Whether you liked the fact that the short book was divided into three feature-length movies or not, The Hobbit was certainly a special cinematic experience in more ways than one. While it was primarily a rush of nostalgia that took us back to Jackson’s brilliantly crafted world of The Lord of the Rings, it was also an interesting story of its own that expanded the cinematic universe in a good way. Yes, we know that profit played a major role in the structure of these movies, but they turned out well in the end, and they are a worthy prequel to the original trilogy.

Now, many years have passed since the trilogy ended, but the newest issue of Total Film brings us an interesting story related to the film, which involves Richard Armitage, one of the stars of the trilogy, and the sword Orcrist, which was carried by Armitage’s character, Thorin II “Oakenshield“, in the movie.

So, what actually happened there? Well, Armitage was actually given the original Orcrist as a gift, which he himself said he had not expected. And while we know that actors tend to keep (or steal) a prop or two from the filming, receiving the original Orcrist was a truly great gift, and even Armitage himself said: “I just did not expect to be gifted the original sword from the shoot.”

The actor admitted that he had the sword in a lock-up and he did not really tend to it on a daily basis, but he was certain that it was still there until, one day, something strange happened:

“Peter [Jackson, the director] pulled me aside and said, ‘Are you hard up for money?’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ He said, ‘Your sword’s for sale online.’ So I had to go through this whole thing of getting the police involved, but we got the sword back. Now it’s on a shelf in a very prominent place.“

Source: Total Film

Would you believe that? Had Jackson not seen the offer by accident, Armitage would never have known about his sword being stolen! This is truly an interesting and funny story, which is why we had to share it with you. We don’t know how it all ended up and who actually stole it, or how, but the story itself was definitely worth the read, we believe.

Luckily for Armitage, it all turned out quite well, and the sword is now back and safe where he can keep an eye on it all the time, so – hopefully – it doesn’t get stolen again, at least not in such a sly manner like last time!