#black arrow

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The arrow that would eventually slay the dragon Smaug; the Black Arrow. Shot by Bard the Bowman from Laketown, the arrow found its mark between the loose scale in the creature’s armor. It has been known to be a reused weapon, meaning Bard had often shot with it, but always retrieved the arrow, as Beleg had done with his arrow Dailir.

The weapon was forged by king Thrór himself, of the Lonely Mountain. The arrow was given to Bard’s ancestors, supposedly Girion being the first to receive or use it. In the Hobbit films, it is known Girion had failed to kill the dragon earlier, though this is not mentioned in the book.

In the year 2941 of the Third Age, Bard managed to finally shoot the beast down, after a Trush informed him of Smaug’s weak spot. The animal had overheard the conversation between the dragon and Bilbo Baggins, and choose to warn Bard. What happens with the arrow after Smaug has been slain is unknown, but it is possible it stuck within the dragon as it sunk to the depths of the lake. As men were still frightened of coming near the dragon’s body, even after decades of his last breath, it is highly likely the arrow remained with the creature, as did a small amount of the treasure of Erebor that got stuck between Smaug’s scales.

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Sources:

-One Wiki To Rule Them All

-Tolkien Gateway

-The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien