The Mithril-coat,[1] or Mithril Coat,[2] was a vest of Dwarf-mail made of mithril, owned by Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.
History
The most famous of the items made from mithril was the "small coat of mail" that had been made for a young elf-prince long before the Quest of Erebor. It was retrieved from the hoard of the dragon Smaug, and given to Bilbo Baggins by Thorin.[3]
A "kingly gift" (in Gimli's estimation), the Mithril-coat was worth more than the entire worth of the Shire.[4] Bilbo kept it as decoration in Bag End. He later lent it to Mathom-house museum in Michel Delving,[5][6] but he took it back before leaving the Shire for Rivendell. Years later, he gave it to his nephew Frodo Baggins in Rivendell.[7] Frodo wore it during the Quest to Mount Doom. It saved Frodo several times; the first when he was nearly skewered by the spear of an Orc in the Mines of Moria,[8] again shortly before crossing the Bridge of Khazad-dûm,[9] and a third time when he was struck by an arrow while on the river Anduin.[10]
The Mithril-coat was later taken by the Orcs who captured Frodo in the pass above Cirith Ungol,[11] and it was 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.[12] Gandalf reclaimed it from Sauron's lieutenant[12] and was later able to return it to Frodo after the battles were won.[13] After the Battle of Bywater, the coat once again saved Frodo's life when Saruman attempted to assassinate him at Bag End.[14]
Other versions of the legendarium
In the original editions of The Hobbit, Bilbo's mail was of "silvered steel". It was altered to mithril in a 1966 revision.[15]
Inspiration
In the 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").
Portrayal in adaptations
2001-2003: The Lord of the Rings film series
- The Mithril-coat follows closely the same narrative, save it is not shown after Frodo's recovery.
2014: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies:
- Thorin gifts Bilbo with the Mithril-coat as the dwarves are preparing for battle against the elves and Men of Dale.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Black Gate Opens"
- ↑ The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings, pg. 74
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Not at Home"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Journey in the Dark", p. 317
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Prologue", "Of the Finding of the Ring", p. 13
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "The Last Stage"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Ring Goes South", p. 277
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm", p. 325
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm", p. 329
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Great River", p. 386
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Tower of Cirith Ungol", p. 905
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Black Gate Opens", p. 889
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Field of Cormallen", p. 954
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Scouring of the Shire", p. 1019
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, John D. Rateliff (ed.), The History of The Hobbit, Return to Bag-End, The Second Phase, "While the Dragon's Away...", (ii) The Arkenstone as Silmaril, note 13