Literature
In The Lord of the Rings, while the Fellowship of the Ring moved towards Mount Doom to complete its quest of destroying the One Ring made by the Dark Lord Sauron, Gandalf was forced to decide which path to take: over the mountain of Caradhras through the Redhorn Gate, or under the mountain, through the treacherous mines of Moria, where the Balrog resided, to the Dimrill Gate. At Aragorn's insistence they first tried the mountain pass, but weather conditions proved too severe for the Fellowship to continue on that path. Though many of the Company were reluctant, they were forced to turn back and instead make for the mines of Moria.
The Fellowship located the entrance to Moria: the Doors of Durin. The Doors were protected, allowing no entrance, requiring a password to be spoken. The Fellowship could not enter until Gandalf answered the riddle on the gates. Unknown to the Fellowship, something resided in the lake outside the gates, the "Watcher in the Water".
Boromir unintentionally disturbed the water by casting a stone into the pool, and the Watcher attacked Frodo as the Fellowship was about to enter Moria. The creature grasped Frodo with a long, pale green, luminous, fingered tentacle. Samwise Gamgee drove the tentacle off with his sword, but twenty other tentacles emerged from the water. The Company retreated into Moria as the tentacles hurled the enormous stone doors shut and uprooted the trees that grew on either side of the entrance. The doors were sealed off, trapping the Fellowship in the mines. The Fellowship had no alternative but to go through the mines and exit them on the other side via the Dimrill Gate. Gandalf privately noted that the Watcher had grabbed only Frodo, the Ring-bearer. Frodo and Gandalf were not sure whether it was one creature or many. As Gandalf commented, "Something has crept or been driven out of the dark water under the mountains. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world."
After journeying further into the mines, the Fellowship found the Book of Mazarbul, a record of the dwarf Balin's failed expedition to reclaim Moria and its eventual downfall. In this manuscript, a scribe relates: "We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. Frár, Lóni and Náli fell there ... went five days ago ... the pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes ... drums, drums in the deep ... they are coming."
Read more about this topic: Watcher In The Water
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