@@TheRedBook I mean it’s pretty clear the only reason isildur was able to cut off Sauron’s finger was because that was the only place that wasn’t encrusted with mithril! A thrush told him! Man, people who were annoyed the eagles don’t save Frodo at the beginning of lotr, just wait in rings of power when it is a little bird that saves the heroes at the end. 🤣
There's something to be said about Sauron's nature as well. He was an apprentice of Äule, and then a servant of Morgoth, Valar who *loved* their mineral bling and shaping things to their design (however perverse Melkor's creations were...). He's a schemer and a ruler of armies, sure, but at his core, I believe Sauron is still a smith. Of course he'd want to hoard the finest metal in all of Arda. If you practice any kind of craft there's always *that* fancy tool or material that makes your eyes sparkle. For Sauron, that's mithril.
My thought is that if Sauron was once again able to take physical form, after having regained his ring, he might intend to have a set of almost impenetrable armor made of the mithril. I am sure that he remembered having lost the ring when his fingers were severed from his hand. One of the first pieces of armor I think he would fashion would be gauntlets of mithril with the rings he had retrieved embedded into the structure of the gauntlet - having a place for each of the rings and not just his master ring.
Hi Brian. Sauron did have a physical form during the events of The Lord of the Rings (perhaps a debate for another day). But I do like the idea of some very fashionable mithril armour to cover his grotesque appearance - which he had by this time in the 3rd age.
@@TheRedBook beat me to it, I was going to say that Sauron already had a physical form by the time of the events of LOTR. Armour is an obvious assumption, after all in the tales of middle earth every time Sauron has directly entered combat, he loses. Mithril could give him a sense of invincibility, which oddly similar to what the Mandarin in Iron Man seeks. He seeks Iron Mans armour to compliment the power of his 10 rings. Sauron by the end of the LOTR is already powerful enough to take middle earth, he didn’t need the ring and he seems to rely on his forces to carry out his plans. If he won, then the only power left that could stop him would be the Valar and no amount of armour would protect him from that. I suspect that he would have tried to unlock any secrets that Mithril had and use this to further his power and tighten his grip on middle earth.
Gollum speaks on Sauron’s physical form. Missing the finger and all. Shows how weak he became that he couldn’t make a new finger on his body. Even with the one ring he couldn’t recreate his body. At least when he created it he was still stuck in his form after the destruction of his original body/ fair form In neumanor. I think he would have made more rings or maybe rings that would take the power of it’s wearers and give it to him so he could get his shape shifting abilities back. Idk if he would be able to though. It was illuvitar that destroyed his original body. It he deemed him unable to shape shift then no power metal or stone would help him. But yeah I think he would use it for deceptive purposes.
I am really thankful for picturing Sauron's depth in those videos, taking all the hints from little details left in the various writings of J.R.R and Christopher. And how visible is Mairon's fall in all his action, as he became mockery of his former self - once adored as most talented and skilled in arts of Aule, then turning into a gloom joke of abilities he possessed. It's so good you mentioned that in the Second Age he could still value beauty of material things, as self-proclaimed King of Men who after his glimpse of redemption-that-never-came-to-be tried to organise and rebuild Middle-Earth "neglected" by the Valar.
Very well put and I'm glad you noticed the reference to Second Age Sauron, quite a different figure. Wish I had expanded on that just a little for other viewers though. It's important to not see Sauron as being the exact same figure from beginning to end as you point out.
This is a great video. A topic I’ve never really thought about. Very interesting to think of Sauron experimenting with this substance. Sauron the scientist and artist.
Sauron chatted with Smaug and found out how well dragons sleep on beds of gold. After a millennia disembodied the fellow just wanted a good nights sleep on a bed of mithril.
I have never heard him described as "rapacious" before, but I think that term sums up Sauron's nature better than anything else. He isn't just greedy and self important like his old master Morgoth, but aggressively covetous of material possessions.
Also kind of makes me pity Saruman who gave in to the weakness of the flesh. He didn't have the patience and control of Gandalf, who seems to have the patience of a saint despite having a bit of a temper :D
@@TheRedBook Saruman is pitiable in many ways. Yet ultimately he decided to serve evil and in the end got what he deserved for that decision. The Maiar are more angels than saints. Plenty of examples of angels getting testy. The one who got fed up with Lot and grabbed him to haul his sorry hindquarters out of Sodom, for one example.
I just so happened to be making a video about mithril when a certain TV show involved it in some controversial plot. Here''s hoping it draws in some people who want to learn some things Tolkien said about mithril. This is just a short video (mostly speculation) but I always found Gandalf's comment about Sauron and mithril to be interesting. This will be the last video before September's Appendices so make sure to leave a comment you'd like me to respond to on that video. Thanks! Support The Red Book: www.patreon.com/theredbook
I watch your videos, and have subscribed, because I like how you address the lore. I first read Tolkien about 1970 and still have a hardcover first edition of the Silmarillion, bought in 1977, that I've been rereading lately. As for a certain TV show - much respect for not letting them buy you, whether directly or via a monetization scheme, like some others have (Nerd of the Rings and the Broken Sword are two good examples, both of whom I've clicked on "Don't recommend channel").
Can elves stay in Middle Earth indefinitely as wraiths after the fëa has consumed the hröa, or do they have to go to the Halls of Mandos at that point?
@@JCO2002 As far as I know The Red Book has NEVER done a video on the RoP... remember 'silence is violence'. I'm guessing he's too afraid to address what a bastardisation RoP is.
Absolutely love your videos. I follow another Tolkien blog who is great, but, as others have said, you delve into the lore and speculate intelligently on deeper mysteries that other blogs don't touch. Often these are mysteries I've long wondered about myself like Melkor's nature, his fear/desire/hatred for Varda and what Sauron's fixation with mithril was. I also love that you have a real appreciation for the Bad Guys in the Legendarium - I can't help myself being drawn to Melkor and Sauron despite hating their awful deeds. Even Tolkien allows hints of tragedy in their stories. Thanks for addressing the mithril mystery esp after the travesty of the Show That Must Not Be Named. I simply can't understand how they don't have the rights to get the foundation of the 1st Age and 2nd Age correct but are able to get away with making up such lore-breaking tripe...I try to let it go but the 2nd Age could have been so incredible to adapt if done well - Sauron's possible attempt to redeem himself, his connection with Celebrimbor, the War with the Elves, the Rise and Fall of Numenor & his corruption of it and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Sigh...moving on, if you haven't done this before I'd love a video on Tolkien's 'magic system' esp with regards the Music/singing and the Rings. As a massive fantasy fan and writer, it struck me years later that I never really understood how magic worked in the Legendarium compared to say Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Brandon Sanderson talks about it as a Soft vs Hard magic system, but I think it's more complex than that. I enjoy Tolkien's writing and world so much I don't necessarily want to subject it to more modern 'power levels' and gaming style discussions of magic systems, but actually if one picks behind the scenes and cross references the lore there is something there. Briefly/simplistically I think it's something to do with song and calling on the power of things with the quality you want, along with your will and of course Grace like with Sauron vs Finrod and Luthien. I also think Sauron as both a maia of Aulé and Melkor and a ruler of Order was able to tap into the fabric of Arda (Seen and Unseen realms) and found ways to bind things and even conditions to objects which translated into Ringlore, which he taught to Celebrimbor. Would love to know your thoughts on this.
Mithril would likely be created under Aule’s hand (or song maybe). Sauron, a maiar, that followed Aule before he changed to Melkor’s team. He may have assisted in the making of mithril. Therefore he may feel that he is the true owner of it and hoards it for this reason. If this is true he may also know of other uses of mithril as a tool or weapon that is beyond the standard swords or ax of middle earth. Perhaps some Tesla like death ray invention (ok went a little over board). But it sure sounds like he wanted all he could get. One possibility is he didn’t want it for any battle with elves and men. Sauron being a planner and schemer, he may have been collecting it to make weapons in case the Valar ever crossed the sea from the West to get him. After all they came and got Melkor. He may want to be prepared and fashion the best possible defense if this were ever to happen.
2:11 “This covetousness nature of Sauron is easy to understand, even after he failed in his rings of power project…” OH-ho ooof. A very clever shot across the bow there! Keep making digs like that, and you might mine some mithril yourself!
Great timing with this video! Some of the comments are frustrating but hopefully this video will educate people who are new about Mithril. It is a great intro to Tolkien especially with the great narrations from Phil!
New subscriber here and I just wanted to say how much I love your style of videos; the music, art, the in-depth knowledge of lore and speculation thereof, and your voice lol make for some great video content that is incomparable to any other Tolkien based channel. Well done!
Do you think it's possible Sauron was hoarding Mithril to fashion himself a suit or artificial form that would seem fair to the eye again since he lost that ability after the Akallabeth?
I'm pretty sure the suit of armor seen in the first movie prologue is what he would make of his mithril - the best protection, the closest he could be to it, the biggest vain display of it, and if the battle had been fought anywhere then in the shadow of Orodruin, the most dazzling suit of armor seen in Middle-earth including unknown works of Feanor or Aule himself hidden in vaults in Valinor.
Oh, if you mean during the passage with Gandalf's voice - that's not me :D . I credit that narrator in the description. It's me on the rest of the video, of course!
@@TheRedBook Nope right from the beginning it's really impressive you do hear the right pronunciations from some channels but every characters name was so well said , I was really impressive.
Another fascinating and original piece of Tolkienology. It would extremely interesting to hear you speculate on what actually happened to Sauron after the One Ring was destroyed.
It’s interesting to note that no instance of a mithril weapon is actually known, but we do know of armor and jewelry and even later the repaired gates of Minas Tirith. It’s qualities are always described in terms of *resilience*. It’s difficult to imagine why this would particularly lend to the making of a weapon unless, as you say, he discovered a new property. And on that note we should also remember that the making of the mithril alloy (which is what is so hard and light, not the base metal) was a secret known only to the Dwarves. Did Sauron discover this secret? Or find a new alloy? So many tantalizing questions!
Well, it's nearly indestructible and very light, which means very light and sharp weapons could be made of it. If you've ever sparred against someone using weapons similar but with a drastic difference in weight, you'd know the enormous advantage it gives. Outfitting his best fighters with such weapons Sauron could artificially boost their speed in maneuvering weapons and give them an edge over the enemy.
I would guess that Sauron wants to hoard it both simply out of spite because it is loved by the Elves in particular, but also because Mithril has a spiritual quality, reminiscent of the stars. He wants to hoard that beauty for himself, not because he appreciates it, but just to deprive the races of this small piece of joy and remnant of divinity, as one more chip away at their spirits
I do like the idea of Grond the Battering Ram being partly made of Mithril, though I don't actually think that to be the case. I would imagine that a Mithril artifact of that size wouldn't need magical help or words of command from the Witch King to break the gates of Minas Tirith, considering the reputation of the metals' power. However, another hypothesis has just occurred to me (granted this is unprovable but still an interesting concept): We're told by Glorfindel that the Morgul blade which had stabbed Frodo on Weathertop had symbols or spells secretly written on the hilt that normal eyes could not see. I'm reminded of the Doors of Durin where the letters and framework of the doors were only visible by moonlight and starlight. Perhaps Sauron had learned to use Mithril to make a similar craft that could write hidden letters only visible to those familiar with the Unseen realm. I imagine that a combination of Mithril with Wraith magic would be sufficient to power the evil spells of the Morgul blades that could transform their victims into Wraiths. Just an idea though. Thanks for the video!
Of course, my Grond idea is just a bit of speculation and I'd happily reject it if it sounded silly. I do really like that other idea though - especially the connection to the moon. I quite like the idea of evil runes being visible by moonlight or something. I think I will highlight this comment in my response video and talk about it :)
Interesting. I was thinking, along the same lines, that the Morgul blades themselves might be forged from some corrupted form of mithril or a mithril alloy that Sauron developed in his experimentation with the metal
@@TheRedBook Steven, I recall that the gates of Minas Tirith were reinforced by mithril in the 4th age. Perhaps withholding the material from the enemy who could use it for defensive purposes was a motivator. Or it is part of a esoteric hysteria like snake oil, as the tv show somehow suggests. The show btw to me is much better than expected! There is even a reference to Morgoth's Ring in it, something like: "You have been told many lies. Some run so deep that even the rocks and roots believe them. To untangle them all would require the creation of a new world". Not bad prose if you ask me!
I do think he might want to make a resplendant suit of armour, maybe an imposing and majestic mask of shining mithril. Since he can no longer take a fair form he might want to simulate one, not to mention the practical benefits of being armoured in mithril.
I was looking for a comment about armor with beautiful mask since he could not take a fair form again - so make an mask of exceeding beauty, more delicate and beautiful than the face of any elf
Great stuff Steven, glad you had time. I always felt he made only personal weapons out of it. Sauron as evil scientist. Not something I had thought of before, but I will now. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Corruption of beauty has always been a well known theme in Tolkiens work. Turning that which is pure to a darker purpose. Not sure exactly what Sauron wanted all of it for, but in my own head (I don’t believe it’s based on any lore, not that I know of) but the idea of Sauron taking the mithril and weaving it into instruments (harp strings perhaps), and essentially continuing the discordant notes of his master Melkor. Imagine throngs of chanting Black Numenoreans and orcs, all speaking dirges in the Black Speech, using the corrupted purity of mithril to amplify its dark power, using the song of creation itself to corrupt that which Eru made. I dont know, and I’m fairly positive I’m completely off base, but as an aspiring author with a deep love of Tolkiens work and themes, I think it sounds kinda cool. Amazing video as ALWAYS Red Book, yo and Tolkien Untangled have become my favorite Tolkien channels. Especially now in light of the show that shall not be named lol
Well, now we know Mithril came from the roots of a tree containing the mythical Fourth Silmaril, struck by lightning while being fought over by both an elf and a Balrog. The really fantastical thing is that, since Mithril was present in Númenor as well, we can only assume there was *another* tree, containing the even *more* mythical *fifth* Silmaril, which just so happened to be struck by lightning while being fought over by *another* elf and Balrog. What a coincidence!
I'm so glad that we have the RoP authors to reveal all these parts of the Lore they found in Tolkien's long lost journal he hid in an Amazon Fulfillment Warehouse so that one day, Now we can finally learn how many more silmaril their were.
@@Seomus there were at least sixteen Silmarils, as we know: three for the elves, seven for the dwarf lords... and nine... for the race of men. Wait, did the source text get caught in the blender again? Why do we always store it in the blender?
Omg, I didn't know what you were talking about till I read the replies to your comment, lol! I haven't watched any Rings of Power. Weren't the Silmarils made to be reminiscent of the two trees of light in Valinor before their destruction by Morgoth and Ungoliant which Galadriel's hair was a reflection of? The destruction of Tolkien's beautiful story is as tragic as the destruction of the two trees. Maybe the writers of ROP are the real Morgoth and Ungoliant of the story.
Great video. "Use your imagination and picture the use of Mithril in a weapon like Grond" A brilliant example of creating something new from the source material that stays true to the feel of Middle-Earth. This Mithril/Silmaril episode was the first time I felt true contempt for these writers. BTW Anyone know what's happening with Girl Next Gondor? She's been quite of late and I thought I'd ask here as I imagine a great many of you would like her content too.
I like the idea that Sauron was perhaps making unique weapons and armors for himself from mithril. The last time he personally took to the field of battle, his armor failed him, and so he lost the One Ring. Perhaps he saw mithril as an answer to this problem, some kind of armor set that would prevent him from ever losing the ring again?
Hello. Yes, that section is from Phil Dragash, if you check out the description of my videos I provide links to his website and his Twitter account for commissions too. This audio book is The Lord of the Rings Soundscape he made :)
He was waiting for the market to turn in his favour 🤙 hes a smart stacker. Smaug and him should do a precious materials podcast and talk about geo politics and economics. I'd definitely subscribe.
Your videos and narration skills are absolute. The background music is so... celestial, so perfect. PS: You're not going to talk about the "certain TV show" like you called it, are you?
He's mentioned in another video (or maybe a community post) that he might discuss the show in livestreams, but doesn't plan to make an actual video about it.
Hi :) As David says, I'm not planning on doing what the other channels are doing (discussions, previews, reviews). I might do a Livestream at the end of each season to talk about it or something.
I thought Sauron was trying to make some new weapon out of the mithril. Or perhaps make himself a new suit of armor. A less serious explanation is that he was trying to make a new currency for his tributary empire and backed it with the collected mithril, but mithril is too rare for that.
Do a video on "The straight road" between Middle Earth and Aman it's always fascinated me. I often wonder could someone find the straight road and get to Aman from here in the 7th age?
Would you mind making a short video of The Watchers at Minas Morgul sometime? I've always been fascinated by them and would love to hear your take. No worries if it doesn't interest you..
Of course. I wanted to cover them and the Two Watchers at Cirith Ungol. The idea of these vigilant statues at these different locations. Can certainly cover that in a video.
I imagine that following his destruction in the war of the last alliance, he decided there was only one material that could guarantee him safety were it made into a full suit of armour. So I reckon had he come forth from Barad Dur eventually, it would have been impossible for a blade to kill him as it had in the past.
Did Tolkien ever write about why Elendil and his line became king of the former faithful colonies? From a logical and political point of view wouldn't one of the local lords be a better choice? They after all had hundreds if not two thousand years to establish themselves, they had fortresses, cities, armies, relationships with the natives, knew the local politics and area. We know at least the lord of Belfalas (later the house of Dol Amroth) were of royal descent and were powerful enough that Elendil bestowed the title of prince upon the house (sounds like a political concession) and it was likely that there were other royal descent houses in the colonies. Elendil on the other hand was an outsider, who as far as I have read has never visited Middle-Earth before, although his father as captain of the ships probably did. All Elendil had was nine ships probably not enough to really impress the lords of the weakest faithful colonies let alone the lords of Belfalas and Pelagir. He and his father also failed, despite being the leader of the faithful in Numenor they were unable to stop Sauron's influence and the collapse of morality in Numenor society. Their are perhaps three reasons why I believe he and his line was accepted, one he had managed to save many relics and symbols of power and kingship such as the palantir and the seed. Two he was the most closely related survivor of the old royal family and thus automatically get the kingship through inheritance, Ar-Pharzon's grandmother was of the House of Anduine. Three he and his sons survival was seen as a divine omen, the will of the Valar and Eru and gained kingship through that.
I think you answered your own question. The Elf-friend faction were culturally conservative by definition, and Elendil and his sons were (as far as we know) the only direct descendants of Elros on their side of the Númenorian split. (Let's remember that the Elf-friend Númenorians were even in the later times very concerned with issues of ancestry and, yes, race.) Elendil as a king descended from Elros gave the colonies of the Faithful more prestige than lords of lesser lineage would have. If there were no descendants of Elros left in the rival colonies of the King's Men further to the South, then the crowing of Elendil would make them look all the better.
In addition to those reasons you yourself gave, Elendil had become the leader of the Faithful, most of whom had already gone to Middle-Earth before the Fall of Númenor, and lived farther north in the areas that would become Gondor and Arnor. He would have already been very well regarded among those peoples and I personally think it was likely he had been to Middle-Earth even though the text doesn't say one way or another. Couple that with his being a direct descendant of Elros and the leader of one of the powerful houses of Númenor and I doubt any of the lords already living in Middle-Earth had the stature to match that of Elendil. I think few, if any, would blame him for failing to stop Sauron and Ar-Pharazôn as the corruption of Númenor started well over 1000 years earlier.
I missed the reference about Sauron's hoarding mithril entirely, and never gave it any thought until I saw this video's title. My first thought was very much along the lines of the "spite" theory: that he just didn't want anyone else to have it. That was, after all, waht Morgoth would have done. My second thought was like yours: that if used to make weapons, it would explain Grond. But the "ceremonial armor" idea may make the most sense, as Sauron may not want to be vulnerable enough again in a fight to have his hand cut off. Hell, he may have even wanted to build himself a new, mithril body, since he had lost his "fair form" at Numenor! But all along, I found myself wondering what modern humans would try to do with this stuff if we found it: what benefit would it offer to science? Mithril-alloy frames for spaceships and aircraft? Medical applications for implants or focusing lasers for microsurgery? Mithril-ion batteries with limitless power? Mithril-based inks for 3d printers? Who knows?
If Sauron coveted mithril, why did the orcs leave the helmets on the guards' heads when they launched them back at Minas Tirith? Wouldn't it have made more sense to collect these helmets (which I'm only now learning contained mithril)? Or perhaps they thought victory was inevitable and therefore thought they'd be reclaiming them soon? Or were these helmets different from the others you mentioned? Or was this liberty taken by the movies? Thanks!
This did actually happen in the books. But your ordinary Gondorian soldiers would not have Mithril in their helmets. Only the guards of the citadel of Minas Tirith had those and they wouldn't be down on the battlefield.
I imagine Sauron making something like mithril gatling crossbows that fire mithril tipped bolts. You could have armies men and elves running towards Sauron's forces and then countless tiny bolts fly across the fields, shredding through shields and breastplates like paper. Seems like something he'd do.
What I’m going to say is not canon but I like to think that, when Sauron attacked Eregion, he wore a majestic and intricate set of mithril that he forged with mithril he gathered while he dwelt with the Elves of Eregion. However, because of his exposure to Orodruin and, after the Fall of Numenor, the constant heat emanating from his hideous visage, his armour blackened and ended up resembling Morgoth’s black attire.
Being the pragmatist that he is, I don't think Sauron would have just hoarded mithril; he would have used it if he could. He was, after all, a craftsman at heart and would have leapt at the opportunity to _use_ this wondrous material. But, as you pointed out, we never see any mithril weapons or devices being deployed by Sauron. I can think of 2 reasons for this absence. The simplest would be that Sauron guarded it out of jealousy and simply didn't trust any of his servants, not even his lieutenants or the Nazgûl, to use or carry anything made of mithril. The second, and I think more likely reason, is that Sauron only worked with mithril himself, in person -- no "lesser hands" allowed to touch it. And he would probably have taken his time with it, exploring every property it has and every possible use for it before committing to a project. This would mean that his "capture" in Númenór and later downfall by The Last Alliance would have greatly delayed his work. My guess is that (assuming Option #2 is true) Sauron simply didn't have time to complete any of his mithril-related projects.
In general, I am inclined to agree. That said, there is an intermediate option. If Sauron were to hoard mithril, it's possible that he only intended to do so until he had enough to fulfill his intentions. That is to say, if Sauron had already worked out enough of its properties, it's not unlikely that he had already come up with several uses for it; knowing what we do about him, he'd likely have created detailed plans and designs to best utilize it. Depending on the order (or complexity) of those works, I would posit that any hoarding of mithril would simply be because he hadn't enough of it to use at the moment. It's stated that any retrieved was given to him, but we really don't have any way to estimate, however vaguely, what sort of mass those tributes really amounted to. Nor do we really have any idea of how much mithril there really was to begin with. Ultimately, I'd suppose that if he were hoarding it, as described, it would only be because using it would be premature and leave his project incomplete.
@@ulfgard4734 That's a good point. I always figured that all of Middle-earth's mithril supply had already been taken to Sauron by the late Third Age, but if he knew that there was more out there it would make sense for him to save what he had for a later date. I guess it would come down to A) whether there was more mithril available in Moria and B) whether Sauron had sufficient strength to take on the orcs loyal to the Balrog or any influence over the Balrog itself. I'm in the camp that the Balrog had no allegiance to Sauron, but if it came down to a war I think Sauron would have come out on top if he was willing to commit to a long and costly campaign.
@David Fellner Thank you. In my opinion, it could go either way. We do know that the Dwarves were able to source enough mithril after Sauron's defeat to employ in the construction of the new Great Gates of Minas Tirith, although I would hurry to add that I don't recall the exact wording of their description; it may be that the mithril used therein could have been for ornamentation, or it could have been a key structural component (I am open to correction on this point, btw). The latter would suggest that there was quite a bit more to be had somewhere, even if it were effectively used to reinforce specific sections of the gate as a facing or backing sheet. My intuition tells me that however much was used here, it would not have been salvaged from existing Dwarven heirlooms, nor would it have been the last dregs of unwrought mithril, which would have been fiercely guarded by the Dwarves and likely never surrendered for any amount of pay. As to how one supposes things might progress with Moria and its denizens, I think there are a lot of ways it could have gone. Most relevant to your point, it's possible that the wheels of a plan to take Moria under direct control may have already been in motion. I seem to recall (again, I welcome a fact check on this) the descriptions of the orcs in Moria including some few captains, less alike to the apparent locals and more akin to those most dreaded breeds of Mordor. This may imply that Sauron was attempting to subjugate the Moria orcs already, by sending his own cadre to usurp leadership-- whether it be as a prelude to an invasion or as an attempt to moot the need for one. Additionally, I seem to recall much being made of the fact that Sauron's invasions were rushed due to the events of the books. It may be that his plan was to complete this work before ever launching his assaults on the various bastions of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. One might also speculate that if he meant to take Moria, he may have wanted his Ring back first. Whether his aim was destruction, or domination, I would opine that laying low another former servant of Morgoth would have been an opportunity he'd relish.
So the real question I think comes down to attempting to fashion plate out of the metal? Or would he stick with a bright and shiny chain underneath his regular armor? Also if he did go with trying to forge plates what would it look like? Interesting thoughts.
I think he couldve been plotting a means to strike the eagles of manwe, defend against the valar after developments of his victory, or manage a device that could destroy other mithril items that held a purpose of opposition like the items you mentioned directly as a show of conquest. The last would be the more far fetched but I could see him obsessing over a counter to more powerful beings.
Given the three elven rings were air water and fire, there must have been plans for a fourth ring, earth, to reflect the four elements of creation; and perhaps opening a way through earth to the secret fire his master coveted. Or a union that would open his Master's prison in the void. Sincerely, PS great video!
I like to imagine he used it to create more rings of power which he would hand out to his most favored servants who would rule the various conquered lands in his name after he had won.
I'm sure he has several good reasons to hoard it. One that also comes to mind is that he surely would want his enemies to have the strongest and best armor possible. So he doesn't only want it, he also doesn't want others to have it because it would make them slightly more powerful.
I feel like he wanted the best of every race and there proudest achievements i.e the three rings of the elves mithril for the dwarves settlements of men I know there's a point to be argued on all of these but this is how I feel what appeals to his mind..
As someone mentioned I think Sauron was a smith one of the greatest under Aule. Assuming he doesn't sit on his throne 24/7 plotting evil (or is not just a big flaming eye😏) its entirely possible he DOES do some Smithing for the pure pleasure of it. Equally just because he is evil does not mean he does not appreciate beautiful things. Morgoth did, so much so he stole the Silmarils and put them in a crown despite the discomfort. With Sauron he made one ring to rule them all. A ring. Not "One crown to rule them". So he may want Mithril so he can make not just weapons or armour (although I imagine he is immune to most weapons anyway ) but beautiful things even if he afterwards covetously hordes them in private.
While _completely speculative_ : 'Mairon' had inaugurated *_'a cult of Melkor'_* - while there seems to be no respective reference in Tolkien's work, relating to the 'Third Age', one could _imagine_ that this fictional character would 'covet' vast quantities of widely revered materials in order to furnish the *'splendor'* of cult sites. Maybe - like not speaking his name became 'protocol' without serving a practical purpose, anymore after the restoration of Barad-Dur - the tribute of 'true silver' was also just *_a habbit_** from the bygone 'Second Age'* , the crafting of seductive gifts and the corruption of Numenor... motions, a being goes through, repetitively - after having itself bound to the elusive claim of holding unto 'Middle-Earth', forever - instead of _letting go in faithful renewal_ ...
Mithril Armour especially on someone strong would be no joke, even if he didn't use it all imagine saruman getting a new staff made of mithril or the Ring wraiths having even a sword made of the stuff?
I believe Sauron would use it to equip his most important servants and his best troops, but in the end, in keeping with the ever present theme of "evil being the architect of its own demise" the items made with Mithril would find themselves in the hands of the Free Peoples and used to defeat him somehow.
Another thing is that there are no examples anywhere of Weapons being made of Mithril. Correct me if i'm wrong, but in all instances the artifacts we see associated with mithril are Defensive in nature: crowns, jewels, helmets, the elven ring Nenya, Bilbo's mail coat. Never are any Offensive weapons explicitly stated to be crafted from Mithril... but there are swords like Glamdring described as glowing white & gold, and shining with a cold light when orcs are near. could these legendary first age blades be made of mithril?
In my opinion, Grond is almost certainly crafted of some corrupted form of mithril. It’s emphasized multiple times that the gates of Minas Tirith are special, and that Grond shattered them with relative ease. And when the dwarves upgrade it after the books, it’s specifically mentioned that they made the new and improved gates out of mithril, meaning they weren’t before. Just makes sense to me
Given Sauron's defeat by Elendil using Narsil; I imagine Sauron seeking to prevent something similar in future; or at least reduce the likelihood. Additionally, I think back to the eight wounds dealt to Morgoth by Fingolfin wielding Ringil. Thinking about these two instances, perhaps the legendary blades were as much to be feared as those who wielded them (especially in the mind of a "superior" being). Perhaps full battledress constructed of mithril by Sauron himself might reduce the risk of similar wounds in the future; for example when battling the King Returned when Sauron was once again able to take physical form.
He was a fan of building around lava and enslaving great beasts. Mithril reinforcements sound like good uses for either. maybe he was creating a great golem to inhabit? It might take something like Mithril to contain his power.
So as a casual person that knows not too much more than a casual amount of the lore which is more than some but less than others that are deep into it I am going to give a theory based on what I would do to make things more interesting. So if I was in control I would say that Mithril has some unseen properties that no mortal can see. That those properties are not just rare in the realm of middle earth but rare in other parts of the universe. And Sauron is having difficulty taking full control of middle earth and has decided he does not have enough to fully enslave everyone for his motives whatever they may be. So mithril with some unseen properties may not be just coveted by those in middle earth but also by those who imprisoned Morgoth. So with enough of it he may hope that it could be enough to free and bring Morgoth back to middle earth. But it likely won't be that simple as I would make Sauron to want something deeper which is the Flame Imperishable which could give them the ability to create life. No idea what form that would take but I would have them with the Mithril be able to get not the entirety of it but a piece, enough to make what they want in middle earth that would be like a perfection that they want that would be hated by the Orcs as they could never be what their master desires. And I would have the possibility of them getting that as they did something to the Mithril which corrupted it which would make those who have it in their possession desire it more than anything else which would corrupt their minds in the seen and unseen worlds. Naturally they may be able to overcome it and realize the disaster they have done but it would take time and with Morgoth gaining strength along with Sauron it would take all of middle earth plus additional help to stop Morgoth and Sauron in a final battle that would nearly tear middle earth and have it almost entirely shatter into pieces. It's just a idea of what I would do. Thought about it for a little bit before I started it. It's not complete but the idea would be there and it could make it a epic conclusion of evil vs good and everything in between.
It probably has something to do with the preparations for Dagoth Dagorath. If he can claim ALL of the mithril in the lands, then the weapons of the troops of the Valar would at a significant disadvantage to Morgoth's minions whose leaders and champions at least would have mithril gear...
If i remember correctly, Mithril was also found on Numenor. I think more or less indestructible gauntlets for the One Ring is very likely, but i would be surprised if that was all.
Maybe in Middle Earth, gold had a stable isotope in addition to 197 Au which had extraordinary properties and was used by Sauron to fashion the One Ring
I wonder if Tolkien intended this to be vague to leave to the readers’ interpretation or if he hadn’t yet finished elaborating on it. I could see Sauron using it to try to prepare for the Dagor Dagorath, to either aid in his masters return from the void in some way we don’t know about and or making weapons for the last battle ahead of Morgoth’s return, I just got the impression Sauron was still subservient to Morgoth when he had the nemenoreans build an alter to Melkor, im not entirely convinced he did it solely to spite Eru or provoke the destruction of nemenor. Who knows!
Not something I've ever considered before tbh but I'd imagine it has superconductive properties to "magic" maybe..or, how about a body? He had already infused a lot of his innate power into the ring..think about that..that is some radical direction Sauron went in..the scope of detaching almost his essence into the ring...And now I'm thinking of the 2 statues on the road before Minas Morgul and also the Tower of Cirith Ungol..all had malevolent spirits inside them, watchers who gave alarms if passed. I am thinking of a 15 foot tall Dark Lord who's animated a Mithril Golem :)
I wonder, if given enough time, could Sauron have discovered the concept of atomic structures and used his powers to alter other metals into mithril? Imagine an endless supply of the stuff in the hands of the dark lord.
I think of covetousness as more of a psychological state - wanting things because other people have them. Insecurity. The need to put others down - take away what they value. If other beings didn't value mithril, I don't know if it would have been quite as high priority to Sauron. He might still find it useful for some purposes, but I'm not sure his desire would rise to the level of "coveting."
Many comments already about him hoarding mithril to keep away from the other races, or to make himself armor. It is possible though that he could have had a genuine weakness for it, like a dwarf or a dragon hoarding gold. As a former servant of Aule, such a material could potential have a hold on someone like Sauron, and when he was finished wiping out his enemies, he would have mithril all to himself. On a practical level, what do you feel is the most logical use of mitrhil for a being like Sauron (with or without the one ring in his possession)?
I fully agree on Sauron having a weakness for mithril, as he is a craftsman first and foremost. But because of his passion and talent for craft, I think he would definitely have wanted to _make_ something out of it. What that could be is anybody's guess, but an indestructible set of armor (or at least a gauntlet) for himself seems like the most likely option to me. Especially after having his Ring-wearing finger cut off, a mithril gauntlet to prevent another finger-cutting incident would be a practical next move.
Easy mithril is simirilan seeds from the magic elf tree, where a balrock and the best elf ever was fighting while a lightning stroke, so i bet sauron wants it because its magic and can shine when orcs are near, i bet that is handy when they burn in the sun -.0)
I know my “voice” will be lost in the crowd, so be it! I suspect mithril has some ability to also channel “energy” that Sauron understood (considering his background) which he could use it to enforce his “will”. Perhaps using the metal as a lens for his mental dominance as well as physical form. Maybe not only physical and mental but also a third aspect of reality (ethereal?) we are simply not aware reforming Middle Earth directly into his concept.
I think that he probably like to make a full suit of armor for himself, if his entire suit of armor was made out of the strongest metal that also happened to be very light no blade of any kind would harm him,plus having a pair of gauntlets made from it would keep his precious ring in his control. You can not harm or kill what you can not get to.
I’d like to think Sauron would make something like the Silmarils. But they are so great they are a weapon that can trick the hearts of elves and men with their beauty. But who knows Sauron was quite the master at crafting he could have made anything with that material.
My first thought was a suit of armor for himself, the second armor used to ensnare men into his service like the nine rings. As he was hoarding Mithril, how much did he really have? Bilbo/Frodo's mail shirt was more valuable than anything in the world even though it was very small. The total volume of Mithril must not have been that great in order for it to be that valuable. I think, in the end, he coveted anything that was valuable or powerful, in order to control everything and everyone.
It's virtually impossible to know what Sauron had in mind for mithril as we have no idea how much of it he actually had. I do think he probably had a suit of armor, which became of no use to him when the One Ring was destroyed. I'm sure he could have made a weapon although as others have pointed out, there is no record of a mithril weapon being made, which is odd in and of itself. I suspect though that had he lived, he had something else in mind, perhaps some other creation that would have given him even more control over the peoples of Middle-Earth than was possible through the One Ring or allowed him to enhance his powers well beyond what they were at the end of the 3rd Age.
I know Tolkien has that letter where he says that Sauron believed that Eru had abandoned Middle Earth, but that Sauron could not be a sincere athiest and had his measure of knowledge of the Music and whatnot..Do you think Sauron on some level feared the damnation that awaited him sooner or later from his rebellion against God, or had he become so warped by evil that that he truly believed he would lord over the material world for eternity? I often wonder if the fate of his master haunted him at all. The path of Sauron seems like the sunk cost fallacy at a cosmic scale
While I originally thought avavarice and then secondly for Sauron to make weapons out of it. Could not Mithril also be used as a form of payment to Sauron's mercenary armies?
I talk about the first two in the video. I'd disagree with the third. If Sauron paid armies (instead of corrupting them into service through worship/threats, etc) then I'm sure gold would suffice - and Sauron could surely obtain gold? His Orcs could gather him what's necessary to pay (if he has to). Mitrhil is way too rare and valuable to give out to soldiers. I still don't think Sauron would be paying anyone though. His armies are coming from places he's taken over or long corrupted -the people sending these soldiers want to serve Sauron.
I absolutely love this channel, it’s my favorite Tolkien channel hands down
This is such an easy answer...Sauron gathered all the mithril he had into a big pile in Barad-dûr, where he liked to sleep on top of it.
In early works, Sauron was once known as the Tevildo, the Prince of Cats, and was a literal cat. So it makes sense; he fits it, he sits it.
I should just take down the video because that's a better explanation.
@@TheRedBook I mean it’s pretty clear the only reason isildur was able to cut off Sauron’s finger was because that was the only place that wasn’t encrusted with mithril! A thrush told him! Man, people who were annoyed the eagles don’t save Frodo at the beginning of lotr, just wait in rings of power when it is a little bird that saves the heroes at the end. 🤣
@@HenhousetheRed You're telling me the entire plot of LOTR could have been avoided if they distracted him with a box?
@@HenhousetheRed A lot of Tevildo was put into Sauron, but I think Thû the Necromancer stood that actual role in Beren and Lúthien.
There's something to be said about Sauron's nature as well. He was an apprentice of Äule, and then a servant of Morgoth, Valar who *loved* their mineral bling and shaping things to their design (however perverse Melkor's creations were...). He's a schemer and a ruler of armies, sure, but at his core, I believe Sauron is still a smith. Of course he'd want to hoard the finest metal in all of Arda. If you practice any kind of craft there's always *that* fancy tool or material that makes your eyes sparkle. For Sauron, that's mithril.
My thought is that if Sauron was once again able to take physical form, after having regained his ring, he might intend to have a set of almost impenetrable armor made of the mithril. I am sure that he remembered having lost the ring when his fingers were severed from his hand. One of the first pieces of armor I think he would fashion would be gauntlets of mithril with the rings he had retrieved embedded into the structure of the gauntlet - having a place for each of the rings and not just his master ring.
Hi Brian. Sauron did have a physical form during the events of The Lord of the Rings (perhaps a debate for another day). But I do like the idea of some very fashionable mithril armour to cover his grotesque appearance - which he had by this time in the 3rd age.
Someone’s been watching the Avengers
@@TheRedBook beat me to it, I was going to say that Sauron already had a physical form by the time of the events of LOTR. Armour is an obvious assumption, after all in the tales of middle earth every time Sauron has directly entered combat, he loses. Mithril could give him a sense of invincibility, which oddly similar to what the Mandarin in Iron Man seeks. He seeks Iron Mans armour to compliment the power of his 10 rings. Sauron by the end of the LOTR is already powerful enough to take middle earth, he didn’t need the ring and he seems to rely on his forces to carry out his plans. If he won, then the only power left that could stop him would be the Valar and no amount of armour would protect him from that. I suspect that he would have tried to unlock any secrets that Mithril had and use this to further his power and tighten his grip on middle earth.
@@birch98 lol
Gollum speaks on Sauron’s physical form. Missing the finger and all. Shows how weak he became that he couldn’t make a new finger on his body. Even with the one ring he couldn’t recreate his body. At least when he created it he was still stuck in his form after the destruction of his original body/ fair form In neumanor. I think he would have made more rings or maybe rings that would take the power of it’s wearers and give it to him so he could get his shape shifting abilities back. Idk if he would be able to though. It was illuvitar that destroyed his original body. It he deemed him unable to shape shift then no power metal or stone would help him. But yeah I think he would use it for deceptive purposes.
I am really thankful for picturing Sauron's depth in those videos, taking all the hints from little details left in the various writings of J.R.R and Christopher. And how visible is Mairon's fall in all his action, as he became mockery of his former self - once adored as most talented and skilled in arts of Aule, then turning into a gloom joke of abilities he possessed. It's so good you mentioned that in the Second Age he could still value beauty of material things, as self-proclaimed King of Men who after his glimpse of redemption-that-never-came-to-be tried to organise and rebuild Middle-Earth "neglected" by the Valar.
Very well put and I'm glad you noticed the reference to Second Age Sauron, quite a different figure. Wish I had expanded on that just a little for other viewers though. It's important to not see Sauron as being the exact same figure from beginning to end as you point out.
This is a great video. A topic I’ve never really thought about. Very interesting to think of Sauron experimenting with this substance. Sauron the scientist and artist.
Sauron chatted with Smaug and found out how well dragons sleep on beds of gold. After a millennia disembodied the fellow just wanted a good nights sleep on a bed of mithril.
I have never heard him described as "rapacious" before, but I think that term sums up Sauron's nature better than anything else. He isn't just greedy and self important like his old master Morgoth, but aggressively covetous of material possessions.
It makes one appreciate even more the restraint of Gandalf, also of the Maiar, who did not use his power to enforce his will on others.
Also kind of makes me pity Saruman who gave in to the weakness of the flesh. He didn't have the patience and control of Gandalf, who seems to have the patience of a saint despite having a bit of a temper :D
@@TheRedBook Saruman is pitiable in many ways. Yet ultimately he decided to serve evil and in the end got what he deserved for that decision.
The Maiar are more angels than saints. Plenty of examples of angels getting testy. The one who got fed up with Lot and grabbed him to haul his sorry hindquarters out of Sodom, for one example.
Of course :) I wasn't really comparing him to a saint, it's just the expression "patience of a saint" - use it quite often here :D
@@TheRedBook I certainly don't have the patience of a saint! Hey, does that make me like Gandalf? 😉
Only if you are good with fireworks to make up for it!
I just so happened to be making a video about mithril when a certain TV show involved it in some controversial plot. Here''s hoping it draws in some people who want to learn some things Tolkien said about mithril. This is just a short video (mostly speculation) but I always found Gandalf's comment about Sauron and mithril to be interesting. This will be the last video before September's Appendices so make sure to leave a comment you'd like me to respond to on that video. Thanks!
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Hey I had this question a few days ago. Glad to see that your doing a video on it.
I watch your videos, and have subscribed, because I like how you address the lore. I first read Tolkien about 1970 and still have a hardcover first edition of the Silmarillion, bought in 1977, that I've been rereading lately. As for a certain TV show - much respect for not letting them buy you, whether directly or via a monetization scheme, like some others have (Nerd of the Rings and the Broken Sword are two good examples, both of whom I've clicked on "Don't recommend channel").
Can elves stay in Middle Earth indefinitely as wraiths after the fëa has consumed the hröa, or do they have to go to the Halls of Mandos at that point?
It worked xD
@@JCO2002 As far as I know The Red Book has NEVER done a video on the RoP... remember 'silence is violence'. I'm guessing he's too afraid to address what a bastardisation RoP is.
Absolutely love your videos. I follow another Tolkien blog who is great, but, as others have said, you delve into the lore and speculate intelligently on deeper mysteries that other blogs don't touch. Often these are mysteries I've long wondered about myself like Melkor's nature, his fear/desire/hatred for Varda and what Sauron's fixation with mithril was. I also love that you have a real appreciation for the Bad Guys in the Legendarium - I can't help myself being drawn to Melkor and Sauron despite hating their awful deeds. Even Tolkien allows hints of tragedy in their stories. Thanks for addressing the mithril mystery esp after the travesty of the Show That Must Not Be Named. I simply can't understand how they don't have the rights to get the foundation of the 1st Age and 2nd Age correct but are able to get away with making up such lore-breaking tripe...I try to let it go but the 2nd Age could have been so incredible to adapt if done well - Sauron's possible attempt to redeem himself, his connection with Celebrimbor, the War with the Elves, the Rise and Fall of Numenor & his corruption of it and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
Sigh...moving on, if you haven't done this before I'd love a video on Tolkien's 'magic system' esp with regards the Music/singing and the Rings. As a massive fantasy fan and writer, it struck me years later that I never really understood how magic worked in the Legendarium compared to say Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Brandon Sanderson talks about it as a Soft vs Hard magic system, but I think it's more complex than that. I enjoy Tolkien's writing and world so much I don't necessarily want to subject it to more modern 'power levels' and gaming style discussions of magic systems, but actually if one picks behind the scenes and cross references the lore there is something there. Briefly/simplistically I think it's something to do with song and calling on the power of things with the quality you want, along with your will and of course Grace like with Sauron vs Finrod and Luthien. I also think Sauron as both a maia of Aulé and Melkor and a ruler of Order was able to tap into the fabric of Arda (Seen and Unseen realms) and found ways to bind things and even conditions to objects which translated into Ringlore, which he taught to Celebrimbor. Would love to know your thoughts on this.
Mithril would likely be created under Aule’s hand (or song maybe). Sauron, a maiar, that followed Aule before he changed to Melkor’s team. He may have assisted in the making of mithril. Therefore he may feel that he is the true owner of it and hoards it for this reason. If this is true he may also know of other uses of mithril as a tool or weapon that is beyond the standard swords or ax of middle earth. Perhaps some Tesla like death ray invention (ok went a little over board). But it sure sounds like he wanted all he could get. One possibility is he didn’t want it for any battle with elves and men. Sauron being a planner and schemer, he may have been collecting it to make weapons in case the Valar ever crossed the sea from the West to get him. After all they came and got Melkor. He may want to be prepared and fashion the best possible defense if this were ever to happen.
This kind of thought provoking video is what sets your channel head and shoulders above the rest!
2:11 “This covetousness nature of Sauron is easy to understand, even after he failed in his rings of power project…”
OH-ho ooof. A very clever shot across the bow there! Keep making digs like that, and you might mine some mithril yourself!
See this is a question i would NEVER have thought to ask. This is why you are the best LOTR youtuber.
Great timing with this video! Some of the comments are frustrating but hopefully this video will educate people who are new about Mithril. It is a great intro to Tolkien especially with the great narrations from Phil!
Very lucky timing. It seems to have helped greatly with the views so far :D
Very happy to have found your channel, amazing vedyos.
Thank you Fran :) glad to have you here!
New subscriber here and I just wanted to say how much I love your style of videos; the music, art, the in-depth knowledge of lore and speculation thereof, and your voice lol make for some great video content that is incomparable to any other Tolkien based channel. Well done!
Thank you very much for the comment and subscribing - always really happy to hear positivity when it comes to these videos :D
Do you think it's possible Sauron was hoarding Mithril to fashion himself a suit or artificial form that would seem fair to the eye again since he lost that ability after the Akallabeth?
I'm pretty sure the suit of armor seen in the first movie prologue is what he would make of his mithril - the best protection, the closest he could be to it, the biggest vain display of it, and if the battle had been fought anywhere then in the shadow of Orodruin, the most dazzling suit of armor seen in Middle-earth including unknown works of Feanor or Aule himself hidden in vaults in Valinor.
I have similar idea but why he didn't make a gauntlet out of mithril or Narsil can cut mithril like butter?
Wow just found this channel the accents your doing is Amazing your pronunciations Amazing.
Oh, if you mean during the passage with Gandalf's voice - that's not me :D . I credit that narrator in the description. It's me on the rest of the video, of course!
@@TheRedBook Nope right from the beginning it's really impressive you do hear the right pronunciations from some channels but every characters name was so well said , I was really impressive.
Great topic as always!
Another fascinating and original piece of Tolkienology. It would extremely interesting to hear you speculate on what actually happened to Sauron after the One Ring was destroyed.
Hello again, yes that's definitely a video idea that was written down long ago - I will cover the diminishment of Sauron in more detail.
It’s interesting to note that no instance of a mithril weapon is actually known, but we do know of armor and jewelry and even later the repaired gates of Minas Tirith. It’s qualities are always described in terms of *resilience*. It’s difficult to imagine why this would particularly lend to the making of a weapon unless, as you say, he discovered a new property. And on that note we should also remember that the making of the mithril alloy (which is what is so hard and light, not the base metal) was a secret known only to the Dwarves. Did Sauron discover this secret? Or find a new alloy? So many tantalizing questions!
Well, it's nearly indestructible and very light, which means very light and sharp weapons could be made of it. If you've ever sparred against someone using weapons similar but with a drastic difference in weight, you'd know the enormous advantage it gives. Outfitting his best fighters with such weapons Sauron could artificially boost their speed in maneuvering weapons and give them an edge over the enemy.
These deep Dives into the Lore are amazing.
Finally a channel that is competent in LotR lore, take my sub.
Support my project on Patreon : th-cam.com/users/stevengibb
Another excellent video, thank you.
I would guess that Sauron wants to hoard it both simply out of spite because it is loved by the Elves in particular, but also because Mithril has a spiritual quality, reminiscent of the stars. He wants to hoard that beauty for himself, not because he appreciates it, but just to deprive the races of this small piece of joy and remnant of divinity, as one more chip away at their spirits
I do like the idea of Grond the Battering Ram being partly made of Mithril, though I don't actually think that to be the case. I would imagine that a Mithril artifact of that size wouldn't need magical help or words of command from the Witch King to break the gates of Minas Tirith, considering the reputation of the metals' power. However, another hypothesis has just occurred to me (granted this is unprovable but still an interesting concept): We're told by Glorfindel that the Morgul blade which had stabbed Frodo on Weathertop had symbols or spells secretly written on the hilt that normal eyes could not see. I'm reminded of the Doors of Durin where the letters and framework of the doors were only visible by moonlight and starlight. Perhaps Sauron had learned to use Mithril to make a similar craft that could write hidden letters only visible to those familiar with the Unseen realm. I imagine that a combination of Mithril with Wraith magic would be sufficient to power the evil spells of the Morgul blades that could transform their victims into Wraiths. Just an idea though. Thanks for the video!
Of course, my Grond idea is just a bit of speculation and I'd happily reject it if it sounded silly. I do really like that other idea though - especially the connection to the moon. I quite like the idea of evil runes being visible by moonlight or something. I think I will highlight this comment in my response video and talk about it :)
@@TheRedBook Thank you! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Like your hypothesis, and your imagination.
Interesting. I was thinking, along the same lines, that the Morgul blades themselves might be forged from some corrupted form of mithril or a mithril alloy that Sauron developed in his experimentation with the metal
mithril is the lightest metal out there, for ram u need weight and force
He would absolutely make the cutest tiara for the orc prom queen
Oh, fantastic. This is something I really wondered about : )
Unfortunately, not a lot written about it - but I find the idea itself interesting.
@@TheRedBook Steven, I recall that the gates of Minas Tirith were reinforced by mithril in the 4th age. Perhaps withholding the material from the enemy who could use it for defensive purposes was a motivator.
Or it is part of a esoteric hysteria like snake oil, as the tv show somehow suggests. The show btw to me is much better than expected! There is even a reference to Morgoth's Ring in it, something like: "You have been told many lies. Some run so deep that even the rocks and roots believe them. To untangle them all would require the creation of a new world". Not bad prose if you ask me!
I do think he might want to make a resplendant suit of armour, maybe an imposing and majestic mask of shining mithril. Since he can no longer take a fair form he might want to simulate one, not to mention the practical benefits of being armoured in mithril.
I was looking for a comment about armor with beautiful mask since he could not take a fair form again - so make an mask of exceeding beauty, more delicate and beautiful than the face of any elf
Great stuff Steven, glad you had time. I always felt he made only personal weapons out of it. Sauron as evil scientist. Not something I had thought of before, but I will now. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Great video
Corruption of beauty has always been a well known theme in Tolkiens work. Turning that which is pure to a darker purpose. Not sure exactly what Sauron wanted all of it for, but in my own head (I don’t believe it’s based on any lore, not that I know of) but the idea of Sauron taking the mithril and weaving it into instruments (harp strings perhaps), and essentially continuing the discordant notes of his master Melkor. Imagine throngs of chanting Black Numenoreans and orcs, all speaking dirges in the Black Speech, using the corrupted purity of mithril to amplify its dark power, using the song of creation itself to corrupt that which Eru made.
I dont know, and I’m fairly positive I’m completely off base, but as an aspiring author with a deep love of Tolkiens work and themes, I think it sounds kinda cool. Amazing video as ALWAYS Red Book, yo and Tolkien Untangled have become my favorite Tolkien channels. Especially now in light of the show that shall not be named lol
Well, now we know Mithril came from the roots of a tree containing the mythical Fourth Silmaril, struck by lightning while being fought over by both an elf and a Balrog.
The really fantastical thing is that, since Mithril was present in Númenor as well, we can only assume there was *another* tree, containing the even *more* mythical *fifth* Silmaril, which just so happened to be struck by lightning while being fought over by *another* elf and Balrog. What a coincidence!
Adam, are you revealing yourself as a writer for Rings of Power? You've just explained 3 seasons worth of material! 😉
🤣😂🤣😂
I'm so glad that we have the RoP authors to reveal all these parts of the Lore they found in Tolkien's long lost journal he hid in an Amazon Fulfillment Warehouse so that one day, Now we can finally learn how many more silmaril their were.
@@Seomus there were at least sixteen Silmarils, as we know: three for the elves, seven for the dwarf lords... and nine... for the race of men.
Wait, did the source text get caught in the blender again? Why do we always store it in the blender?
Omg, I didn't know what you were talking about till I read the replies to your comment, lol! I haven't watched any Rings of Power.
Weren't the Silmarils made to be reminiscent of the two trees of light in Valinor before their destruction by Morgoth and Ungoliant which Galadriel's hair was a reflection of?
The destruction of Tolkien's beautiful story is as tragic as the destruction of the two trees. Maybe the writers of ROP are the real Morgoth and Ungoliant of the story.
Engagement comment for the algorithm. Great video.
Great video. "Use your imagination and picture the use of Mithril in a weapon like Grond" A brilliant example of creating something new from the source material that stays true to the feel of Middle-Earth. This Mithril/Silmaril episode was the first time I felt true contempt for these writers.
BTW Anyone know what's happening with Girl Next Gondor? She's been quite of late and I thought I'd ask here as I imagine a great many of you would like her content too.
I like the idea that Sauron was perhaps making unique weapons and armors for himself from mithril. The last time he personally took to the field of battle, his armor failed him, and so he lost the One Ring. Perhaps he saw mithril as an answer to this problem, some kind of armor set that would prevent him from ever losing the ring again?
Well Done‼️💯👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻
@The Red Book Where are these read parts of lots from. Some audiobook. Can you tel which one
Hello. Yes, that section is from Phil Dragash, if you check out the description of my videos I provide links to his website and his Twitter account for commissions too. This audio book is The Lord of the Rings Soundscape he made :)
He was waiting for the market to turn in his favour 🤙 hes a smart stacker. Smaug and him should do a precious materials podcast and talk about geo politics and economics. I'd definitely subscribe.
MIT 50.08 + 3.22 6.87%
@@TheRedBook 🤯🤙
@@TheRedBook I'm now subbed
Your videos and narration skills are absolute. The background music is so... celestial, so perfect.
PS: You're not going to talk about the "certain TV show" like you called it, are you?
He's mentioned in another video (or maybe a community post) that he might discuss the show in livestreams, but doesn't plan to make an actual video about it.
Hi :)
As David says, I'm not planning on doing what the other channels are doing (discussions, previews, reviews). I might do a Livestream at the end of each season to talk about it or something.
I thought Sauron was trying to make some new weapon out of the mithril. Or perhaps make himself a new suit of armor.
A less serious explanation is that he was trying to make a new currency for his tributary empire and backed it with the collected mithril, but mithril is too rare for that.
Do a video on "The straight road" between Middle Earth and Aman it's always fascinated me. I often wonder could someone find the straight road and get to Aman from here in the 7th age?
Would you mind making a short video of The Watchers at Minas Morgul sometime? I've always been fascinated by them and would love to hear your take. No worries if it doesn't interest you..
Of course. I wanted to cover them and the Two Watchers at Cirith Ungol. The idea of these vigilant statues at these different locations. Can certainly cover that in a video.
@@TheRedBook Awesome! Thanks so much! I totally look forward to it.
I imagine that following his destruction in the war of the last alliance, he decided there was only one material that could guarantee him safety were it made into a full suit of armour. So I reckon had he come forth from Barad Dur eventually, it would have been impossible for a blade to kill him as it had in the past.
Did Tolkien ever write about why Elendil and his line became king of the former faithful colonies? From a logical and political point of view wouldn't one of the local lords be a better choice? They after all had hundreds if not two thousand years to establish themselves, they had fortresses, cities, armies, relationships with the natives, knew the local politics and area. We know at least the lord of Belfalas (later the house of Dol Amroth) were of royal descent and were powerful enough that Elendil bestowed the title of prince upon the house (sounds like a political concession) and it was likely that there were other royal descent houses in the colonies. Elendil on the other hand was an outsider, who as far as I have read has never visited Middle-Earth before, although his father as captain of the ships probably did. All Elendil had was nine ships probably not enough to really impress the lords of the weakest faithful colonies let alone the lords of Belfalas and Pelagir. He and his father also failed, despite being the leader of the faithful in Numenor they were unable to stop Sauron's influence and the collapse of morality in Numenor society. Their are perhaps three reasons why I believe he and his line was accepted, one he had managed to save many relics and symbols of power and kingship such as the palantir and the seed. Two he was the most closely related survivor of the old royal family and thus automatically get the kingship through inheritance, Ar-Pharzon's grandmother was of the House of Anduine. Three he and his sons survival was seen as a divine omen, the will of the Valar and Eru and gained kingship through that.
I think you answered your own question. The Elf-friend faction were culturally conservative by definition, and Elendil and his sons were (as far as we know) the only direct descendants of Elros on their side of the Númenorian split. (Let's remember that the Elf-friend Númenorians were even in the later times very concerned with issues of ancestry and, yes, race.) Elendil as a king descended from Elros gave the colonies of the Faithful more prestige than lords of lesser lineage would have. If there were no descendants of Elros left in the rival colonies of the King's Men further to the South, then the crowing of Elendil would make them look all the better.
In addition to those reasons you yourself gave, Elendil had become the leader of the Faithful, most of whom had already gone to Middle-Earth before the Fall of Númenor, and lived farther north in the areas that would become Gondor and Arnor. He would have already been very well regarded among those peoples and I personally think it was likely he had been to Middle-Earth even though the text doesn't say one way or another. Couple that with his being a direct descendant of Elros and the leader of one of the powerful houses of Númenor and I doubt any of the lords already living in Middle-Earth had the stature to match that of Elendil. I think few, if any, would blame him for failing to stop Sauron and Ar-Pharazôn as the corruption of Númenor started well over 1000 years earlier.
Content is excellent as always, but your videos have definitely gotten more 'beautiful' as well.
Thank you :) I have been getting used to the editing software over the last year!
I was just thinking of Grond before you said it. Maybe it was fashioned on the snout?
What I thought when I put that part in. Mithril could take the weight of the ram, which would be made of another material. Just speculation of course.
I missed the reference about Sauron's hoarding mithril entirely, and never gave it any thought until I saw this video's title. My first thought was very much along the lines of the "spite" theory: that he just didn't want anyone else to have it. That was, after all, waht Morgoth would have done.
My second thought was like yours: that if used to make weapons, it would explain Grond. But the "ceremonial armor" idea may make the most sense, as Sauron may not want to be vulnerable enough again in a fight to have his hand cut off. Hell, he may have even wanted to build himself a new, mithril body, since he had lost his "fair form" at Numenor!
But all along, I found myself wondering what modern humans would try to do with this stuff if we found it: what benefit would it offer to science? Mithril-alloy frames for spaceships and aircraft? Medical applications for implants or focusing lasers for microsurgery? Mithril-ion batteries with limitless power? Mithril-based inks for 3d printers? Who knows?
If Sauron coveted mithril, why did the orcs leave the helmets on the guards' heads when they launched them back at Minas Tirith? Wouldn't it have made more sense to collect these helmets (which I'm only now learning contained mithril)? Or perhaps they thought victory was inevitable and therefore thought they'd be reclaiming them soon? Or were these helmets different from the others you mentioned? Or was this liberty taken by the movies? Thanks!
This did actually happen in the books. But your ordinary Gondorian soldiers would not have Mithril in their helmets. Only the guards of the citadel of Minas Tirith had those and they wouldn't be down on the battlefield.
I imagine Sauron making something like mithril gatling crossbows that fire mithril tipped bolts. You could have armies men and elves running towards Sauron's forces and then countless tiny bolts fly across the fields, shredding through shields and breastplates like paper.
Seems like something he'd do.
He hoarded it because mythril looks up, making it a very light material
What I’m going to say is not canon but I like to think that, when Sauron attacked Eregion, he wore a majestic and intricate set of mithril that he forged with mithril he gathered while he dwelt with the Elves of Eregion. However, because of his exposure to Orodruin and, after the Fall of Numenor, the constant heat emanating from his hideous visage, his armour blackened and ended up resembling Morgoth’s black attire.
Being the pragmatist that he is, I don't think Sauron would have just hoarded mithril; he would have used it if he could. He was, after all, a craftsman at heart and would have leapt at the opportunity to _use_ this wondrous material. But, as you pointed out, we never see any mithril weapons or devices being deployed by Sauron.
I can think of 2 reasons for this absence. The simplest would be that Sauron guarded it out of jealousy and simply didn't trust any of his servants, not even his lieutenants or the Nazgûl, to use or carry anything made of mithril.
The second, and I think more likely reason, is that Sauron only worked with mithril himself, in person -- no "lesser hands" allowed to touch it. And he would probably have taken his time with it, exploring every property it has and every possible use for it before committing to a project. This would mean that his "capture" in Númenór and later downfall by The Last Alliance would have greatly delayed his work.
My guess is that (assuming Option #2 is true) Sauron simply didn't have time to complete any of his mithril-related projects.
In general, I am inclined to agree. That said, there is an intermediate option. If Sauron were to hoard mithril, it's possible that he only intended to do so until he had enough to fulfill his intentions.
That is to say, if Sauron had already worked out enough of its properties, it's not unlikely that he had already come up with several uses for it; knowing what we do about him, he'd likely have created detailed plans and designs to best utilize it. Depending on the order (or complexity) of those works, I would posit that any hoarding of mithril would simply be because he hadn't enough of it to use at the moment.
It's stated that any retrieved was given to him, but we really don't have any way to estimate, however vaguely, what sort of mass those tributes really amounted to. Nor do we really have any idea of how much mithril there really was to begin with. Ultimately, I'd suppose that if he were hoarding it, as described, it would only be because using it would be premature and leave his project incomplete.
@@ulfgard4734 That's a good point. I always figured that all of Middle-earth's mithril supply had already been taken to Sauron by the late Third Age, but if he knew that there was more out there it would make sense for him to save what he had for a later date. I guess it would come down to A) whether there was more mithril available in Moria and B) whether Sauron had sufficient strength to take on the orcs loyal to the Balrog or any influence over the Balrog itself. I'm in the camp that the Balrog had no allegiance to Sauron, but if it came down to a war I think Sauron would have come out on top if he was willing to commit to a long and costly campaign.
@David Fellner Thank you. In my opinion, it could go either way. We do know that the Dwarves were able to source enough mithril after Sauron's defeat to employ in the construction of the new Great Gates of Minas Tirith, although I would hurry to add that I don't recall the exact wording of their description; it may be that the mithril used therein could have been for ornamentation, or it could have been a key structural component (I am open to correction on this point, btw). The latter would suggest that there was quite a bit more to be had somewhere, even if it were effectively used to reinforce specific sections of the gate as a facing or backing sheet. My intuition tells me that however much was used here, it would not have been salvaged from existing Dwarven heirlooms, nor would it have been the last dregs of unwrought mithril, which would have been fiercely guarded by the Dwarves and likely never surrendered for any amount of pay.
As to how one supposes things might progress with Moria and its denizens, I think there are a lot of ways it could have gone.
Most relevant to your point, it's possible that the wheels of a plan to take Moria under direct control may have already been in motion. I seem to recall (again, I welcome a fact check on this) the descriptions of the orcs in Moria including some few captains, less alike to the apparent locals and more akin to those most dreaded breeds of Mordor. This may imply that Sauron was attempting to subjugate the Moria orcs already, by sending his own cadre to usurp leadership-- whether it be as a prelude to an invasion or as an attempt to moot the need for one.
Additionally, I seem to recall much being made of the fact that Sauron's invasions were rushed due to the events of the books. It may be that his plan was to complete this work before ever launching his assaults on the various bastions of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth.
One might also speculate that if he meant to take Moria, he may have wanted his Ring back first. Whether his aim was destruction, or domination, I would opine that laying low another former servant of Morgoth would have been an opportunity he'd relish.
So the real question I think comes down to attempting to fashion plate out of the metal? Or would he stick with a bright and shiny chain underneath his regular armor? Also if he did go with trying to forge plates what would it look like? Interesting thoughts.
Perhaps Mithril if corrupted provides the malice imparted into Morgul blades?
I think he couldve been plotting a means to strike the eagles of manwe, defend against the valar after developments of his victory, or manage a device that could destroy other mithril items that held a purpose of opposition like the items you mentioned directly as a show of conquest. The last would be the more far fetched but I could see him obsessing over a counter to more powerful beings.
Given the three elven rings were air water and fire, there must have been plans for a fourth ring, earth, to reflect the four elements of creation; and perhaps opening a way through earth to the secret fire his master coveted. Or a union that would open his Master's prison in the void. Sincerely, PS great video!
I like to imagine he used it to create more rings of power which he would hand out to his most favored servants who would rule the various conquered lands in his name after he had won.
I'm sure he has several good reasons to hoard it. One that also comes to mind is that he surely would want his enemies to have the strongest and best armor possible. So he doesn't only want it, he also doesn't want others to have it because it would make them slightly more powerful.
I feel like he wanted the best of every race and there proudest achievements i.e the three rings of the elves mithril for the dwarves settlements of men I know there's a point to be argued on all of these but this is how I feel what appeals to his mind..
As someone mentioned I think Sauron was a smith one of the greatest under Aule. Assuming he doesn't sit on his throne 24/7 plotting evil (or is not just a big flaming eye😏) its entirely possible he DOES do some Smithing for the pure pleasure of it. Equally just because he is evil does not mean he does not appreciate beautiful things. Morgoth did, so much so he stole the Silmarils and put them in a crown despite the discomfort. With Sauron he made one ring to rule them all. A ring. Not "One crown to rule them". So he may want Mithril so he can make not just weapons or armour (although I imagine he is immune to most weapons anyway ) but beautiful things even if he afterwards covetously hordes them in private.
While _completely speculative_ :
'Mairon' had inaugurated *_'a cult of Melkor'_* - while there seems to be no respective reference in Tolkien's work, relating to the 'Third Age', one could _imagine_ that this fictional character would 'covet' vast quantities of widely revered materials in order to furnish the *'splendor'* of cult sites.
Maybe - like not speaking his name became 'protocol' without serving a practical purpose, anymore after the restoration of Barad-Dur - the tribute of 'true silver' was also just *_a habbit_** from the bygone 'Second Age'* , the crafting of seductive gifts and the corruption of Numenor... motions, a being goes through, repetitively - after having itself bound to the elusive claim of holding unto 'Middle-Earth', forever - instead of _letting go in faithful renewal_ ...
Mithril Armour especially on someone strong would be no joke, even if he didn't use it all imagine saruman getting a new staff made of mithril or the Ring wraiths having even a sword made of the stuff?
good video :)
Thanks for checking out it :D
@@TheRedBook it freaks me out with what amazon did with the origins of mithrill 😂
It's certainly...eh....something!
I believe Sauron would use it to equip his most important servants and his best troops, but in the end, in keeping with the ever present theme of "evil being the architect of its own demise" the items made with Mithril would find themselves in the hands of the Free Peoples and used to defeat him somehow.
Another thing is that there are no examples anywhere of Weapons being made of Mithril. Correct me if i'm wrong, but in all instances the artifacts we see associated with mithril are Defensive in nature: crowns, jewels, helmets, the elven ring Nenya, Bilbo's mail coat. Never are any Offensive weapons explicitly stated to be crafted from Mithril... but there are swords like Glamdring described as glowing white & gold, and shining with a cold light when orcs are near. could these legendary first age blades be made of mithril?
In my opinion, Grond is almost certainly crafted of some corrupted form of mithril. It’s emphasized multiple times that the gates of Minas Tirith are special, and that Grond shattered them with relative ease. And when the dwarves upgrade it after the books, it’s specifically mentioned that they made the new and improved gates out of mithril, meaning they weren’t before. Just makes sense to me
Hey did anyone notice that the three rings are kinda similar to where the Silmarils are located ?
Given Sauron's defeat by Elendil using Narsil; I imagine Sauron seeking to prevent something similar in future; or at least reduce the likelihood. Additionally, I think back to the eight wounds dealt to Morgoth by Fingolfin wielding Ringil.
Thinking about these two instances, perhaps the legendary blades were as much to be feared as those who wielded them (especially in the mind of a "superior" being). Perhaps full battledress constructed of mithril by Sauron himself might reduce the risk of similar wounds in the future; for example when battling the King Returned when Sauron was once again able to take physical form.
He was a fan of building around lava and enslaving great beasts. Mithril reinforcements sound like good uses for either. maybe he was creating a great golem to inhabit? It might take something like Mithril to contain his power.
So as a casual person that knows not too much more than a casual amount of the lore which is more than some but less than others that are deep into it I am going to give a theory based on what I would do to make things more interesting.
So if I was in control I would say that Mithril has some unseen properties that no mortal can see. That those properties are not just rare in the realm of middle earth but rare in other parts of the universe. And Sauron is having difficulty taking full control of middle earth and has decided he does not have enough to fully enslave everyone for his motives whatever they may be. So mithril with some unseen properties may not be just coveted by those in middle earth but also by those who imprisoned Morgoth. So with enough of it he may hope that it could be enough to free and bring Morgoth back to middle earth. But it likely won't be that simple as I would make Sauron to want something deeper which is the Flame Imperishable which could give them the ability to create life. No idea what form that would take but I would have them with the Mithril be able to get not the entirety of it but a piece, enough to make what they want in middle earth that would be like a perfection that they want that would be hated by the Orcs as they could never be what their master desires. And I would have the possibility of them getting that as they did something to the Mithril which corrupted it which would make those who have it in their possession desire it more than anything else which would corrupt their minds in the seen and unseen worlds. Naturally they may be able to overcome it and realize the disaster they have done but it would take time and with Morgoth gaining strength along with Sauron it would take all of middle earth plus additional help to stop Morgoth and Sauron in a final battle that would nearly tear middle earth and have it almost entirely shatter into pieces.
It's just a idea of what I would do. Thought about it for a little bit before I started it. It's not complete but the idea would be there and it could make it a epic conclusion of evil vs good and everything in between.
It probably has something to do with the preparations for Dagoth Dagorath. If he can claim ALL of the mithril in the lands, then the weapons of the troops of the Valar would at a significant disadvantage to Morgoth's minions whose leaders and champions at least would have mithril gear...
If i remember correctly, Mithril was also found on Numenor. I think more or less indestructible gauntlets for the One Ring is very likely, but i would be surprised if that was all.
Yes, I very briefly mention in the intro that it was believed it could have been on Numenor too.
Maybe in Middle Earth, gold had a stable isotope in addition to 197 Au which had extraordinary properties and was used by Sauron to fashion the One Ring
Armour for him and the wraiths is what i always figured he used it for 🤷♂️
I wonder if Tolkien intended this to be vague to leave to the readers’ interpretation or if he hadn’t yet finished elaborating on it. I could see Sauron using it to try to prepare for the Dagor Dagorath, to either aid in his masters return from the void in some way we don’t know about and or making weapons for the last battle ahead of Morgoth’s return, I just got the impression Sauron was still subservient to Morgoth when he had the nemenoreans build an alter to Melkor, im not entirely convinced he did it solely to spite Eru or provoke the destruction of nemenor. Who knows!
Not something I've ever considered before tbh but I'd imagine it has superconductive properties to "magic" maybe..or, how about a body? He had already infused a lot of his innate power into the ring..think about that..that is some radical direction Sauron went in..the scope of detaching almost his essence into the ring...And now I'm thinking of the 2 statues on the road before Minas Morgul and also the Tower of Cirith Ungol..all had malevolent spirits inside them, watchers who gave alarms if passed. I am thinking of a 15 foot tall Dark Lord who's animated a Mithril Golem :)
Were the Elfin Swords on The Hobit possibly made of mithril?
Sauron was a follower of Aule before Melkor. He was a blacksmith in his heart.
I wonder, if given enough time, could Sauron have discovered the concept of atomic structures and used his powers to alter other metals into mithril? Imagine an endless supply of the stuff in the hands of the dark lord.
I think of covetousness as more of a psychological state - wanting things because other people have them. Insecurity. The need to put others down - take away what they value. If other beings didn't value mithril, I don't know if it would have been quite as high priority to Sauron. He might still find it useful for some purposes, but I'm not sure his desire would rise to the level of "coveting."
Many comments already about him hoarding mithril to keep away from the other races, or to make himself armor. It is possible though that he could have had a genuine weakness for it, like a dwarf or a dragon hoarding gold. As a former servant of Aule, such a material could potential have a hold on someone like Sauron, and when he was finished wiping out his enemies, he would have mithril all to himself.
On a practical level, what do you feel is the most logical use of mitrhil for a being like Sauron (with or without the one ring in his possession)?
I fully agree on Sauron having a weakness for mithril, as he is a craftsman first and foremost. But because of his passion and talent for craft, I think he would definitely have wanted to _make_ something out of it. What that could be is anybody's guess, but an indestructible set of armor (or at least a gauntlet) for himself seems like the most likely option to me. Especially after having his Ring-wearing finger cut off, a mithril gauntlet to prevent another finger-cutting incident would be a practical next move.
Easy mithril is simirilan seeds from the magic elf tree, where a balrock and the best elf ever was fighting while a lightning stroke, so i bet sauron wants it because its magic and can shine when orcs are near, i bet that is handy when they burn in the sun -.0)
He probably made it into a gauntlet so his ring wouldn't get cut off his finger again...
I know my “voice” will be lost in the crowd, so be it!
I suspect mithril has some ability to also channel “energy” that Sauron understood (considering his background) which he could use it to enforce his “will”. Perhaps using the metal as a lens for his mental dominance as well as physical form. Maybe not only physical and mental but also a third aspect of reality (ethereal?) we are simply not aware reforming Middle Earth directly into his concept.
I think that he probably like to make a full suit of armor for himself, if his entire suit of armor was made out of the strongest metal that also happened to be very light no blade of any kind would harm him,plus having a pair of gauntlets made from it would keep his precious ring in his control. You can not harm or kill what you can not get to.
Cheers
I’d like to think Sauron would make something like the Silmarils. But they are so great they are a weapon that can trick the hearts of elves and men with their beauty. But who knows Sauron was quite the master at crafting he could have made anything with that material.
My first thought was a suit of armor for himself, the second armor used to ensnare men into his service like the nine rings. As he was hoarding Mithril, how much did he really have? Bilbo/Frodo's mail shirt was more valuable than anything in the world even though it was very small. The total volume of Mithril must not have been that great in order for it to be that valuable. I think, in the end, he coveted anything that was valuable or powerful, in order to control everything and everyone.
We're overestimating Orcs if we think all they do is by the book and to the order by the letter.
Orcs are like boxer dogs, but evil.
you mean they are slobbering all over the places, tear apart your favorite pillows and shoes, but all with malice? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Maybe it’s his backup or fall backup plan? A new Mithral body in case of his defeat.
It's virtually impossible to know what Sauron had in mind for mithril as we have no idea how much of it he actually had. I do think he probably had a suit of armor, which became of no use to him when the One Ring was destroyed. I'm sure he could have made a weapon although as others have pointed out, there is no record of a mithril weapon being made, which is odd in and of itself. I suspect though that had he lived, he had something else in mind, perhaps some other creation that would have given him even more control over the peoples of Middle-Earth than was possible through the One Ring or allowed him to enhance his powers well beyond what they were at the end of the 3rd Age.
I know Tolkien has that letter where he says that Sauron believed that Eru had abandoned Middle Earth, but that Sauron could not be a sincere athiest and had his measure of knowledge of the Music and whatnot..Do you think Sauron on some level feared the damnation that awaited him sooner or later from his rebellion against God, or had he become so warped by evil that that he truly believed he would lord over the material world for eternity? I often wonder if the fate of his master haunted him at all. The path of Sauron seems like the sunk cost fallacy at a cosmic scale
Question: of what metal was the one ring made? Gold?
Gold :) I also have an entire video dedicated to why it was gold. Can link it to you if you like?
@@TheRedBook please
While I originally thought avavarice and then secondly for Sauron to make weapons out of it. Could not Mithril also be used as a form of payment to Sauron's mercenary armies?
I talk about the first two in the video. I'd disagree with the third. If Sauron paid armies (instead of corrupting them into service through worship/threats, etc) then I'm sure gold would suffice - and Sauron could surely obtain gold? His Orcs could gather him what's necessary to pay (if he has to). Mitrhil is way too rare and valuable to give out to soldiers. I still don't think Sauron would be paying anyone though. His armies are coming from places he's taken over or long corrupted -the people sending these soldiers want to serve Sauron.
The elves and dwarves were probably printing craptons of money too.