The Lord of the Rings film directed by Peter Jackson was shot in a variety of breathtaking settings. It would be easy to continue on and on listing fantastic places like Bilbo’s Hobbit hole, Rivendell, as well as Minas Tirith. One of the finest aspects of the flicks was the stunning production architecture of each and every set.

However, it is important to remember that many of these places were only pale copies of their former selves. The events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy take place in the Third Age of Middle-earth, long after the splendor of the empire had faded.

Examples include the construction of Rivendell, which was designed to seem like vanished Elven settlements like Lindon and Gondolin. Like Minas Tirith, Nmenor’s former capital was a kingdom in banishment and a mere ghost of its former self. Nevertheless, Moria is the finest illustration of a once-great empire.

Even though the ancient realm of Moria seemed like nothing but ruins and corpses when the Fellowship explored it, it had once been the richest Dwarvish nation ever. The Rings of Power would, thankfully, provide in-depth glimpses into Moria’s splendor and the material that fueled her prosperity.

The Most Important Detail Was “Mithril”?

The most recent teaser showed the show fully immersing itself in LOTR canon, which piqued the interest of viewers. Among other things, it did so by depicting a pivotal revelation made by Durin IV. Around the two-minute mark, the Dwarven prince displayed a metal object and declared, “This might be the start of a new age.” Fans of The Lord of the Rings were fast to guess that the material was mithril, and if they were correct, the teaser depicted a pivotal point in the annals of the Dwarves.

Bilbo handed Frodo a crest of arms made of mithril to protect him from getting attacked in Moria, however, Frodo found out that mithril could be used for a lot more than that. Elves with metalworking skills could transform the material into an amalgam dubbed Ithildin, which was utilized more for ornamentation than for defense. For example, Ithildin was utilized to provide light to Durin’s Gates at the West Gate of Moria. Moon Runes, like those on Thorin’s chart in The Hobbit trilogy, might potentially be written in Ithildin.

Why Mithril is So Important To the LOTR Lore

Mithril was uncommon and versatile, but also very difficult to get. The only spot in Middle-earth where it was mined was deep inside the mines of Moria. Since a single piece of mithril is equivalent to 10 times as much in gold, its discovery caused a dramatic increase in the country’s riches.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration when Durin IV prophesied, “This might be the start of a new age.” If Moria really did have the first bits of mithril in his possession, it was going to become absurdly rich.

It’s tragic that the Dwarves’ incredible prosperity led to an endless pursuit of material gain. They continued digging until they roused one of Morgoth’s Balrogs, which was a bad idea. The moniker “Durin’s Bane” refers to the flaming monster that claimed the lives of Durin VI as well as his child.

Dwarves in the upcoming Amazon miniseries won’t have to stress about getting expelled from their country since that didn’t occur till thousands of ears but spectators will understand that the mithril’s glorification would only contribute to more bloodshed and disaster.