Balin's Expedition & the Moria Colony | Tolkien Explained

Hit subscribe and the bell for great Tolkien content every week!

To purchase artist work, check out these amazing artists!

Erebor - Matthew Stewart
Smaug - Aegeri
balin - Tolman Cotton
Hollin gate - Ralph Damiani
Khazad-dum - Rafael Damiani
gloin and gimli in erebor - anotherstranger_me
Eregion - Rafael Damiani
Hall of Moria - Alan Lee
The Council of Elrond - Alan Lee
The Front Gate - Alan Lee
dain ironfoot - CK Goksoy
dwarves of ered luin - Sam Mckinnon
Durin I Discovers the Three Peaks – Ted Nasmith
Galadriel in Moria - Alan Lee
Balrog vs Gandalf - Anato Finnstark
moria - merlkir
Dwarf - Matthew Stewart
Gloin - Tolman Cotton
dwarves - merlkir
dwarf tunnel fighters - artigas
The Treasures of Erebor - Aegeri
The Dwarf Lords - Ralph Damiani
Dain II - Angus McBride
Expensive - Lída Holubová
nain duels azog - tulikoura
dwarven scout - merlkir
moria battle - Wētā Workshop
moria battle - Wētā Workshop
Dain Ironfoot - Ted Nasmith
moria gate battle - Wētā Workshop
dain - Tom Romain
Mirrormere - Emily Austin
durin at mirrormere - Matej Cadil
balin, lord of moria - tulikoura
Balin's decision - Joona Kujanen
upper armories of the deep - tulikoura
dwarven axes - Sergio Artigas
Arkenstone - Andrea Piparo
West Gate of Moria - J.R.R. Tolkien
Dwarf fighting fire - Matthew Stewart
Dimrill Dale – Ted Nasmith
They have taken The Bridge - Joona Kujanen
Balin - Wētā Workshop
battle of five armies, warriors of dain - tulikoura
battle for moria - tulikoura
the watcher in the water - tulikoura
ori - Tolman Cotton
erebor gate - Turner Mohan
Chamber of Mazarbul - Alan Lee
Moria Orcs - John Howe
Last Moments - Joona Kujanen
Balin's Tomb - Peter Xavier Price
Balins Tomb - Anke Eissmann
Tomb of Balin - Matthew Stewart
Moria - Angus McBride
Flame of Udûn - Manuel Castañón
Kheled-Zaram - Aegeri
Mirrormere - tulikoura
Durin's Crown and the Mirrormere – Ted Nasmith
Mirrormere - Peet
Kheled-Zaram- Aegeri
Mirrormere - Alan Lee
Mirrormere - Matej Cadil

#moria #lordoftherings #tolkien

[myriadmediamusings]

Balin was one of the best characters of the Hobbit trilogy, and it makes what we eventually see and hear of in Fellowship even more saddening.

[valentinkambushev]

I can only imagine the fear and desperation Ori and the last surviving dwarves must have felt in their final moments. Being trapped with no hope for escape, with a cruel and overwhelming enemy just behind the door.

[angelortiz]

Balin is my favorite dwarf of Thorin's company. He is also related to Gimli as his first cousin once removed and when Gimli sees the tomb of fallen kin, he grieves for him. I love ❤️ how Ken Scott portrayed Balin and Balin visited the Shire and to see his friend Bilbo Baggins.

[luudest]

Poor Gimli, he carried the Book Of Mazarbul all over to Rohan, Minas Tirith, Mordor and back again.

[valentinkambushev]

I remember watching the Moria scene for the first time. I was like: "Wait, Balin! Why!!!!😭😭😭😭". Then the Hobbit Trilogy came out with Ken Scott's Balin and made it even sadder.

[mr.hawklingiii]

The interesting thing about Khaza-Dum is that it was eventually reclaimed permanently. King Elessar (Aragorn) sent the combined Forces of the West into there in an expedition to cleanse it, through sheer attrition (and the fact that the Balrog was now gone) the Western forces finally reclaimed Moria and gave it back to the Dwarves as an ancestral homeland.

[Corristo]

The orcs were actually pretty clever. Let the dwarves go deeper and deeper into Moria and then cut them off from any route of resupply or escape. There's no way out of Moria except via its two gates. The orcs held one and the Watcher in the Water held the other. There was no way out, Moria would become their tomb. And while the bridge made it difficult to invade in force, it also made it difficult to counter or escape. The perfect fortress would become the perfect death trap.

[Azzyos]

I was waiting for this one for a long time it will be cool for a small series about balins expedition in real life

[georgecrichton]

What often that gets ignored is that Balin was Dain's heir as his closest cousin before Dain's son was born.

[DrLicuid]

When I read and watched Khazad-dum chapters in the childhood I always thought "drums in the deep" was the sound of Balrog stalking the nether halls, awakened by Balin's company fighting. I hadn't properly remembered the five years part and it kind of stuck with me for years. Only on recent immersions into story it came to me, with a surprise, that Balrog didn't care or maybe even notice five years of dwarven reclamation. Seems like it didn't react to a lesser scuffle between smaller beings somewhere in upper levels, and only the presence of the Ring attracted it to the noise. Same way you don't care about mice in the hay until something more important catches your ear. You may check on them from time to time, but often end up ignoring them.

[kristenrosales]

My heart breaks when I hear the fates of Balin, Oin, and Ori.

[SabinBabblatchu]

“When Khazad Dûm was abandoned in 1981” is really fun

[MrHoffie]

Going to run Balins expedition to Moira campaign for The One Ring RPG. I am starting it at Erebor with some council scenes convincing Dain to allow and provide aid. The players are dwarf champions recruited by Balin and will function as scouts and vanguard of the larger expedition force. They will need to return to Balin who stays with the expedition, to get quests and direction. Planning on some encounters with the elves near mirkwood, and beornings demanding tribute to cross the ford, on the trip to moria. When they get to moria they will go through the reclaiming and rebuilding all the way up to the tragedy and then we will see if they are able to escape with their lives or fall with the rest of the colony. Going to try and keep it as close to cannon as possible, but I am okay with deviations for the sake of the fun of the game.

[sansgaming]

Yo, you should do a video on the cosmology of Tolkien’s legendarium. Like, explaining the outer void, the created universe, the timeless halls, the door of night, etc. I think that would be a cool video idea.

[aljosacebokli]

Beautiful video, thank you. I absolutely love your use of LOTR artwork by artists/fans across the globe.

[TheLordcyrus]

Since reading the hobbit like 35 years ago the dwarves have always been my favorite fantasy race and Moria has always been my favorite dwarf kingdom. Great video.

[davidscebat]

Your videos are the best by far. You're keeping Tolkien alive. I would love if you could add the sources of those side-stories you're telling, so I could go and read again. In this case I guess it's elrond council chapter and the book of mazarbul but I'm wondering if there's not more, like annexes and stuff.

[jamiebranco]

I love yiur dedication to Tolkien's lore so much I wanna give you a hug. ❤

[tarminas]

That painting of Brendan Gleason as Dain Ironfoot is great. I wonder if Gleason was ever considered as one of the dwarves for the movies. He'd be perfect.

[theseekerofancienttruth]

Dain actually Saw the Balrog from the East Gate, and is the only Living Dwarf to have seen it before the Fellowship entered Khazad-dûm.