October 31, 2002

Re: Question on Moria
Danny

To my understanding, Moria was originally built by the Dwarves. The fact that the password is elvish is not inconsistent though. When Moria was in its prime, there was friendship between the Elves and Dwarves. That door was primarily used for trade with the Elves so it is not too odd to think of it having a password that is elvish. In those days of peace between dwarves and Elves Tolkien also talks about how the dwarves learned Elvish but the elves usually didn't learn the dwarven language. Actually, it is stated in the book that in happier days, the door stood open more than it was closed.