Summary — A Journey in the Dark
Gandalf feels that the group’s only remaining option is
a path beneath the mountains, through the Mines of Moria. Many in
the group tremble at the mention of Moria, which is widely reputed
to be an evil place. Only Gimli is eager, as Moria was once one
of the greatest places in the realm of the Dwarves, and he is eager
to enter Moria to look for any sign of the Dwarf-king Balin. Aragorn
makes a mysterious comment, saying that Gandalf in particular should beware
of Moria. The rest of the Company is forced to agree with Gandalf’s
decision to enter Moria, however, when they hear the howling of
wolves nearby and realize they must move on quickly. Indeed, that
very night they barely stave off an assault by the wolves. Everyone
in the group fights valiantly: Legolas with his bow, Gimli with
his axe, Aragorn and Boromir with their swords, Gandalf with a spell
that sets the circle of trees around them on fire.
In the morning, the Company proceeds to the western Door
of Moria, which is near a dark lake by the side of the mountain.
At this point, they decide, much to Sam’s chagrin, that they must
let Bill the pony go. The Door is sealed with ancient magic, and
it takes Gandalf some time and a great deal of thought to figure
out the password—which, as it turns out, is actually written in
a deceptively simple riddle on the Door itself. Just as the Company
is about to pass through the Door, it is attacked by a tentacled
creature from the lake that tries to drag Frodo into the water.
The Company rushes through the entrance. The creature slams the
Door behind them and piles on boulders and uprooted trees. The group
is now committed to the journey through Moria.
Once inside the Mines, the Fellowship is glad to have
Gandalf’s guidance, as the caves are vast and intricate. Since the
wizard has been through Moria before, he leads the way, lighting
the passages ahead with his glowing staff. They walk for miles,
through twisting passages and over great, gaping pits. Frodo thinks
he hears a strange pattering sound behind them, like quiet footsteps.
After several hours of walking, the Company comes to a
fork in the path that stumps Gandalf. They decide to stop for the
night while the wizard mulls the problem over. They spend the night
in a room off to one side of the path. Pippin raises Gandalf’s ire
by carelessly tossing a pebble down a seemingly bottomless well
in the room; the noise of the pebble falling appears to awaken something far
below. Later that night, Gandalf relieves Pippin of his watch, as the
wizard cannot sleep for all of his worrying over which path to take.
Gandalf decides that he needs a smoke to soothe his nerves, so he
lights a pipe.
The next morning, Gandalf chooses a path. When the group finds
itself in an enormous, splendid underground hall with great pillars
and shining walls, the wizard says he has chosen correctly. The
group stops, and Gimli and Gandalf tell of the history of Moria. The
Dwarves mined the caves for mithril, a metal of
almost magical beauty and strength. Gandalf mentions that the dwarf
Thorin once gave Bilbo a shirt of mail made of mithril—a
gift worth more than all the Shire put together. Frodo realizes
that this shirt is the gift Bilbo gave him earlier in Rivendell.
That night, Frodo thinks he sees two luminous eyes off in the distance,
but he cannot be sure.
The next morning dawns, and some light shines into the
hall from windows built into the side of the mountain. Gandalf believes he
knows the correct path, but he decides he wants to take a look around
first. The group comes upon a large, square chamber, dimly lit by
the sun through huge shafts in the mountain above. In the middle
of the room is a block of stone, inscribed with runes—it is the tombstone
of Balin, the Dwarf-king. Gimli casts his hood over his face in
mourning.
