What is cold iron

[kitep]

D&D refers to "cold iron".  How does cold iron differ from regular iron?

[Solo]

By about thirty degrees.

[linklord231]

I could be mistaken, but I think I read in the fluff somewhere that cold iron is never heated on a forge.  The smith just beats it with a hammer until it's in the right shape. 

[veekie]

Yeah, it was how iron stuff was made originally, by beating iron(elemental iron, with some natural alloying that made it resistant to rusting) into shape. It was generally speaking, not a very good material, except when you compare it with the other materials of the time.

[Prime32]

Ever heard "They shall taste cold steel?" Cold iron, cold steel, only difference is the level of carbon.

D&D cold iron is a magical metal from deep underground .

And fey were originally supposed to be harmed by iron weapons because pure iron wasn't found in nature - you had to reshape natural materials to create it, which made it a symbol of defeating nature. Since fey frequently appear to be living concepts, hitting them with "the concept of defeating nature" hurts.
Lycanthropes are the opposite - they're a perversion of nature, so they're harmed by things which are pure and natural (alternatively, they're disease-based and silver has antibacterial properties).

[DonQuixote]

Alternatively, a very inefficient way to press clothes.

[veekie]

Yeah, D&D cold iron is contrary to how it works in myth. IIRC, Iron was also the metal associated with death(while Silver was associated with purity, due to its mild bactericidal properties and tarnishing with poison) so there may be something to that too.

[kitep]

I could be mistaken, but I think I read in the fluff somewhere that cold iron is never heated on a forge.  The smith just beats it with a hammer until it's in the right shape.

Thanks.  That must take a lot of pounding!

[Sinfire Titan]

Cold iron is another term for pig iron, which is used as a weight.

[bhu]

i think originally it was supposed to mean meteoric iron in the older editions

[caelic]

What Prime32 said, more or less.  In the real world, "cold iron" is just a poetic way of saying "iron."  There's no difference; it's not forged differently.  ANY iron weapon was supposed to be anathema to the sidhe.

'Course, that's not good enough for D&D.  Heck, in a world where there are weapons made of magical nonmelting ice, I guess an extra-special sort of iron isn't much of a stretch.

[kitep]

What Prime32 said, more or less.  In the real world, "cold iron" is just a poetic way of saying "iron."  There's no difference;

That's the answer I got when I googled cold iron before posting here.  Just didn't seem right.

[caelic]

That's the answer I got when I googled cold iron before posting here.  Just didn't seem right.

Lots of things don't.  For instance, the English word "forte" is properly pronounced "fort," not "for-tay."  (Usage determines propriety, of course, so "for-tay" is becoming acceptable.)

Doesn't seem right, does it?

[Sinfire Titan]

Lots of things don't.  For instance, the English word "forte" is properly pronounced "fort," not "for-tay."  (Usage determines propriety, of course, so "for-tay" is becoming acceptable.)

Doesn't seem right, does it?

Proper English is a bitch.

[veekie]

Remember too, once upon a time, Iron(or more properly Steel, iron itself made rather shoddy gear) was not so common as you think. Steel weapons were significantly superior to the bronze or stone equipment, and its superiority as a weapon gave it a mystical significance.
Cold iron, in poetic parlance, was originally iron used as weapons, but the meaning evolved to iron in general later on.

Its relation with the sidhe was the origin of some of the myths with the sidhe being the natives with bronze and stone weapons, who couldn't stand up for long to better equipped invaders. As time went on the stories were distorted and inflated, going from people to Little Folk and adding a dash of magic to it.

[DonQuixote]

Lots of things don't.  For instance, the English word "forte" is properly pronounced "fort," not "for-tay."  (Usage determines propriety, of course, so "for-tay" is becoming acceptable.)

Doesn't seem right, does it?

Blame the musicians for that one.

[snakeman830]

Lots of things don't.  For instance, the English word "forte" is properly pronounced "fort," not "for-tay."  (Usage determines propriety, of course, so "for-tay" is becoming acceptable.)

Doesn't seem right, does it?

Blame the musicians for that one.

Most music terms derive from Latin languages, though, which English is not.  "Forte" is one of them.

[StreamOfTheSky]

That's the answer I got when I googled cold iron before posting here.  Just didn't seem right.

Lots of things don't.  For instance, the English word "forte" is properly pronounced "fort," not "for-tay."  (Usage determines propriety, of course, so "for-tay" is becoming acceptable.)

Doesn't seem right, does it?

I always insist on pronouncing it correctly and informing others of their error when they say "for-tay."  Always will.  Thank you, kind sir, for being well-informed!

[kitep]

Lots of things don't.  For instance, the English word "forte" is properly pronounced "fort," not "for-tay."  (Usage determines propriety, of course, so "for-tay" is becoming acceptable.)

I've always heard it pronounced for-tay.

Looked it up in http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forte

It can be pronounced both ways.

When pronounced for-tay, it refers to a person's strong point
When pronounced fort, it refers to a person's strong point, or to the part of the sword blade between the middle and the hilt where it's the strongest.  I was not even aware of this second definition. (which webster lists first)

Learn something new today.  Check.

[DonQuixote]

I've always heard it pronounced for-tay.

Looked it up in http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forte

It can be pronounced both ways.

When pronounced for-tay, it refers to a person's strong point
When pronounced fort, it refers to a person's strong point, or to the part of the sword blade between the middle and the hilt where it's the strongest.  I was not even aware of this second definition. (which webster lists first)

Learn something new today.  Check.

Actually, technically speaking, those should both be pronounced "fohrt."  It comes from Middle French.  The prevalence of the "fohr-tay" pronunciation is likely due to confusion as a false cognate with the musical term "forte," meaning "loudly" or "strong," which comes from Italian.