The Encyclopedia of Arda - Khazad-dûm (original) (raw)

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Dates The date of Khazad-dûm's foundation is uncertain, but it probably predates the first rising of the Sun; deserted in III 1981; briefly recolonised III 2989 - III 2994 Location In the central regions of the Misty Mountains, to the northwest of Lórien Origins Founded by Durin the Deathless Race Dwarves Division Durin's Folk Culture Dwarves of Khazad-dûm Family Ruled by the House of Durin Important peaks Delved beneath the Mountains of Moria: Barazinbar, Bundushathûr and Zirakzigil Passes The Dimrill Stair led through the Mountains of Moria and down into the valley of Azanulbizar (the Dimrill Dale) Pronunciation Probably kha'zad doo'm1 Meaning Said to mean 'Dwarf-mansions' Other names The Black Chasm, The Black Pit, Dwarrowdelf, Hadhodrond, Mansion of the Khazâd, Moria, Phurunargian Indexes: Alphabetical: K Cities and Buildings About this entry: Updated 30 August 2008 This entry is complete The mansions of Durin and his kin Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV The geography of Khazad-dûm2 The geography of Khazad-dûm2 The grandest and most famous of the mansions of the Dwarves. It lay in the central parts of the Misty Mountains, tunnelled and carved through the living rock of the mountains themselves, so that a traveller could pass through it from the one side of the range to the other. It was founded in very ancient days by Durin the Deathless, who came upon a shimmering lake beneath the mountain Celebdil, with a crown of stars reflected in its waters. He named that lake in the Dwarvish tongue, Kheled-zâram, the Mirrormere, and there he started the making of Khazad-dûm. As the millennia passed, the descendants of Durin sat upon the throne of Khazad-dûm, and their cavernous city became famous throughout the world. It even has a passing mention in Quenta Silmarillion, the tale of the Elf-lords and their wars far to the west, though to them it was no more than a distant rumour they heard from the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains on their borders. In the Second Age, Noldor out of Lindon founded a country of their own by the western gates of Khazad-dûm. A rare friendship sprang up between the Dwarves and the Elves of this new land, Eregion. Eregion's ruler, Celebrimbor, lent his skill to the making of the famous and magical gate that became known as the West-gate of Moria, and indeed went so far as to present King Durin III with a Ring of Power. The friendship of Khazad-dûm and Eregion came to a sudden end, though, in II 1697, when Sauron overran the country of the Elves, and the doors of Khazad-dûm were sealed against his forces. Eventually, Sauron was driven back and Khazad-dûm continued to thrive. Much of its great wealth was based on the mithril that was found in its mines, and as the centuries passed, the Dwarves mined deeper and deeper for the precious metal. In the year III 1980, they dug too deep, and unleashed a nameless terror from the depths beneath the city. The creature wreaked dreadful destruction, and in slaying the then King, Durin VI, became known as Durin's Bane. In the following year, Durin's son, Náin I, was also lost, and the Dwarves fled their ancient home. After millennia as one of the richest cities in Middle-earth, Khazad-dûm stood dark and empty, but for the brooding menace the Dwarves had released. In that time it was given a new name, Moria, the Black Pit. The monster of Moria - a Balrog of Morgoth, as was later known - lurked alone in Moria for nearly five hundred years. After that time, the old city of Khazad-dûm began to be populated again, but not by Dwarves. Sauron directed his creatures there, and it began to fill with Orcs and Trolls. Though the Orcs' numbers were greatly reduced in the Battle of Nanduhirion, fought in the valley beneath Moria's East-gate in III 2799, the Balrog could not be bested, and Khazad-dûm remained a citadel of darkness. There were two attempts by the Dwarves of Durin's line to reclaim their ancient home. The first of these was by Balin, who led a force of Dwarves there from Erebor in III 2989, but though he was successful at first, he was eventually defeated and slain. The story of the second attempt to recolonise the Dwarf-mansions is less clear,3 but it seems that after several centuries, Durin VII became King of Durin's Folk, and led a further return to the citadel. He was apparently successful, so that long after the War of the Ring, the Dwarves of Durin's line reclaimed their inheritance, and the hammers rang again in their great halls beneath the Misty Mountains. Notes 1 Tolkien gives us little information about the pronunciation of Dwarvish names, so the pronunciation suggested here is conjectural. 2 Elements of this map are conjectural - we are never explicitly given, for example, the route of the Redhorn Pass, nor do we know for certain which of the Mountains of Moria was which. Given the text of The Lord of the Rings, though, the layout cannot have varied much from that shown here. 3 In fact, the story of the eventual recolonisation of Moria does not appear outside the drafts for the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, so we cannot be completely certain that Tolkien intended it to stand. See also... Angerthas Moria, Azanulbizar, Azog, Balrogs, Barazinbar, Black Chasm, Black Pit, Book of Mazarbul, Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Bundushathûr, Celebdil, Chamber of Mazarbul, Chamber of Records, Company of the Ring, Crown of Durin, [See the full list...]Dimrill Dale, Doors of Durin, Durin I the Deathless, Durin VI, Durin VII, Durin’s Axe, Durin’s Bane, Durin’s Bridge, Durin’s Day, Durin’s Heir, Durin’s House, Durin’s Stone, Durin’s Tower, Dwarf-cities, Dwarf-doors, Dwarf-kind, Dwarrowdelf, Dwarves, Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, Dwarves of the Blue Mountains, Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, Dwarvish, East-gate of Moria, Elven Door, Elven-rings, Elves of Eregion, Endless Stair, Erebor, Ereborian Cirth, Eregion, Fanuidhol, First Deep, First Hall, Flói, Folk of the Mountain, Folk under the Mountain, Galadriel, Gate-stream, Gates of Moria, Glóin, Gollum, Hadhodrond, Heir of Durin, Hithaeglir, Hollin, Hollin Gate, Khazâd, Kheled-zâram, Khuzdul, King of Durin’s Folk, King of Khazad-dûm, King of Lórien, King under the Mountain, Last of the Seven, Longbeards, Lóni, Lord of Lórien, Lord of Moria, Mansion of the Khazâd, Mellon, Mines of Moria, Mírdain, Mirrormere, Misty Mountains, Mithril, Moria, Moria-silver, Mountain Kingdom, Mountains of Moria, Mustering of the Dwarves, Náin I, Nameless Things, Nanduhirion, Nár, Narvi, Noldor of Eregion, Óin, Old Forest Road, Old Moria, Orcs of the Misty Mountains, People of the Jewel-smiths, Phurunargian, Ring of Durin, Ring of Thrór, River Glanduin, Second Hall, Seventh Level, Silvan Elves, Silvertine, Sirannon, Stair Falls, Stunted People, The Deathless, The Ring, The White, Third Deep, Thorin I, Twenty-first Hall, West-door, West-gate of Moria, Zirakzigil Indexes: Alphabetical: K Cities and Buildings About this entry: Updated 30 August 2008 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2000, 2002, 2008. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.Personality is one part of understanding a candidate's suitability for a role, but aptitude can also be crucial.

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ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Dates The date of Khazad-dûm's foundation is uncertain, but it probably predates the first rising of the Sun; deserted in III 1981; briefly recolonised III 2989 - III 2994 Location In the central regions of the Misty Mountains, to the northwest of Lórien Origins Founded by Durin the Deathless Race Dwarves Division Durin's Folk Culture Dwarves of Khazad-dûm Family Ruled by the House of Durin Important peaks Delved beneath the Mountains of Moria: Barazinbar, Bundushathûr and Zirakzigil Passes The Dimrill Stair led through the Mountains of Moria and down into the valley of Azanulbizar (the Dimrill Dale) Pronunciation Probably kha'zad doo'm1 Meaning Said to mean 'Dwarf-mansions' Other names The Black Chasm, The Black Pit, Dwarrowdelf, Hadhodrond, Mansion of the Khazâd, Moria, Phurunargian Indexes: Alphabetical: K Cities and Buildings About this entry: Updated 30 August 2008 This entry is complete The mansions of Durin and his kin

Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV Map of Khazad-dum

The geography of Khazad-dûm2 The geography of Khazad-dûm2 The grandest and most famous of the mansions of the Dwarves. It lay in the central parts of the Misty Mountains, tunnelled and carved through the living rock of the mountains themselves, so that a traveller could pass through it from the one side of the range to the other. It was founded in very ancient days by Durin the Deathless, who came upon a shimmering lake beneath the mountain Celebdil, with a crown of stars reflected in its waters. He named that lake in the Dwarvish tongue, Kheled-zâram, the Mirrormere, and there he started the making of Khazad-dûm. As the millennia passed, the descendants of Durin sat upon the throne of Khazad-dûm, and their cavernous city became famous throughout the world. It even has a passing mention in Quenta Silmarillion, the tale of the Elf-lords and their wars far to the west, though to them it was no more than a distant rumour they heard from the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains on their borders. In the Second Age, Noldor out of Lindon founded a country of their own by the western gates of Khazad-dûm. A rare friendship sprang up between the Dwarves and the Elves of this new land, Eregion. Eregion's ruler, Celebrimbor, lent his skill to the making of the famous and magical gate that became known as the West-gate of Moria, and indeed went so far as to present King Durin III with a Ring of Power. The friendship of Khazad-dûm and Eregion came to a sudden end, though, in II 1697, when Sauron overran the country of the Elves, and the doors of Khazad-dûm were sealed against his forces. Eventually, Sauron was driven back and Khazad-dûm continued to thrive. Much of its great wealth was based on the mithril that was found in its mines, and as the centuries passed, the Dwarves mined deeper and deeper for the precious metal. In the year III 1980, they dug too deep, and unleashed a nameless terror from the depths beneath the city. The creature wreaked dreadful destruction, and in slaying the then King, Durin VI, became known as Durin's Bane. In the following year, Durin's son, Náin I, was also lost, and the Dwarves fled their ancient home. After millennia as one of the richest cities in Middle-earth, Khazad-dûm stood dark and empty, but for the brooding menace the Dwarves had released. In that time it was given a new name, Moria, the Black Pit. The monster of Moria - a Balrog of Morgoth, as was later known - lurked alone in Moria for nearly five hundred years. After that time, the old city of Khazad-dûm began to be populated again, but not by Dwarves. Sauron directed his creatures there, and it began to fill with Orcs and Trolls. Though the Orcs' numbers were greatly reduced in the Battle of Nanduhirion, fought in the valley beneath Moria's East-gate in III 2799, the Balrog could not be bested, and Khazad-dûm remained a citadel of darkness. There were two attempts by the Dwarves of Durin's line to reclaim their ancient home. The first of these was by Balin, who led a force of Dwarves there from Erebor in III 2989, but though he was successful at first, he was eventually defeated and slain. The story of the second attempt to recolonise the Dwarf-mansions is less clear,3 but it seems that after several centuries, Durin VII became King of Durin's Folk, and led a further return to the citadel. He was apparently successful, so that long after the War of the Ring, the Dwarves of Durin's line reclaimed their inheritance, and the hammers rang again in their great halls beneath the Misty Mountains. Notes 1 Tolkien gives us little information about the pronunciation of Dwarvish names, so the pronunciation suggested here is conjectural. 2 Elements of this map are conjectural - we are never explicitly given, for example, the route of the Redhorn Pass, nor do we know for certain which of the Mountains of Moria was which. Given the text of The Lord of the Rings, though, the layout cannot have varied much from that shown here. 3 In fact, the story of the eventual recolonisation of Moria does not appear outside the drafts for the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, so we cannot be completely certain that Tolkien intended it to stand. See also... Angerthas Moria, Azanulbizar, Azog, Balrogs, Barazinbar, Black Chasm, Black Pit, Book of Mazarbul, Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Bundushathûr, Celebdil, Chamber of Mazarbul, Chamber of Records, Company of the Ring, Crown of Durin, [See the full list...]Dimrill Dale, Doors of Durin, Durin I the Deathless, Durin VI, Durin VII, Durin’s Axe, Durin’s Bane, Durin’s Bridge, Durin’s Day, Durin’s Heir, Durin’s House, Durin’s Stone, Durin’s Tower, Dwarf-cities, Dwarf-doors, Dwarf-kind, Dwarrowdelf, Dwarves, Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, Dwarves of the Blue Mountains, Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, Dwarvish, East-gate of Moria, Elven Door, Elven-rings, Elves of Eregion, Endless Stair, Erebor, Ereborian Cirth, Eregion, Fanuidhol, First Deep, First Hall, Flói, Folk of the Mountain, Folk under the Mountain, Galadriel, Gate-stream, Gates of Moria, Glóin, Gollum, Hadhodrond, Heir of Durin, Hithaeglir, Hollin, Hollin Gate, Khazâd, Kheled-zâram, Khuzdul, King of Durin’s Folk, King of Khazad-dûm, King of Lórien, King under the Mountain, Last of the Seven, Longbeards, Lóni, Lord of Lórien, Lord of Moria, Mansion of the Khazâd, Mellon, Mines of Moria, Mírdain, Mirrormere, Misty Mountains, Mithril, Moria, Moria-silver, Mountain Kingdom, Mountains of Moria, Mustering of the Dwarves, Náin I, Nameless Things, Nanduhirion, Nár, Narvi, Noldor of Eregion, Óin, Old Forest Road, Old Moria, Orcs of the Misty Mountains, People of the Jewel-smiths, Phurunargian, Ring of Durin, Ring of Thrór, River Glanduin, Second Hall, Seventh Level, Silvan Elves, Silvertine, Sirannon, Stair Falls, Stunted People, The Deathless, The Ring, The White, Third Deep, Thorin I, Twenty-first Hall, West-door, West-gate of Moria, Zirakzigil Indexes: Alphabetical: K Cities and Buildings About this entry: Updated 30 August 2008 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2000, 2002, 2008. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.Personality is one part of understanding a candidate's suitability for a role, but aptitude can also be crucial.