%%
%%
%% The examples on this page have been sorted alphabetically. Please help keep this page tidy by adding new ones in order. Thank you!
%%
%% Zero-Context Examples are not allowed on wiki pages; all such examples have been commented out.
%% Please add proper context before uncommenting them -- a good example should explain *how* it's an example.
%%
%%
%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16943027340.43327300
%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
%%
[[quoteright:350:[[WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_5310.jpeg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire It's just like Plato described! ...Well, I mean, he was off on a few details.]]]]
%%
%% Caption selected per above thread. Please don't change or remove without approval from here:
%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900
%%
->''"The Greeks and Romans spoke of actually handling it. Medieval alchemists desperately tried to duplicate it. Some say it came from sunken Atlantis. Others say came from deep under the mountains of hidden Tibet. All say the golden, gleaming ore had the power to alter reality, to '''''make dreams flesh'''''. A lost metal no longer found on the face of this Earth."''
-->-- ''ComicBook/NewGods''

Orichalcum is a legendary precious metal that was mentioned by Creator/{{Plato}} as used in {{Atlantis}}. Orichalcum appears in many other places in classical Greek and Roman writings (for example, the Homeric Hymns assign gold and orichalcum ornaments to Aphrodite) [[AdvancedAncientAcropolis but it's the Atlantis reference]] that it's remembered for.

It has since been commonly used in fantasy literature and games as a type of {{Unobtainium}}. The term is Greek for "golden stone" and originally meant "mountain copper" or "mountain metal", though nobody is sure exactly what it was supposed to be. Possibilities range from an alloy of normal metals to a completely fantastic material, though the most common perception is that it is brass.[[note]]Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc that superficially looks like gold.[[/note]] Supported by, among other things, the discovery of [[http://www.seeker.com/atlantis-legendary-metal-found-in-shipwreck-1769435405.html?slide=wVNUES a 6th century BC Greek ship carrying ingots of brass.]]

Due to pronunciation changes, this word sometimes gets reborrowed as "orihalcon", [[InconsistentSpelling particularly with works of Japanese origin]]. If you're curious why, in Ancient Greek the word was pronounced something like "ore-eh-kal-kos", which is reasonably similar to how it's pronounced in modern English, but in modern day Greece it's pronounced more like "oriy-khal-kos", with the "kh" in the middle being a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_velar_fricative voiceless velar fricative]]. If you speak Scottish or German, it's the "ch" sound in ''loch'' or ''acht''. Japanese borrowed the word based on this modern Greek pronunciation, but it further became muddled into オリハルコン ''oriharukon'', which unfortunately is different enough translators often fail to recognize it as orichalcum. (If Japanese borrowed the word based on English instead, it'd probably be spelled オリカルカム ''orikarukamu''.)

Compare {{Mithril}}, Adamantium, {{Hihiirokane}} and ThunderboltIron. Subtrope of FantasyMetals and/or GreenRocks.
----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/BlackCat'': The Chronos Guardians use weapons made of orichalcum.
* ''Manga/HyperPolice'': Natuski has an orihalcon dagger.
* ''Anime/TheMysteriousCitiesOfGold'': In the second season, it's revealed that all of the Mu artifacts we've seen (including the city) aren't actually made of gold, but Orichalcum. This does solve the problem of why an advanced race would make an aircraft out of an extremely heavy and brittle metal with a low melting point.
* In ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' Nadia's pendant is eventually revealed to be made of orichalcum (and associated with Atlantis).
* In ''Manga/OrichalcumReycal'', orichalcum is a type of clay that can be used to create orichalcums - [[{{Mons}} sentient dolls with supernatural powers linked to their master's will]]. The protagonist's orichalcum, Reycal, is initially weak due to being sculpted from a 40-60 mix of orichalcum with mundane clay.
* ''Manga/PeterGrillAndThePhilosophersTime'': Weapons made of orichalcum are the only weapons powerful enough to harm monsters called semimoles. Since semimoles haven't been seen in a 100 years, [[WeHaveBecomeComplacent everyone started relaxing and forgot how to forge orichalcum]], except for the studious Mithlim. A semimole shows up and Peter is able to kill it with an orichalcum weapon provided by Mithlim. Peter then lectures everyone on relaxing and tells them to shape up and relearn how to forge orichalcum.
* In ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', Poseidon's Mariners wear orichalcum armor, while Athena's Saints wear armor made of an alloy including the metal.
* ''Manga/{{Spriggan}}'': The weapons and body armor used by Yu Ominae, the US Army's Machineer's Platoon and the Trident Corporation, are made of "orihalcon" or "omihalcon".
%%* ''Manga/ToLoveRu''
* ''Anime/TransformersArmada'' has the Mini-Cons from a sunken city called the Orichalcum (translated as "Olihalicons").
* ''Anime/TheWhiteWhaleOfMu'': "Orihalcon" is sought by the Atlanteans.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Used in association with Atlantis, as "the Orichalcos". It's a mysterious glowing, turquoise, rock-like substance that fell from the sky 10,000 years ago; the ancient Atlanteans used it to create a {{Magitek}} {{Utopia}}, but it was also TheCorruption and turned nearly everyone [[ForcedTransformation into monsters]] and TheGoodKing, [[BigBad Dartz]], into an {{Immortal|ity}} BrainwashedAndCrazy EvilSorcerer and OmnicidalManiac, and pressed him into unleashing an EldritchAbomination to [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroy the world]] and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans create Paradise from the ruins]]. It was ultimately the reason Atlantis sunk beneath the waves.
** The members of DOMA all had rings with bits of Orichalcum in them and used the Spell Card "Seal of Orichalcos", which lets you have double the maximum number of monsters on the field, grants each of them 500 ATK... and creates an unbreakable forcefield around the duelists based on the Seal, and if you lose a duel inside the Seal, your soul gets eaten by the Leviathan. Dartz himself has two more versions of the card that grant additional effects, as well as an entire deck of Monster Cards and Trap Cards themed on the Orichalcos. The only way to break the Seal is is to use a piece of Orichalcum, hence the rings they use, although it seems like they can only be broken from the ''outside'' so they are only good for ending someone else's Duel.
** Well, hitting it really hard with a Millennium Item works too... for a [[HeroicSacrifice given definition ]] of "works".
** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' has an unrelated character, Jim Crocodile Cook, with an "Eye of Orichalcum" embedded in his face. This granted him certain powers.
* ''Manga/MagicalGirlSpecOpsAsuka'', orichalcum is a magical metal that is used in e.g. bullets against Disas or rogue magical users.
* ''Manga/DragonQuestTheAdventureOfDai'': In the "Holy Sword Arc", the main characters decide Dai needs a sword made of orichalcum to use his full power. Eventually, Dai gets one orichalcum sword.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/MarvelNoir'': Orichalcum is retrieved from {{Atlantis}} in the opening scene of ''ComicBook/IronManNoir'', in which it's a MacGuffin power source.
* ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'': In a story where Mickey and Goofy are working with an archeologist to rediscover Atlantis, orichalcum is a nigh-indestructible conductor metal. [[spoiler:It's only indestructible as long as it's conducting. If not, it's very brittle]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/ThePrincessAndTheDragon'': Orichalcum enhances a sorcerer's control over magic and can even give magic to someone who didn't originally possess any, but it also corrupts its wielder's soul.
* In ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/251660/tales-from-the-dark-side-of-the-mirror Tales from the Dark Side of the Mirror]]'', Orichalcum is mentioned and used by Mirror Twilight in her [[spoiler:Mana Collector]] due to its durability and magic resistance. [[spoiler:As a result, she has a major OhCrap when it ''shatters'' due to overload, since the amount of magic required to do that is tremendous.]] She also also [[spoiler:makes chains of it to hold Trixie, but Maud breaks them, pointing out that since they were just magical copies of a sample she got rather than forged, they're far weaker than it otherwise would've been.]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''Fanfic/TheLongEventide,'' the mysterious Umbral Society passes along an artefact to one of their members that has orchicalcum in it. What exact properties the metal gives this artefact is currently unknown.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film -- Live Action]]
* In ''Film/AquamanAndTheLostKingdom'', orichalcum was the power source of ancient Atlantis, a glowy green metal which they abandoned because it was actually ''worse'' for the environment than any fuel the surface world has come up with since. They still have vast reserves of the stuff because they don't have any way to safely dispose of it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/{{Biggles}}'': Biggles discovers the substance and then loses it again in a landslide in a short story from "Biggles, Charter Pilot".
* ''Literature/CiaphasCain'':
** Subtly name-dropped in ''Caves of Ice'', where the company is deployed to an ice planet called Simia Orichalcae... yep, "Brass Monkey".
** The metal itself shows up in a few of the novels. In ''Cain's Last Stand'', the main hangar doors of Orelius' ship are described as "vast slabs of orichalcum chased with gold filigree".
* ''Literature/{{Decipher}}'': Orichalcum is used used in association with Atlantis.
* ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'': Orichalcum appears as a substance used in a piece of a key, first thought to be bronze.
* ''Literature/TheGoldenOecumene'': In ''The Golden Transcedence'', a projected future includes more Oecumenes about other star systems. One is the Orichalcum Oecumene.
* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': The Greek gods and demigods use a metal known as celestial bronze, a metal mined from Mt. Olympus, while their Roman counterparts use a metal known as imperial gold, made by enchanting regular gold. As noted above, Orichalcum means "mountain copper" and the Romans transliterated it as Aurichalcum meaning "gold copper", so those two metals are symbolically this trope. They're supernatural metals capable of harming monsters, gods and their descendants; however, they can't harm mortals -- they're simply not metaphysically important enough for the metals to register their presence.
* ''Literature/IsekaiNiOtosaretaJoukaWaKihon'': Orichalcum is a golden ore that's infamously difficult to manipulate with magic due to its high magic content, requiring magic surpassing the Kings of the Forest to do so.
* ''Literature/PendragonCycle'': Orichalcum is is a substance used in Atlantis.
* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'': It's spelled "orihalcon", and its schtick is magic resistance -- it can block any spells.
* ''Literature/TheStoryOfTheAmulet'': Orichalcum is used by the Atlanteans.
* ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': It can be used as a valuable material to forge powerful weapons and armor, and is produced by fusing gold with [[FantasyMetals Magisteel]] (metal forged from magic ore transformed by exposure to high concentrations of [[{{Mana}} magicules]]), which transforms the gold into an extremely durable metal that conducts magical power very well while retaining its various unique properties. It sees its most noticeable use as the building blocks for [[spoiler:Veldora's skeleton monster in the Labyrinth as well as being the material Rimuru uses to create the skeletons of the ArtificalHuman bodies he prepped for three of his [[MonsterProgentior Primordial Demons]] while the other demons get "just" magisteel skeletons.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger'': One treasure from Atlantis is first thought to be made of orichalcum. This treasure turns out to be the Vril, an artifact that gathers information from nearby objects to duplicate them in order to eventually replace the human race.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* In ''Roleplay/EmbersInTheDusk'', it was made by the Remnant Kingdom, after they studied the Eternal (a not-quite-successful [[PhysicalGod Great One]]) in an attempt to replicate his shell, which even the Ancient One could barely scratch. It's a bronze-colored metal matching the best the C'tan have, but the humans can only produce it at great expense. A single regular Marine suit with Orichalcum costs about ''fifty'' times as much an an Advanced Terminator Suit.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Arduin}}'': The spell "Gandolyn's Gates" traps a person in a tower of orichalcum.
* ''TabletopGame/ConspiracyX'': Atlantis exists, as does their mythical alloy "Orichalcum". It turns out that the Atlanteans are so advanced that their orichalcum is a product of [[NanoMachines nanotechnology]] in the days of Classical Greece.
* ''TabletopGame/D20Sytem'': In ''Advanced Gamemaster's Guide'', orichalcum is a material used to make weapons and armor.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': In ''TabletopGame/PointsOfLight'', mention is made of a magical metal called "orium" that has a "red-gold" appearance and was used by ancient empires, but which has since been lost and has yet to be rediscovered -- in no small part due to the fact that the byproducts of fashioning it are ''lethally'' poisonous. The metallic dragon associated with orium is a serpentine figure with an affinity for ancient ruins and lost secrets, which it defends with its toxic BreathWeapon.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Earthdawn}}'' has the five True Elements: earth, air, fire, water, and wood. You get the golden metal orichalcum by combining all five.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', Orichalcum is a magical metal associated with the Solar Exalted. The manufacturing process involves smelting gold in the heart of a volcano while using an elaborate array of mirrors to shine distilled sunlight on the metal (why? [[RuleOfCool Because it's Exalted]]).
* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': Orichalcum looks just like bronze but it much stronger and automatically makes blades forged from it extremely sharp.
** It's also a room-temperature superconductor, should anyone come along who knows how to use that sort of thing, as noted in the ''TabletopGame/InfiniteWorlds'' sourcebook.
** In the ''Atlantis'' sourcebook it's also an "etheric resonator" if local physics allows such a thing, enabling a {{Steampunk}} campaign to keep the "advanced power source" concept without moving too far from the paradigm. In either case, it also has "additional secondary useful properties" allowing its use as "an [[AppliedPhlebotinum all-purpose technobabble keyword]]".
* Appears in the ''Immortals Handbook -- EPIC BESTIARY: Volume One'' by Eternity Publishing as a red metal found in the heart of dead stars. The metal is so insanely dense and heavy that it has to be diluted with adamantine in order for even regular deities to be able to carry weapons made from it.
* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'': Orichalcum is produced by magically passing gold between the material world and Twilight until most of its substance is gone. It has no overtly magical properties of its own, but can be combined into alloys that can then hold powerful enchantments. The only one given is ''thaumium'', which absorbs magic.
* ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' has it as a golden metal from Atlantis, whose secret is lost.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Nephilim}}'' has "orichalka" as a material from Saturn, used in the fight against the Nephilim in Atlantis.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': "Horacalcum" is a fantastically expensive coppery metal obtained from meteorites and alien planets that distorts time around it, allowing wearers of horacalcum armor to perceive threats more quickly. The centerpiece of Adrati Kalm's Golden Ossuary, itself a monument to ConspicuousConsumption, is a horacalcum vault of incredible value [[spoiler:which has the side-effect of preserving his remains in a bubble of slowed time for easy resurrection]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' has had Orichalcum available since not long after [[TheMagicComesBack the Awakening]]. It's a very rare metal material known for its potency in reacting with and conducting magic, and can only be synthesized with magic. It has set the standard for the potency of [[EyeOfNewt magic reagents]], and while it's not necessary for it, orichalcum is used to create the most powerful [[MagicWand magic foci]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/SeventhDragon'': The final game, ''Code VFD'', reveals that special swords made to slay the True Dragons, Dragonslayers, can only be forged from this mythical metal.
* ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'': "Orichalkos" is all over the Atlantean civilization of the expansion pack "The Titans". It's used to explain some of their more advanced technology (like the Fire Siphon), a common mentioned material of advanced upgrades and the strongest material the Atlanteans can make their walls. The metal is also mentioned to magically become very lightweight after being quenched in seawater.
* ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'': Orichalkos is the arcana of metal (and a huge frickin' dragon).
* Shows up in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' as a currency accepted by only one merchant who sells rare goods. All other merchants accept drachmae.
* ''VideoGame/BlobWars'' has a quest to collect 25 boxes of orichalcum beads.
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness'': Available by VideoGameStealing as an ore used to forge powerful items.
* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' and ''City of Villains'' have it as salvage.
* ''VideoGame/DeptHeaven'': The Grim Angels use weapons made of this material.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'': Orichalcum appears as a crafting material.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' has a tower made of "orichalc", which was on a sunken continent named Yokuda.
** As of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', orichalcum is a blackish-green metal used to make Orcish armor and weapons, which in previous installments was just high quality steel equipment. Such items are known for their green tint and being "ugly and strong, like those that forged them."
** Oddly, "[[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemer]] Metal" better fits the traditional description of orichalcum -- it's a lustrous red-gold, an ancient and advanced civilization used it to make all their wonders, and [[LostTechnology it isn't found naturally, forcing players to smelt down items from Dwemer ruins for ingots.]]
* ''VideoGame/EndlessOcean'': The orichalcum ingot is one of the legendary treasures in ''Blue World'', and is the most expensive non-treasure chest salvageable item (and the fourth most expensive overall).
* ''VideoGame/EndlessSpace'': Orichalx is a late-game strategic material, noted in the original to be an orange metal useful for extreme conditions. The [[VideoGame/EndlessSpace2 sequel]] brought the material back and made it the strongest ship armor in the game, but also changed it to a purple crystal.
* ''VideoGame/EOEEveOfExtinction'': Used for both the main character's weapon and the bosses' weapons. It's awkwardly pronounced in-game as "[=OriKILLUM=]" and "[=oRICKulum=]."
* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' Lostbelt No. 5 "Atlantis", after analyzing the nanomachines Theos Klironomia are, da Vinci decides to name the unknown metal they are made out of orichalcum since they are in Atlantis.
* ''VideoGame/FlyFF'' calls it "Shining Oricalkum."
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': Orichalcum appears in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'' and ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' as an ItemCrafting material called Orihalcon (that also RandomlyDrops), used for getting one of the game's {{Infinity Plus One Sword}}s. Strangely enough, you can't find any in Lemuria, the game's Atlantis equivalent.
* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' Orichalcum is red-bronze in appearance and the highest-level base metal in the game, used in the top tier of crafting recipes. While present in all level-appropriate zones, prior to the expansion packs it was most frequently encountered in Orr, the game's {{Atlantis}} analogue.
* ''VideoGame/HadeanLands'': The Orichalcum rod is one of the most useful alchemical items in the game, but you only get one. If it weren't for the GroundhogDayLoop you'd have a real problem, and even with that it can be tricky.
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'': "Orichalc" is used to create [[EverythingsSparklyWithJewelry jewelry]] in some of the games.
* ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis'': Orichalcum is a [[InterchangeableAntimatterKeys central plot device]] and PlotCoupon. It's used as fuel for the Atlanteans' abandoned ancient artifacts scattered around the globe, which Indy must dig up. [[ArchaeologicalArmsRace The Nazis want it]] because it [[spoiler:powers the God Machine under Atlantis]].
* ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'': The [[spoiler:Great Sacred Treasure]] is stated to be made of orichalcum.
* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'': Appears as the treasure "orihalcon". This was fixed in the remake.
* ''VideoGame/Lineage2'': Orichalcum is used in dwarven crafting.
* ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'': Orichalcum is used to craft either Seth or Kaim's Ultimate Weapon.
* ''VideoGame/{{Lunarosse}}'': Beating the Abyss-King gives you a hunk of this, which can be used to max out your party member's weapons. It overlaps with ThunderboltIron, as it's mentioned to have fallen out of the sky some time prior.
* ''VideoGame/MapleStory'': It's called "Orichalcon" in-game because Orichalcum has the syllable "cum" in it, which is [[ScunthorpeProblem censored out]].
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'', the Orichalcum, held by Crescent Grizzly / [[DubNameChange Grizzly Slash]], is one of the components required to upgrade the Enigma laser cannon so it can destroy a colony ship. When recovered, it is said to increase the weapon's "striking ability." In Western releases, it was [[DubNameChange renamed]] the "Crystal Ball," possibly because the translators did not recognize the reference.
* ''VideoGame/PoseidonMasterOfAtlantis'': "Orichalc" is used as a monument decoration, as well as fuel for the deadly Atlantean fire.
* ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'' uses "Oridecon" as a crafting material.
* ''VideoGame/{{RIFT}}'': Orichalcum appears as a crafting material.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}},'' orikalkum is the proper name of what is commonly called "dragon" metal in the present day. It can't be worked in a forge, only in the direct heat of [[BreathWeapon a dragon's breath,]] which led to it being used primarily by the [[AbusivePrecursors Dragonkin.]]
* ''VideoGame/ShiningForceIII'': Orichalcum is used as material the blacksmith can use; it's the best material, beating out {{Mithril}}. In ''VideoGame/ShiningSoul II'' it's used to make Ice and Holy elemental equipment at the blacksmith.
* ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'': The Orichalcum is Sophitia's legendary weapon in the second game and can be purchased in ''[=SoulCalibur=] III''.
* In ''VideoGame/SoulSacrifice Delta'', the Orichalcum are giant snails with treasure chests as shells. [[PinataEnemy They have low spawn rates but high Life EXP or Magic EXP]], so be on the lookout for these guys.
* Creator/SquareEnix ''loves'' Orichalcum. Many of their [=RPGs=] typically include either the raw material or something made from it.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'': The general rule of thumb is that if it's made of Orichalcum, it either kicks three different kinds of ass or is a flat-out GameBreaker.
*** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'': The Sword of Kings/Sword of Light/Erdrick's Sword is made of the metal "Oricon".
*** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'' has it as an ItemCrafting material.
*** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestSwords'': The near-unbreakable shield is a SPOON made of Orichalcum, but due to its obviously small size which can't be increases and that if you can block as accurately with any other shield as you can with the spoon, they'll be just as durable, it's not nearly as useful as it'd initially seem.
*** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'': Orichalcum makes a comeback as one of the greatest yet rarest alchemy ingredients. To give you a scope on how rare it is, every other mineral in the game can be found as RandomlyDrops or by finding them on the ground in certain spots of the world map. Orichalcum is found ''nowhere'' in the world and the ''only'' monsters that drop them do so with a 1/256 chance, which is as rare as it gets in this game. Fortunately, when you ''do'' get your hands on some, you can use it for some of the best gear in the game, such as the Sage's Stone, which heals your entire party, as well as [[ContinuityNod Erdrick's gear]], which is the best gear in the game barring the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Uber-gear]].
*** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestHeroesRocketSlime'', both orichalcum and orichalslime (a hunk of metal shaped like a Slime) are used as weapons and alchemy ingredients.
** ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': Some items are made of the material, with various spellings. Notably, an orichalcum dagger known simply as "the Orichalcum" is one of the strongest recurring daggers in the series. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' instead have it available in the form of ore to make items.
** ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Orichalcum appears in some games as an ItemCrafting material. ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' have an even stronger variety called "Orichalcum+", of which only a few pieces exist, and every one of them is needed to craft the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ultima Weapon]].
** ''VideoGame/LegendOfMana'' has it under the name "Orihalcon".
** ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa3'': the dolphin statue in Vanguard is made of it; in enhances water magic which allows the city to move freely in the ocean.
** ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'' has it in the form of a sword translated as "Oricon". Also as "Oracion" in Knight of Lodis.
** ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' has an Orichalcum ''pin'', which is used as a trade material for extremely rare shop goodies.
* ''VideoGame/StarOcean'': Orichalcum appears as an ItemCrafting material. In the first two games, Orichalcum is a strong metal which can make some very good weapons, armor and accessories. In the third game, finding the right Inventors to produce Orichalcum reliably is the gameplay equivalent of [[GameBreaker nuclear weapons]].
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' has a number of mecha and weapons made of "Orichalconium" (most famously Cybuster) or the stronger "Zol-Orichalconium" alloy ("Z.O." for short). In the [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Original Generation]] games, it plays the same role as [[Anime/MazingerZ Alloy Z and Super-Alloy Z]].
* ''VideoGame/TechRomancer'' has a mecha, G-Kaiser, made of the material "Orihalconium".
* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'' features Orichalcum as an alternative to [[{{Mithril}} Mythril]]. Its appearance is pink, and a full set of armor with any of the helmets causes [[PetalPower pink petals]] to strike an enemy you hit.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tibia}}'' has a magic item called the Orichalcum Pearl.
* ''VideoGame/TitanQuest'': Orichalcum is a more powerful substitute for bronze.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'': Orichalcum is used for ItemCrafting.
* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' Orichalcum ingots and ore are crafting ingredients found in loot drops and at merchants, which are used to craft many high-end weapons and armor.
* In the sequel of ''VideoGame/YokaiWatchBlasters'', an avian boss Yokai named Orifalcon is said to be made out of orichalcum, hence its name.
* In ''VideoGame/YsVIIILacrimosaOfDana'', Orichalcum weapons are the only thing that can kill (as opposed to briefly knocking out) Primordials, so finding a vein of the stuff to alloy into your weapons becomes plot-critical at one point.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}'', a RummageFail [[http://adventurers.keenspot.com/d/20050514.html shows]] that the inventory contains one piece of "Orialicurirhum".
* In ''Webcomic/DemonFist'', "orihalcon" is super-strong and damps out supernatural energies (so when Rory is handcuffed with it, he can't use his [[PowerFist demon arm]] or [[HeroicHost manifest Shaise, Crag or Dither]]). The pirates are amazed to discover that Rosenquist has entire prison cells made of the stuff.
* ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'': In the Cliffhangers storyline, ThoseWackyNazis are after Atlantis' orichalcum to build their war machines with.
* ''Webcomic/{{Mindmistress}}'': "Orichalium" [[http://mindmistress.comicgenesis.com/miracle28.htm is mentioned]] as one of the stable transuranic elements carried by a meteorite that hit the Atlantic Ocean, whose remnants became the islands that Atlantis was built on.
%%* ''Webcomic/{{OMFG}}'': Used to parody ''Manga/BlackCat''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Literature/TheDescendants'': It's first seen as a rough type of armor called 'orihalcite' that even [[ExtraOreDinary Alloy]] couldn't effect with his powers. Later appears in a refined form with the proper name.
* Used with WILDLY variable spelling in the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:RealLife]]
* The name derives from Greek ὀρείχαλκος, ''oreikhalkos'' (from ὄρος, ''oros'', "mountain" and χαλκός, ''khalkos'', "copper"), meaning literally "mountain copper". The name ''oros'' was sufficiently close to vernacular pronunciation of Latin word for gold, ''aurum'' as ''oro'', that it was transliterated 'orichalcum' as 'aurichalcum', which was thought to literally mean "gold copper". It is known from the writings of Cicero that the metal which they called orichalcum resembled gold in color but had a much lower value. This description fits perfectly to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass brass]]. Brass itself is an alloy of copper and zinc, and while it was known to Ancient and Medieval world and manufactured by smelting copper and zinc-containing ores, zinc itself was isolated only by the Medieval alchemists and in 14th century India. Brass itself was first made from pure metals instead of ores in the 16th century. Today, ''oreikhalkos'' and ''aurichalcum'' means "brass" in modern Greek and Latin respectively.
** In 2015, 39 ingots believed to be orichalcum were [[http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/more-orichalcum-atlantis-alloy-turns-helmets-sicilian-shipwreck-what-was-021254 discovered in a sunken vessel on the coasts of Gela in Sicily]] which have tentatively been dated at 2,600 years old. They were analyzed with X-ray fluorescence by Dario Panetta of TQ -- Technologies for Quality; they turned out to be an alloy consisting of 75-80 percent copper, 15-20 percent zinc, and smaller percentages of nickel, lead, and iron. This is high quality brass.
** While not exactly magical, brass itself is a noble metal alloy and widely used on application which require resistance for corrosion, such as marine instruments, marine propellers, door handles, locks and coins. Brass is also irreplaceable as a metal for musical instruments. Aside from corrosion resistance, it's also soft enough to be easily worked into complicated shapes, and low-melting enough to make casting a breeze. It also won't scratch harder metals like iron, and is also non-sparking.
[[/folder]]
----