Andúril Meaning: Aragorn's Sword, the Flame of the West
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Quick Answer: Andúril means "Flame of the West." It is the Quenya name Aragorn gives to the sword of Elendil after Elven-smiths reforge it from the shards of Narsil in The Fellowship of the Ring (Book II, chapter 3). The name is usually analysed as andúnë ("sunset, west") + -ril ("brilliance"). Narsil itself means roughly "red and white flame": nar ("fire") + thil ("white light"), for the Sun and the Moon.
Of all the weapons in The Lord of the Rings, only one is the subject of a prophecy, a rhyme and a royal claim. Andúril is not just a good sword. It is the sign that the line of kings has come back. This guide covers what the name means, where it comes from, the broken sword it was made from, and how it is described on the page.
If you are looking for Aragorn's own names (Estel, Elessar, Strider and the rest), those are covered in Aragorn's Elvish Names and Andúril. This page is about the sword.
The Meaning: Flame of the West
Tolkien gives the meaning directly. When the sword is remade in Rivendell, the text says that Aragorn named it Andúril, Flame of the West. So the translation is not a guess. It is in the book.
The name is Quenya, the ancient language of the Elves who lived in Valinor, the Blessed Realm in the West. Quenya is used in Middle-earth for royal names, solemn titles and old lore, so it is the natural choice for the sword of a king of Númenórean descent.
Pronounce it an-DOO-ril. The accent over the ú marks a long vowel, and the stress falls on that long syllable.
Breaking the Name Down
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Try It Free →The meaning "Flame of the West" is fixed. The exact way the word is built is a matter of analysis from Tolkien's linguistic notes, and the usual explanation is:
- andú- — connected with Quenya andúnë, "sunset" and, by extension, "the West." The same element appears in Andúnië, a western haven of Númenor.
- -ril — "brilliance, glitter, radiance." The same ending appears in Silmaril, the jewels at the heart of The Silmarillion.
So the parts read something like "brilliance of the sunset-land", which Tolkien rendered more poetically as "Flame of the West." We present this as the commonly cited analysis rather than a quotation, because Tolkien's notes on individual names were often revised.
"The West" here is not just a direction on a map. For the Men of Gondor and Arnor, the West means Númenor, their lost homeland, and beyond it Valinor. A sword called Flame of the West is a sword that carries the light of that old faithful tradition into a dark age.
Before Andúril: Narsil, the Sword of Elendil
Andúril was made from Narsil, the sword of Elendil, the first High King of Arnor and Gondor.
At the end of the Second Age, the Last Alliance of Elves and Men besieged Sauron. In the final fight Elendil was killed, and Narsil broke beneath him. His son Isildur took up the hilt-shard and cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. That is why, in the Council of Elrond, the broken sword lies on the table next to the question of what to do with the Ring.
The shards were kept by Isildur's heirs for three thousand years, through the fall of Arnor and the long years of the Rangers. They were the sign of the line. Aragorn carries them in a sheath when Frodo first meets him at Bree.
What Narsil Means
Narsil joins two old Elvish roots:
- nar — "fire", as in the Quenya word for fire listed in our Elvish dictionary.
- thil — "white light, silver light", the root that also gives Ithil, the Moon.
Tolkien explained the name as a reference to the Sun and the Moon, the red and the white flame. That makes the reforged name a clear echo: the old sword held the two great lights, and the new one is the flame of the West.
The Prophecy: "The Blade That Was Broken"
The broken sword is the subject of a rhyme Frodo hears about Aragorn. Its best-known lines say that a blade that was broken shall be renewed and that the crownless again shall be king. Boromir's brother Faramir dreamed of a riddle that begins with "Seek for the Sword that was Broken", and that dream is why Boromir rides north to Rivendell.
So when the Elves remake the sword, they are not doing ordinary smith-work. They are fulfilling a prophecy, and they are saying in public that the heir of Isildur has returned. That is why Aragorn gives it a new name: the sword starts a new life.
The Reforging in Rivendell
In the book, the sword is reforged in Rivendell, before the Fellowship leaves, in The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, chapter 3, "The Ring Goes South." The text describes the blade as bearing a device of seven stars set between the crescent Moon and the rayed Sun, surrounded by many runes. The emblems are those of Elendil's house:
- seven stars — the stars of Elendil's own banner, the emblem of the High King.
- the crescent Moon — the emblem of Isildur, whose name contains the Moon.
- the rayed Sun — the emblem of Anárion, Isildur's brother, whose name contains the Sun.
The book adds that the sword shone red in the sunlight and cold in the moonlight, with a keen edge. Aragorn then carries it through the whole journey: in Moria, at Amon Hen, at Helm's Deep and on the Paths of the Dead.
In Peter Jackson's films the timing changes. The shards stay in Rivendell, and Elrond brings the reforged sword to Aragorn at Dunharrow in The Return of the King. The meaning of the name is the same; only the moment is moved.
Andúril in the Story
The sword appears again and again as a sign of who Aragorn is.
- At Meduseld, the hall of Rohan, Aragorn is asked to leave his weapons at the door. He refuses at first to hand Andúril to anyone, saying that it is the sword of Elendil and that he will not set it down lightly. The scene shows how much the sword means to him.
- At Helm's Deep, Andúril gleams in the night fighting on the walls, and Aragorn's blade becomes a rallying point for the defenders.
- At the Black Gate, Aragorn rides out under the banner of Elendil as a king, and the sword is part of that claim.
In every scene, Andúril says: the line of kings is not dead.
Using the Name Today
Andúril is a popular name for swords, of course, but also for games, boats, companies and pets. Some tips if you plan to use it:
- Keep the accent. Andúril with the long ú is the correct form. Without it the word is still recognisable, but the accent shows care.
- Do not invent a Sindarin version. The name is Quenya by design. Changing its endings to look Sindarin creates something Tolkien never wrote.
- For a tattoo, the name works well in Tengwar. Check each letter against a reliable source. You can try it in the Tengwar Writer.
If you enjoy names like this, the Learn Elvish course teaches the Quenya and Sindarin building blocks behind them, so you can read names like Andúril, Narsil and Elendil on your own.
People Also Ask
What does Andúril mean? "Flame of the West." Tolkien gives the meaning when Aragorn names the reforged sword.
Where does the name Andúril come from? It is Quenya, usually analysed as andúnë ("sunset, west") + -ril ("brilliance"), the same ending as in Silmaril.
What was Andúril before it was reforged? Narsil, the sword of Elendil, which broke when he fell fighting Sauron.
What does Narsil mean? It joins nar ("fire") and thil ("white light"), the red and white flames of Sun and Moon.
Related Reading
People Also Ask
What does Andúril mean?
Andúril means "Flame of the West." Tolkien gives this meaning himself when Aragorn names the reforged sword in The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, chapter 3. The name is Quenya, the old High-elven language.
Where does the name Andúril come from?
The usual analysis connects the first part with Quenya andúnë, "sunset, west", and the ending -ril with "brilliance, glitter", the same element found in Silmaril. Tolkien fixed the meaning "Flame of the West" in the text, while the exact word-building is reconstructed by scholars from his notes.
What was Andúril before it was reforged?
It was Narsil, the sword of Elendil. Narsil broke beneath Elendil when he fell fighting Sauron at the end of the Second Age, and Isildur used the hilt-shard to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. The shards were kept by Isildur's heirs until the sword was made again for Aragorn.
What does Narsil mean?
Narsil joins two Elvish roots, nar "fire" and thil "white light." Tolkien explained it as a name for the Sun and the Moon together, red and white flame, the two great lights.
