The Passage through Moria

The Passage through Moria is the perilous underground journey of the Fellowship of the Ring through the abandoned Dwarf-kingdom of Khazad-dûm, a dark and labyrinthine realm now infested with Orcs and haunted by a Balrog. This event marks a decisive turning point in the quest: it tests the Company's endurance, reveals the true nature of the enemy they face, and culminates in the fall of Gandalf, the loss of their leader, and the shattering of their fellowship's original unity.

Background and Decision

After the failed attempt to cross the Misty Mountains via the Redhorn Gate, where Caradhras itself seemed to conspire against them with snow and falling stones, the Company was forced to reconsider their route. Gandalf proposed the road that leads to the Mines of Moria, a name that filled even the stoutest hearts with dread. Aragorn was against it, having passed through once before and remembering the experience as very evil. Boromir argued for the southern Gap of Rohan, but Gandalf countered that the Ring must not come near Isengard, where Saruman's treachery was now known. The decision was made not by vote but by necessity: the wolves were howling, the hunt was up, and the only path that offered any hope of concealment and speed lay under the mountains. Gimli alone was eager, hoping to find his kinsman Balin and look upon the halls of Durin.

The West-gate and the Watcher

At the western edge of Moria, the Company found the Sirannon, the Gate-stream, dry and dammed, forming a dark, still lake. The Elven Door, inscribed with the words "Speak, friend, and enter," was hidden in the cliff-face. Gandalf, after a long and frustrated struggle with spells and commands, finally solved the riddle: the opening word was the Elvish word for "friend," mellon. As the doors swung open, the Watcher in the Water, a many-tentacled creature from the lake, seized Frodo by the ankle. Sam slashed at it, and the Company barely escaped inside as the tentacles slammed the doors shut behind them, blocking their retreat with fallen boulders and uprooted trees.

The Journey through the Dark

The passage through Moria was a journey of darkness and dread. Gandalf led the way, his staff casting a faint radiance, while Gimli walked beside him. The path twisted and descended through a bewildering maze of stairs, arches, and tunnels. The air grew hot and stifling. They passed pits and chasms, and Pippin, moved by a foolish impulse, dropped a stone into a deep well, which drew a distant, ominous knocking in response. The Company was oppressed by the vastness and the silence, broken only by the sound of their own feet and, for Frodo, the imagined or real patter of following footsteps—Gollum, as it later transpired, was trailing them.

The Chamber of Mazarbul and the Orc Attack

After a long march, they came to the Chamber of Mazarbul, the Chamber of Records. There they found the tomb of Balin, Lord of Moria, and the Book of Mazarbul, which told the grim tale of the Dwarf-colony's last stand: "We cannot get out. They are coming." The drum-beats in the deep began, doom, doom, and Orcs attacked from both doors. A great Cave-troll broke in, and Frodo, in a moment of hot wrath, stabbed its foot with Sting. The fight was fierce, but the Company drove the Orcs back. As they fled down a stair, Gandalf held the door alone, facing a nameless terror—a Balrog of Morgoth—that shattered the door and the chamber roof, blocking the passage behind them.

The Bridge of Khazad-dûm and the Fall of Gandalf

The Company raced through the Second Hall, where a great chasm had opened, filled with fire. The only way across was the narrow Bridge of Khazad-dûm, a stone span without kerb or rail. As the Orcs and the Balrog pursued, Gandalf ordered the others to fly. He stood alone in the middle of the bridge, facing the Balrog. "You cannot pass," he declared. He broke the bridge with his staff, and the Balrog fell into the abyss. But as it fell, its whip lashed out, caught Gandalf's knees, and dragged him over the brink. "Fly, you fools!" he cried, and was gone. The Company, stunned and grieving, fled through the Great Gates into the light of Dimrill Dale, leaving Gandalf behind.

Consequences and Aftermath

The Passage through Moria fundamentally altered the course of the quest. The Fellowship lost its leader and guide, Gandalf, who had been the heart and mind of the Company. Aragorn was forced to take command, a burden he had not sought. The event also deepened the sense of doom and the awareness of the ancient evils that Sauron could command. The Company emerged from the darkness into the golden wood of Lothlórien, but the loss of Gandalf cast a long shadow over their journey, and the fellowship itself would soon break apart at Parth Galen.