Balin's Mission to Moria Explained

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[istari]

Balin forgot what Dain had said to Thrain at the end of the Battle of Azanulbizar: "Beyond the shadow it waits for you still: Durin's Bane. The world must change and some other power than ours must come before Durin's Folk walk again in Moria." It was a fatal mistake.

[minimalrho]

For whatever reason, I really liked Balin when I first read The Hobbit. It was really quite sad reading about his ultimate fate in FotR.

[davidlewis]

That’s quite something, that the orcs dammed the one side and trapped the waters with the Watcher before attacking the other gate. It really shows them far more capable of cunning and strategy than I had thought.

[magalengo]

"The end comes soon. We hear drums, drums in the deep. They are coming." Those words often haunt me. When your ambition turns against you.

[briantneary]

To me, this is the best LOR lore channel PERIOD

[Uncle_Fred]

Balin's quest to reclaim Moria was noble and ambitious but ultimately short-sighted. With so few, it would have been absolutely vital to maintain safe passage from the eastern gate to friendly territories, along with at least one other secret exit. The Western gate was just too far away to be continuously watched and not designed to be defended. There's the endless stair, but it's not known if Balin discovered that or if there's any way to access it outside the Under-deeps. Balin was smart enough not to attempt that journey.

Moreover, to protect the eastern gate, they'd need to pacify the surrounding hills and mountain areas, which they clearly didn't have the numbers to accomplish. The dwarves very unwisely entered a trap and allowed their enemies to creep in from the shadows and surround them.

[legionarybooks]

Sad when one realises the skeleton holding the tome Gandalf finds is Ori. 😢

[kaoofdeath]

The reason behind Balin's colony was actually bit more complicated. Sometime after return to Ereborn, rumors or whispers started to spread among dwarfs. Those rumors remind them about riches they left behind in Moria, and told that they would be strong enough to return. However, king Dane the second dismissed them, probably due fear of Durin's Bane. Balin however listened the whispers and started to prepare for expedition to Moria. While Dane refused to support or fund it, he let it happen. Source of rumors was unknown, which leaves room to speculation, that it was trap designed by Sauron to weaken the dwarfs of Ereborn and potentially even lead king Dane II himself to his demise.

[TheDeadlyKnight]

Biggest reason it was doomed: even if the dwarf pilgrims withstood the numerous prospecting goblins, & avoided the Watcher creature, Durin’s Bane still very much haunted the stronghold. They never encountered Him during their 5 years, but inevitably they would have

[kondrikov]

This story links two movies so well, really adds depths to it. Thank you for making this peace of lore so accessible and moving!Beautiful job

[IDPhotoMan]

The "Drums in the Deep" scene in the movie was arguably the most gripping scene in the whole Trilogy. I read the books many times before the movies came out, and that was the one part i was looking forward to, and i wasn't let down.

[augustineliyanda]

Balin is a beloved Tolkien character, but perhaps the love we have for him as a character can cloud our judgment on what his true intentions were when he took up the quest to reclaim Moria. Balin's quest was fueled by the rumors of the riches left in Moria. The haste at which he was quick to declare victory and declare himself Lord of Moria even with Orcs still present in Moria is indicative of a very desperate man with a limited time frame. Balin was royalty, he had a slim legitimate claim to the throne and he must have thought of his quest as his last chance to prove his royalty. His death is somehow poetic because he visited the Mirrormere Lake that the first Durin gazed into and saw a crown of stars on his head that signified his right to rule and set up his kingdom there. Balin must have been weighed down by thoughts of his illegitimate rulership and visited the lake to seek any signs that can prove he is indeed a legitimate ruler of Moria. His death at the lake, however, was the outcome. A fitting end to a beloved character. I would like to believe when he gazed into the lake he saw the doom that awaited his quest and accepted his fate.

[mvmlego]

Thank you. When watching the movies I'd wondered why Balin was buried in an ornate tomb, since I assumed that he died in a last stand with the rest of the party.

[dragonlordskater]

I never made the connection between Ori of the Hobbit and the bookskeep of Moria. The fact that Gabdalf knew him makes the scene so much more tragic.

[donweatherwax]

Notice that when Roäc the Raven responds to Thorin's summons, the old bird only greets two Dwarves by name: Thorin... and Balin.

[neildaly]

Balin also went to Moria hoping to find Thror’s ring of power, not knowing he gave it to Thrain before entering Khazadum. Closed mouthed were Durin’s folk.

[tom-vfxv]

the map of khazad dum is neat, hadn't seen that before

[mattwilkinson]

Absolutely loved how they portrayed the mines of Moria in the movie. Easily my favourite area

[fjccommish]

Such a nice video without rotten background music. Terrific!

[IDPhotoMan]

“It is grim reading’, he said. ‘I fear their end was cruel. Listen! We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall.... Then there are four lines smeared so that I can only read went 5 days ago. The last lines run: the pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes, and then drums, drums in the deep. I wonder what that means. The last thing written is in a trailing scrawl of elf-letters: they are coming. There is nothing more.’ Gandalf paused and stood in silent thought.”