There are many items in the world of The Lord of the Rings that become important to the lore and overall story of Middle-earth at large. These items become symbols of the franchise, as they are part of the iconography of what makes The Lord of the Rings what it is. Often, even people who aren't die-hard fans of the series will be able to recognize these iconic moments and symbols, as they're just part of the fabric of this fictional world and the characters that make it up.
One of these pieces of iconography from The Lord of the Rings is mithril. That name might sound familiar even to those who aren't massive fans, but the term has even more meaning for those that are. Mithril is important, not just in The Lord of the Rings, but The Hobbit as well, and it's quite the hot commodity in Middle-earth. Amazon's The Rings of Power even devised a plot point surrounding mithril (which was received with mixed reactions from fans, as they changed some of the lore around it). But what exactly is mithril, and why is it so important to the characters in Middle-earth?
What Is Mithril In Lord of the Rings?
Mithril is a very precious silver-like metal that was discovered and mined by the Dwarves in Khazad-dûm. It is incredibly strong while also staying very lightweight, which makes it ideal for a lot of weaponry, as well as protective measures. The most famous mithril object in The Lord of the Rings is the chain mail shirt that was taken from the hoard of the dragon Smaug and given to Bilbo by Thorin Oakenshield. Frodo then, in turn, received the mail shirt from his uncle, and it saved his life in Moria when the Fellowship was attacked. One of the three Elven Rings of Power, Nenya (which belonged to Galadriel), was also made of mithril, and had a white stone placed in the middle.
Why Is Mirthril So Rare?
The short answer as to why mithril is such a precious resource is that it's just incredibly hard to get ahold of. After the Dwarves found mithril, they mined "too greedily and too deep" for it, as they dug down far enough to awake the Balrog, which in turn destroyed the kingdom of Khazad-dûm. This cut off the only source of mithril, which made it incredibly hard to obtain. By the end of the Third Age, the only way to get mithril was either to use heirloom mithril weapons and armor that were made before the fall of Khazad-dûm, or melt down those objects that already existed to forge new ones.
Unfortunately, a large portion of the mithril produced by the Dwarves in Moria was gathered up by the Orcs and offered as a tribute to Sauron. The Ñoldor Elves of Eregion did discover a way to make an alloy out of it, however. This alloy was called ithildin (which means "star moon"), and it was mostly used to decorate doorways and portals. It would only be visible by starlight or moonlight. The West-gate of Moria, where the Fellowship enters the mountains, was inlaid with ithildin etchings.
Which Weapons Are Made Of Mithril?
Mithril would theoretically be ideal for weaponry because of its inherent properties. It was malleable and easy to forge with, it was beautiful to look at, and it was as tough as tempered steel while still being incredibly lightweight. While the Elves preferred to use it for jewelry and clothing rather than weapons or armor, one of its primary uses was still as a material for armor. Obviously, the chain-mail shirt is one such piece of armor created from mithril, but there isn't much mention in The Lord of the Rings series of any specific weapons that were made from mithril.
They likely existed somewhere out in the world, as the Dwarves were productive for such a long time and likely mined enough mithril to make a few weapons, but no specific one is encountered over the course of the series. The amount of mithril needed to make a weapon would be a lot, and much of the weaponry at the time was actually quite strong already, even if it wasn't made of mithril, so it seems that the metal was found to be much more useful as a material for armor that was both strong and lightweight. For example, the Guards of the Citadel of Minas Tirith wore helmets made of mithril, as they were heirlooms of Gondor's past wealth.