Angrist

During the First Age, Angrist was created by the dwarf-smith Telchar of Nogrod. It was said that it could cleave iron like green wood.

The knife was later wielded by the Elf-lord Curufin, one of Fëanor's sons. When Curufin and his brother, Celegorm, were banished from Nargothrond in First Age 465, he laid his hand on the haft of the knife as he laughed, mockingly naming Orodreth "Sir Steward". After they left, the brothers initially intended to ride to Himring, but coincidentally, they encountered Beren and Lúthien in the Forest of Brethil. The knife was worn by Curufin "sheathless by his side" when he attempted to kidnap Lúthien, but triggered the Leap of Beren as a result, causing the knife to be taken from him along with his horse and other weapons and gear.

Later, early in First Age 466, Beren snuck into Angband with Lúthien and used the knife to cut out a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. But as Beren tried to cut out the other two, the knife snapped and Morgoth stirred as "a shard of the blade" grazed his cheek. Beren and Lúthien left the knife behind as they fled.

Angrist means "Iron-cleaver" in Sindarin, from ang ("iron") + crist ("a cleaver, sword").

In The Book of Lost Tales, Beren grabbed a great knife in fear when the castle of Tevildo shook because of the spell being broken by Tinúviel. He kept the knife, but later drew it when he seized the Iron Crown, labouring "as noiselessly as may be to prise out a Silmaril with his knife" until it snapped "with a loud crack"; the sound of which awakened the sleeping Melko. Later, despite the knife snapping, Beren somehow fingered the knife (or the remnant of it) as he lay dying after fleeing Karkaras Knife-fang. In his commentary, Christopher Tolkien identified this "kitchen-knife" as the direct predecessor of Angrist.

The knife was mentioned as "the dirk of Nargil" in Beleg's whetting spell in The Lay of the Children of Húrin. In The Lay of Leithian, the knife is described as pale and made of steel. It is also described as being bitter-cold and hard-edged. At one point, the unnamed Angrist was a magic knife that was given to Beren by Celegorm as a passing idea. In the Quenta Noldorinwa the knife of Curufin remained unnamed and it was referred to as "the knife of the treacherous Dwarves".

In later versions and the version published in The Silmarillion, this blade became Angrist, which was the blade of Curufin that was forged by Telchar of Nogrod.

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 21/05/2026.