The History of Khazad-Dum (Moria)

In Deep Geek - Insight and intelligent discussion on Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Witcher and more.


This is a revised and updated version of a video previously uploaded in 2022.

Follow me on Twitter - @indeepgeek
Follow me on Instagram – indeepgeekofficial

This video was brought to you with support from my amazing Patreon community - special thanks to:
Stephanie Frederick, Joshua Clark, Maura Lee, Rabbi Rob Thomas, Brooke Geer Person, Josh Bielemeier, Jane, Vance, Amy Southerland, Ivie Hilburn, Jimmy, Vercingetorix, Callie Summers, Ariel Winchester, Edward Ryan, Stephanie B, Coleen, Ben Androvich, Nana L, Brennan Barnes, Ivanka Hainzl, Howland’s Little Sister, Charis Messalina de Valence, Donna Daley, Cade Norman, Murray D, Lily Mellon, NOscar, Rick Hoppe, Leathery Wings, James Pisano, Bridget Boyle, TheStarkInWinterfell, Ellemcee, Alannah Prestayn of Braavos, Raymond Joy, Jonathan Harrison, Jared, Petyr Pebble, Jason Mauleon Rosario, Milton Christopher Appling, Edward Ennett, Katy Smith, 26Artgirl, Karen Thomas, Rickon, Cathrine Furseth, James Fitzpatrick, Doug Hughes, lawnduck20, Perseffanie, Emily Mole, Lady Dane, The Late Escapist, Natalie Donald, J. Gregory Henderson, Andrew Warnock, whalawitsa, Luna Cascade, Dan MacKay, Johnny Targs, Milla, Ashton DeAngrlo, Kevin Warner, Julie Bernard, Demps 2002, St Jamalamington, Bear, Carolina Kley, Susan Lonergan, Bo Riley, Brad Paquin, Lyle Hammac, Taryn Giles, Alex Butter, Pam Peterson, Bettina Charlotte Nielsen, T boz, Angela Marie Young, Sarah Awesomesauce, Stephanie Erickson, KaliKo_Jack, SeaGreenMango, GeorgeRRTolkien, Antihero Association, Richard Woodard, Jenny Smith, Caiden Timmons, Britt, ThatVBGuy, Tyler Barnhart, Daiwai, John H. Austin, Jr, NikFromNJ, Ty Farnsworth, Beesman, Mario Murray, EJ, Willow Button, Julia Kendall, Jonny Ceriani, Mary Frances Angelini, Emma Sheiman, Matthew Foley, Candide, Joseph Jones, Christine Denny, Nicholas Willey, Julien Dubois, Leland, Max Kingdom, Tricia Brady, Julian Messner, LiK, Simen Dalstein, Scott Maraldo, Shelley J, April Cote, Karen Wennerlind, Nathan Drumm, Lauren Peterson, Martin Sjöstrand, Mae, Matt (Man of War) Rubin, Kristen H, King of Imps, Minerva Gale, Eric Nelson, Michiel Venema, Kate, Stephen Smith. Brandie Roberts, Denny Chou, Justice Noori, Kendra Summers, reed m, Samuel Sabo, The Bog Queen, Zac Nadeau, Brynlin321, Commander Ray, Czterysta Czterdziescicztery, Mayra Lawson, Tazter, Catalina Suazo, Grant Basma Horsnell, Jarod Price, Lola Roebuck, Luke weinberg, Mark P, Naberios, Nate Davis, Nicole Stewart, Norse Sultan, Rasler, Rose, Steven Spaulding and Your Last Great kNight



Books for fans of Lord of the Rings:

Other books we love:

Thanks for watching! (All pictures are used under fair use copyright laws. If any credits are missing or incorrect, please PM me for a credit!)

[AlsonamedDennis]

I've already watched 8 minutes on Bill the Pony. I can't skip this one.

[colindunnigan]

"Let me risk a little more light..."

One of the most powerful moments of the LotR movies is when the Fellowship enters the Dwarrowdelf and Gandalf gives them just hint of how great the Hall was. The combination of imagery and Howard Shore's masterful score is perfect.

[midimusicforever]

I think you raised a fair point by saying that the dwarves are not to blame for awaking the balrog. Indeed they did what dwarves do. It's no stranger that for a hobbit to have second breakfast.

[Thraim.]

The Elves are quick to point out the greed that drove the Dwarves into digging all the way down to the Balrog. But seemingly even quicker to forget that they had a kingdom of their own that greatly benefitted from the digging.
Celeborn likes to blame the Dwarves for what happened, but comfortably rules a realm that can only exist in its current form because of the friendship between Khazad-Dum and Eregion, which made the forging of Nenya possible. Galadriel's memory seems to be better in that regard, maybe because she's wearing this ring, made of mithril, at all times.

[Protocallireland]

Imagine having lived there in its glory days, then having to see it crawling with orcs in later years, would have been terrible😢

[bityew]

Robert, thank you for continuing to add Tolkien content—it is always a pleasure to spend a bit of time listening to your "deep geek" thoroughness!

[villep]

Greetings from Sweden!
I once again read the Lord of the Rings, and during the part where the Hobbits visit Tom Bombadil, I noticed how Tolkien placed a special weight in songs, and how when they were happy, they also often sang songs. As if there was a clear connection between being singing and being happy.
Also, during the Hobbit after the Dwarfs sang the song, Bilbo felt a great desire to get out of the Shire and "see the Mountains".
Elves have a special connection to songs too. Always when Elves are seen walking towards the Grey Havens they are also singing. Additionally during the several tkmes visiting Rivendell, there was always some song that was sung.
Tolkien seems to have a very special relation with songs and clearly places a specifik emphasis on their effect. There's loads to unpack here!

[Il_Capitano_Edits]

i did not knew the Balrog was spotted at the end of the battle of Azanulbizar, like creeping just at the gate to remind the dwarves this is his lair lol, what amazes me is that he just stood there watching until he left, a grim remainder of their greatest calamity

[Vendavalez]

I don't know how much time you dedicate per video to add the closing remarks about the topic, but I have to say that out of all the channels I follow that talk about Tolkien, you are far and above the best at it. I would go as far as saying that, when it comes to video-essays, you are the best of the channels I follow!

It's something that I have noticed for a while now, but never found a way to make a comment about it that was relevant to the video at hand, so I am not trying anymore.

[jarlwhiterun]

I've been obsessed with the history of Arda and the Balrogs lately. This is perfect!

[jaykaramales]

I like that you weave in screenshots from LOTRO into many of your videos. Having played that game since beta in 2007, it gives me a sense of familiarity and intimacy as I enjoy your insightful comments.

[dylanwalser]

THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU IN DEEP GEEK MY PATIENCE HAS BEEN REWARDED.

For some weird reason I cannot understand, I have such a profound calling and nostalgic feeling for Khazad Dum. Every time I see the Halls, it’s like seeing an old house you used to live in.

[istari]

One could argue that the Ring of Power held by the king of Khazad-dûm helped make the Dwarves so greedy for treasure than they would have otherwise been that it, in a manner of speaking, led to them awakening Durin's Bane. This would be similar to the way the hoards in another Dwarven kingdoms attracted the unwanted attentions of Dragons, with disastrous results for the Dwarves there. Of course, the Dwarves still had no way of knowing there was a Balrog hiding deep in their mines.

[jul]

i absolutely love that image at 1:50. It's the first time I see a dwarven city depicted with greenery and lights. Very refreshing, and probably accurate. I'm fascinated by dwarven underground kingdoms in part because I can't quite fathom how it all works out. How do you actually build it? Where are the houses? How are they arranged? Do they have streets? Do they have sunlight? Do they farm? This picture made it a little easier to grasp for some reason.

[brendadotter]

Robert has a great video on the Rings made for the dwarves and why Sauron couldn't really control the dwarves. The Rings only made them greedier for treasure, like Thorin in The Hobbit movies. It is also presented well in the TV series, "The Rings of Power, " Seasons 1 & 2.

[baystated]

"...Until the world grew old..." If our world is not yet old, perhaps they are in Khazadum still under some weathered and eroded and unrecognizable ancient mountain range.

[jeffbosworth]

Although I consider mayself a fan of LotR, having read many books and watched all the movies (I even find the Hobitt triology entertaining enough), I decided to reread the books for the first time since the 70s. Just finnished the Moria chapters.
Which is where Stalag 17 comes in. In that movie, they take the time to show had the prisoners hid the dirt when the excavated the tunnels. They had to move a lot of dirt.
Which got me thinking. Moria was HUGE. Where did the dwarves pile all the dirt and rock they excavated to make those caverns? I live in the Calif Gold Rush country. There's very large piles of rocks here just from miners working the river. As much as the dwarves dug out, the refuse pile must have been as large as the mountain itself.

Silly question I know, but it's a rainy day and enquiring minds want to know.

[rashkavar]

I'm not sure where this information comes from, but in an old Lord of the Rings game (a DOS era RPG produced by Interplay, which is now abandonware free to play for anyone so inclined), Moria is depicted as having 13 levels. I forget exactly what they are called, but there's 7 floors up and 7 floors down, with the first floor of each count being the same floor. For all the limitations of the game in terms of depicting the grandeur of the place, I still fondly remember exploring the vast Mines of Moria in that game. Highly recommend the experience for folks who are into retro gaming.

[dmgd]

Khazad-Dum having a greater Dwarf Hord than Erebor is Mind Blowing

[grahamedwards]

Fantastic - thanks so much Robert. I’ve been a fan of the book and the films for 50yrs and find the depth of knowledge of the characters and back story truly phenomenal, particularly yours. I picked up, on this occasion, your reference to the equality in terms of power between the Balrog and Gandalf and that both died in their epic battle - Gandalf did not defeat the Balrog as perhaps is some times lazily assumed but Gandalf too died but is Resurrected to play an even greater role in the titanic struggle that is to follow. I sort of knew this all along but it was nice to hear Robert spell it out - it makes perfect sense.🙏