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#38 | |||||
Curmudgeonly Wordwraith
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits
Posts: 2,515
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Quote:
1) In regards to weapons, I would say that there were, in fact, no recorded weapons in Middle-earth fashioned from mithril (mithril, being pliable, could not maintain the rigidity necessary for a tempered sword or axe blade). However, it can be reasonably assumed that a well-to-do dwarf could have a weapon inlayed with mithril, or could have accoutrements made of mithril as family heirlooms (whether coif, hauberk, baldric, helm etc.). Mithril is certainly rare, but a suffiecient amount was mined in Moria (and the bottomless mines are testament to the haul the dwarves took in) to assure a goodly amount is passed on from generation to generation (dwarves being the supreme hoarders, after all). The question here lies in what is reasonable. To have a dwarf fully caparisoned in mithril from head to toe is not reasonable; having some mithril armor is not. As far as 'magical' weapons, that, of course, would depend on one's definition of magical, the time period one is discussing, and the relative status and race of the character in question. Elvish craftsman did imbue articles with their innate power. This is more readily apparent in the 1st and 2nd Ages (any work of Feanor, or Eol, or Celebrimbor, for instance), but this ability did not rest solely with such renowned masters. One only has to look to the work of the unnamed smiths of Gondolin (who crafted Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting -- magical blades by any other name), or the craft of the the Gwaith-i-Mirdain. In the 3rd Age, there are the Blades of Westernesse. Whether these blades came from Numenor is conjectural, given their title; however, considering these blades were woven with spells to unbind the spirit of the WitchKing, then they could have not been forged anywhere but in Arnor. Given the fact that these perilous (and 'magic') blades were found accidently in a barrow (just as Sting and Glamdring happened to be in a troll horde for some poorly explained reason), then it is reasonable to assume that these are not the only blades of such caliber and quality and magicality hidden throughout Middle-earth (in the Barrow Downs, the Dead Marshes, in Rivendell, the Gray Havens, Forochel, Annúminas and Fornost). The smiths of Imladris had the ability to reforge Narsil into Anduril (Telchar of Nogrod, a dwarf, not an elf, first forged this magical blade), and there are many descriptions of it, shining as with a flame, covered with runes for Aragorn, as it was when it was still Narsil: Quote:
As far as magical traits, what is reasonable? The Noldor of Aman are noted for their duality of spirit, incomparable craftsmanship and powers beyond that of the Sindar or Moriquendi; The Silvan Elves of Mirkwood disappeared in a flash when their feasting was confronted by the dwarves; Eol, a Teleri, wove spells around Nan Elmoth, and the Silvan elves of Lothlorien crafted the world's first camoflage cloaks (almost chameleon-like in their adaptability). It is true that Men, Hobbits and Dwarves lack magical propensities (although it can be argued that the dwarves had innate powers that declined over the ages). But, as Gandalf intimated, there are many magic rings in the world (other than the one, three, seven and nine), and many lost items of great lineage laying about that could aid a muggle...ummm...a non-magical personage. Bah! I suppose we'll end up in the Mirth section. You are more than welcome to join, Lalaith. Quote:
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And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision. |
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