Highlights
- The Battle of Azanulbizar ended the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, but the Dwarves couldn't return to their lost home of Khazad-dûm due to the Balrog's presence.
- Balin led a failed expedition to reclaim Moria, hoping to find the Ring of Thrór and other treasures, but was killed by Orcs.
- Gimli didn't know about Moria's fate because there had been no communication between Erebor and Moria for 25 years, and the Dwarves were hopeful and did not want to accept failure until there was certain news.
According to the lore of The Lord of the Rings, the Battle of Azanulbizar marked the end of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs in the Third Age. Even though the Dwarves emerged victorious, they could not return to their ancient home of Khazad-dûm, which had been lost 6 centuries beforehand. Dáin II Ironfoot cautioned them about the Balrog, Durin’s Bane, which still resided deep down in the Misty Mountains: “The world must change and some other power than ours must come before Durin’s Folk walk again in Moria.”
After the Quest of Erebor, they repopulated the Lonely Mountain, which eventually became the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-earth. After some time, however, Balin (one of the Dwarves of Thorin’s company) left for his doomed journey to Moria. In the first installment of The Lord of the Rings, Gimli, who was related to Balin, also followed the same path to Khazad-dûm while on the Quest of the Ring — with no idea about the fate of his kin.
Balin’s Failed Expedition to Moria
Although the Dwarves in Erebor became prosperous again, a few of them grew restless as they yearned to return to Moria. Eventually, Balin led an expedition to the Misty Mountains in TA 2989 to reclaim the lost city, paying no heed to King Dáin’s warning about the Balrog. He also hoped to recover some of the realm’s treasure, especially the Ring of Thrór (one of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves). A large colony of Dwarves, including Óin and Ori (who were also part of Thorin’s company), embarked from the Lonely Mountains with Balin.
Upon arrival at Dimrill Dale, they engaged in a short battle with the Orcs and, after overpowering them, entered the Great Gates. They established the Twenty-first Hall in the North End as their main base until Balin moved to the Chamber of Mazarbul. Being a direct descendant of the line of Durin, Balin proclaimed himself as the Lord of Moria and set up a throne room in the chamber. For the next 5 years, the colony in Moria thrived. Even though they never found the Ring (which had actually been taken from Thráin II by Sauron), the Dwarves found many other valuable treasures like mithril, helm and Durin’s Axe.
On 10th November TA 2994, Balin went to look upon the Mirrormere, a lake located less than a mile below the East-gate of Khazad-dûm. While he was there, he was struck from behind by an Orc, and soon succumbed to his wounds. It is worth noting that Durin I (or Durin the Deathless) had gazed into the same lake when he saw the stars set like a crown upon his head in the reflection, which inspired him to establish Khazad-dûm. Balin’s body was placed in a tomb in the Chamber of Mazarbul, which was inscribed in Westron: “Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria”. However, his killer was only the first of the Orcs who arrived to attack the Dwarves. Soon, the goblins took over the Bridge of Khazad-dûm and the Second Hall. A few Dwarves tried to escape through the Durin, but Óin ended up being taken by the Watcher in the Water. Ultimately, the remaining ones were trapped in the Chamber of Mazarbul until the Orcs broke down its bolted doors and killed them.
Why Didn’t Gimli Know About Moria?
In TA 3019, Gimli and his father Glóin (who had also accompanied Thorin on his quest) traveled to Rivendell to seek any news about Moria, and also inform Elrond that Sauron is aware that Bilbo is in possession of the One Ring. At the Council of Elrond, Glóin shared, “For a while we had news and it seemed good: messages reported that Moria had been entered and a great work begun there. Then there was silence, and no word has ever come from Moria since.”
Even though it is not mentioned why they did not believe that Moria had fallen, it could be presumed that the Dwarves just did not want to accept Balin’s failure until they heard something certain. Their hope could have also stemmed from the fact that Erebor and Moria were far from each other, and the communication might have dwindled as it was difficult and even dangerous to travel between the two kingdoms. Secondly, the silence of 25 years might have not seemed too alarming to the Dwarves, who could live for as long as 250 years. Moreover, no one in Moria had survived to even relay the news to Erebor. It was also improbable that the Orcs would spread it to provoke the Dwarves, as they had already suffered greatly the last time they clashed with them.
When the Fellowship of the Ring was formed, Gimli also volunteered. Later, after their attempt to cross the Redhorn Pass failed, they deliberated on whether to traverse the mines of Moria, which had become “a legend of vague fear”. Desperate to learn the fate of the Dwarves, Gimli said, “I will go and look on the halls of Durin, whatever may wait there.” This suggests that Gimli was not entirely naive about what may have happened. He did not even actively encourage the Fellowship to travel through Moria, until it became their last resort. In contrast, the film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring showed a much more optimistic Gimli, who believed that Moria might still be thriving.
When the Fellowship passed through Khazad-dûm, they found Balin’s tomb and learned the truth about his expedition from the Book of Mazarbul, the Dwarves’ book of records. The last sentences were written by Ori: “We cannot get out. The end comes [...] they are coming.” Soon after, the Fellowship was pursued by the Orcs, Cave-trolls and even the Balrog in Moria, which resulted in the death of Gandalf the Gray.