Sting

An artifact from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy universe of Middle-earth, Sting was an Elvish knife or dagger made in Gondolin in the First Age.

Sting was a magical weapon used by Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, which he found in a troll-hoard along with Glamdring and Orcrist. Although it was just a dagger by the standard of Men or Elves, it made an excellent sword for a Hobbit. Bilbo gives Sting to Frodo Baggins, just before the Fellowship of the Ring sets off from Rivendell. After the defeat of Sauron at the end of the Third Age, it passed to Samwise Gamgee.

It was named "Sting" by Bilbo after fighting giant spiders in Mirkwood, where he used it to "sting" them, so to speak.

It has the magical ability to detect any Orc presence near it. When this presence is felt, it glows blue, as it does when the Fellowship encounters Orcs in the mines of Moria.

Gollum, who similarly dislikes anything made by Elves, is afraid of Sting. This fear helped Bilbo when confronting Gollum under the mountain in The Hobbit. It also helps Frodo to tame Gollum (temporarily) in The Lord of the Rings.

In the live action movies
In Peter Jackson's adaptations, Sting is depicted as vaguely leaf-shaped, with gentle curving edges. Engraved on the blade and cross-guard are letters in Sindarin that read phonetically, Maegnas aen estar nin dagnir in yngyl im. Translated into English, they read, Maegnas ("Sting" in Sindarin) is my name, I am the spider's bane. According to the Appendix of The Silmarillion, the element maeg in Sindarin means 'sharp' or 'piercing'.