Today’s video is brought to you by the
Lord of the Rings mechanical Keyboards by Drop. They’ve got keyboards in both
elvish and dwarvish, so stick around after the video to find out how you can
rock the coolest keyboards in Middle-earth. It would be one of the most
precious metals in all Middle-earth. While most commonly associated
with the dwarves of Khazad-dum, and known for its rarity, it would also be
found in both Valinor and Numenor - and be used in one of the most famous ships, heirlooms
of Elendil, and even an elven ring of power. Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we
cover the history of Mithril. The earliest known instance of mirthril
comes not from the depths of Khazad-dum, but in the twilight of the First Age. For in the
Song of Earendil, we learn that when Elrond’s father goes to Valinor to plead for the Valar
to intervene in the struggle against Morgoth, his ship Vinglote is said to have been made
of mithril and elven-glass. His ship would be blessed by the Valar and alongside the
great eagles, Earendil would fight the winged dragons of Morgoth in the War of Wrath and kill
the greatest of their kind - Ancalagon the black. Of course, the most well known location of Mithril
lies in the depths of the Misty Mountains - in the dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dum. It is found by the
dwarves in lodes leading north from Moria toward Caradhras and down into the darkness. The
discovery of this precious metal brings great wealth to the dwarves of Khazad-dum, but they were
not the only peoples to be interested in mithril. It is because of the discovery of this metal also
known as moria-silver or true-silver that some of the Noldor settle near the Misty Mountains.
They establish the realm of Eregion and their lord Celebrimbor leads the Gwaith-i-Mirdain -
the greatest elven smiths of the Second Age. These Noldor were not only great craftsmen, but
they were far less unfriendly toward dwarves than the Sindarin elves. Thus the friendship
that grows between Durin’s Folk and the elves of Eregion was the closest that would ever
be between the two races. Mithril, which is the elven name for the metal is a combination
of the words meaning “grey” and “brilliance”. During this time, Mithril is used in creating
one of the most powerful objects of the age - an elven ring of power. It is Nenya, the ring set
with a stone of adamant, which is made of mithril. This ring, the ring of water, would
be given by Celebrimbor to Galadriel for safe-keeping. And she would
keep it all her remaining days until bearing it away to the Uttermost
West at the end of the Third Age. The elves of Eregion would obtain mithril
through trade with the dwarves and craft their own objects made of the metal. Celebrimbor
would also create a new alloy from the metal, ithildin. Ithildin is visible only by starlight
or moonlight and would be inlaid on the Doors of Durin, which are crafted by Celebrimbor and
the dwarf-smith Narvi. Ithildin is also believed to be used in the creation of moon-letters or
moon-runes. An example of which is on Thror’s Map of the Lonely Mountain, which Elrond discovers
when Thorin’s company rests in Rivendell. It was not only dwarves and elves who would
come to covet and use Mithril though. For we know the 15th king of Numenor, Tar-Telemmaite,
loved silver and constantly had his servants searching for mithril. His name even translates
to “silver-handed”. After the Fall of Numenor, and at the same time the removal of Aman from the
physical world in 3319 SA, Moria becomes the only source of mithril in the world. During this time,
it becomes worth 10-times its weight in gold. It’s possible this increase in value is part of
what drives the dwarves of Khazad-dum to delve ever deeper in their pursuit of mithril.
For 2000 years after the fall of Numenor, the dwarves would harvest their precious
metal, until finally in 1980 TA, their mining awakens a Balrog, a demon of shadow and flame. As
Gandalf says when the Fellowship crosses Moria: The balrog kills King Durin VI, earning
it’s nickname among the dwarves. And despite their efforts to fight against it
- the power of the balrog is too great, and the following year (1981 TA),
they are forced to flee their home. With the mining of mithril ended, the metal
becomes priceless in Middle-earth. And though orcs and other foul creatures would be sent
by Sauron to inhabit Moria, they dared not delve for the metal out of fear of the balrog.
Whatever mithril was left in Khazad-dum that had already been mined by the dwarves, the orcs
gave as tribute to Sauron, who coveted the metal. What Sauron did with the mithril - whether used in
construction, weaponry, or crafts - no tale tells. While Balin’s expedition would
successfully recolonize Moria in 2989, and they would apparently mine gold and
also find mithril, it would be short-lived. They would suffer repeated attacks by orcs and
after just five years, Balin would be slain and the entire dwarf-colony destroyed by the orcs. The scattered objects in Middle-earth made of
Mithril become incredibly valuable. As we know, Thorin would give a shirt of mithril to Bilbo
Baggins during the quest of Erebor, and Bilbo, unaware of it’s true value, would lend it to
the Mathom-house museum in Michel Delving. However, he would take it back before leaving
for Rivendell, where he would in turn give it to Frodo for his own quest. It is during their
journey through Moria that Gandalf reveals it’s worth is greater than the entire
land of the Shire and everything in it. Of course, it is also Frodo’s shirt which shows
the metal’s seemingly supernatural ability. Thanks to the shirt, Frodo survives both a spear
of an orc in the mines and the strike of an arrow while on the river Anduin. Many months
later, after the shirt was taken by the orcs and presented as a token by the Mouth of Sauron
to Gandalf, it would be returned to Frodo and save his life once more. After the hobbits
reclaim the Shire in the Battle of Bywater, Saruman attempts to stab him, and the
blade is turned aside by the mithril shirt. While the most famous, Frodo’s shirt
is not the only mithril item to appear in the Lord of the Rings. We also learn
that the heirloom known as the Elendilmir was made with white gems and Mirthril.
While it did indeed pass through the line of the Numenorean Lords of Andunie,
including Elendil, the father of Isildur, it originally belonged to Silmarien - the daughter
of Tar-Elendil, the fourth King of Numenor. After the Fall of Numenor, it would come to be
associated with the line of Elendil and is known as the Star of the North - for Elendil founded
the realm of Arnor in the north of Middle-earth. After Isildur’s death in the
disaster of the Gladden Fields, the Elendilmir is lost for many centuries, so
the elven smiths of Rivendell made a second Elendilmir - also made of mithril for
Isildur’s son Valandil. This Elendilmir would be passed through the generations all
the way to Aragorn. And during his reign, the first Elendilmir would be found while
searching Orthanc. It turned out that Saruman’s servants had discovered the remains of Isildur
while searching the Anduin for the One Ring. In Minas Tirith, the helmets of the
guards of the citadel displayed the former splendor of Gondor in their use of mithril:
The Guards of the gate were robed in black, and their helms were of strange shape, high-crowned,
with long cheek-guards close-fitting to the face, and above the cheek-guards were set the white
wings of sea-birds; but the helms gleamed with a flame of silver, for they were indeed wrought
of mithril, heirlooms from the glory of old days. Mithril would also be used by Arwen in making the
banner which Aragorn would unfurl during the War of the Ring. It was the Standard of Elendil and
featured a crown wrought of gold and mithril. The final recorded act of using mithril would
fittingly be by a dwarf of Durin’s Folk. After the War of the Ring, Gimli becomes Lord
of the Glittering Caves - the caverns behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep. His colony of
dwarves, alongside elves led by Legolas, would help Aragorn in the restoration of Minas
Tirith. For their part, the dwarves reconstruct the great gate of Minas Tirith which had been
destroyed by the Witch King. In it’s place, they create gates of mithril and steel,
restoring the strength of the city’s defenses. If you want to delve deeper into your own love
of the dwarves, check out the Lord of the Rings mechanical keyboard from drop. And if you’re more
the elven type, they’ve got you covered there too. I’ve been using my Khuzdul keyboard for a
couple weeks now and the quality is great, and it’s certainly a fun addition to
make the nerd cave just a bit nerdier. So check out these Lord of the Rings
keyboards at the link in the description! as always i want to say a huge thank you to my
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