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That line has always stuck out and annoyed me. What does that even mean in the context of Middle Earth economy? Who could pay that much to determine the price?
by aikinai 3y ago
That line has always stuck out and annoyed me. What does that even mean in the context of Middle Earth economy? Who could pay that much to determine the price?
Maybe it’s a naïve calculation extrapolated from more realistic exchanges of small bits of mithril for reasonable plots of land? Then if you multiple the land by the amount of mithril in the mail, you get something bigger than the shire?
Maybe I’ve answered my own question now…
- 9dev 3y agoMaybe though, even Gandalf sometimes engages in figures of speech? I think he just meant to say that the chainmail is abstractly very valuable.
- firtoz 3y agoGandalf was clearly a sith, only a sith deals in abstractions.
- jl6 3y ago“Worth” could be interpreted broadly - not necessarily putting a figure on it. Perhaps there were covetous men who would desire the mithril more than they would desire ownership of a large plot of land.
- aurareturn 3y ago>Who could pay that much to determine the price? Maybe a King who wants to survive a piercing from a cave troll?
- Someone 3y agoIndeed. “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!” The value of things can vary heavily depending on circumstances.
- Ensorceled 3y agoI grew up in a rural area. I remember clearly our high school teacher talking about some government boondoggle and he walked us through a black board calculation that showed that it wasted more money than the entire worth of all the homes and farms in the dozen or so towns and villages our high school drew from. The mithril coat was beautiful, rare, made of the most valuable metal in existence and, essentially, magical. Thought it was a good comparison.
- bee_rider 3y agoGandalf is more or less a demigod/angel with a sort of focus on wisdom and a particular interest in the importance of the overlooked “common people” of Middle Earth, so it wouldn’t be that surprising, I guess, for him to have a magical insight into the value of the Shire. Given that he tends see overlooked value in these common folks, it does seem wildly out of character that he would compare the value of their entire little community to a piece of armor, however fine. Although, I guess, it isn’t like he’s rubbing it in Frodo’s face or anything. I guess he just wanted Gimli to appreciate the value of the gift…
- hydrok9 3y agoI think it's just him highlighting the rarity and value of something that would otherwise never be accessible to them. In the middle ages would an extremely high-end suit of armour cost less than a village? I don't know, but rarity was at a higher premium for elite goods back then.
- berkes 3y agoQuite common brands sell handbags that cost several month's rent of a western european house. An airplane costs millions. Military planes billions. Amounts so staggering large they could easily pay for the rebuilding of entire countries after a disaster. > for elite goods back then This hasn't changed.
- hydrok9 3y agoperfect. so gandalf's point stands.
- jhbadger 3y agoIt reminds me of the Japanese bubble economy of the 1980s when it was claimed that (due to absurd real estate prices in Tokyo) that the Imperial Palace was worth more than all of California. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3091222/japan-1980s-when-tokyos-imperial-palace-was-worth-more https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/309...