JRR Tolkien"s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings have inspired me to study the world he has created. One of the aspects that is of great interest to me is the armor and weapons used by the warriors and armies of Middle. In many ways Tolkien has modeled his books after our own ancient world. Particularly the Dark and Medieval ages. Obviously Middle Earth cannot be exactly equated to any period of our own world, but in a broad sense it is like our Dark and Medieval ages. The all of the weapons and armor, and some of the battle tactics used in Middle Earth are very similar to those used in our Dark and Medieval ages.

             Throughout the Medieval and Dark ages (roughly 500-1100 AD), the predominant type of body armor was a coat of chain mail with a light helm (either conical or round). Vambraces, greaves, and gloves could also be added, in which case it would be consider a full suit of armor. Also for added protection a coif of chain mail could be worn around the head and neck area. The averages warrior"s equipment was completed with a weapon of some kind and usually a shield. Common weapons used back then included swords, axes, and spears. Bows and arrows were also used extensively but usually not in accompaniment with heavy suits of armor. In order to discern whether Tolkien paralleled the weapons and armor of the Dark and Medieval ages in his own creation, we must look for supporting material in Tolkien"s works.

             In the Lord of the Rings almost all of the militant creatures had similar armor: Gimli, Aragorn, Legolas, Theodin, the Riders of Rohan, the Citadel Guards of Minas Tirith, and the Orc Captain of Moria to name just a few. Gimli wore a mail shirt, a helm of mail and iron, a shield at times, and wielded a dwarven-made axe. Aragorn wore an Elven mail coat, a shield, and wielded the sword called Anduril (made by Elves and reforged by dwarves). Legolas wore an Elven mail coat and a shield like Aragorn"s, and as weapons he used a long knife, and longbow from Lothlorien.