In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, what is Bilbo Baggins’s sword called?

The story behind the answer

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins’s sword is called Sting.

Bilbo finds Sting in a troll-hoard along with two larger Elven blades, Glamdring and Orcrist. Although Sting is small enough to suit a hobbit, it is an ancient weapon of Gondolin and proves valuable during Bilbo’s adventures.

The blade has a distinctive supernatural property: it glows blue when orcs are nearby. Bilbo uses it during the journey to the Lonely Mountain and later gives it to Frodo Baggins. Frodo carries Sting in The Lord of the Rings, including during his captivity in Cirith Ungol.

Readers sometimes confuse Sting with Glamdring, which becomes Gandalf’s sword, or Orcrist, which Thorin Oakenshield carries. Andúril is Aragorn’s reforged sword, not a blade belonging to Bilbo.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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