Orcrist (S."Orc-cleaver") was one of the most well-forged and renowned swords of the Third Age. It was forged in ancient Gondolin by the Noldor-in-exile, and it was wielded and possessed by Ecthelion of the Fountain as his chief armament. The weapon glowed with the spiritual blue of High-Elvish blades, when Orcs or other fell things were near (as demonstrated directly in Bilbo Baggins's account of his travels in There and Back Again) and the blade was infamous and feared by all of the Goblins of the world. It was with this weapon that Ecthelion dueled, during the Battle of Gondolin, the Lord of the Greater Balrogs, Gothmog the Cruel. It withstood the blows of the demon's black axe, and it fell with its wielder into the Great Fountain of Gondolin, when he pierced his helm through Gothmog's chest, and plunged both into the deep fountain.
Nonetheless, the weapon was not spared; for the Orcs plundered all that remained in Gondolin for them to take, and brought most as spoils to Angband; but this weapon surely must have circulated amongst the Orcs themselves, for somehow it remained in the hands of plunderers until the Third Age. Some Orc-captain must have kept it for his own, and his band must have survived the War of Wrath, perhaps drawn into the north and the mountains of the Forodwaith, perhaps dragged eastwards to the Orc-refuges in the northern Hithaeglir, maybe even coming to the hands of the Gundabad Orcs; but no matter its destiny, it must have sat in darkness, touched only by foul hands, until the Third Age. Then, no matter its location, it was stolen from its Orcish thieves by Trolls from Angmar. Among these it was exchanged for some time, surely used as an insignia of power by primitive Ologs and other Troll-chieftains until, after the fall of their realm and the desolation of Eriador, it at last came to the hands of the Hugath-Stone-trolls. How long it was in their possession is unknown, but by T.A. ca. 2941, it had come to the hands of Tûma, Bûrat, and Wûluag, three particularly foolish nomads of the Troll-tribe.
At this stage it re-entered the history of the Free Peoples. For Thorin Oakenshield and his Company roused the Hugath in the woods, and with the aid of Gandalf the wizard slew them with sunlight. From their horde, the great sword, together with Glamdring its mate, were collected by the Dwarves. Thorin wielded the blade all throughout his travels with his companions, through the Orc-holds of Gong-Goi, against the Wargs of the Vales of Anduin, only to be confiscated by the Wood-Elves of the Woodland Realm. Yet, after the Battle of Five Armies, Thranduil placed Orcrist upon the slain Thorin's grave in token of respect. There it lay forevermore, and its pale glow functioned as a warning system for the Dwarves whenever enemies were near. It served well in this capacity during the Battle of Dale, after which it was exhumed, and wielded by Thórin Stonehelm, he who reconquered Khazad-Dum.