The use of mithril as discussed during the Amazon series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” seems to go against what Tolkien had established for his fictional universe.
Will the Prime Video series on The Rings of Power tense Tolkien fans? Indeed, in episode 7, we can see the reformation of a gold leaf from the tree of the Elves, due to its proximity to a piece of mithril.
In the series, the Elf king Gil-galad is convinced that the light of the Silmaril (extremely powerful gems) is present in the metal known as mithril and could, in large quantities, revitalize the people of the Elves, whose magic and immortality are disappearing.
However, this regenerative power attributed to mithril by the Elves does not appear in any of Tolkien’s writings.
Prime Video The leaf falls into the depths of the mines
Officially, it is known that in the Sindarin language, “mithril” means “grey-silver”, and it is also called “true silver”. It is a metal of unequaled robustness, ideal for forging objects requiring a certain resistance, such as doors or armor. Above all, mithril is extremely light, which allows, for example, beings without great strength to still be able to wear protection against the dangers of Middle-earth.
Mithril is a special component of Tolkien’s universe. It is used, for example, to forge the coat of mail entrusted to Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring or to make ithildin, a material that can only be seen by the light of the stars and the moon and is present on the gate of Moria. The near disappearance of mithril in the time of the Third Age explains in the film the shot on Gimli, fascinated by said door.
Warner Bros.
During the Second Age, it was by digging ever deeper into the mithril deposits that the Dwarves ended up awakening the fearsome Balrog, seen at the end of the episode.
If the belief of the Elves in the revitalizing power of mithril is confirmed, it is a very great freedom taken with the work of Tolkien, who never lent such power to this mineral. It remains to be seen whether, during the series, the Elves will not realize that they are on the wrong track and that mithril is “only” the metal with the properties described in the official books of Middle-earth.
To be continued !
But by the way, what are the Rings of Power?