Mithril: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
m (Bot message: re-linked.)
No edit summary
 
(43 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{rewrite}}
{{disambig-two|the precious metal of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s [[legendarium]]|the real-world producers of metal mintiatures|[[Mithril Miniatures]]}}
{{disambig-two|the precious metal of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s [[legendarium]]|the real-world producers of metal mintiatures|[[Mithril Miniatures]]}}


[[Image:John Howe - Mithril.jpg|thumb|''Mithril'' by [[John Howe]]]]
[[Image:John Howe - Mithril.jpg|thumb|''Mithril'' by [[John Howe]]]]
{{quote| ''Mithril!'' All folk desired it. It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of ''mithril'' did not tarnish or grow dim.|[[Gandalf]]<ref name="Journey">{{FR|Journey}}</ref>}}
{{quote| ''Mithril!'' All folk desired it. It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of ''mithril'' did not tarnish or grow dim.|[[Gandalf]] in ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "[[A Journey in the Dark]]"}}
'''''Mithril''''' was a precious silvery metal, stronger than steel but much lighter in weight, which was mined by the [[Dwarves]] in the mines of [[Khazad-dûm]]. ''Mithril'' was also called "true-silver" by [[Men]], while the [[Dwarves]] had their own, secret name for it.


'''''Mithril''''' was a precious metal<ref name=South>{{FR|South}}, p. 277</ref> highly prized for its strength, light weight, and malleability. The [[Elves]] called this substance ''mithril'', but the [[Dwarves]] had their own, secret name for it. It was also known as '''Moria-silver''' or '''true-silver''' (though unlike silver, over time it did not tarnish or grow dim) and desired by all races.<ref name=Journey>{{FR|Journey}}, p. 317</ref>.


==History==
==History==
''Mithril'' was extremely rare by the end of the [[Third Age]], as it was found only in [[Khazad-dûm]]. Once the [[Balrogs|Balrog]] destroyed the Dwarven Kingdom of Khazad-dum, Middle-earth's only source of new ''mithril'' ore was cut off.  Before Moria was abandoned by the Dwarves ''mithril'' was worth ten times its own weight in gold.  After the Dwarves abandoned Moria and production of new mithril ore stopped entirely, it became priceless. The only way to obtain a ''mithril''-object at the end of the Third Age was to either use heirloom ''mithril'' weapons and armour that were produced before the fall of Moria, or to melt down these existing weapons to forge new ones.  The [[Noldor]] of [[Eregion]] made an alloy out of it called ''[[ithildin]]'' ("star moon"), which was used to decorate gateways and portals. It is visible only by starlight or moonlight. The [[Doors of Durin]] bore inlaid ''ithildin'' designs and runes.
Mithril was found in the [[Misty Mountains]], in lodes leading north from the underground dwarven city of [[Moria]] towards [[Caradhras]] and down to darkness.<ref name=Journey/> It was also found on the island of [[Númenor]]<ref>{{UT|7a}}, note 31</ref> and probably in [[Aman]] as well.<ref name=Earendil>{{FR|Earendil}}, p. 236</ref>


While Moria is the only known source of ''mithril'', there are indications that it was also found in [[Númenor]] and in [[Aman]] in smaller quantities.
The sole mithril-vein of the [[Misty Mountains]] made the [[Durin's Folk|Longbeards]] of [[Moria]] wealthy.<ref name=Journey/> Some [[Noldor]] settled in [[Eregion]] near the West-gate of [[Moria]], because they had heard that mithril had been found<ref>{{App|SA}}, p. 1082</ref> and desired to use it in their crafts. Thanks to trade with the [[Dwarves of Khazad-dûm|Dwarves of Moria]], the [[Elves]] created objects of mithril, perhaps the most notable being [[Nenya]], one of the [[Three Rings|Three Elven Rings]] [[Rings of Power|of Power]].<ref>{{RK|Havens}} p. 1028</ref> The [[Noldor]] of [[Eregion]] also made an alloy out of mithril called ''[[ithildin]]'' ("star moon"),<ref name=Journey/> which was visible only by starlight or moonlight. This was used by the elven mastersmith [[Celebrimbor]] for the inlaid decorative designs and writings on the [[Doors of Durin]] on the West-gate of Moria.<ref>{{FR|Journey}}, p. 304</ref>
[[File:Lída Holubová - Expensive.jpg|thumb|''Expensive'' by [[Lída Holubová]]]]
King [[Tar-Telemmaitë]] of [[Númenor]] received his name, which means silver-handed,<ref>{{UT|Index}}, entry ''Tar-Telemmaitë''</ref> because he loved silver and always commanded his servants to search for mithril.<ref>{{UT|Kings}}, XV ''Tar-Telemmaitë''</ref>


==Mithril objects==
After the [[Downfall of Númenor]] and the removal of physical [[Aman]] from the world near the end of the [[Second Age]], the mines of [[Moria]] were the only source of Mithril in the world. Mithril was worth ten times its weight in gold when it could still be mined by the Dwarves.<ref name=Journey/>
=== The Mithril Coat ===
[[Image:Mithrilvest.jpg|thumb|The coat as depicted in the movies]]
Of all items made of ''mithril'', the most famous is the "small shirt of mail" retrieved from the hoard of the dragon [[Smaug]], and given to [[Bilbo Baggins]] by [[Thorin]].


A kingly gift, the ''mithril''-coat was actually worth more than the entire worth of the Shire (Bilbo probably knew this, but he didn't care). Bilbo later gave the coat to his nephew [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]], who wore it during the Quest to [[Mount Doom]]. It saved Frodo's life when he was nearly skewered by an [[Orcs|Orc]] in the Mines of Moria. It was later taken by the Orcs who captured him in the pass above [[Cirith Ungol]], and passed on to the Dark Lord's servants at [[Barad-dûr]].  When the coat was displayed before the hosts of [[Aragorn]] at the Gates of Mordor, many despaired, thinking Frodo had been captured or killed, and the Ring taken.  Gandalf reclaimed it from Sauron's lieutenant, and was later able to return it to Frodo after the battles were won.
Over time, the Dwarves of [[Moria]] continued to delve deep into the darkness below [[Caradhras]] and in {{TA|1980}}<ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year 1980, p. 1089</ref> they released a [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] from the [[Elder Days]]. The [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] destroyed the kingdom<ref name=Durin>{{App|Durin}}, fourth paragraph, p. 954</ref> and caused the mining of mithril to stop when the surviving Dwarves<ref name=Durin/> fled in {{TA|1981}},<ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year 1981, p. 1089</ref> after which mithril became priceless. The [[Orcs]] that inhabited [[Moria]] after the release of the [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] did not dare to delve for mithril and gave all the mithril that the dwarves had already mined as tribute to [[Sauron]], who desired it.<ref name=Journey/>


=== Other ''Mithril'' Objects ===
After [[Gimli]] became [[Lord of the Glittering Caves]], he and his Dwarves forged great gates of ''mithril'' and steel to replace the [[Great Gate of Minas Tirith|Great Gate]] of [[Minas Tirith]] which was broken by the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]].<ref>{{App|Durin}}, p. 986</ref>
* [[Galadriel]] possesses one of the three [[Three Rings|Elven Rings]], [[Nenya]]. It is wrought of ''mithril'' with a white stone.
 
* Poking through the closets of [[Orthanc]], King [[Aragorn|Aragorn II]] and his aides found the long lost ''[[Star of Elendil|Elendilmir]]'', a white star of Elvish crystal affixed to a fillet of ''mithril''. Once owned by [[Elendil]], the first King of [[Arnor]], it is an emblem of royalty in the North Kingdom.
==Other mithril creations==
* The Dwarves' beloved metal appears in [[Gondor]] too. The [[Guards of the Citadel]] of [[Minas Tirith]] wear helmets of ''mithril'', "heirlooms from the glory of old days."
* [[Vingilótë]]: The ship of [[Eärendil]], which he sailed into the sky, making the gleam of truesilver visible to the world as the Evening and Morning Star, was, according to legend, built for him from mithril and from elven-glass.<ref name=Earendil/>
* As Aragorn's ships sail up the [[Anduin]] to relieve the besieged Minas Tirith during the [[War of the Ring]], the standard flying on his ship shows a crown made of ''mithril'' and gold.
* The [[Star of Elendil]]: A gem set on mithril fillet that was an heirloom of the [[Lords of Andúnië]] of Númenor.<ref name=Gladden>{{UT|Gladden}}, ''The sources of the legend of Isildur's death'', fourth paragraph</ref>
* After [[Gimli]] became lord of [[Aglarond]], he and his Dwarves forged great gates of ''mithril'' to replace the gates of [[Minas Tirith]] which were broken by the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]].
** The second Star of Elendil was created by the smiths of [[Rivendell]] after the first one was lost with Isildur in the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]].<ref name=Gladden/>
* The helmets of the [[Guards of the Citadel]] of [[Minas Tirith]], considered "heirlooms from the glory of old days".<ref name=MT>{{RK|MT}}, p. 753</ref>
* The [[mithril coat]] made by Dwarves and given to [[Bilbo Baggins]] as a gift by [[Thorin]].<ref>{{H|Home}}</ref>
* The embroidered [[Crown of Gondor|crown]] in the [[Standard of Elendil]], made by [[Arwen]] for [[Aragorn]] during the [[War of the Ring]], contained mithril.<ref>{{RK|Battle}}, p. 847</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
The name ''mithril'' consists of the two [[Sindarin]] words ''[[mith]]'' ("grey, light grey") + ''[[ril]]'' ("brilliance").<ref>{{PE|17}}, entry '''mithril''', p. 47</ref>


The name ''mithril'' consists of the two [[Sindarin]] words ''[[mith]]'' ("grey, light grey") + ''[[ril]]'' ("brilliance").<ref>{{PE|17}}, p. 47</ref>
==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Mithril|Images of Mithril]]


== Inspiration ==
==External links==
In the ''[[wikipedia:Hervarar Saga|Hervarar saga]]'', which was a cycle dealing with the magic sword ''Tyrfing'' (and from which Tolkien borrowed, for instance, the names [[Dwalin]] and [[Durin]]), the hero Orvar-Odd wore a ''silken mailcoat'' which nothing could pierce (''Oddr svarar: "ek vil berjask við Angantýr, hann mun gefa stór högg með Tyrfingi, en ek trúi betr skyrtu minni, enn brynju þinni, til hlífðar"'').
*"[http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2013/03/06/where-did-all-the-mithril-go/ Where Did All the Mithril Go?]" by [[Michael Martinez]]
 
For the literal-minded reader, it can be unclear whether or not ''mithril'' is a real metal.  Candidates for a possible real-world equivilent of ''mithril'' have been diverse, but the one metal that has by far the greatest similarities with described ''mithril'', is '''titanium'''.  Titanium has half the density and weight of steel, has a lustrous silver-white color, is one of the strongest of metals, and is chemically inert such that it does not corrode over time.  Like ''mithril'', titanium was also exceptionally rare and precious, as it does not typically occur as a workable metallic form in nature&mdash;the ore is actually extremely abundant, but the practical technology to extract titanium metal from the ore has only been widely available and economical since the 20th century.  Titanium also has remarkable strengthening effects on other metals when alloyed with them.<ref>[http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?13037-Mithril-and-Orichalcum&p=426876#post426876 Re: Mithril and Orichalcum], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium Titanium on Wikipedia]</ref>  Other metals have been proposed as candidates for ''mithril'':
* Platinum is silver-white in appearance and extremely resistant to corrosion, but is simply far too heavy to be ''mithril''.
* Aluminium and magnesium have been a candidates for similar reasons as titanium, and aluminium is indeed the single most abundant metallic element in the earth's crust.  These metals are also far too chemically reactive to naturally exist as a workable metal, which originally made them as precious and scarce as ''mithril''.  (Famously, Napoleon III of France once bought dinnerware made out of aluminium because it was more expensive than gold at the time.)  But they are also less lustrous and not as strong as titanium, though they are each also lighter than titanium.
Certainly Tolkien, being highly educated, would have had knowledge of these metals and the difficulty in preparing them.  In Tolkien's universe, ''mithril'' metal also does not typically exist anywhere except in specific localized deposits, with the only known deposits in [[Middle-earth]] being found in the mines of [[Khazad-dûm]].  If ''mithril'' was indeed titanium and titanium does not tend to occur naturally as a metal, then ''mithril'' deposits may have possibly been a result of [[Morgoth|Melkor]]'s original formation of the [[Misty Mountains]], with the ''mithril'' either being intentionally refined as a workable metallic form when the mountains were risen, or being coincidentally formed as a chemical by-product of when Melkor so quickly formed the mountain chain to fend off the [[Valar]].  However, probably because nobody is known to have asked Tolkien about "''mithril''", it will never be known with an absolute certainty whether ''mithril'' is based on any real metal.


{{references}}
{{references}}
==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Mithril|Images of Mithril]]
[[Category:Materials]]
[[Category:Materials]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]
[[de:Mithril]]
[[fr:encyclo/biologie/metaux/mithril]]
[[fi:Mithril]]

Latest revision as of 12:03, 13 January 2023

This article is about the precious metal of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. For the the real-world producers of metal mintiatures, see Mithril Miniatures.
Mithril by John Howe
" Mithril! All folk desired it. It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of mithril did not tarnish or grow dim."
― Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Journey in the Dark"

Mithril was a precious metal[1] highly prized for its strength, light weight, and malleability. The Elves called this substance mithril, but the Dwarves had their own, secret name for it. It was also known as Moria-silver or true-silver (though unlike silver, over time it did not tarnish or grow dim) and desired by all races.[2].

History[edit | edit source]

Mithril was found in the Misty Mountains, in lodes leading north from the underground dwarven city of Moria towards Caradhras and down to darkness.[2] It was also found on the island of Númenor[3] and probably in Aman as well.[4]

The sole mithril-vein of the Misty Mountains made the Longbeards of Moria wealthy.[2] Some Noldor settled in Eregion near the West-gate of Moria, because they had heard that mithril had been found[5] and desired to use it in their crafts. Thanks to trade with the Dwarves of Moria, the Elves created objects of mithril, perhaps the most notable being Nenya, one of the Three Elven Rings of Power.[6] The Noldor of Eregion also made an alloy out of mithril called ithildin ("star moon"),[2] which was visible only by starlight or moonlight. This was used by the elven mastersmith Celebrimbor for the inlaid decorative designs and writings on the Doors of Durin on the West-gate of Moria.[7]

Expensive by Lída Holubová

King Tar-Telemmaitë of Númenor received his name, which means silver-handed,[8] because he loved silver and always commanded his servants to search for mithril.[9]

After the Downfall of Númenor and the removal of physical Aman from the world near the end of the Second Age, the mines of Moria were the only source of Mithril in the world. Mithril was worth ten times its weight in gold when it could still be mined by the Dwarves.[2]

Over time, the Dwarves of Moria continued to delve deep into the darkness below Caradhras and in T.A. 1980[10] they released a Balrog from the Elder Days. The Balrog destroyed the kingdom[11] and caused the mining of mithril to stop when the surviving Dwarves[11] fled in T.A. 1981,[12] after which mithril became priceless. The Orcs that inhabited Moria after the release of the Balrog did not dare to delve for mithril and gave all the mithril that the dwarves had already mined as tribute to Sauron, who desired it.[2]

After Gimli became Lord of the Glittering Caves, he and his Dwarves forged great gates of mithril and steel to replace the Great Gate of Minas Tirith which was broken by the Witch-king of Angmar.[13]

Other mithril creations[edit | edit source]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The name mithril consists of the two Sindarin words mith ("grey, light grey") + ril ("brilliance").[18]

See also[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

References

  1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Ring Goes South", p. 277
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Journey in the Dark", p. 317
  3. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields", "Notes", note 31
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Many Meetings", Song of Eärendil, p. 236
  5. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age", p. 1082
  6. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Grey Havens" p. 1028
  7. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Journey in the Dark", p. 304
  8. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index, entry Tar-Telemmaitë
  9. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor", XV Tar-Telemmaitë
  10. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1980, p. 1089
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk", fourth paragraph, p. 954
  12. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1981, p. 1089
  13. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk", p. 986
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields", The sources of the legend of Isildur's death, fourth paragraph
  15. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith", p. 753
  16. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Not at Home"
  17. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", p. 847
  18. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), entry mithril, p. 47
Retrieved from "https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Mithril&oldid=366868"