: -RobRoy

I can't remember any special significance given to Boromir's sword. I doubt that it was even of very superior make, since it was notched when he hacked at the cave-troll in Moria. I used to wonder about this, thinking that surely the son of the steward and the greatest warrior in Gondor ought to have an excellent blade, an heirloom passed down from former ages. But now I've come to think that it is just as likely that there were no such things left in Gondor. Such blades that were perhaps bought from the dwarves, forged at the height of the skill of the Dunedain or inherited from the Elder Days or Second Age, could easily have by Boromir's time been lost or broken in Gondor's innumerable wars.
The incident with the Moria-troll has also made me speculate about the toughness of trolls' hides. If Boromir couldn't with all his strength do any damage to a troll, how could a troll be killed at all (if there are no enchanted weapons at hand)? My explanation ('cause I don't like the idea of invincible trolls) is that cave-trolls are a particularly tough breed, and that boromir had bad luck, so that if he had struck in a better angle instead of perpendicular to the scales, he would have at least drawn blood.
-Foradan