The Ruins of Khazad-dûm

This post is the fourth in a series about the plot, characters, and cultures featured in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

After departing from the Elvish city of Rivendell, the Fellowship eventually made its way to Moria, the ruins of the abandoned Dwarvish mining city of Khazad-dûm.

 

Riddle

At the entrance to Moria, they arrived at a door that required a password.

 

'What does the writing say?' asked Frodo, who was trying to decipher the inscription on the arch. 'I thought I knew the elf-letters but I cannot read these.'

'The words are in the elven-tongue of the West of Middle-earth in the Elder Days,' answered Gandalf. 'But they do not say anything of importance to us. They say only: The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. And underneath small and faint is written: I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs. '

 

'What does it mean by speak, friend, and enter?' asked Merry.

'That is plain enough,' said Gimli. 'If you are a friend, speak the password, and the doors will open, and you can enter.'

'Yes,' said Gandalf, 'these doors are probably governed by words. Some dwarf-gates will open only at special times, or for particular persons; and some have locks and keys that are still needed when all necessary times and words are known.’

‘These doors have no key. In the days of Durin they were not secret. They usually stood open and doorwards sat here. But if they were shut, any who knew the opening word could speak it and pass in. At least so it is recorded, is it not, Gimli?'

'It is,' said the dwarf. 'But what the word was is not remembered. Narvi and his craft and all his kindred have vanished from the earth.' (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

Neither Gandalf nor Gimli knew the password.

Gandalf guessed many times, without success. After a while, other members of the fellowship become restless and impatient. Some began to worry about the potential dangers around them.

Finally, Gandalf solved the riddle and guessed the correct password.

 

With a suddenness that startled them all the wizard sprang to his feet. He was laughing! 'I have it!' he cried. 'Of course, of course! Absurdly simple, like most riddles when you see the answer.'

Picking up his staff he stood before the rock and said in a clear voice: Mellon!

The star shone out briefly and faded again. Then silently a great doorway was outlined, though not a crack or joint had been visible before. Slowly it divided in the middle and swung outwards inch by inch, until both doors lay back against the wall. Through the opening a shadowy stair could be seen climbing steeply up; but beyond the lower steps the darkness was deeper than the night. The Company stared in wonder.

'I was wrong after all,' said Gandalf, 'and Gimli too. Merry, of all people, was on the right track. The opening word was inscribed on the archway all the time! The translation should have been: Say "Friend" and enter. I had only to speak the Elvish word for friend and the doors opened. Quite simple. Too simple for a learned lore-master in these suspicious days. Those were happier times. Now let us go!' (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

I love the confusion caused by the ambiguity of the password hint on the door. I enjoy the cleverness of this scene.

I also appreciate Gandalf’s observation that the doors were created in “happier times” than the “suspicious days” of danger that surround the Fellowship’s journey.

I find it amusing to imagine a modern version of this scene — with Gandalf becoming upset after forgetting the password to his computer after setting an overly cryptic password hint.

 

Moria

The Fellowship spent the night in the great cavernous halls of Moria.

 

All about them as they lay hung the darkness, hollow and immense, and they were oppressed by the loneliness and vastness of the dolven halls and endlessly branching stairs and passages. The wildest imaginings that dark rumour had ever suggested to the hobbits fell altogether short of the actual dread and wonder of Moria. (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

These two sentences are poetic and do a great job establishing the mood and setting of Moria.

Gimli, a dwarf, sang a song about the wonders of Khazad-dûm in its heyday, when it was a thriving mining city.

 

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang. (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

Gimli’s song contrasts the glory of Moria’s past with its bleak present, after the Dwarves were forced to flee from their city.

 

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

Gimli’s song does a great job explaining the history of Khazad-dûm and its importance to the Dwarves.

While mining, the Dwarves accidentally woke a monster known as a Balrog, and the Dwarves had to flee their beloved and prosperous Khazad-dûm.

The YouTube channel “Clamavi De Profundis” composed a melody for the lyrics to Gimli’s song. The channel performed the “Song of Durin” incredibly well.

Their video contains lyrics from volume The Fellowship of the Ring, an image of the Dwarves from the movie The Hobbit, and an introductory quote from The Silmarillion.

 

 

Gandalf’s demise

The journey through Moria was fraught with danger, which Gandalf knew all too well.

By comparison, Pippin, one of the hobbits, was far less cautious of his fascinating new surroundings.

 

Pippin felt curiously attracted by the well. While the others were unrolling blankets and making beds against the walls of the chamber, as far as possible from the hole in the floor, he crept to the edge and peered over. A chill air seemed to strike his face, rising from invisible depths.

Moved by a sudden impulse he groped for a loose stone, and let it drop. He felt his heart beat many times before there was any sound. Then far below, as if the stone had fallen into deep water in some cavernous place, there came a plunk, very distant, but magnified and repeated in the hollow shaft.

'What's that?' cried Gandalf.

He was relieved when Pippin confessed what he had done; but he was angry, and Pippin could see his eye glinting. 'Fool of a Took!' he growled. 'This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking-party. Throw yourself in next time, and then you will be no further nuisance. Now be quiet!' (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

Gandalf’s angry response to Pippin seems ill-tempered and impolite, but it was understandable given the stress he felt from the dangers lurking in Moria, which would soon threaten the Fellowship along their perilous journey.

Orcs attacks the Fellowship. Following an intense battle, the adventurers fled, only to face off against a ferocious and deadly Balrog.

Gandalf told the other members of the Fellowship to flee, while he attempted to single-handedly defeat the monster.

 

'Over the bridge!' cried Gandalf, recalling his strength. 'Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!' Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side, behind Gandalf at the far end of the bridge. The others halted just within the doorway at the hall's end, and turned, unable to leave their leader to face the enemy alone. (Book Two, Chapter 5)

 

The fight between Gandalf and the Balrog was depicted spectacularly in both the book and the movie.

One of the most iconic lines from the movie occurs when Gandalf tells the Balrog, “You shall not pass!”

In the book, Gandalf instead tells the monster, “You cannot pass!”

In both versions, the battle ends the same way.

 

At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand.

A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog's feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.

With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's knees, dragging him to the brink.

He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. 'Fly, you fools!' he cried, and was gone. (Book Two, Chapter 5)

 

Gandalf defeated the Balrog, but the monster ensnared Gandalf, who fell down into the dark depths, seemingly to his death.

In this moment, Gandalf showed great heroism through his willingness to sacrifice himself to save his companions.

Gandalf was the most knowledgeable and capable of the Fellowship. As the Fellowship continued forward with their perilous quest, Gandalf’s absence weighed heavily on their minds.

 

In my next analysis, I will discuss the Elven rings and the fate of the Elves if Frodo successfully destroys the Ring of Power.