Gandolf found Glamdring and Orchrist in the troll's cave. He took Glamdring and Thorin took Orchrist.
Gandalf and the Dwarves find three swords in a cave: Sting, which Gandalf gives Bilbo. Orcrist, which Gandalf gives Thoring. And Glamdring, which the Wizard keeps for himself.
Thorin's sword was called Orchrist, but the goblins called it Biter. -sam-is-my-hero-
Their swords, Glamdring and Orcrist, glow when goblins are nearby.
Foe Hammer is a sword. Its name in Elvish was Glamdring; the king of Gondolin once wore it and Gandalf got it from the Troll's cave. The goblins called it Beater.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," the name "Orchrist" translates to "goblin-cleaver" in Sindarin, one of the Elvish languages. It is the name of the sword wielded by Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the dwarves. The sword's name reflects its purpose and effectiveness in battle against goblins, highlighting its significance in Thorin's quest.
'Beater and Biter' are names that the goblins/orcs gave to two swords: Glamdring, ancient sword of the King of Gondolin, and Orcrist, another famous and ancient blade. Being forged by elves, the two swords glowed blue in the presence of orcs. You see, in Middle-earth, people and especially orcs know the names of the most famous swords, as well they should, considering how many of their kind they lose to them. Thorin and Gandalf took these swords from the trolls' cave, and used them from then on. "Glamdring" means "foe-hammer" (the "dring" part means "hammer"), hence "Beater". "Orcrist" means "orc-cutter", hence "Biter". The orc-names are based on the Elvish names. In the Silmarillion, Tolkien described the city of Gondolin and its king, Turgon, who was Elrond's great-grandfather.
Gandalf's sword is called Glamdring, or "Foe Hammer."
Orcrist, meaning "Goblin-cleaver"
Gandalf's sword is called Glamdring, 'foe-hammer'.
Glamdring from the tolkien books meant star from the north if I'm remembering correctly -Glamdring is actually Sindarin Elvish for Foe-hammer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glamdring#Glamdring) Actually, the literal translation of glam is 'noise', not 'foe'. 'Foe-hammer' comes from glamhoth dring, 'noise-host hammer' - glamhoth is an Elvish term for Orc(s).
Made in Gondolin (along with Sting) for the elven king Turgon.