Moria
Dwarves
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> Moria/Khazad-dum
> Moria
Moria is the name
in Elvish. It is called Khazad-dûm in Dwarvish, meaning the
Dwarrowdelf
in
Westron. At the time of the War of the Ring, it was called the Black
Pit.
Atop Moria stand three mountains:
The mountain that snowed in fury on the Fellowship
is
Caradhras the Cruel in Elvish, Redhorn in Westron from the way the sun
shone
on the snow and the mountain's unfriendly temper, Barazinbar in
Dwarvish,
Baraz for short as Gimli used it.
Celebdil the White is the Elvish name, Silvertine in
Westron,
Zirak-zigil or Zirak for short in Dwarvish.
Fanuidhol the Grey is the Elvish name, Cloudyhead in
Westron, Bundushathur or Shathur for short in Dwarvish.
The Misty Mountains divide at this point. Between
the
arms is Dimrill Dale, Nanduhirion in Elvish, Azanulbizar in Dwarvish.
In Dimrill Dale is the Mirrormere, its dark waters
called
Kheled-zaram in Dwarvish. It is also the place where cold springs start
the
River Silverlode, Kibil-nala in Dwarvish.
An old road had come from the elvish land of Hollin,
Eregion
in Elvish, and this road was followed by the Fellowship to Moria. A
shallow
valley lay beyond the Stair Falls and went up to the Walls of Moria,
with
the Sirannon running in the valley. The valley had become the dark,
unwholesome
lake which did not reflect the sky or sunset. A strip of dry land
hugged
the wall beside the lake.
At the entrance to Moria was a lake, in which a
tentacled
watcher dwelt at the time the Fellowship arrived. The lake was caused
when
Sirannon, the swift and noisy Gate-stream, was dammed. The road from
Hollin
had been built along the Sirannon. The stream fell in the Stair Falls
by
which was carved a flight of steps. There the main road went left and
looped
several times to the level ground at the top.
The gate of Moria had been built long ago when the
dwarves
of Moria and the elves of Eregion were friendly. The Elves and Dwarves
in
friendship together had made a cunning door fit so well it could not be
seen
when shut. In the days of Durin, the doors usually stood open. Two
giant
holly trees stood against the cliff by the door, marking the end of the
Elvish
territory with their token there at the West-door.
Drawings were made upon the door of a material
called ithildin
that mirrors only starlight and moonlight, waiting for the right words
to
become visible. In the elven tongue of the West of Middle-earth in the
elder
days, the inscription on the arch translated to "The doors of Durin,
Lord
of Moria. Speak friend and enter." Underneath those, small and faint,
was
written "I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs."
Narvi
was apparently a Dwarf of Moria, and Celebrimbor is the famous
ring-maker.
The password to the door had been lost, but the clue was left in the
writing
to the Sindarin elvish word, mellon, which means friend.
Inside Moria, very deep, a balrog hid after the fall
of
Morgoth's fort, Angband. The dwarves of Durin built a great city within
Moria
above him, not knowing of his existence, to mine the especially
precious
type of silver called mithril. Balin returned with other dwarves
to
rebuild this city, and they discovered that delving too deep released
the
balrog, a Maia beyond their strength to fight. Sauron's orcs moved into
the
city. The Maia, Sauron, had been the Vala, Morgoth's, right hand and
would
have been well known to the balrog. This was the situation when the
Fellowship
went into Moria.
References:
Names: Fellowship, "The Ring Goes South".
Entrance: Fellowship, "A Journey in the Dark".
Mellon is Sindarin: Silmarillion index
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