Gimli's prior sight of the Mountains of Moria - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

The Mouth of Sauron · 11-22-2010, 06:41 PM

As the Fellowship entered Hollin, Gimli stated that he had seen the Mountains of Moria from afar "once before in waking life".
Presumably that would have been on the east side of the Misty Mountains, in Wilderland. But what would Gimli have been doing so far south, probably at or even below the Gladden Fields and not too far from Lorien and Dol Guldur ?

Alcuin · 11-22-2010, 09:01 PM

Gimli was 139 years old when he said that. Some Dwarves apparently travelled a good deal: Thorin met Gandalf on the road near Bree, and Dwarves regularly passed through Bree: there were some there the night Frodo and his friends met Strider. In 139 years, Gimli might well have travelled either through the Vales of Anduin or even up the old Númenórean road through Enedwaith Eriador, across the ruined bridge at Tharbad and up the Greenway. Either way, he’d have seen the Mountains of Moria at a distance.

We should also consider that Gimli’s remarks were in response to Pippin’s seeing them for the first time when the Company of the Ring first crossed the Hollin Ridge into ancient Eregion: they were 70 or 80 miles away, which must have been close to the limit of what they could see along the horizon, even looking at mountains from the top of the ridge. That probably means that Gimli had seen the mountains from the east side, somewhere in the Anduin basin and possibly closer to them than the Hollin Ridge, since the Old South Road/Greenway was even further away from them than the ridge.

So you must be correct. Assuming that Gimli was not on the west side of the river – the Lórien side – and that he was trying to avoid Dol Guldur as best as possible, the most likely place from which he’d seen the mountains was near the Anduin, west of Dol Guldur, just north of the eaves of Lórien, and for some miles north of that point along the river. And since the Dwarves mostly used the Dimrill Dale entrance to Khazad-dûm historically, that was probably what was usually depicted in the artwork he mentioned.

Legate of Amon Lanc · 11-23-2010, 07:20 AM

The Dwarves, at one point (although it was a long time ago), have settled in Dunland. It was around 2790s, after the fall of Erebor, around the time of the war with the Orcs. It was still a long time before Gimli was born, though. But it is possible that some of them might have returned there, and especially given that he seemed to be well-traveled, why not. And it would have been possible for him to see the mountains of Moria from somewhere around there, I think? But that is just one theory that has occured to me.

Rumil · 11-23-2010, 12:26 PM

Oh, and there's one journey that Gimli must have taken at one time or another, from the Blue Mountains, where I imagine he was born, to Erebor after the events of The Hobbit.

But I'd agree that he was probably quite widely travelled as far as the North of ME goes.

11-22-2010, 06:41 PM	#1
The Mouth of Sauron Wight Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Barad-Dur Posts: 196	Gimli's prior sight of the Mountains of Moria As the Fellowship entered Hollin, Gimli stated that he had seen the Mountains of Moria from afar "once before in waking life". Presumably that would have been on the east side of the Misty Mountains, in Wilderland. But what would Gimli have been doing so far south, probably at or even below the Gladden Fields and not too far from Lorien and Dol Guldur ?

11-23-2010, 07:20 AM	#3
Legate of Amon Lanc A Voice That Gainsayeth Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: In that far land beyond the Sea Posts: 7,506	The Dwarves, at one point (although it was a long time ago), have settled in Dunland. It was around 2790s, after the fall of Erebor, around the time of the war with the Orcs. It was still a long time before Gimli was born, though. But it is possible that some of them might have returned there, and especially given that he seemed to be well-traveled, why not. And it would have been possible for him to see the mountains of Moria from somewhere around there, I think? But that is just one theory that has occured to me. __________________ "Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories

11-23-2010, 12:26 PM	#4
Rumil Sage & Onions Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Britain Posts: 894	Blue ridge mountain Oh, and there's one journey that Gimli must have taken at one time or another, from the Blue Mountains, where I imagine he was born, to Erebor after the events of The Hobbit. But I'd agree that he was probably quite widely travelled as far as the North of ME goes. __________________ Rumil of Coedhirion

11-22-2010, 09:01 PM	#2
Alcuin Haunting Spirit Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Nurn Posts: 73	Gimli was 139 years old when he said that. Some Dwarves apparently travelled a good deal: Thorin met Gandalf on the road near Bree, and Dwarves regularly passed through Bree: there were some there the night Frodo and his friends met Strider. In 139 years, Gimli might well have travelled either through the Vales of Anduin or even up the old Númenórean road through Enedwaith Eriador, across the ruined bridge at Tharbad and up the Greenway. Either way, he’d have seen the Mountains of Moria at a distance. We should also consider that Gimli’s remarks were in response to Pippin’s seeing them for the first time when the Company of the Ring first crossed the Hollin Ridge into ancient Eregion: they were 70 or 80 miles away, which must have been close to the limit of what they could see along the horizon, even looking at mountains from the top of the ridge. That probably means that Gimli had seen the mountains from the east side, somewhere in the Anduin basin and possibly closer to them than the Hollin Ridge, since the Old South Road/Greenway was even further away from them than the ridge. So you must be correct. Assuming that Gimli was not on the west side of the river – the Lórien side – and that he was trying to avoid Dol Guldur as best as possible, the most likely place from which he’d seen the mountains was near the Anduin, west of Dol Guldur, just north of the eaves of Lórien, and for some miles north of that point along the river. And since the Dwarves mostly used the Dimrill Dale entrance to Khazad-dûm historically, that was probably what was usually depicted in the artwork he mentioned.