Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 4591757" data-attributes="member: 18280">In LotR, when Frodo & Company meet Aragorn, he is unarmed save for a broken sword.  The hobbits have the swords they picked up on the Barrow Downs.  Yet, Aragorn is certain that, if he wanted the Ring, he could take it from the hobbits easily.That's not always true, though.  Beowulf uses the giant-made sword in a single battle, and Conan only has the Phoenix-marked blade for a single story, for example.  Sting gets passed from Bilbo to Frodo, and is held for a while by Sam.  And Frodo first wields a barrow-blade, but trades it in for Sting when Bilbo gives it to him.If you have an artifact-level sword (e.g., Excaliber, which signifies right to rule) you might keep it your entire career, but don't forget that there are versions of the King Arthur story in which the original Sword in the Stone was not Excaliber, but a different blade altogether.Tarzan keeps his father's knife (non-magical), and Aragorn keeps Isildur's sword, because they represent kinship and family, at least as much as they grant any specific powers or bonus.RC</blockquote>