Mithril - Tumblr Posts
Thorin wasn't able to save his own nephews but he saved Bilbo's and ultimately the world
It blows my mind that by giving the mithril shirt to Bilbo, Thorin indirectly saved Frodo and thus prevented the Ring-bearer from dying and the Quest from failing. The world was ultimately saved because the exiled King Under the Mountain fell in love with a hobbit.
The Doors of Durin, also called the West-gate or the West-door, formed the western entrance to Moria. When shut, the gates were invisible and impossible to open by physical means. They were however decorated with designs engraved in ithildin made by the elf-Lord Celebrimbor of Eregion and the dwarf Narvi from mithril mined in Moria. The designs included the emblems of Durin, the two trees of the High Elves, and the Star of the House of Fëanor. Tolkien's drawing of the designs on the Doors of Durin was the only illustration in The Lord of the Rings during his lifetime (other than cover-art and calligraphy). In moonlight, a password made the designs visible. The designs contained a second password to open the doors. When the Fellowship entered, the Watcher in the Water, the aquatic guardian of the gates, slammed the doors shut with its tentacles, plunging the Fellowship into darkness.
The inscription was in the Elvish language of Sindarin, using the Tengwar script: Gandalf translates it as "The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs". Scholars have commented that "Moria", an unfriendly Elvish description meaning "The Black Pit", was hardly how a ruler of Khazad-Dûm would choose to describe his realm; and that since the name was not used until the Balrog was awakened in the Third Age, it was also anachronistic. Possible resolutions have been proposed: that Celebrimbor had foresight of the name; that the magic lettering reshaped itself; or that Gandalf indeed saw the Sindarin name "Hadhodrond" on the door, and read it out as "Moria" for the benefit of those listening (and in the same way, he must have seen "Eregion" and read out "Hollin").
Unfortunately what happened in the film is not what happened in the book, and omitting/adding a character is a completely different thing than unaliving/saving one (thought I would have absolutely loved if Thorin didn't die, but no, oh no, the world decided that every bit of my happy ending bagginshield hopes must be destroyed forever, leaving me with my favourite but saddest ship).
In fact, in the book, Bilbo just falls before the battle, hits his head on a rock and is k.o. for the entire battle. Then, when he wakes up, he founds Thorin in a tent, dying for the battle wounds [so, not specified how he got those wounds, even though we know that certainly he didn't fight with Azog (there was only Bolg, Azog's son) because Azog actually died 142 years before in the Battle od Azanulbizar, killed by Dáin II Ironfoot], and Thorin SAYS HIS LAST WORDS TO BILBO AND THEN DIES IN FRONT OF HIM (like my mental health when it happened, I never recovered from that).
Anyway, I believe that would have worked. If the Mithril shirt prevented Frodo from being pierced by a forcefully thrown spear, then I am sure Bilbo could have saved Thorin if that could happen.
Sorry guys but sometimes I forget that Bilbo was wearing the Mithril shirt all the time after Thorin gave it to him...and I'm still processing these pics. These details just hit me. Why did they knock him out? If he could just jump over Thorin WHEN AZOG WAS KILLING HIM!!!!! and never being killed himself cause he is wearing his Mithril!!!! What was the point of it besides his own protection (for which he also had the Ring so even without the mithril he still would be at least unnoticed)
