Gronckle Iron is a metal alloy that was inadvertently discovered by Fishlegs Ingerman, Gobber the Belch and Meatlug.
Objects[]
Here are the objects that were forged out of the iron that we see in the franchise:
- Fishlegs' Gronckle Iron Sword (forged in "The Iron Gronckle")
- Meatlug's earrings
- Hiccup's Shield
- Several other objects belonging to multiple Hooligans.
- Several Dragon Hunter Weapons
- Toothless' armor (forged in "Snow Way Out")
- Hookfang's armor (forged in "Edge of Disaster, Part 1")
- Hiccup's Diving Bell (reinforced)
- Hiccup's Diving Helmet (reinforced)
- Toothless Yellow II Tail Fin
- Macey (as of "Twintuition")
- Dragon Eye II
- Viggo's Fire Sword
- Fishlegs' helmet
- Jörmungandr's Cage Gate and Lock
- Jörmungandr's Second Cage Gate (forged in "Ragnarok: Part 1")
Discovery[]
Fishlegs and Meatlug were upset over being slow as they fly and questioned their overall usefulness to the other Dragon Riders. Both went on an eating binge with Fishlegs eating handfuls of berries, while Meatlug ate an uncounted number of different rocks. Later on, they went to Gobber's forge in order to have him cure Meatlug of her stomach pains. When he tickled her on her underbelly, she belched out a huge amount of lava that was differently colored from her usual type.
When Gobber grew impatient over waiting for the lava to cool, he decided to forge a sword out of some of it, and discovered that the new metal was both lighter and far stronger than the best iron weapons and tools on Berk. This news quickly spread among the villagers with everyone wanting swords, maces, axes and other implements made from this new metal, which was soon dubbed as Gronckle Iron, as shown in "The Iron Gronckle".
The Dragon Hunters also discovered this metal and forced their captured Gronckles to make the iron, as revealed in "Night of the Hunters, Parts One and Two". It was at this time that Fishlegs discovered the formula to making Gronckle Iron.
- 3 parts Limestone
- 2 parts Sandstone
- 1 part Iron Ore
- 1 spoon of hardened Gronckle Lava
The Dragon Riders learnt that pouring molten Gronckle Iron into the craters of the Edge volcano helped to stabilize it in "Living on the Edge". Hiccup and Fishlegs then came up with a concoction even stronger by mixing it with Death Song amber. With the right strength, Gronckle Iron is also shown to cut Dragon Proof Metal as shown by Viggo who used his fire sword to free his Skrill. If the strength isn't used properly, then it will backfire as Tuffnut discovered when he tried to break a dragon proof chain with Macey.
| “ | Three parts limestone, two parts sandstone, one part iron ore, one giant spoon of hardened Gronckle lava, yeah! [src] | ” |
| — Fishlegs exclaiming about the formula |
Properties[]
Gronckle Iron is made from a combination of rocks and ore, which are melted inside of a Gronckle or Thunderbottom's stomach and expelled as reddish-orange lava. Once properly shaped and cooled, the resulting metal takes on a silver sheen and is found to be lighter and stronger than forged iron. A sword made from Gronckle Iron is strong enough to cut through an iron blade with surprising ease.
The ingredients for Gronckle Iron were revealed to be three parts limestone, two parts sandstone, one part iron ore, and one giant spoon of hardened Gronckle lava in "Night of the Hunters, Part 2". This differs from the ingredients used in School of Dragons: sandstone, iron, and a mysterious black rock (called "spooky-nighttime-with-no-stars-or-moon-stone" by Snotlout).
It is possible that Gronckle Iron is purified iron (without the slag and impurities), with some carbon and nickel mixed into it, thereby creating a form of steel. This would make the alloy both lighter and stronger than crude iron and give it the metallic sheen.
Gronckle Iron has been proven to be extremely tough, as it has withstood many things. For example, it has been able to endure a full powered plasma blast, as Hiccup instructed Toothless to give it all he's got, as well as a close-range spine shot from a Deadly Nadder in "Bad Moon Rising". It also resisted an Armorwing's fire for several seconds as well as a Thunderdrum's sonic blast. Also in "Dire Straits", Fishlegs states that the Diving Bell's reinforced Gronckle Iron is dragon proof. This is further back up as Toothless' plasma blast was unable to break through, although the Hideous Zippleback's strength was able to break through the bottom by pulling down on the pry bar that Tuffnut inserted.
When bonded with Death Song amber correctly, the Gronckle Iron not only withstands intense heat but also intense pressure. If incorrectly bonded, the Gronckle Iron becomes incredibly unstable and explodes.
| “ | He is, however, more than happy to help produce the Gronckle Iron needed to reinforce the structures, in turn making Berk stronger than it was before. | ” |
| — Dragons: Titan Uprising |
As stated in the description of the Thunderbottom Berubble, Gronckle Iron can be used to reinforce structures, making them far stronger than they were before its addition. It is implied that this reinforcement enables the structures to withstand heavy impacts, particularly the impact of a Thunderbottom's tail.
Trivia[]
- While it has yet to be confirmed, it is highly possible that Jun's Viking Shield is made of Gronckle Iron. This can be based on its extreme durability, uniquely light weight, and possessing the same silver coloring as many of the ancient Viking weapons made from the metal.
- Tom also states that the Viking Puzzle Box is also made from the same material as Jun's Shield so it's possible that it could also be made of Gronckle Iron.
Gallery[]
