26 Mar 2022

Mithril

From Sci Fi / Sci Fact, 5:30 am on 26 March 2022

Mithril is a fictional metal found in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien. A very rare and expensive metal in Middle-earth, it is described as resembling silver, being stronger than steel but as light as wool. 

Gandalf: “Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril rings that Thorin gave him.”
Gimli: “Oh, that was a kingly gift.”
Gandalf: “Yes! I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Year : 2001 USA / New Zealand
Director : Peter Jackson
Ian Holm

 Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins Photo: New Line Cinema / WingNut Films

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 Dr. Chris Bumby Photo: Supplied

Dr Chris Bumby, MacDiarmid Institute Associate Investigator and Senior Scientist at the Robinson Research Institute of Victoria University of Wellington regales Bryan with scientific tales of Mithril from Lord of the Rings.

We're in the mines of Mordor here. We're right down in the deep depths of the earth. Who knows what's going on down there?

 

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