Why Didn't They Make More Mithril Weapons? Where Did All The Mithril Go?
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- Опубликовано: 15 апр 2024
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Discover the reasons why we have not seen more Mithril weapons as we find out where all the Mithril is, and what items it has been used to create over the Ages.
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#tolkien #lotr #middleearth #tolkienlore #mithril #sauron #dwarves #elves 
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What weapon would you make out of Mithril??
I'm going with a spear. But not a throwing spear... 😋
Halberd for me
A full body armor just like the one Iron Man made, weaponize it, and get rid of all the Drug Cartels.
Mithril was just far to soft and flexible to use to make a weapon. Thats why there wasnt any.
I don’t think it was soft at all. Gandalf says it it harder than tempered steel.
@ Instead of getting rid of Drug Cartels, get people to stop giving them money by not doing drugs. Drug users are evil because they pay drug dealers.
Fun fact: the only prince born since they started mining mothril was Legolas. Bilbo was wearing Legolas baby clothing
You’re right. I covered that in my Legolas video too 👍🏼
Wouldn’t Legolas recognize it then? At least once during all the travels?
@@mellifont96 I don’t think it ever got delivered to him. Hence it still being on Erebor.
Sauron was gathering mithril to use in his dentistry practice, of which he operated a free clinic in a poor neighborhood. Dude was seriously misunderstood.
“As weight is important in determining how much force should be delivered to an Uruk-Hai’s groin” 😂😂 Okay, that’s it, you’re my favorite LOTR channel! 😂
Haha, thanks! I'm glad you appreciated that one.
@@FairlyFictional Please tell me that wasn't a Bobbit reference. Great now I feel a cringe pain.
I was actually referring to the Uruk-Hai berserker that Gimli hit on the groin on the wall at Helms Deep 🤣.
@@FairlyFictional Oh yeah, I'd forgotten that 1. They should've set that like that was his intention to have done. Showed Gimli doing a quick aimed line, and then Gimli doing a got it motion of his arm.
@@FairlyFictional Should've had a mithril cod piece then eh?
The best solution here would have been I laid mithril, or mithril cored weapons. A steel sword with a mithril cutting edge, or a war hammer made out of mithril with a steel core. Honestly shields and armor would have been the best use of such a mineral with its ability to withstand strikes. A thin coating on most armor on specialized soldiers with advanced training. As far as the arrow argument goes, you wouldn't need to make the entire head out of mithril, you would just need the tip to be mithril much like an armor piercing round has a steel core.
I like the idea of a shield with a layer of mithril on it.
And yeh, mithril tips, plating, and using other metals as cores would be sensible.
But I wanted to focus on “Mithril” weapons focussing on the properties of Mithril.
Not weapons that were only a tiny bit Mithril and mostly something else.
Suggesting the need for steel core and work arounds, supports the reasons why Mithril would not have been a good metal of choice to make the weapons out of.
Thanks
👍🏼
As a machinist, your logic is spot on, most tools these days are starting to go to insert tooling. If they had the same thinking, it makes sense.
@@FairlyFictional 100% agree, I do feel as legendary craftsmen the dwarves should have figure something out in 2000 years.
Well it sounds good but u gotta recall this is dark ages tech so combining mithril with other metals prob wouldnt b doable. Just like u cant suggest titanium in that same setting as it req skill and precise ratios they couldnt manage. So layering would likely not work either it would likely have to b all or nothing with mithril as mixing it with anything would destroy the material and make ur target object useless.
1 thing the vid left out I think was most mithril would b used most likely as decorative material esp by elves who were eternal type beings so mithril being something everlasting and never fading would appeal alot to them. The idea dwarves who used the weapons weight in battle with axes and such had alot of merit as the opponent would knock their blows back as their mithril weapon is simply too light so armor is best as it would make them faster and harder to bring down from blows against it. Like how a cave troll using a large spear or halberd failed to penetrate and kill a hobbit hit in his mithril shirt. Still nearly crushed him from the force used though.
Binding metals without splits is hard. Who knows what complexity a mythical metal would bring to the forge.
“Why don’t they make the airplanes out of the same stuff as the black box?”
They do. It’s the design.
Going from traveling 400-500 mph (typical airline travel speeds) to suddenly 0 mph would still kill everyone on board. Same as going 80 mph in a car (lets say not a modern car with airbags) and hitting a stationary object. The fact that the car or plane/jet stops doesn't mean your body stops it's forward momentum. You're going into whatever is front of you
Why isn't the moon made of cheese?
Airplanes have to fly.
The black box you speek of is orange
Cost and rarity definitely come in to play. So giving a foot soldier a very expensive weapon just for them to die and lose it to the enemy would be a huge waste. They just need good enough weapons.
Yeh I agree. They already had good weapons. Plus maybe we would have heard about one or two for VIPs if the dwarven kingdoms we saw the most of, weren’t in ruins.
@FairlyFictional exactly, as you pointed out in the video Dwarves already could produce high-quality weapons of lower quality metals anyway. I'm more surprised they had used mithril on the tips, spear, or edges of blades.
Maybe foot soldiers would not get mithril weapon/armor, but for 2000+ years of mining there is a handfull pieces. Not even the elven kings had weapons or armor made of mithril, who else would have the resources and the lifetime to actualy benefit from everlasting metal...
I wonder if Mithril is the sort of metal that cant fuse with others when heated/soldered. It would explain why it wasn't used for the edges of blades, and why it could be made into chainmail and plate, but not an alloy. Also why it would be supper rare to find due to it's weight and density scattering it far into the earth with randomness. Would also likely be found in massive ore nodes in the depths due to it not wanting to fuse.
Also high density enough to be near indestructible would mean putting an edge on it would require a grind wheel likely imbedded with diamond and mithril to even make it a base sharpness and that would be expensive, and hard to do if you could make any flakes small enough to make into a said grind wheel. So that would mean ya got: foundry/mold casting, hammering, hot drawing out, and perhaps c-band type rings provided you had dense enough hot cutting tools to work with. This metal sounds like a monster to work with even if it shares a normal melting temperature with most other metals. Kind of sounds like lead if it were tough as tungsten.
Appreciate your videos love the art
Thank you so much 😀
@@FairlyFictional of course!!
That was interesting. Thank you!
You are welcome 🙏🏼
A mithril shield with razor bladed edges would be highly prized!
Just watch your chin on the edges 😅
A weightless shield would be rather ineffective since it would be a very movable object. The force of every strike would transfer directly to your arm, instead of its mass absorbing some of the energy. It being so hard would also mean it couldn’t catch weapons like a wooden shield can.
Artwork in this is fantastic!
Thank you. I put a lot of effort into making the images are just right!
shitty ai art
When you say mithril would be ineffective for weapons because of the density, I would agree with the arrow tips but I don't see the sword being ineffective. It may have less mass but its more dense than steel. As well as being extremely light allows for faster striking and less fatigue.
I guess it would be fast, and perhaps a good assassin weapon of some sort, and great against unarmed opponents.
But I was specifically saying it would be ineffective as a parrying weapon against other heavier weapons, such as other swords and axes. Or anything an Orc may use as a weapon really..
Imagine fighting a steel pipe against an indestructible long chopstick. The chopstick will be blocking nothing, and the steel pipe would go straight through your weapon like it isn't even there.
The steel pipe would be much better defensively and offensively.
just my own idea...look at mithril as an equivalent to our aluminium (aviation aluminium) or even titanium...not good for blades for various reasons. There is quite a lot of info on the internet on why they are not good for blades.
This reminds me also, which I should have mentioned in the video, that swords usually have a sprung shock absorbing property.
If Mithril is indeed as hard as dragon scale, then it may not have been able to absorb vibrations, making it very uncomfortable for the wielder.
Unless of course, it had Vibranium shock absorbing properties...
@@Raussl Yes and being ligthter it's not denser.........so it will hit with less authority unless you make it larger. Being a rare element that's not practical.
I would think weapon-wise, mithril would make a fine rapier. Being light and strong would be perfect properties for a stabbing weapon.
It is a misconception that metal needs to be heavy to be effective. Carbon steel blades are very light. I dont think weight would ever be an issue. Only hardness, if its hard all around it would not work for weapons. I suppose you could have a steel core (thats softer) and a hard mithril edge. That would make a great weapon :) Even an axe!
I guess it depends just how light this fictional metal is 🤔. I wouldn’t like to use a sword as light as a feather against someone using a steel sword.
But yeh cored weapons would work too 👍🏼. Would probably look a lot better too 😄
If it was to be a weapon, weight does play a significant part of it. In the later ages of armor, some plate armor for example, could not be pierced or cut by a sword in one on one combat. Axes, maces, pole arms, and halberds with heavier heads and were the most effective against plate. You need a long fulcrum with a heavy head to carry momentum and force. I.e. a “force multiplier”. In the case of mithril, you would have to use it for its durability or it’s magical properties rather than pure effectiveness. If you were facing a physically stronger force like the Uruk or beings like the witch king, mithril would have a lot more potential than over your average soldier.
@@FairlyFictional Well, "Here's a pretty thing: Mithril. As light as a feather, and as hard as dragon-scales." Bilbo Baggins.
When parrying with a weapon, you aren't using the weapon's weight, it's all about angles.
A lighter weapon also means one is probably able to deliver the 1st blow, and multiple blows to their one.
@@nodishtoodeep3053 You do not want to "block" the attack from something like an Uruk, you want to deflect it.
Try blocking a sledgehammer, then try to give it small push to the side when it swings. Guide it away from your body, takes WAY less force than stopping it within the 1-2 feet you ahve before it breaks your skull open...
Medieval swords were as a light as they could be and still serve their purpose. I think the best question is really....why they couldn't smith a Mithril edge on to these weapons and get the best of both worlds. It wasn't that practical for medieval smiths to do this but the Dwarves were suppose to have a very deep craft.
Another thing to mention about mithril is that tolkien probably didn't specify its specific properties. Different materials have different properties. Stone is very resistant to crushing and slashing types of force, but weak to force concentrated on a point. Several metals are very hard and sturdy but can still bend. Maybe mithril couldn't keep an edge? Or maybe even though it was indestructible it couldn't be sharpened to a point that it just pierced everything. I agree that mithril is best in armour or magic runes and whatnot. Plus weight is very important in combat, mithril might have the downside of being too light. It's a lot harder to push someone that's heavier over, or even stagger them, and mithril being light means it's easier to do those things. Things that can make a difference in combat.
Yeh that’s all valid. The mystery is what makes it fun 👍🏼
Sauron wasn´t just a great craftman he also knew magic.
While he couldn´t make another ring since (from what i understand) he poured so much of himself into that ring, that he couldn´t make another.
He might use it to create other things maybe trying to mimic his Master Morgoth.
the ring was mimicry of Morgoth's ring. But yes, it could have been some other device for the purpose of magnifying his power, or even breaking open the doorway which kept Morgoth in the void.
@@Dadecorban If Sauron was making such a device, i don´t think he was in any hurry to make it.
Yes he still served Morgoth and as such had to try to get his master out of the void.
But Sauron wasn´t stupid either, he knew that trying to break Morgoth out would be a doomed endeavor.
Sauron witness the War of wrath, he KNEW that a maia had a snowballs chance in hell against the Valar.
Also Sauron liked being the dark lord and having power, and wasn´t in any hurry to give it up.
To elaborate on why the Dwarves needed to trade Mithril for gold.....virtually everything they consumed had to be purchased from men or elves. Most importantly though, the Dwarves themselves produced zero food. They did not raise livestock or tend crops. For an entire civilization to have to purchase every bit of food from their neighbors....neighbors who likely weren't creating much surplus themselves (the men of the Anduin Vale were not very advanced, Elven food production is rather bespoke and artsy rather than at commercial scale, and importation from Arnor and Dale would be expensive at scale). This would have been a huge expense not the least of which is because the sellers knew they could drive up the price considerably (there was a high limit on what the Dwarves could afford, and the scale of their need would have meant they had to buy from whoever was selling)
Those are good points. Dwarves probably ate more than anyone else (except hobbits 😅) and would pay whatever they had to for their salted pork 😄.
Interesting thing about weapons. Weight actually matters.
Length, leverage, and weight play significant factors in how useful a weapon is.
A lot of people get confused about this because of the arguments against large greatswords.
However, muscles actually take a moment to reach their maximum strength, and also have speed limitations.
Lighter does not always mean better.
And i mean, for weapons like hammers, why on earth would you want to make them LIGHTER?
If you aquire enough mithril you might be able to build a large tower.
the maximum size of a metal structure is depending on the relation of its weight to its stability.
mithrils low density would make a building lighter than steel, while its strength would allow it to carry more weight.
this would make it able to build mithril structures much higher than steel structures could be built.
Considering the relative 'rarity' of mithril...it's intrinsic value....even when the mines were active and it was available at large......it;s worth was still 10 times that of gold!!! That's something quite valuable and so making weapons of it regularly would be probably pretty expensive....not to mention only available for the elites....though we know for instance that mithril was used in the making of ithildin and 'other uses' by Elves, ithildin seems to be mithril alloy though for purely decorative purposes....I like to imagine that maybe some of the places in the city Ost-in-Edhil would have some adornments of ihtildin....it would make an awesome view of the building roofs shining in the light of stars and moon at night :)....it makes the lighting cheapear heheh...but jokes aside the mithril chaimails were known before as well as the said helmets...so armor uses are evident.....still with armor there are multiple factors like the ceremonial....artistic value....Elves like to adorne their arms with precious gems and metals like gold, silver...and even in real world there are historical examples of armor or shields being gilded or whatnot, a gilded chainmail is of course a sign of status only someone really wealthy would be able to have that...with mithril in Middle-earth it would be even more so.
She mentioned Ithildin in the video.......
If we say that mithril has a density similar to that of beryllium, it would be completely impractical for many weapons, axes especially. Part of the advantage of using steel over titanium instead of steel in real life is that the blade carries more momentum with each swing. When using a traditional handle material, it would also push the center of mass into the handle, further reducing the rotational inertia of a given swing. Both of these would be exacerbated by an even less dense metal. There is the option of just using far more mithril, but therebare a couple impracticalties to this. Making far longer swords would be possible, but would be impractical to cary for the user. That doesn't explain why we don't see them at all but would explain why we don't see anyone in either traveling party using one. Another option is increasing the crossectional area of the blade, but this could impact the edge geometry of the blade making it harder to cut. We don't know the melting point of it, so we have no idea if a Damascus would work. Its hard to speculate, but those are my reasons.
All great reasons 👍🏼. Thanks for your thoughts. Without knowing more about the properties we can only speculate. But that’s the fun 😅.
Titanium is a great structural material, but not very good for cutting / edge tools. Good steel is harder and stronger. A lot of people think titanium is some wonder material, and while it is quite good, it's big advantage is specific strength, not total strength. It also can't be hardened nearly as much as even a simple steel.
Why would you waste mithril on weapons when protecting yourself with weightless metal is so much more useful?
Gamer.😂❤
Mithril blade edges could be much thinner (therefore sharper) without weakening.
Go swing a five to six lbs sword all day.
@@Isambardify sharpness does not help when hitting thick armor plates, though there are (magic) weapons in the lore which were able to cut through steel easy
@Met_MrxWrx Plate armor was unknown in Middle Earth, they used mail.
The best use for mithril in weapons would be the pole of the a pole arm. This removes the dead weight of the shaft allowing you to have a longer and less vulnerable core to your weapon. You’d be able to focus more of the weight into the head and would need a more substantial counter weight but it would let you make a devastating axe or hammer with unprecedented reach.
The witch king sitting on the iron throne was pretty cool.
😜
Can you please give us all the links of the artworks you used? Especially the one of Galadriel at 5:14!!
I'm glad you like the images? What would you like it for?
The Dwarves couldn't figure out how to make a Mithril-coated arrow with a steel core for armor penetration? The Elves never thought of that idea? I find it hard to believe. Mayne I just have to accept there may be some of this available as light or medium armor
Any requirement for a steel core supports the fact that Mithril wasn’t a good metal to make them out of in the first place.
But maybe it’s just too rare and expensive to make arrows from. Would making diamond tipped arrows make sense in real life for example?
I think sauron might have used mithral to forge grond and to help armorize the black gate and his tower
Unfortunately, it is stated in Return of the King that the head of the ram named Grond (not the mace of Morgoth) was made of black steel.
The best solution is plated metal so inside steel outside mithril it will become effective piercing and protection
i was thinking that too have the weapons blade edge only in mithril and the rest in steel
More likely they would use a mithril bit inerted in the folded edge of the axe during the forging process. In the manner as a real smith inserts a high carbon bit into a low carbon axe head.
I think mithril would be best as light armor underneath heavier armor, like leather, wool, or chain mail. Plate would be pretty effective against blades already with its weak points being around joints. You’d need mithril underneath those joints and gaps. Having mithril plate or infused plate would be pretty expensive.
6:00 so you coule just make a steel or led core arrowhead to balance out the weight issue
One of the best weapons would be probably a mithril rapier, a weapon which is better to be light, but indestructible, piercing everything else (expect mithril plate armor probably ...)
Yeh a poking weapon is probably best. But I prefer a bigger one. Like a spear 👍🏼
my brain only heard "new-menorians" 🤪
Lovely video, thank you very much! ❤
You're welcome 😊.
And they’re a new and improved version of the old-menorians… 🤪.
You are correct about the need for heft in an axe, but wrong about the value of a light, strong sword. A sword is greatly advantaged by lightness if accompanied by unbreakable strength. You can have a longer reach with a larger sword, while still wielding it with less fatigue, a significant benefit. The reason for a sword in combat is its quickness and recovery, excess weight causes overcommitment and slow recovery during maneuvering, lightness is an advantage again.
It’s true a lighter sword would be faster and easier to wield. But unlike axes, swords tend to clash sword vs sword a lot more in combat.
What you gain in speed you lose in strength and power. It would be much easier for the heavier sword to defend against the lighter one without much effort. And the lighter one would have a lot more trouble deflecting heavier sword blows.
imagine a metal pipe vs a swimming noodle for instance 🤔. I’d choose the pipe 😝
@@FairlyFictional In sword fights reach usually reigns supreme
Mithril is what Beskar is in the Star Wars universe and Vibranium/Adamantium are in the Marvel universe. Indestructible metallic substances.
Not particularly illuminating. In any world or genre where power is primarily exercised through the use of weapons, a primary literary device or motif will always be a weapon that gives you an undeserved extreme advantage. Since a property of all combat melee weapons is that they are very prone to damage....and this is tied to their ability to deliver damage...the motif will include weapons that don't get damaged. This motif is found everywhere from ancient epics, to the medieval, to modern fantasy. (weapons made from falling stars, given out by wenches living in lakes, or smith gods, or dragon fire and spell forging and so forth)
@Dadecorban
Except Mithril is never used to make weapons in Lord Of The Rings despite its indestructible properties so care to try again
Possible that he wanted to create a body for himself, not just an armor. Bones and skin as shiny silver, everlasting. But because Orks couldn't do it and he himself didn't have enough power in his corporal form, it never came to fruition
Or he wanted to amass a massive number of really thin rings to control everyone
He could also just have burned it all down,
Maybe to extract some power, feeding his shattered form.
Or out of pettiness because he couldn't except anything like Mithril existing, untainted, impeccable ... like he was, but never will be anymore.
But man, a kitchen knife and some cooking utensils would be absolutely bonkers. Just image the perfect breakfast you could do. The finely sliced, bread. The perfectly fried Eggs... Who wouldn't destroy a world or two for that.
All sounds good to me. I’d buy some of those utensils. If I had enough gold 😂
@@FairlyFictional I knew it ... world domination ... one monopoly to rule them all
If it is denser and sharper than the weapons its up against, then it will cut right through. Its weight will not matter. So a Sword would be a great weapon.
theres a point where hardness and sharpness does not match up to weight and kinetic output though. It's rare you'd be able to strike at the perfect angle to cut clean through another weapon. Mithril would make an excellent spear tip or rapier though. It was obviously also very nice for daggers as you want them to be light and sharp. Chainmail was probably the optimal way to use dwarven mithril though. Having a defence that outweighs your enemies offence is very rare and powerful.
How have I not seen your channel before? This video is great, and you have an excellent narration voice! I'm subscribing.
One small disagreement I have with you though: we don't know what elven blades are made of. They could have made them with mithril edges or something. Additionally, Thorin's armor at the Battle of the 5 armies could have been mithril rings. In the books, while it is very strong, the most impressove thing we see mithril block is an orc captain's spear. It is doubtless very strong, but in battle, surrounded by thousands of goblins and cut off from the rest of his army with only his 12 companions, Thorin may very well have had the armor ripped apart by repeated blows. As it is, mithril would explain how Thorin's company wasn't simply mobbed and slaughtered instantly, with only Thorin, Fili, and Kili falling in battle despite doubtlessly the whole party being showered in all types of blows.
Hello, and thanks for the compliments 😊.
True, they never specified what elven swords were made of, but I doubt Mithril was so available that the likes of Glamdring and Orcrist would have been made of it. Though you do make me wonder now what made them glow 🤔. But I’m sure the elves had their own magical secrets.
Also I doubt the dwarven company had Mithril mail given the way they died if it really was as strong as dragon scale. But it could be possible I guess that there was some used that wasn’t mentioned 🤔.
Since Sauron was a craftsman. he would just craft the the most beatiful things that oly he would look at.
awesome channel
Awesome comment 😉
What about the legendary axe Zigilburk crafted by Ongli in the time of Durin the Deathless in the heart of fire off the Way of Smiths in Khazad Dum?
Unless I’m mistaken, I believe that was something made up for the Lord of the Rings Online game and not the same as the books. Moria was the best expansion still I think 😄.
What class/race do you play?
Not canon
@@FairlyFictional You are not mistaken. But I do think the Lord of the Rings Online is pretty good about being consistent with the lore even though they certainly add to it.
Its vale was 10x that of gold when it was actively mined. It would be like owning an island in your hand.
Mithril. As light as a feather and as hard as a dragon’s scale.
So they say 👍🏼
If I remember correctly, Gimli made gates of Mithril (or partially of it) for Gondor after the war
He did indeed.
7:46 I still think the Witch King should have been the one to win the game of thrones....
It's a trope that "Dwarves use axes" and is not indicative of Dwarven weaponry as a whole. Case in point: Thorin's company carried swords.
You've indicated that mithril is SO light, it would make an arrow even lighter than one with just a point on the wooden shaft, which is absurd (Bilbo's shirt would float away). Additionally, it's not the lack of weight of the arrows that makes dry firing bad for a bow, it's the bow is designed to provide a certain force against a shaft to be let loose. Even if the total weight of the arrow was zero, it would still cause friction and require bow force to fire.
If you would like us to believe that a mithril arrowhead would completely negate both the weight AND friction of the whole arrow (this is a fantasy universe with magic, after all), then surly the Elves would also create bows designed to fire such arrows.
Your video is largely good, well put together and appearto be well researched, but some of you assumptions are flawed. I look forward to more videos from you as you hone your video craft (and fact checking skills).
Thanks for the comment. Yeh that’s true about the swords. Though I wonder if they carried them for easy due to their nomadic life after Smaug came or if they always carried them. For the arrow head, I was comparing to a different metal arrow head, not a wooden point. And also assuming elves used the same bows to fire both rather than make a separate bow. The lighter arrow would also affect their aim, compared to the arrows they were used to.
But given this is fiction it’s hard to know anything for sure. All we really just own is its supposedly light as a feather. Whether that’s accurate or not 😅
Fact: adamant means diamond
"Light as a feather, strong as dragon scale" does not really spell weapon to me. Maybe a cavalry charge breaking spear, you dont need momentum for that... but also you dont really need all those properties for it either, bad use for something that incredibly expensive
I'm wouldn't be surprised if some went to payment to the armies of men that fought for him.
It's because mithril is what Tolkien called aluminum. Which is incredibly difficult to "mine" by their standards without magic (electricity).
Aluminium is super soft. It wouldn’t fit the description at all. Frodo would be very dead wearing aluminium chainmail. I don’t believe Tolkien had a real metal in mind, the whole point was it was mythical, but titanium may be closer to it, no?
@@chadgoodyear7905 Whatever you say.
@@DocFunkenstein Virtually every civilization post-Second Age had steel. Aluminum is not stronger than steel. Therefor it wasn't aluminum. Not sure why you responded "whatever you say" to the other commenter. This isn't even arguable.
@@Dadecorban Whatever you say little guy. Whatever you say.
Mithril is better suited to making armor, its lighter weight would allow for thicker plates without overburdening its wearer while it being stronger then steel will make it impossible to puncture such plates, hell, i doubt a sturdy blow to the joints would find purchase.
As for weapons....mithril is rather useless, to light to make a good weapon. Though I suppose it could make a good knife for getting through mail or gaps in plates...
how heavy do a weapon have to be to make a good weapon?
Axe or a club need weight, swords and general cutting/thrusting weapons need reach ans a sharp edge/point
As for axes it is well known that even in our world today the real world they have classes of axes such as the light axes that focus not on the weight but the sharpness of the blade and ability to swing it
Which are terrible against armor. You are proposing a ridiculously expensive way to kill the least expensive (and least valuable) enemies better. It's overkill.
@Dadecorban axes in general are terrible against armor and I never said it wasn't insainly expensive or a good idea to make weapons out of mythril I'm just saying when it comes to real weapon the creator of the video got it wrong
This is the 1st time i watch one of your videos. A Gem ! Im wondering if the beautiful voice of Lyra is real or fabricated. The orc has a good voice to. As a auditive person i must say the tones of your voice is a soothing constant flow. The sound effects are symphonic with the voice. Very nice i will watch.. listen more🤗
Thank you for your kind comment. The voice is real. Only Krug is is not real. Glad you enjoyed 😊
You missed the new gates of Minas Tirith made partly with Mithril by Dwarves.
Oh yes you’re right.
Sauron may have forged a Mithril heart or body to sustain him forever.
And you really needed extra weight on the axes you could add a little extra to the back of the blade
I could listen to this narrator all day..
Thank you 😊🙏🏼
A Damascus Of Mithril And Steel Would Give The Desired Properties Of Both 😎
I mean wouldnt mithril best be used for industrial purposes? Like ass a hinge or a door to a molten lava?
Much like mandolarins if you have a metal armor making a weapon of said metal makes it possible to easily bypass the armor
Maybe Sauron could use the Mithril to strengthen the gates of Barad-dûr like they did to the great gate of Minas Tirith.
Pointless.
He bound it to himself, and it was the second kind of power booster he made, one with buildings, so like the ring, it was difficult to break and was still probably still hard to break with any normal weapon after the war.
His buildings were just too strong and could only be destroyed if the ring was destroyed or the gods got involved.
Unless i mixed this with something else.
Thorin found the ring, Bilbo stole it from him before either of them knew what it was. Then, although Thorin didn't have proof and wasn't ready to make the accusation, he knew Bilbo had also stolen the Arkenstone.
The mithril shirt was given to Bilbo before he had a chance to steal again and to protect him in spite of his treachery. Thorin Oakenshield knew what he would do, or what anyone else would do, if they found out Bilbo had stolen the two greatest treasures of Middle Earth. Giving Bilbo that shirt was an act of mercy and compassion few other Dwarves, Elves, Men, or Hobbits have ever conducted.
Sounds about right to me. Never trust a hobbit😂
Highly polished silver was an early method of making mirrors so mithril would be a good alternative since it doesn't tarnish or scratch. Sauron is clearly a narcissist so obviously he's using all that mithril to fill his fortress with mirrors. That way he can always admire the greatest thing in Middle Earth. Himself.
That’s a good theory 😂
Alot of mithril went to save the elven tree.
Wasnt mythril used to make doors,entrance gate in Minas Tirith? Gimli fashioned them and gifted them to Elessar?so it was not scarce
I think only parts of the door were Mithril.
Officially though, wasn't mithril just the calcified roots of the white tree's that had been killed? Therefore it would be limited since there were only a few of the tree's.
If you are referring to the story they told in the Rings of Power, then it was made up by the show.
@@FairlyFictional ahh ok. Is it not mentioned at all in Tolkien's writings? Cause it does actually sort of make sense when you think about it.
@@allenbroussard1451 no I don’t think it is based on anything Tolkien wrote.
We don`t have a fintest idea how little there was Mithril… most likely it was really rare… or it would have been used everywhere and by everyone..
incoirrecty about a bow the arrow shaft would be the treue weight just like now in real life
Great video
Thank you ☺️
F = ma
If you swing an axe fast enough, you will generate the same force. And holy hell, it doesn’t get damaged by steel you say? I’m going THROUGH the armor. Make me a war spike!
Do we actually have any evidence that sting and maybe even glamdring and orcrist were only made with steel?
I like to think that the swords found with the mithril shirt either had mithril cores or were a composite of mithril and other metals.
For one thing sting had not seemed to age at all despite being so old.
Gandalf decided that glamdring was worth carrying around and using alongside his staff which was very powerful. I get that magic was used in their forging but gandalf certainly could have had a sword made or made his own sword long before finding glamdring if plain steel could be enchanted like that.
Weapons that last forever are either going to end up lost somewhere they can't be found or in a collection where they stay. So long as they are being used the risk of them being lost remains there and over the course of a thousand years being carried around all kinds of things could happen to them.
Perhaps they get lost at sea or in a river where a hobbit finds and then it gets passed around a few hobbits for a hundred years or so before one of them gets peer pressured into throwing it onto a volcano.
Or like Orcrist they end up buried with some mortal king.
I'm sure the elves that sailed away brought their mithril items with them. For all we know the mithril shirt went with frodo.
I don’t think it’s ever mentioned what those swords are made of but it certainly wouldn’t be Mithril.
And they are only some of the very few swords that have made it through the thousands of years without being lost or forgotten about since the First Age.
You have beatiful voice, you sound little bit like that woman who narriates the story about the last war, where saurons ring gets cut from his hand :D
Thank you. That would be Galadriel then 😅
Even having a magical weapon that kills with even a scratch is useless if you drop it or just dont know how to use it properly. Making weapons from Mithril is simply not a clever idea, aside from maybe a dagger for day to day use or assassinations.
No, making armour is FAR more suitable a use. Armour is idiot proof and armour that is indestructible is going to do its job no matter what. The best use if the material is in short supply would be as many Chainmail Shirts and Plate Helmets as you can make. These give the most amount of protection for critical areas. If you have plenty of material then full sets of Plate Armour would make for an army of virtual immortals. I also love the idea of full length Legion Shields, an indestructible wall of Mithril shining on the battlefield, probably blinding the enemy with the suns reflection.
Yeh that all sounds good 👍🏼
never would the dwarfs trade mithril :D
Sauron took Mithril not to use it, but to make the world less beautiful and at the same time fuel the greed of the kingdoms
The one ring is indestructible and the other rings of power of middle earth like the elves, dwarves and men
Is there any reason to think sauron didn't have mythril on in the first place?
Only that there was none on Mordor and only found on Numenor and Moria.
Arrowheads made of Mithril indeed make no sense, because then you'd most likely be losing something insanely valuable just to kill one orc...and as we've seen in the movies, sometimes it takes more than just one arrow to finish them. Same reason why you wouldn't make and arrow made of diamond or gold cause its not necesarry to be effective.
Now a shield or sword coated with Mithril, probably yes for a king or someone important. Then again probably too valuable to lose in the battlefield but if it can save your life, I'd go with the shield.
Yeh a light and strong shield would probably work really well. Works for Captain America 😅.
Same thing goes with swords and knives sword weight is important because of the balance of the weapon which determines how you are able to wield the weapon a weapon with little to no weight will make it easier to use as swords and knives are slashing and stabbing weapons the weight is not particularly necessary in performing these actions
Knives would be good. And light weight would make the sword easier to wield. But you would not want to use a very light sword against a normal heavy weighted one. The heavy one would have a big advantage when they came into contact striking and parrying etc.
An axe seems like a cumbersome and unwieldy weapon for tunnel warfare.
Wouldn’t spears and pole axes make more sense for short armour clad fighters?
I do wonder how much dwarves actually fought in tunnels. Their cities were quite spacious inside.
And a lot of battles took place over ground. I don’t think they expect the enemy to get so deep into their cities and may go outside to defend them, like we saw when Azog killed Thror.
Also you can find “Vault Wardens” as part of the Moria army for Warhammer’s LOTR game but I don’t know how canon they are..
if you are weak
i would of thought glamring was mithril since it is magical and made by elves
I think that’s just the magic of the elves. Same as Sting and Orcrist.
Makes mostly sense, but even the rarest earth metals mined on earth is done so by the tonnes. While right, that it wasn't of much use as a weapon except for piercing ones, as armour it's great and there should be way more around of it. Unless there were only a few tonnes in the crust of middle earth. And if that was the case, how dumb are the dwarves to give it away for gold of all things? It's not like they built MBTs weighing 70t. The strategic value of that material is far too great to give it to some hippie elves making jewelry out of it for a bunch of gold "rotting" in a vault.
Well it may have been the dwarf rings influence that made them desire gold. And I also saw someone mention that the dwarves, being a subterranean people may not have made much food or anything from above ground and needed to buy it all from other people so gold would have been necessary.
There's no reason dwarves couldnt A: Cover the steel axe head with a thin layer of mithril or B : Insert a piece of mithril called a " bit" into the cutting edge of the axe while forging. In the same manner that a real blacksmith inserts a high carbon bit into an otherwise low carbon steel axe head in order to give the finished product a garder, more durable cutting edge. This would allow for the weight of the steel to remain undiminished.
Yeh you’re right. They would likely need to replace a large part of the weapon as Mithril wouldn’t have been the best to make the weapon out of entirely.
So you stated several times that weapons made of mythril would be too light to be effective. But mythril armor would be very good, being strong to deflect blows, and light to not hinder a solder or ranger in agility or traveling speed. And also, it is implied to a fair degree, that aside from armor, the actual best use for mythril is in crafting magical foci. Rings, amulets, circlets or crowns, scepters or wands, settings for magical gems, and other such uses of arcane practice. If Sauron wanted all the mythril possible, I'd bet he was using it to amplify his magical power.
(Anyone who watched the cartoon 'Conan: The Adventurer', just think of the starmetal, which while effective in weapons, was actually mainly used by Wizards as well as Rathamon and Set to amplify their magic. Same principle, I reckon.)
Yes, armour was a good use, as Frodo found out. And the items mentioned in the video were pretty much all armour, magical or ceremonially significant to some degree.
Mithril edge on steel sword or mithril/steel damaskus blade=magic sword..
Mithril weapons and armor are probably going to be the realm of ceremonial gear, rather than something intended for war.
Bilbo's shirt was made for an elvish child prince. Its something to be worn in ceremonies, not something meant to be worn to war. Any weapons made out of that would likewise be used as some sort of ceremonial weapon. The highly decorated and ornate sword the king uses in public knighting ceremonies is going to be safely locked in the king's vault when the King rides to war. After all, its not like a mithril kit would make them an unstoppable murder machine and the loss of any (or worse, all) or that equipment would be a devastating blow both culturally and financially.
Even the Mithril helms of the Guardians of the Fountain, who stand guard over the White Tree of Gondor screams ceremonial posting rather than someone expected to go to war in that gear.
That all sounds pretty plausible to me 👍🏼
This is true to an extent. The problem lies in the fact that we are told that some was used in war. And those who did wear Mithril were niegh unstoppable. Only killed by Balrogs or dragons. Unfortunately, this is all in side pieces and scraps of stories.
@FinrodFelagundTheFair but we're they nigh unstoppable because of their gear, or where they nigh unstoppable because they were First Age Elves? I mean, Galadrial pretty much took out Dol Guldor herself so those Noldor Nobles are insanely powerful on their own.
@areoborg Yes and no. The armor made them difficult to kill. As we have seen in The Hobbit and TLoTR. But, it wasn't elves who wore it. It was dwarves. And particularly the ones who fought against Glaurung. It was said that the helms the Dwarven lords wore were made of Mithril. And it allowed them to withstand the dragon fire. But also many still died. So, just like any other armor, it could be defeated with enough force and effort.
We also must take into account that blunt force is still transmitted through Mithril. Just like medieval armor, which did stop arrows and basic bladed weapons, the key was to transmit as much force through the armor to the squishy parts underneath.
Doesn't matter how strong your helmet is if I can still rattle your brain pan with a thick club like object. Hence, why maces, war hammers, and flails picked up prevalence in medieval times.
@@FinrodFelagundTheFair I agree with what you say. But Frodo should “still” have been skewered like a boar even with the shirt Mithril 🤔. Unless there’s some other logic defying property it possessed.
My D&D character has a boatload of mithril tipped arrows. No, really... I mean literally, an actual boat filled with mithril tipped arrows. It's Dungeons and friggin' Dragons!
The rest of the rings. They're are amulets that stand up to the test of. Time?. ONE must wonder 🤔
Well if Numenor sunk then it would make sense most of it went with it...
Sauron's Elite Forces would benefit from Mithril. But Sauron had he gotten back the One Ring, the book CLEARLY states that because he had gotten some of the Dwarf Rings over the years, he would be powerful enough to automatically take over the power of all the Rings in Middle Earth even without taking them, including the Three Elven Rings, he likely wouldn't have needed a Mithril Suit.
Perhaps. But even with all the power of the rings he may have been afraid of having his finger cut off in his sleep 🤣.
Just like when Morgoth had a silmaril taken from his crown.
Perhaps 😜
@@FairlyFictional I thought Sauron was a Sleepless Malice? "There is evil in Mordor that does not sleep" I don't think that would be his problem even if he does decide to finally take a nap when he gets his ring. Morgoth didn't wear the Silmaril's around his ringer...
There’s so much evil in Mordor. Maybe they took their naps on shifts 😅
How heavy do you think swords are supposed to be?
Historical swords that were used in combat were lightweight and maneuverable. Most single-handed swords had an average weight of 2 to 4 lbs., while the longer, two-handed swords, called the “grete war sword,” weighed over 3 lbs. Rapiers also weighed around 2 to 3 lbs., with most of their weight concentrated at their hilts.
Great swords, especially the German zweihander, weighed far lighter than they looked. The Landsknecht battlefield weapon had an average weight of 5 to 7 lbs. despite its overall length of around 150 to 175 centimeters (59 to 68 inches). Also, the Scottish Highland claymore weighed about 5.5 lbs.
On the contrary, bearing swords were often heavier, such as the ceremonial version of the zweihander, weighing around 10 to 15 lbs. Unfortunately, they are sometimes erroneously cited as actual fighting weapons, ignoring the fact that they have an impractical size and weight for combat. Many were also blunt-edged and poorly balanced for efficient use.
It’s not so much about the actual weight itself. Mithril, being light as a feather would be much lighter than any historical sword, or any other it would come in to contact with.
The heavier weapon would be much more advantageous for attack and defence. Imagine a metal pole vs a foam sword for example.
Would have made an awesome shield
Dual wielding two shields even 😁
Steel could be used to make perfectly useable weapons and was far less expensive.
Perfectly usable and less expensive have NEVER been enough for those that can go above.
a 10-15year of phone is perfectly usable as a phone/message device and cost an order of magnitude less than a new iPhone. People still buy new iPhones every year...
Big flaw in this. If mithril is too light but harder then steel so making it not effective as a weapon then there is one effective method that they could do. Make the axe head, arrow point, spear point or sword from steel then coat it's outer layer with mithril. You may even be able to pattern weld it or fold it with steel therefore giving it the weight it requires but also creating the harder outer edge. Only problem remaining is its expense and scarcity. If mithril is so expensive (supposedly more expensive than gold) and scarce then that would prevent most from using it as material for weapons but the first excuse just couldn't be true unless mithril doesn't fuse well with other metals. Usually flux is used to overcome that problem. I believe only it's value and scarcity are the real factors in it not being used.
Yes I agree with what you say. It’s the same argument really. The idea was to explain why Mithril was not the most suitable for making Mithril weapons. I wasn’t trying to explain how they should use it in plating and alloys etc to make weapons with only a small amount of Mithril.
But yes, the requirement to use it only in small parts amongst other metals is the same argument for it being too light etc and not fully suitable to make fully Mithril weapons. 👍🏼
Imagine if the one ring was made from mythril...
Poes law, I cant tell if you are joking but of course it was make of Mithril.
@@user-lo7fq9sz7c the one ring has only ever been described as gold. It's enchanted gold. Mythril is silver colored extremely light and pure, but it might have been strong enough to not immediately melt into lava...
They woke the Balrog when they discovered it
Never wake a sleeping Balrog… 😅
Sounds like it served as a blessing and a curse, yeah it protected you, till someone sees it. Then your a target
To be bunt, the author didn't think of it. When Thorin gave Bilbo his mithril shirt it was just part of the hoard. Someone of Thorin's level would know what it was worth. He wouldn't have given it away without at least telling Bilbo what kind of value it had. The Shire is, at least, 10800 square miles, that's a lot of ducats When the term light is used to describe metal, it means compared to other metal items like iron. Aluminum is light weight, for a metal, but by volume it is heavier than concrete. So, it would not be a problem for swords, axes, and arrow heads to be made from mithril, they would be less weight than if made of iron, they would not be weightless. The shaft of the arrow has enough weight to be fired on its own without harming the bow. I don't think plating weapons or armor would have the same effect as solid items. Why did Sauron want it, because it was pretty.
Thorin had just gotten back his mountains of gold so probably was feeling generous 🤪.
And we really don’t know how light it was and if it was light as a feather or not.
I do wonder if the lightness of a Mithril tip would affect volley fire effectiveness also taking environmental conditions into account.
Or if a fully Mithril arrow would be too light 🤔.
Thanks for the comment 👍🏼
@@FairlyFictional I didn't say Thorin wouldn't give him something so valuable (although he is a dwarf, so he is not stupid about money) I said he would have shown how generous he was by telling Bilbo what it was worth. But seriously what are the odds of something so valuable and so effect just be sitting there and in Bilbos size. Also, this was just a run of the mill contract for the dwarves, mail shirt, size 12 boys, 3-4 weeks. I think mithril arrow heads would be kept for high value targets and not used in "day to day" combat, so no volley fire.
Sorry if it sounded like I was disagreeing with you, but it was just a thought. I wasn’t suggesting you said anything in particular.
Thanks for discussing 👍🏼
@@FairlyFictional My pleasure. My main point was J.R.R. changed his mind about the value and use of mithril.
Yeh, he changed his mind about a lot of things 🫣😝
so you're telling me mithril is perfect for making giant weapons?
🤔💡
If a single mythril shirt was worth a kingdom, it would not have taken much to trade for enormous wealth. There may have never been much unearthed.
The Shire is definately not a kingdom.
@@jonathonfrazier6622 So a duchy would be a fair equivalent then? Still not cheap, and still something wars are fought over.
Well if I was Sauron and had all that Mithril, *and* was the greatest crafter in middle earth, my bedroom walls would be peppered with design after iterated design of orc groin guards
And what magical properties would you imbue upon these groin guards 🤔?
ha :) umm well at least to not be penetrated by a spear wielded by a cave troll? :P@@FairlyFictional
Outside of using mithril as a coating/tip, I think the best weapon use for it would be as a chain. Think of a chain whip that is essentially indestructible and is as light (or lighter) than a leather bull whip tipped with a mithril blade. The speeds the weapon could reach would make it an absolute nightmare to try and deal with.
Also on the chain side, you could fashion it into traps similar to bolas or lassos to ensnared opponents. Lightweight, easy to throw and wrap around targets and near impossible to remove/breakout of.
Last example would be flails/ball and chains. Again, using advantage of the main 2 properties of being light and nearly indestructible. The heads would need to be made of something else, but if you make the chains out of mithril, you vastly increase the swinging speed and transfer of energy, making the weapons incredibly effective all while making the usual weak point of the weapons their strength.
Interesting ideas 👍🏼