Sting / Maegnas - Sword of Bilbo Baggins WETA / Peter Lyon

[Jack Loomes]

Edition Size: 25

Dimensions: 27.2" x 6.9" x 1" (H x W x D) / 69 cm x 17.4 cm x 2.5 cm

Weight: 2.5 lbs (1.1 kg)

Sting - the Sword of Frodo Baggins

Found in a Trolls' hoard by Bilbo Baggins, Sting was an ancient Elven blade from the lost realm of Gondolin. Bilbo carried it through many adventures, naming it and having it inscribed with Elvish script. Magical enchantments it held, glowing blue when Orcs were near. For long years Sting gathered dust in the old Hobbit's cupboards until need arose to unsheathe its keen edge once more and he presented it to his young cousin Frodo Baggins in Rivendell.

Frodo would carry it with him toward Mordor, and it would save his life more than once before the end. Sting was designed by Daniel Falconer and made at Weta Workshop in New Zealand for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy by Master Swordsmith Peter Lyon. The fourth sword in the The Lord of the Rings Master Swordsmith's Collection, Sting is the most elaborate sword yet in the series. It encompasses a multitude of sword making, metal crafting and wood working techniques. It joins Andúril, Strider's Sword and Glamdring - all long since sold out.

Sting marries the cutting edge (literally) of modern precision engineering with ancient and all but forgotten techniques. While the blade was made in Weta's smithy using time-honoured traditional techniques and great skill, the grip is also a testament to Man's mastery of the machine. 10 years ago when the original prop was made for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the technology wasn't available to create a grip quite like the one Daniel Falconer designed for Sting. But since then, technology has brought Modern Man just a few inches closer to the skills of the Elven swordsmiths of old.

Peter Lyon therefore proposed an embellishment upon the original prop design. This is Sting the way the swordsmiths of the lost realm of Gondolin would have made it. Peter took what was a world class hero sword in 2001 and improved it considerably in 2012. It's the Weta way. The grip chosen ten years ago for Sting was South American cocobolo wood. A dense and fine grained wood, deep in colour and with a waxy, grippy feel to it. Little did Peter realise at the time that those qualities also made it eminently suited to the finest and cleanest cuts using computer aided milling.

The 2001 Sting had the elven vine applied as a vinyl transfer. The 2012 Sting Fine Art Limited Edition has had the elven vine pattern machined into the grip with ultra-fine precision and the same pattern is then used to wire-cut a Fine Silver inlay. Fine Silver is the purest grade of Silver, softer and cleaner in colour than Sterling silver. Wire-cutting is a technique that allows for incredibly accurate bends and the sharpest of corners and angles. Precisely what Daniel Falconer's beautiful design requires.

Peter Lyon then spends three whole days - almost as long as for the rest of the sword - on each grip carefully working the silver vine into the groove in the wood under a magnifying glass. This is a zero tolerance process. The gently curvaceous blade features etched elven runes 'Maegnas (Sting) is my name. I am the spider's bane' along the central ridge.

Physical Specifications

Blade length: 19.3 in (490 mm)
Total length: 27.2 in (690 mm)
Total Width: 6.9 in (174 mm)
Weight: 2.5 lbs (1.12 kg)
Balance Point: 2 in (50 mm) along the blade, measured from the shoulder.

Source: www.wetanz.com/sting-fine-art-limited-edition-the-master-swordsmith-s-collection/