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Published Aug 1, 2026, 8:45 PM EDT
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
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J.R.R. Tolkien's world of Middle Earth is a creative masterpiece, with The Lord of the Rings hailed as the gold standard in worldbuilding with some of the most expansive lore in any fantasy book, and the trilogy has influenced countless other works of fantasy in turn. As some of the greatest high fantasy books of all time, The Lord of the Rings and other Middle Earth tales contain some epic battles, inventive weapons, and formidable enemies, with their visceral hand-to-hand combat and emotional impact of battle being perfectly adapted in Peter Jackson's movie trilogy.
Jackson's movies are the only fantasy franchise without a bad movie, and part of this is due to the fact that they understand the message at the heart of Tolkien's works. His stories are about different kinds of courage in the face of war, emphasizing the fact that fighting prowess does not necessarily make a character a hero, hence Sam Gamgee being the greatest hero in Middle Earth for his bravery. That said, Middle Earth is full of expert swordfighters, and while a sword does not make a character brave, it can allow them to do some impressive feats.
8 Boromir
Image via MovieStillsDBAlready a legendary warrior among the kingdom of Men, Boromir's fighting skills outshone Faramir's quieter strength in Denethor's eyes. While Denethor gets a lot wrong, from underestimating Faramir to his table manners, one thing he is correct about is Boromir's swordsmanship. Not only does he routinely defeat Orcs and enemies throughout The Fellowship of the Ring, but he begins to share his expertise by teaching Merry and Pippin.
The Fellowship of the Ring movie shows three arrows in Boromir, while the book says "many" without specifying a number.
However, despite his offscreen victories, like defending Osgiliath from invaders, it is Boromir's redemption in The Lord of the Rings that illustrates his greatest feat as a sword fighter. One of the greatest and most unforgettable scenes in the trilogy is Boromir's final stand. Demoralized, fighting alone, and shot with arrows, he still manages to kill orcs before succumbing. The reason he ranks comparatively low on the list is not due to his lack of skill, but the greater enemies fought by other characters.
7 Gandalf
Gandalf exists as both The Grey and The White, adding to his mystique. As one of the most multifaceted characters in Middle Earth lore, he can turn from a kindly old man to a formidable opponent, often within the same scene. The fact that he regularly conceals the true extent of his abilities until he is truly needed makes it difficult to rank his fighting skills, as does the fact that magic always helps matters. While Gandalf can wield a sword, he is usually seen with his staff in the other hand.
That said, it is a skill in itself to be able to wield two weapons at once, and Gandalf has proven his abilities as a swordfighter in the Mines of Moria, Minas Tirith, and the Black Gate, as well as combining his weapons once more in a ten-day fight with the Balrog. As a Maia, Gandalf's power outranks virtually every other character in this list, but this works against him when evaluating him purely as a sword fighter, as other characters have used only their own expertise to defeat deadly opponents.
6 Glorfindel
The Elves in The Lord of the Rings are often portrayed as more ethereal, with weaponry that can be used from afar, like Legolas' signature bow and arrow. However, Glorfindel is arguably the greatest Elven warrior in the Third Age of Middle Earth, and he is known for his ability to fight with a sword. While his spiritual power eventually becomes his defining feature, with even the Nazgul fleeing from him, this was achieved through an epic battle with a Balrog.
Glorfindel is one of the only Middle Earth characters to have single-handedly slain a Balrog, and while this fight claimed his life, he was brought back in a similar manner to Gandalf. As such an important character, it is surprising that he was cut from The Fellowship of the Ring, with Arwen taking his place to drive the Ringwraiths back. While Arwen needed some major scenes in order to give her a larger role, The Rings of Power can now do justice to Glorfindel by giving him the attention he deserves.
5 Aragorn
Aragorn wields Anduril, otherwise known as "the flame of the West," which was reforged from the shards of Narsil, the most famous sword in The Lord of the Rings, which once belonged to another legendary fighter on this list. Many of the greatest warriors in Middle Earth are Elvish, but Aragorn's feats have ranked him among the best swordfighters in Tolkien's world.
Aragorn has fought and defeated virtually every kind of enemy in Middle Earth, from the armies under the earth in the mines of Moria, to the battle of Pelennor Fields, all while taking command, giving instructions, and protecting other characters. His swordsmanship is famous among the race of Men, but while he ranks highly for his sheer strength against multiple opponents at once, Tolkien did not give him a fight as challenging as some of those faced by other characters.
4 Ecthelion
The most powerful Elves in Middle Earth do not always have the opportunity to show their true abilities, but Ecthelion has proven himself an expert fighter over and over again in Tolkien's lore. As one of the greatest heroes of the First Age, Ecthelion is mentioned numerous times in later histories, with his defeat of Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs, being his most notable deed. However, this cannot count in this list, as he impaled Gothmog with his helmet rather than a sword.
Still, Ecthelion also killed two dragons, orcs, and three Balrogs during the attack on Gondolin, while leading its defense during its fall. Ecthelion and his House of the Fountain reportedly slew more Orcs than had ever been slain, proving his stamina as a swordfighter, and resulting in his name being used as a war-cry among the Eldar.
3 Elendil
Elendil is one of the most important characters in Lord of the Rings lore, as he wielded Narsil, the blade that cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand before being reforged and given to Aragorn as Anduril. While it was Isildur who used the blade on Sauron as Elendil had been killed, Elendil was arguably the greatest Númenórean warrior ever to live, leading the Last Alliance of Men and Elves against Sauron.
Elendil fought alongside Gil-galad until Sauron was weakened enough to be overthrown, which is one of the greatest fighting achievements of any of the race of Men in Middle Earth. Elendil might have died fighting Sauron, but he had fought his way through numerous enemies under Sauron's command first, before holding his own with The Dark Lord himself, which immediately illustrates how proficient a swordfighter Elendil was.
2 Túrin
Credit: Alan LeeAragorn might be the greatest human warrior we see onscreen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but Túrin was arguably the greatest warrior among the race of Men. Although many works of fantasy have been inspired by Tolkien's world, even Tolkien was inspired in turn by existing legends. There are few greater marks of heroism in British legend than slaying a dragon, and Túrin killed the mighty dragon Glaurung with one strike.
Túrin's swordsmanship earned him respect even among Elves, who had lifetimes more training than he had, and while he is a tragic character in the lore of Middle Earth, his skill is at the center of a prophecy, making him one of the most powerful Lord of the Rings characters of all time. Túrin is one of the few Middle Earth characters that even Morgoth couldn't beat, cementing his status as a formidable, if heartbreaking, figure.
1 Fingolfin
Fingolfin is canonically the best warrior in the history of Middle Earth, with the most extreme swordfighting feat in any battle in Tolkien's world. Fingolfin challenged Morgoth, one of the most powerful beings in Middle Earth's lore, to single combat. Not only does he then wound Morgoth seven times, but he permanently injures him. This feat speaks to Fingolfin's bravery as well as his skill with a sword, as he dies fighting.
Tolkien's lore contains many legendary duels, but Fingolfin's fight with Morgoth is unique, with the mortal character knowingly challenging a seemingly unbeatable enemy to a fight that should have been over in moments. He then held his own against impossible odds and left his opponent scarred for life before being defeated by his own body giving out rather than his skill being outmatched. No other swordfighter in Middle Earth has achieved such a feat, placing Fingolfin at the top of the list.
Movie(s) The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Created by J.R.R. Tolkien
First Film The Lord of the Rings (1978)
Cast Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt
TV Show(s) The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Character(s) Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
English (US) ·