"His bow laid he black beside him
and words of parting wove about him"
The History of Middle-earth volume III
The Lays of Beleriand
The Lay of the Children of Húrin III, lines 1406-7
A mighty bow, made of black yew-wood, that was carried by the most famous archer in Tolkien's tales, Beleg Strongbow of Doriath (in fact his surname, 'Strongbow', is a reference to Belthronding). With it, he long defended the borders of King Thingol, and when he left Doriath in search of his friend Túrin, he took his famous bow with him. Beleg found Túrin dwelling in the halls of Mîm in Amon Rûdh, and together they founded the kingdom of Dor-Cúarthol - the Land of Bow and Helm - with the 'Bow' of that name being Belthronding.
Dor-Cúarthol was a short-lived realm: its leaders were betrayed to the Orcs, and Beleg was left for dead while Túrin was taken captive. Recovering, Beleg set out into the north to rescue his friend. He succeeded, but in a tragic turn of fate Túrin mistook him for a foe, and slew him. Overcome with grief, Túrin dug a grave for Beleg's body, and he buried Belthronding the famous bow beside its late master.
Notes
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Beleg is first directly named 'Strongbow' in the years after the Dagor Bragollach of I 455, but his fame as a bowman surely dated back farther than this. His bow might possibly have been made during the great arming of Doriath, centuries before the return of Morgoth to Middle-earth. This would suggest an age of anything up to a thousand years or perhaps even more, which seems rather unlikely for a wooden weapon. It may be that the bow Belthronding used by Beleg in the later First Age was merely his most recent bow, and that he had used others during his long life.
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- Updated 17 December 2022
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