Editing Mithril (section)

{{Short description|Fictional metal in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings}}
{{About|the metal in Tolkien's mythos}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2022}}
'''Mithril''' is a fictional metal found in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Middle-earth]] writings. It is described as resembling [[silver]], but being stronger and lighter than [[steel]]. It was used to make armour, such as the helmets of the citadel guard of [[Minas Tirith]], and ''ithildin'' alloy, used to decorate gateways with writing visible only by starlight or moonlight. Always extremely valuable, by the end of the [[Third Age]] it was beyond price, and only a few arte<!--British English-->facts made of it remained in use.

Impenetrable armour occurs in [[Norse mythology]] in ''[[Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks]]'', a story that Tolkien certainly knew and could have used for his mithril mail-coat. Mithril is the only invented mineral in his Middle-earth writings. Chemists note mithril's remarkable properties, strong and light like [[titanium]], perhaps when made into alloys with elements such as titanium or [[nickel]], and in its pure form malleable like [[gold]].

The scholar [[Charles A. Huttar]] states that Tolkien treats mineral treasures as having the potential for both good and evil, recalling the association of mining and metalwork in [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' with [[Satan]]. The scholar [[Paul H. Kocher|Paul Kocher]] interprets the [[Dwarves in Middle-earth|Dwarves]]' intense secrecy around mithril as an expression of sexual frustration, given that they have very few [[dwarf-women]].<!--lead summarizes cited content of article body-->

The metal appears in many [[Tolkien's impact on fantasy|derivative fantasy works]] by later authors.