How fragile is Dragonglass in ASOIAF?

[Leonardo]

I'm wondering if making weapons with it aside from daggers or arrowheads prudent if it was as brittle as it is on Earth. If it seems a simple answer then call me an idiot and move on, but call me an idiot with a post before you leave so I know you did

http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/Concordance/Section/1./

• Some maesters of the Citadel claim the world is 40,000 years old, while others argue that it is 500,000 years old (IV: 7)
  
• The oldest histories in Westeros were written after the Andal's came to Westeros, because the First Men only used runes for carving on stone. Everything written about the Age of Heroes, the Dawn Age, and the Long Night originates from stories written down by septons thousands of years later. There are archmaesters who question all these histories, noting the kings who seem to live for centuries and knights who fought a thousand years before there were knights (IV: 80)
  

Also whaaaat? ;D

[Waters Gate]

Dragonglass is obsidian, atleast i think thats a pretty sure conclusion from the books.

Obsidian has been used for weapons a lot on this world, less in modern times afcourse compared to ancient times especially before the bronze age, the latest example i guess were Aztec's fighting Spaniards armored in steel and armed with sword, guns and sometimes put on horses which the aztecs didn't have neither. Versus the Spaniards these weapons were pretty shit, most especially because of Spannisch armor.

Obsidian is very sharp, and you can cut deep into flesh with it providing that there is no metal between it. Its a sort of glass afterall, brittle but sharp.

It can hurt quite a lot providing the target is unarmored. The others do not have armor like men have, they are described to have some color shifting armor but there is no indication of it stopping obsidian, in fact considering that every other described does have that color shifting armor and that nevertheless they keep their weakness vs obsidian implies that their armor has no use against it. What the color shifting armor does do for the others is make them more difficult to spot as it seems.

[Leonardo]

Dragonglass is obsidian, atleast i think thats a pretty sure conclusion from the books.

Obsidian has been used for weapons a lot on this world, less in modern times afcourse compared to ancient times especially before the bronze age, the latest example i guess were Aztec's fighting Spaniards armored in steel and armed with sword, guns and sometimes put on horses which the aztecs didn't have neither. Versus the Spaniards these weapons were pretty shit, most especially because of Spannisch armor.

Obsidian is very sharp, and you can cut deep into flesh with it providing that there is no metal between it. Its a sort of glass afterall, brittle but sharp.

It can hurt quite a lot providing the target is unarmored. The others do not have armor like men have, they are described to have some color shifting armor but there is no indication of it stopping obsidian, in fact considering that every other described does have that color shifting armor and that nevertheless they keep their weakness vs obsidian implies that their armor has no use against it. What the color shifting armor does do for the others is make them more difficult to spot as it seems.

Astute analysis

One of the reasons I ask is because, in our world, obsidian is used in surgery because it can be sharpened to a finer point than steel, or at least most metal, leaving less scar tissue due to a cleaner cut.

Hence, it can be sharpened an edge better than any regular blade

Crackpot me if wrong, but does obisidian have to do with forging Valyian steel to go along with saying obsidian has different and potentially magical properties in his world?

[Kienn]

Crackpot me if wrong, but does obisidian have to do with forging Valyian steel to go along with saying obsidian has different and potentially magical properties in his world?

Possibly, a portion of obsidian may explain the dark color of valyrian steel.

[mindchap]

It's brittle enough to shatter on mail:

Sam SoS:

The raven gave a shriek and took to the air. “You’re dead!” Sam screamed as he stabbed.
“You’re dead, you’re dead.” He stabbed and screamed, again and again, tearing huge rents in
Paul’s heavy black cloak. Shards of dragonglass flew everywhere as the blade shattered on the
iron mail beneath the wool.
Sam’s wail made a white mist in the black air. He dropped the useless hilt and took a hasty step
backwards as Small Paul twisted around. Before he could get out his other knife, the steel knife
that every brother carried, the wight’s black hands locked beneath his chins.

And on a completely unrelated subject I have to ask what name did you give your avatar? :)(in his game anyway)

[Leonardo]

My own name or Crono, depending on the numerous half-finished playthroughs ;D

Usually it's Nick, my name and it's short enough to fit in with older game titles

[mindchap]

My own name or Crono, depending on the numerous half-finished playthroughs ;D

Usually it's Nick, my name and it's short enough to fit in with older game titles

Cool, I just had to ask, I'm a SNES nerd, mine was always Hiro.

[Felipe Orletti Penedo]

Possibly, a portion of obsidian may explain the dark color of valyrian steel.

That could be true. Also, the valirian swords seens to have the same effect on the Others than dragonglass. This is said by Sam when he researches in the library the Nights Watch.

[Snakes]

I did read somewhere that martin said that the obsidian in his world does have magic properties. To me its the embodiment of fire...pure heat...summer and whatever.

That's why I feel it affects the others and not the wights. The others....to me...are a force of nature. Cold and heat...death and rebirth.

Wights aren't a force of nature...just reanimated dead...but fire kills them.

[Snakes]

I did read somewhere that martin said that the obsidian in his world does have magic properties. To me its the embodiment of fire...pure heat...summer and whatever.

That's why I feel it affects the others and not the wights. The others....to me...are a force of nature. Cold and heat...death and rebirth.

Wights aren't a force of nature...just reanimated dead...but fire kills them.

One thing about obsidian. Watched a show called "warriors" or something. They had the aztec but also maori warriors that had paddle looking clubs but the edges were lined with obsidian. They were able to cut a pigs head off the body with one of these things. Not only that but it leaves pieces of itself in the wound

[yolkboy]

One thing about obsidian. Watched a show called "warriors" or something. They had the aztec but also maori warriors that had paddle looking clubs but the edges were lined with obsidian. They were able to cut a pigs head off the body with one of these things. Not only that but it leaves pieces of itself in the wound

Yeah Aztecs had obsidian blades, they used did human sacrifices with them. The CotF also had obsidian blades. We learn first men conducted human sacrifices, so perhaps they learnt that from the CotF. Meaning CotF might have done obsidian sacrifices like Aztecs, where the Gods could see (in front of weirwoods/on pyramids).

[Snakes]

Yeah Aztecs had obsidian blades, they used did human sacrifices with them. The CotF also had obsidian blades. We learn first men conducted human sacrifices, so perhaps they learnt that from the CotF. Meaning CotF might have done obsidian sacrifices like Aztecs, where the Gods could see (in front of weirwoods/on pyramids).

Exactly. I see the bones in that cave and im wondering if they do still perform sacrifices.

Obsidian has had sacred meanings through human history...and its natural. So absolute reason to believe it has some religious our nature meaning in martins world.