Only a few random thoughts, in their 'raw' form, starting from a passage in this chapter:
Quote:
|
"Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day. In that despair , my enemy was my only hope and I pursued him, clutching at his heel."
|
(Gandalf)
Now there are a couple of things that made me read this part a couple of times over. First, it's this morbid curiosity about the 'nameless things' that 'gnaw' (*shudder*) at the roots of the earth and of which even Gandalf is afraid. In fact, he is more afraid of these things than of the Balrog.
Why does he not want to speak of them? Is it because he wants to shorten his tale? Because he did not want to 'scare' Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas? (highly unlikely) Maybe because the 'nameless things' are not to be named, or described, according to the old superstitions? Anyway his brief report is much more chilling than if he were to describe in detail what he saw. The fact that even Sauron knows these things not, means that they were probably creatures brought by Melkor at the beginning of Arda, before even Elves awoke. Are they intelligent beings then, like the Balrog? Or merely beasts, like the Watcher in the Water? Why did they not attack Gandalf? They would most probably be there still, even after Sauron was destroyed and will continue to be there until the end of the world. A new warning for those who would venture too deep in Moria...
Secondly, I can't help but wonder why did the Balrog 'fled into the dark tunnels', and not finished the battle with Gandalf right where they started it. Did he want to lure Gandalf deeper into the tunnels known only by him, because he thought he had a better chance of defeating him there? But - did Gandalf really defeate the Balrog, since they both met a similar fate? The difference was that Gandalf was sent back (by the Valar?) to fight for the forces of the good "until his task is done". If Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas were not so confused with the constant turnabouts of events and exhausted by their journey, they would have guessed in these words of Gandalf's that their quest was meant to end well. The Powers that Be had already decided that. What would have been the reason to send Gandalf back only to fail? Gandalf knows it, though he never says it plainly, but speaks in riddles:
Quote:
|
"We meet again. At the turn of the tide. The great storm is coming, but the tide has turned."
|