Bilbo's mithril coat

[Carantalath]

In The Hobbit, Bilbo got a mithril coat from Thorin. It was said to be from a young Elf prince. Would that mithril coat be Legolas' when he was young? If you think of the location, Thranduil's home in Mirkwood would be the closest place where elves lived to the Lonely Mountain. Does Tolkien ever say anything more about where it came from?

 

[TheDarkTyrant]

I may be mistaken, but I think it makes more sense that since mythril was mined extensively in the depths of Khazad-dûm, could the coat have come from the Elves of Eregion or from Lothlórien?
I’m just making an observation. I could be wrong

 

[Proudfoots]

the Ore could have been transported to Erebor, which was famed for its armour and weapons...

though i really have no idea

'foots

 

[Carantalath]

That's right, I forgot that mithril was found in Khazad-dum. I was thinking that it was from the Lonely Mountain. I'm not with it today. So it might be that the mithril coat was from Lorien or Erebor. Or the ore could be transported to Erebor and made there.

Stupid question but where is Erebor?

 

[tom bombadil]

Erebor is the Lonely Mountain, founded by Thráin I.
If I recall, he founded it after the loss of Moria (by the time called by the dwarves, Khazad-dûm).

 

[Carantalath]

the Ore could have been transported to Erebor, which was famed for its armour and weapons...

If the ore was transported to the Lonely Mountain then my idea that it might have been Legolas' could be correct. I don't think Tolkien ever mentions this, though.

 

[tom bombadil]

and then we can only speculate...

 

[Eledhwen]

If the Mithril coat had been for Legolas, then I would have expected him to recognise it when Frodo was found to be wearing it at Moria. If it was still being made when it was nicked by Smaug, then it would have been of a design that Legolas would have recognised; and surely he would have mentioned that it was of his kin (like Elrond when inspecting Glamdring).

 

[Dwimmerlaik]

Come on Fella's,
That's a pretty long bow to draw(if you'll pardon my pun).
The Hobbit was a foundation upon which the LOTR was built.Such elven prince's such as Legolas were probably unthought of except in such an abstract way as that they were prince's,lords and kings of near and far and likely to be used when the narrative seemed fit.

 

[BlackCaptain]

So weve established the fact it wasnt legolas's.

Perhaps we should think back to the time when Dwarves were good friends with Elves? There probly isnt a name, but we should ask Nom. He's an expert on elves, and if anyone would know, it would be him. I think that it was owned by an Elf prince in the second age, simply because (unless im mistakin) thats when Elves and Dwarfs friendship was at its peak. Once again, no names come to me, but it was most likely from an elf prince from Lothlorien long ago, since Lorien is so close to Moria. Then it probably came to the lonely mountain when... sometime.

Nom! Nom! Help us!
Anyone think im anywere close?

 

[Confusticated]

Your speculations are as good as mine, though there is one far-fetched idea that I get.
That is, what if the coat was the one made for baby Earendil?
Now, there is no evidence of mithril in Gondolin, or anywhere in Middle-earth during the first age that I know of. However (big however) the song of Earendil that Bilbo writes in Rivendell (FotR) says that Earendil's ship was made with mithril. I vaguely remember (and I could be mistaken here) reading something else that made me think that there was mithril in Aman. I guess if someone wanted to dream they could imagine that mithril was brought to Middle-earth by the Noldor (we know some brought jewels... such as Finrod) and that some of this went to Gondolin and was there eventually used to make armour for Earendil.
Armour for Earendil (or rather Earendel) is told about in HoMe II: The Fall of Gondolin

But his mother coming set about him a tiny coat of mail that she had let fashion in secret, and at that time he was glad and exceeding proud, and he shouted for pleasure.

Now I don't think this Earendil idea was any intention of Tolkien, it's just the idea I get about the mithril coat, though I do not believe it.
How did it get to the lonely mountain?
I don't know... how did Orcist and Glamdring get to the troll cave.

1) Nom isn't an expert on anything Tolkien (not even elves)
2) Nom is not a he

 

[Glomund]

I am re-reading the Hobbit again and have just got to this part. I always thought it was the coat mentioned earlier that was made for the son of Girion. It was

a coat of dwarf-linked rings the like of which had never been made before, for it was wrought of pure silver to the power and strength of triple steel.

I know it says Bilbos coat was made for a elf prince, but the above description sounds to me like mithril.

 

[Snaga]

I think the Lothlorien idea is quite unlikely for the following reasons:

(1) How does the mail-coat end up in Erebor if it was given to a princeling of Lorien?
(2) The dwarves of Moria were not friendly with the wood-elves of Lorien.

Equally, the Gondolin theory has the same problems. Even if mithril is available in Aman, how do the dwarves get hold of Earendil's possessions?

Here's some other possible theories:

(1) It was made by the dwarves of the Blue Mountains in the first age, with mithril from Moria, for the young Maeglin. These dwarves traded with Eol. After Aredhel and Maeglin went to Gondolin, Eol followed, leaving his home unattended. Any party of dwarves heading that way could have retrieved it.

(2) It was made by the dwarves of Moria for a young elf-lord of Eregion. I don't have a strong candidate for who that might have been. When Sauron assailed Eregion, Galadriel fled east. Some accounts have it that she went through Moria. Perhaps this was how the mail-coat was returned... out of gratitude.

(3) It was made by the dwarves of the Blue Mountains for the young Celebrimbor. This father, Curufin dwelt near the mountains, and one of his borthers (Caranthir?) benefitted greatly from trade with the dwarves. The mail coat could have later been returned to the dwarves of Moria at any time during the friendship of Moria and Eregion.

Of course this is all speculation and I doubt any of it can be proven.