sword.
Gandalf can even use it to cast spells in a similar function to his staff; the wizard called upon lightning and stored it within the blade. With Glamdring, Gandalf was able to defeat the Balrog and went on to "level up" as Gandalf the White.
Anduril
Andúril was the most special sword in Lord of the Rings because it was forged (or reforged) for Aragon II Elessar. It was initially the shards of Narsil which the Elves of Rivendell (Elrond in the film) reforged into a new blade that Aragorn called Andúril.
This time, however, the elves made sure to place an enchantment on the sword's sheath to make it immune to breaking and stains.