The Shire-Reckoning
The events of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, tweeted at the date and time they occurred, using Oxford, England local time. The complete archive of entries, with commentary, can be found at shire-reckoning.com
- For two days and two nights fire and lightning have scorched the peak of Zirak-zigil. Now, Gandalf finally casts the Balrog from the peak. The mountainside collapses where its body strikes. Gandalf himself passes away. His body lies without sheet or shroud upon the peak.
- For eight days the Balrog has climbed secret tunnels with Gandalf in pursuit. Finally they reach the Endless Stair of many thousand steps, which brings them to Durin’s Tower and a narrow ledge atop Zirak-zigil. The Balrog bursts again into flame. The Battle of the Peak begins.
- Frodo laments: ‘When evening in the Shire was grey his footsteps on the Hill were heard before the dawn he went away on journey long without a word … He stood upon the bridge alone and Fire and Shadow both defied his staff was broken on the stone in Khazad-dûm his wisdom died.’
- Over the past several days Legolas has been spending time wandering through Lórien and amongst its Elves—especially at night while the Company is asleep. Now he has started taking Gimli with him as he explores.
- Pippin: ‘What did you blush for, Sam? Anyone would have thought you had a guilty conscience.’ Sam: ‘I felt as if I hadn’t got nothing on. She seemed to be looking inside me and asking what I would do if she gave me the chance of flying back home—with a bit of garden of my own.’
- After the Lord Celeborn invites the Company to remain in Lórien and rest, they return to the ground to sleep, where the Elves have set up a pavilion. As the night deepens, they discuss their journey—and the long searching look that the Lady Galadriel gave each of them.
- Galadriel turns to Gimli, and uses Dwarvish names. ‘Dark is the water of Kheled-zâram, and cold are the springs of Kibil-nâla, and fair were the many-pillared halls of Khazad-dûm.’ Gimli bows. ‘Yet more fair is the living land of Lórien, and the Lady Galadriel…’
- Celeborn: ‘If it were possible, one would say that at the last Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria.’ Galadriel: ‘He would be rash indeed that said that thing. Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life.’
- The Company of the Ring are brought before the Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel, who are dismayed to hear of Gandalf’s fall. Celeborn is angry at Balin’s Dwarves for rousing the Balrog and, for a moment, wishes he had welcomed neither Gimli nor the Company into Lórien.
- Haldir leads Frodo and Sam up the highest tree of Cerin Amroth. To the south they see the Elven city, Caras Galadhon; far to the east, the shadows of its rival, Dol Guldur. When they return to the ground they overhear Aragorn, who is standing alone: ‘Arwen vanimelda, namárië!’
- While the others rest on the grass, Sam stands gazing in wonder. ‘It’s sunlight and bright day, right enough. I thought that Elves were all for moon and stars: but this is more elvish than anything I ever heard tell of. I feel as if I was _inside_ a song, if you take my meaning.’
- Messages from the Lord and Lady reach the Company’s escort: the blindfolds can be removed. Haldir removes Gimli’s first. ‘Your pardon! Look on us now with friendly eyes! Look and be glad, for you are the first dwarf to behold the trees of the Naith of Lórien since Durin’s Day!’
- ‘I do not doubt you, yet this is our law. I am not the master of the law and cannot set it aside. I have done much in letting you set foot over Celebrant.’ Aragorn orders that they all be blindfolded—‘It is hard upon the Dwarf to be thus singled out.’ The Elves lead them south.
- Now that the Company have reached the Naith, the Elves are ready to blindfold Gimli. ‘The agreement was made without my consent. I will not walk blindfold, like a beggar or a prisoner. And I am no spy. My folk have never had dealings with any of the servants of the Enemy.’
- The Elves lead the Company east off the road and tie a simple bridge of three ropes across the Silverlode. One at a time, the members of the Company cross the swirling water. This puts them safely on the opposite side of the river from the Orcs.
- In the small hours, Orcs from Moria reach the Falls of Nimrodel where the Company are asleep on flets. The Elves are able to lure the Orcs deeper into the wood. Gollum finds Frodo’s tree and starts climbing toward the Ring-bearer, but flees when one of the Elven guards returns.
- The Balrog’s fire was extinguished when it fell finally into deep water, but it writhed and grappled as Gandalf struck again and again with Glamdring. Now the Balrog is fleeing. Gandalf, lest he be lost forever underground, clutches its heel as it climbs secret tunnels.
- The Company move off the trail to find a tree in which to sleep, but are stopped by Elves who have been on guard since Orcs were seen marching north to Moria. The Elves welcome Frodo, thanks to messages from Elrond, and allow the Company to sleep on high flets for the night.
- The Company reach the edge of Lórien. Weariness washes away as they wade across the Nimrodel. They stop to eat by its waterfall. Legolas talks and sings. ‘An Elven-maid there was of old, A shining star by day: Her mantle white was hemmed with gold, Her shoes of silver-grey…’
- Legolas looks back and sees Frodo and Sam falling behind, so Aragorn and Boromir carry the two wounded Hobbits. Once the trail reaches level ground, Aragorn puts leaves of athelas in hot water and tends them both. The Company discovers that Frodo is wearing Bilbo’s mithril-shirt!
- As the Company passes Durin’s Stone, Gimli leads Frodo off the trail to see the Mirrormere. Though the early afternoon sky is blue, the pool is dark and reflects the stars. Wheeling above the reflected mountain peaks are the seven stars of the Crown of Durin.
- After racing though the First Hall and routing the orcs on guard, the Company escape into Dimrill Dale. Aragorn turns and lifts his sword. ‘Farewell, Gandalf! Did I not say to you: if you pass the doors of Moria, beware? Alas that I spoke true! What hope have we without you?’
- After a clash of swords, Gandalf strikes the bridge, breaking his staff but shattering the stone beneath the Balrog’s feet. As the Balrog falls it catches Gandalf’s legs with its whip. Gandalf offers the Company one final command—‘Fly, you fools!’—and falls into the darkness.
- ‘You cannot pass. I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.’
- Orc-arrows fall among the Company as they cross Durin’s Bridge single file. A dark figure with whip and sword stalks behind them—of which even the Orcs are afraid. It leaps the fire, its mane bursting into flame: a Balrog. Gandalf stands on the bridge alone. ‘You cannot pass.’
- The Company reaches the Second Hall of Old Moria. Fire is burning in a fissure across the centre of the room, but they have come out on the same side of the fire as the exit. ‘Now for the last race!’ says Gandalf. ‘If the sun is shining outside we may still escape. After me!’
- With the light of his staff for the moment extinguished, Gandalf leads the Company along the passage in the dark. He taps with his staff and warns them each time they reach stairs. The passage leads down and to the south—hopefully, towards the Great Gates.
- Gandalf stays behind to lock the chamber door with a spell. He is nearly broken when a Balrog of Morgoth opposes him from the other side of the door. Gandalf speaks a word of Command. The door shatters, the wall collapses, and the chamber ceiling buries his opponent in rubble.
- The chamber door is breached and the Company fights two short battles before they can flee. Orcs are felled by Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and even Sam—but an orc-chieftain drives through them and pins Frodo with a spear. Frodo survives thanks to his secret mithril-coat.
- Moria begins to echo with a series of rolling booms, like a vast drum. The Company hears Orcs running towards the chamber. They draw their weapons. Aragorn wants to bar both doors but Gandalf insists they leave the east door open, in case they can escape that way.
- A search has turned up the remains of a book. Gandalf reads aloud. They learn this is the Chamber of Mazarbul, where Balin’s dwarves made their last stand. It ends: ‘The Watcher in the Water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes. Drums, drums in the deep. THEY ARE COMING.’
- The Company follows a passage north and finds a brightly lit side-chamber where bones and broken weapons are scattered. A tomb stands at the centre. ‘These are Daeron’s Runes,’ Gandalf says, ‘such as were used of old in Moria.’ The tomb reads: Balin Son of Fundin Lord of Moria
- The Company wake to find faint sunlight illuminating the hall in which they’ve slept. ‘We are high up on the east side of Moria,’ says Gandalf. ‘Before today is over we ought to find the Great Gates and see the waters of Mirrormere lying in the Dimrill Dale before us.’
- Frodo, on watch as the other members of the Company sleep, sees two glowing eyes peering out of the dark—his very first glimpse of Gollum. When the eyes quickly disappear, Frodo thinks they must have been a dream.
- ‘There must have been a mighty crowd of dwarves here,’ says Sam, ‘busier than badgers.’ Gimli answers only with a song. ‘The world was young, the mountains green, No stain yet on the Moon was seen, No words were laid on stream or stone When Durin woke and walked alone…’
- After an eight hours’ walk, the long passage brings the Company into a vast hall. Gandalf lights it for a moment with his staff. ‘If I am right, tomorrow we may actually see the morning peeping in. But in the meanwhile we had better go no further. Let us rest, if we can.’
- The rest of the Company wake. Gandalf has decided that they should take the right passage, which he hopes will climb east towards the main halls of Moria. They set out behind the dim light of Gandalf’s staff for a second long march through the dark.
- The Company reach an arch with three passages, of which Gandalf has no memory. They move into a side chamber to rest. Pippin drops a stone down a well at the room’s centre. From far below they hear a hammer: tom-tap, tap-tom. The others sleep while Gandalf smokes his pipe.
- Over the Company’s first few hours in Moria, Frodo discovers that the Morgul-wound has left him better able to see in the dark. His sharp hearing catches the sound of soft footfalls behind them—Gollum, who probably entered Moria in August to hide from both Elves and Orcs.
- “Mellon!” Gandalf speaks the Elvish word for ‘friend’ and the Moria-gate silently opens. Suddenly the lake roils and writhing tentacles grasp for Frodo. Sam slashes at one that seizes Frodo’s ankle. The Company flee into Moria. The tentacles close the huge door behind them.
- The Company finishes their walk around the lake and reaches the cliff face. Gandalf announces that Bill the pony must be left behind. Sam breaks into tears. Gandalf puts words of guard on the pony. They start dividing up the luggage Bill was carrying. Gandalf stares at the rock.
- Reaching the crest of the Gate-path, the Company finds a dark unexpected lake standing between them and the great grey cliff face where Gandalf believes Moria’s west-gate is hidden. They will have to walk all the way around its north shore to reach the cliff.
- A morning hike in the bright winter sunlight brings the Company to the nearly dry stream-bed of the Sirannon, south of where Gandalf had expected to find it. They start hiking east along the track that runs beside it towards the west door of Moria.
- The Moon is setting in the west when the silence is broken by howls. From out of the dark, wolves assault the Company, who fight back with swords, bow, and axe—then Gandalf calls down fire upon the entire grove of trees surrounding their camp. The wolves are scattered.
- The Company have taken shelter in a ring of boulders on a hilltop. They take turns napping. Out in the darkness, many eyes reflect the light of their fire. A large wolf approaches their firelight. It leaps towards Gandalf, but falls with an arrow of Legolas in its throat.
- Pippin admits to Sam, ‘I wish I’d taken Elrond’s advice—these howls freeze my blood.’ ‘My heart’s right down in my toes, Mr. Pippin. But we aren’t etten yet—and there are some stout folk here with us. Whatever may be in store for old Gandalf, I’ll wager it isn’t a wolf’s belly.’
- The Company’s debate is interrupted when they hear distant howls on the wind. Aragorn recognizes them: ‘The Wargs have come west of the Mountains!’ ‘Need we wait until morning then?’ says Gandalf, ‘the hunt is up!’ Boromir asks, ‘How far is Moria?’
- At dusk, the Company finally halts. They debate whether to travel under the mountains through the Mines of Moria. Gandalf says he once passed through Moria alive. Aragorn says that he has, too, but ‘the memory is very evil.’ Pippin comments, ‘I don’t wish to enter it even once.’
- After struggling back downhill—Boromir and Aragorn must carry the hobbits—the Company escape the deep snow. A small rockslide blocks the trail behind them. They start the long hike back down into Hollin, ignoring the flocks of birds that wheel across the hilly land below.
- Dawn reveals that the snow has stopped but that the trail is buried both ahead and behind. Aragorn and Boromir spend the first hour of daylight clearing a path back downhill. They reach the deepest drift last, flung across the trail almost as though to prevent their escape.