Fantasy Metals: Difference between revisions
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In [[Real Life]], a metal is an element of the periodic table which belongs to one of certain groups/columns and has a specific type crystal lattice with free electrons. In fiction, especially fantasy, a metal is shiny stuff with wonderful properties like super strength, lightness, magic resistance and so on, often not resembling any of the metals found in the periodic table. Metals that are brittle, soft, flammable, react violently with water or air or are otherwise useless for smithing swords and shields from them '''never''' appear in fantasy, despite there being a lot of these in [[Real Life]]. This trope (a supertrope to [[Mithril]] and [[Orichalcum]]) describes the "shiny and wondrous" kind of metals. |
In [[Real Life]], a metal is an element of the periodic table which belongs to one of certain groups/columns and has a specific type crystal lattice with free electrons. In fiction, especially fantasy, a metal is shiny stuff with wonderful properties like super strength, lightness, magic resistance and so on, often not resembling any of the metals found in the periodic table. Metals that are brittle, soft, flammable, react violently with water or air or are otherwise useless for smithing swords and shields from them '''never''' appear in fantasy, despite there being a lot of these in [[Real Life]]. This trope (a supertrope to [[Mithril]] and [[Orichalcum]]) describes the "shiny and wondrous" kind of metals. |
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Note that this is mostly a [[Fantasy]] trope. Science-fiction examples are only good if they are from a work that is "science" in name only (such as four-color comics or space fantasy like [[Star Wars]] or [[Warhammer |
Note that this is mostly a [[Fantasy]] trope. Science-fiction examples are only good if they are from a work that is "science" in name only (such as four-color comics or space fantasy like [[Star Wars]] or [[Warhammer 40,000]]); harder-science materials actually explained as high-tech alloys with some verisimilitude aren't. In a nutshell, Wolverine's adamantium and Boba Fett's Mandalorian iron are examples of this trope, but a composite alloy of titanium and carbon nanotubes isn't. |
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[[Real Life]] examples are only allowed if they are in fact occult superstitions (like hard mercury) or well-known hoaxes (like red mercury). |
[[Real Life]] examples are only allowed if they are in fact occult superstitions (like hard mercury) or well-known hoaxes (like red mercury). |
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