Mithril

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 that shone like silver,^[1] and was stronger than tempered steel, but much lighter in weight. It could be beaten like copper and polished like glass. Over time it did not tarnish or grow dim. The Elves called it mithril, but the Dwarves had their own, secret name for it. It was also known as Moria-silver or true-silver and desired by all races.^[2]

1 History
2 Other reknown objects made of mithril
3 Etymology
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

[edit] History

Mithril was found in the Misty Mountains in lodes leading north from the underground dwarven city of Moria towards Caradhras down to darkness,^[2] in the island of Númenor^[3] and probably also in Aman.^[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 in Moria^[5] and created objects of mithril, thanks to trade with the Dwarves of Moria. One of the Three Elven Rings of Power, Nenya, was made of mithril.^[6] The Noldor of Eregion made an alloy out of mithril called ithildin ("star moon"),^[2] which was visible only by starlight or moonlight and was used by the elven mastersmith Celebrimbor from Eregion 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 mithil.^[9]

After the Drowning 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 in the mines of Moria.^[2]

Over time, the Dwarves of Moria delved deep into the darkness below Caradhras and in T.A. 1980^[10] they released a Balrog from the Elder Days, which destroyed the Dwarven Kingdom of Moria.^[11] The mining of mithril in Middle-earth stopped when the surviving Dwarves^[11] fled from Moria in T.A. 1981^[12] and 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]

[edit] Other reknown objects made of mithril

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.^[4]
The Star of Elendil, a gem set on mithril fillet that was an heirloom of the Lords of Andúnië of Númenor.^[14]
The second Star of Elendil created by the smiths of Rivendell after the first one was lost with Isildur in the Disaster of the Gladden Fields.^[14]
The helmets of the Guards of the Citadel of Minas Tirith, considered "heirlooms from the glory of old days".^[15]
The mithril coat made by Dwarves and given to Frodo Baggins as a gift by Thorin.^[16]
The the crown in the Standard of Elendil made by Arwen for Aragorn during the War of the Ring.^[17]