Line #55 Main/MetallicMotifs


1	->''"Robert was the true steel. Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends. And Renly, that one, he's copper, bright and shiny, pretty to look at but not worth all that much at the end of the day."''
2	-->-- '''Donal Noye''', ''[[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire A Clash of Kings]]''
3
4	Stock symbolism attached to various metals and metallic alloys and applied to characters associated with them. Most common include:
5
6	* '''Iron''': strong, durable, but rough and unwieldy. [[ColdIron Magical in older works.]]
7	* '''Steel'''[[note]]An interstitial alloy of iron and carbon[[/note]]: like iron, but sharper and more dangerous (usually top-tier if no fictional metals are present); occasionally, undertones of technical knowledge
8	* '''UsefulNotes/{{Gold}}''': either king of metals (TheLeader, RankScalesWithAsskicking optional), or fancy but completely useless
9	* '''Silver''': [[SilverHasMysticPowers mystical metal]], invariably badass; occasionally, "second best" (TheLancer), may rarely have connotations of treachery or blood money ([[Literature/TheBible as in "Thirty pieces of silver]]").
10	* '''Bronze'''[[note]]A substitutional alloy of copper and tin[[/note]]: durability, antiquity, old ways, classic art; at other times, "third-rate" (can be a PowerTrio with the two above, if it's not replaced by Copper or Platinum)
11	* '''Copper''': utility, cheapness, deformability (can be a PowerTrio with Gold and Silver)
12	* '''Tin''': toy-like, ineffective, utility
13	* '''Brass'''[[note]]A substitutional alloy of copper and zinc[[/note]]: loudness, cheapness, antiquity
14	* '''Mercury''': speed, volatility, unpredictability, shapeshifting
15	* '''Lead''': slow, heavy, impenetrable
16	* '''Platinum''': like gold, but even more so (can be a PowerTrio with Gold and Silver with it at the top, knocking Bronze out from the bottom); less associated with wealth, but more with purity, especially in a technical kind of way
17	* '''Aluminum''': modernity, high-tech, lightness; occasionally, cheapness
18	* '''Chromium''': modernity, high-tech, shine, cleanliness
19
20	May overlap with astrological motifs (mainly WesternZodiac), since each celestial body is associated with a metal in astrology (e.g. Sun with gold, Moon with silver, etc.).
21
22	Subtropes:
23	[[index]]
24	* ChromeChampion
25	* GoldColoredSuperiority
26	* GoldMakesEverythingShiny
27	* GoldSilverCopperStandard
28	* PlatinumMakesEverythingShinier
29	* SilverHasMysticPowers
30	[[/index]]
31
32	----
33	!Examples:
34
35	[[foldercontrol]]
36
37	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
38	* Franchise/SailorMoon's magic crystal was known as the Silver Crystal, and her kingdom was known as the Silver Millenium. Mamoru's magic crystal was known as the Golden Crystal. Both of these are in keeping with the associations given in the description, since Sailor Moon was the incarnation of an all-powerful goddess, and Mamoru was a king (and also somewhat useless when his powers were compared to hers).
39	* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', we have the Pirate King Gol D. "Gold" Roger and his first mate Silvers Rayleigh, as well as a member of Roger Pirates called S''copper'' Gaban.
40	* In the WarArc of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', the Fourth Kazekage uses "Gold Dust," which reflects his beliefs and attitude in life. To be specific, he measured the "value" of things/people, including his own son Gaara, though those evaluations were never necessarily ''right''. For example, he judged Gaara to be a failure. He was obviously wrong. [[spoiler:Though he didn't realize it until he saw Gaara again after being revived by the Edo Tensei.]]
41	* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' there's the blade, katana in particular; Zenitsu was motivated by his master Jigoro to be like a blade during its forging, to constantly be purified and focused on the one thing it matters: mastering yourself to eventually become unbreakable steel. Zenitsu’s development as a demon slayer goes exactly like the katana forging process; his Thunder Clap and Flash technique even has an added deeper meaning to its stronger forms, Zenitsu literally calls them ''“Folds”'', not only he is folding the angles of his dashing but also ''“folding himself”'' like forgery processing, making him, the blade, a better molten steel. [[spoiler:At the end, to hit the point home, Zentisu’s actual nichirin blade is the only one out of his companions Tanjiro and Inosuke that never breaks throughout the series]].
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Comic Books]]
45	* The ''ComicBook/MetalMen'' consisted of TheLeader Gold, TheBigGuy Iron, the slow-witted Lead, the temperamental Mercury, the insecure Tin, and the vain [[TheSmurfettePrinciple (female)]] Platinum.
46	* Comicbook/{{Superman}} is known as the Man Of Steel.
47	** Also, his BadassNormal knockoff going by the actual codename ComicBook/{{Steel}}.
48	* Literature/DocSavage is "the man of Bronze," both for his strength and his bronzed skin. The Superman people "borrowed" it for their "man of Steel" sobriquet (as well as Savage's "Fortress of Solitude").
49	* ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk'': one member of the U-Foes, an evil version of the Comicbook/FantasticFour, is Ironclad, the Thing equivalent.
50	* There was an old ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain-turned-somewhat hero called Molten Man who was colored gold but was not a nice guy. When he reformed, instead of turning into a full-fledged superhero as most HeelFaceTurn cases do, he mostly tried to lead a normal life after he gave up villainy.
51	* The ''ComicBook/SilverSurfer'' is a cosmic herald, who can fly through space and draw on raw cosmic force to blast his enemies.
52	* ''ComicBook/IronMan'' wears PoweredArmor, which is the source of his strength.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Film]]
56	* The T-1000 from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' very much resembles mercury, and its shapeshifting properties are definitely thematic.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Literature]]
60	* In the ''Literature/ArciaChronicles'', the PraetorianGuard of Tayana are split into the king's personal unit and the crown prince's unit. The former are associated with gold and mainly deployed to parades and celebrations. The latter are associated with silver and regularly carry out force recon and special operations.
61	* In the Book of Daniel in ''Literature/TheBible'', King Nebuchadnezzar has a [[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%202&version=ESV dream]] of a giant statue with a golden head, silver chest and arms, bronze waist and thighs, iron legs, and feet made of iron and [[FeetOfClay clay]]. Daniel interprets the dream as several kingdoms that will rise and fall, with Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon being the golden one.
62	* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': The world uses this for its PowerLevels; by all indications, it's metaphorical rather than literal. Still, the motifs seem pretty universal. Sacred Valley uses badges of the appropriate materials to denote rank, and while badges are less common in the outside world, they still show up. In order: Foundation is wood, Copper is copper, Iron is iron, and Jade is jade. Gold seems to use gold, even though it is split between three distinct ranks (Lowgold, Highgold, and Truegold). The Lord realm uses a different metal for each rank: Underlords have [[AntiMagic half-silver]], and Overlords have goldsteel. Sages have wintersteel, which can only be shaped by willpower, making it a perfect representation of a Sage. Heralds are implied to have the "[[{{Hihiirokane}} deep, fiery metal]]" that Lindon never identifies. It's also never explained what the Archlord badge is supposed to be made of.
63	* Both the "fanciness" and the "royalty" symbolism of gold are invoked by Moist Van Lipwig after picking up a golden suit in ''Literature/GoingPostal'' to go with his golden postal worker's hat (in [[Literature/MakingMoney the next book to star him]], he covers a top hat in gold glitter for the same effect on being put in charge of the bank). As a former ConArtist, standing out is pretty much how he succeeds. Made a plot point when it turns out [[spoiler: an army of ancient golems will listen to him, because the gold suit is similar to what their handlers would have worn]].
64	* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', the former blacksmith to the Baratheon family compares each of the 3 Baratheon brothers to different types of metal. Youngest brother Renly is copper, pretty and looks nice, but not worth much in a medieval society. LawfulStupid middle brother Stannis is like iron; hard, inflexible, but brittle too. He'll break before he bends. Oldest brother Robert was the one that the blacksmith considered true steel, but 15 years trapped in a loveless marriage doing a job he hated ruined Robert's "true steel".
65	** Iron (strength and simple practicality) and bronze (antiquity and tradition) are both strongly associated with the North. Of the initial settlers of the North, the Children of the Forest used stone tools and the First Men used bronze tools. The crown of the Stark kings is also made of iron and bronze.
66	** Iron is also associated with... well, [[MeaningfulName the Ironborn]], due to their culture's emphasis on strength and brutality.
67	** Both in- and out of universe, the Lannisters are associated with gold — they're very proud and ambitious. Justified, since their ancestral seat, Casterly Rock, is built over a gold mine, so they grew very rich as a result.
68	** It is quite telling that the symbol of the current royal house (Baratheon) is the symbol stamped on ''silver'' coins, whereas gold coins are struck with a dragon mark, which is the symbol of the overthrown royal house Targaryen. The reason for this is that Orys Baratheon, the founder of House Baratheon was the right-hand man to Aegon I, who started the Targaryen dynasty.
69	** Bronze is an important part of the First Men's heritage, as they used it exclusively prior to the arrival of the Andals. After the arrival, the Andals would use their superior iron to subjugate and culturally dominate the First Men almost everywhere, causing nearly all them to forget their own language. As such, bronze symbolizes antiquity, a time when the First Men and their culture still ruled Westeros. Notably, when a First Men holdout called the Thenns is introduced in the third book, their use of bronze is frequently emphasized to let the reader know that these guys truly are the last of the First Men. [[spoiler:After successfully settling south of the Wall, their leader even chooses a bronze disk as their sigil to honor their heritage.]]
70	* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', [[WhenTreesAttack the Ent]] [[TimeAbyss Treebeard]] says at one point that the wizard [[SmugSnake Saruman]] "has a mind of wheels and metal". This implies a cold, intellectual, sterile view of the world that has no place in it for the love of anything organic or growing. Considering the {{Green Aesop}}s of LOTR, this is not a good thing to be in that series, and Saruman is dominated by {{Pride}}, [[TheResenter Resentment]] and [[GreenEyedMonster Jealousy]], all of which cause his downfall.
71	* Prince Nigel Haldane, Duke of Carthmoor in the Literature/{{Deryni}} novels is nicknamed "the Iron Duke". He's proven himself at combat from the age of twenty onwards, and he has gray eyes to boot.
72	* The Steel General in ''Literature/CreaturesOfLightAndDarkness'' is an ancient warrior from Old Earth who fights for the downtrodden, the underdog, and the rebel. As he's been wounded in battle, he's had parts replaced with steel, till all that remains of his original body is a ring of flesh he wears on his pinky.
73	* The various Literature/LandOfOz books had a handful of metal-themed characters. The best known is Nick Chopper, the Tin Man, however there was also Tik-Tok the mechanical copper man, and an iron man who guarded the Nome King's palace.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Live Action TV]]
77	* ''Series/SapphireAndSteel'': Steel, Lead, and Silver all have symbolic connections to the metals they're named for.
78	* In both ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' franchises, {{Sixth Ranger}}s often wear metallic colors (either gold or silver) as a visible sign of superiority over their chromatically-colored teammates. ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'' started the trend with the Gold Zeo Ranger (who was known as King Ranger in ''Series/ChourikiSentaiOhranger'') and ''Series/DenjiSentaiMegaRanger'' would pick it up with Mega Silver; and it was later ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'' and ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' that established metallic colors as a permanent status quo for Sixths.
79	** Multiple series have fit in ''both'' Gold and Silver Rangers. ''[[Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger Go-Onger]]''/''[[Series/PowerRangersRPM RPM]]'', ''[[Series/TokumeiSentaiGoBusters Go-Busters]]''/''[[Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers Beast Morphers]]'', and ''[[Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger Kyuranger]]'' each had the two Rangers working as a duo; and the first two had Gold outrank Silver slightly. ''[[Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger Kyoryuger]]''/''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoCharge Dino Charge]]'' also had both Rangers, but Gold was a regular character and Silver was an EleventhHourRanger; and ''Silver'' was more powerful. Other series had both colors worn by the same Ranger: ''[[Series/DoubutsuSentaiZyuohger Zyuohger]]'' had one with a half-and-half costume, the Sixth in ''[[Series/KaitouSentaiLupinrangerVsKeisatsuSentaiPatranger Lupinranger VS Patranger]]'' could switch between the two colors at will, and ''[[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Gokaiger]]''[='s=] and ''[[Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers Donbrothers]]''[='=] Sixthes primarily wore one color but could assume a second form featuring armor of the other color on top of the original suit.
80	** Two of ''Power Rangers''[='=] Sixths were specifically named for metals, ''[[Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue Lightspeed Rescue]]''[='s=] Titanium Ranger (for toughness) and ''[[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Operation Overdrive]]''[='s=] Mercury Ranger (for shapeshifting; he was an alien that could transform into liquid mercury).
81	** In ''[[Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger Kyuranger]]'', the Silver Ranger is BrainwashedAndCrazy for a few episodes and gains a SuperpoweredEvilSide, changing his codename to be a Metal Ranger instead; symbolizing that his new form is stronger and more dangerous but less refined and not as valuable.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Music]]
85	* The origin of Music/LedZeppelin's name. To quote TOW: "One account of how the new band's name was chosen held that Moon and Entwistle had suggested that the supergroup with Page and Beck would go down like a "lead balloon", a British idiom for disastrous results. The group dropped the 'a' in lead at the suggestion of their manager, Peter Grant, so that those unfamiliar with the phrase would not pronounce it "leed". The word "balloon" was transformed into "zeppelin", perhaps an exaggeration of the humour, and to Page the name conjured the perfect combination of heavy and light, combustibility and grace."
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Pinball]]
89	* As the title indicates, ''Pinball/SilverballMania'' depicts EVERYTHING covered in silver and chrome.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Poetry]]
93	* Creator/RudyardKipling's "Cold Iron".
94	-->Gold is for the mistress, silver for the maid,
95	-->Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade.
96	-->"Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall,
97	-->But Iron - Cold Iron - is master of them all.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
101	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
102	** The [[CharacterAlignment Good-aligned]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallic_dragon metallic dragons]][[note]]Adamantine, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, Mercury, Mithral, Orium, Silver and Steel[[/note]], as well as the [[CharacterAlignment Lawful-aligned]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_%28Dungeons_%26_Dragons%29#Ferrous_dragons Ferrous dragons]][[note]]Chromium, Cobalt, Iron, Nickel and Tungsten[[/note]]. However, sometimes the Ferrous dragons are added to the Metallic dragons, adding to some confusion.
103	** TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms elven subraces has alternative "metal" names -- Gold Elf (Sun Elf), Silver (Moon), Mithral (Star).
104	** In 3rd party book “Flee Mortals!” There is a hate group/cult called The Black Iron Pact for whom iron holds symbolic value due to its nature as the main ingredient in steel. As iron is alloyed with other metals and through its diversity becomes the stronger, more useful steel, thus symbolising the importance of diversity, they reject steel [[StrawMisogynist as they]] [[FantasticRacism reject such ideals]], instead choosing to place their trust in the “purer” iron.
105	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' the WarGod Gorum is called "Our Lord in Iron" due to his association with, and often depicted as a suit of AnimatedArmor of, said metal.
106	* TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} has plenty of metallic themes.
107	** For the SpaceMarines, Iron shows up with the [[{{Cyborg}} Iron Hands]] and the [[IndustrializedEvil Iron Warriors]].
108	** Brass tends to show up where [[BloodKnight Khornate warriors]] are involved. Tzeentch's servants tend to prefer silver and gold.
109	** When they use metallic colours at all the Eldar favour bright polished silver and gold.
110	** [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orkish]] metallic parts are usually rusted.
111	** The [[BadassArmy Imperial Guard]] goes for plain utilitarian steel in most cases.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Video Games]]
115	* The Brotherhood of Steel in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series. Steel symbolises their technical and military prowess, as well as dedication to their ideals.
116	* The [[EvilKnockoff robotic Sonic]] in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' is referred to as "Silver Sonic".
117	** Later supporting character Silver the Hedgehog fits the metal's mystical association, since he has telekinetic powers.
118	* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' patriots will mock the [=PC=] for wearing any other type of armor than steel or iron. Moonstone armor in particular is associated with the foreigner elves, who are [[FantasticRacism very unpopular]] at the moment.
119	* In ''VideoGame/Pathologic2'', the Town-on-Gorkhon was originally built around a copper mine, which provided useful and non-toxic metal for the Town's water pipes. One day the copper reserves [[MagicRealism just...disappeared]]- [[spoiler:probably because [[GeniusLoci Earth]] wanted to stop miners from digging into Her flesh]]- and were replaced with lead. Lead is ''highly'' poisonous, so the mining stopped after that, and the Town recentered itself on beef production. [[FisherKing This was the time]] when the Town's leaders stopped respecting Earth's children, the indigenous "Kin", and began to exploit them as a captive, cheap workforce. In the Town's present era, vast iron trains roar across its landscape, importing bladed tools (like Artemy's scalpels) made of the same metal. In the local Abattoir, cattle are processed into meat, their bones and iron-rich blood discarded in the nearby river. Vast grey warehouses (of zinc, [[DiscussedTrope which a character insists "counts as iron"]]) loom across the Town. As befits all this iron, this is the era [[spoiler:when the Kin decide to rebel and wage war on the townsfolk]].
120	* ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' uses iron-chrome contrast in the in-universe slang: specifically, "iron" refers to any kind of firearms, from the most basic to the most high-tech, while "chrome" refers to cybernetic augmentations of all kinds. Accordingly, the former term is usually used in the context of solving your problems with brute force and good old-fashioned violence, while the latter mostly pops up in conjunction with high-tech augmentations and [[HollywoodHacking netrunning]].
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Western Animation]]
124	* {{Lampshaded}} in ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', the "Perry the Platypus Theme Song (Extended version)":
125	-->"[[AnatomyOfMetal He's got an iron will, nerves of steel, and several other metal-themed attributes...]]"
126	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', The Crimson Chin's various enemies were all metal-themed (and body part/organ-themed). There was The Bronze Kneecap, The Iron Lung, The Brass Knuckle, and others.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Real Life]]
130	* The use of metal titles for "ages" of man: Stone Age, Iron Age, Bronze Age, reflecting the basic level of technology.
131	* The use of the term "GoldenAge" to mean "a period of great happiness, prosperity, and achievement." E.g. the ComicBook culture has adopted [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] as well as [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]], [[MediaNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] (and sometimes Copper Age for post-Bronze & Platinum Age for pre-Gold) to delineate the history of comic books.
132	* Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was nicknamed "the Iron Duke" for "his consistent political resolve" (as Website/TheOtherWiki says).
133	* Prince UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck was known as "the Iron Chancellor", in part for his diplomacy of realpolitik and his powerful rule and in part for a famous speech he gave advocating strong military power in a unified Germany.
134	[[/folder]]
135

Context Main / MetallicMotifs