Trivia

Hard

Which Of These Metals Derives Its Name From German Mythology?

Iron
Zinc
Cobalt
Platinum
High purity pieces of the metal cobalt.
Alchemist-hp/Wikimedia

Answer: Cobalt

The cultures of the world long used myths and superstitions to explain everything under the sun and the art of mining and metallurgy was no exception. Centuries ago, German miners uncovered veins of ore that looked like silver but were difficult to smelt and often yielded little to no silver in the process. They took to calling the ore and the metal found therein “kobalt” (which was derived from “kobold”).

Kobold is the German word for goblin and the miners maintained that it was mischievous goblins that stole the ore they wanted (the missing silver) and replaced it with the ore they didn’t want (the seemingly unsmeltable cobalt). In reality, the cobalt was just intermingled with the silver, no effort by trickster goblins required. In the 16th century, a method for extracting the “kobalt” (“kobold”) was discovered, the name stuck, and when it made the jump to English it became “cobalt”.

Cobalt is not the only metal name we can trace back to German mythology. The metal nickel also derives its name from German and under nearly identical circumstances. Again, German miners found an ore that resembled the ore they wanted (copper ore) as it shared a similar yellowish hue, but it wasn’t copper ore but nickel ore. They blamed the mix up on Nickel, a mischievous German spirit, and claimed he planted the “fake” copper there to toy with them. They called the metal “kupfernickel” or “copper nickel” to reflect their belief that it was created by Nickel. Later when the ore was properly extracted in its own right, the “kupfer” bit was dropped and it was simply called nickel.

More Trivia Questions

Trivia

Hard

Which Sci-Fi Character Made Frequent Cross-Show Cameo Appearances On Non-Sci-Fi TV?

Trivia

Hard

Which Film’s Title Is An Anagram Of The Book It Was Based On?

Trivia

Hard

During World War II, The U.S. Military Turned Which Of These Animals Into Self-Guided Explosive Devices?

Trivia

Very Hard

The Strongest Creature In The World, Per Times-Body-Weight Moved, Is The?

Trivia

Very Hard

There Is A Long Standing Folklore Legend In The Balkans Regarding Vampiric What?

Trivia

Hard

Who Graces The Most Valuable Baseball Card In The World?

Trivia

Easy

At One Time The U.S. Military Used What To Spot Heavily Camouflaged Enemies?

Trivia

Very Hard

Magneto’s Distinctive Helmet Is Modeled After A Real World Helmet Known As A?

Trivia

Hard

The Best Known Example Of Thanatosis In The Animal Kingdom Is Found In The?

Trivia

Hard

What Electronic Device Needs To Be Factory-Calibrated To The Earth’s Magnetosphere?