The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shows a very different Khazad-dûm than the one in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. By the time the Fellowship reaches the Mines of Moria in Peter Jackson’s first The Lord of the Rings installment, the Dwarves have abandoned it, and evil lurks in its depths. The answer to how Khazad-dûm came to be known as Moria and house such darkness lies in one of the battles against Sauron of Middle-earth’s Second Age and the early history of the Third Age.

An important detail in The Rings of Power‘s first season’s second episode shows that the Elven realm of Eregion and Khazad-dûm are close to one another. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings, a friendship grew between the Elves and the Dwarves, a storyline teased in The Rings of Power. Elven Lord Celebrimbor became close friends with Narvi, one of the Dwarves’ great craftsmen, and together, they created the West gate of Khazad-dûm, otherwise known as the Doors of Durin. These are the same doors the Fellowship uses to gain access to Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring.

What Happened During The War Of The Elves?

Durin III Helped Save The Elves Of Eregion

As a result of the Dwarves’ long-lasting friendship with the Elves, the remaining Elves of Eregion were saved by Durin III when he sent an army to attack Sauron’s forces during the War of the Elves and Sauron near the end of the Second Age. After the battle, the Dwarves retreated into their stronghold and shut the gates, closing themselves off from the outside world.

Sauron harbored hatred for Khazad-dûm ever since and planned to overthrow Durin’s folk at every turn. Though it would take some time, Sauron would eventually get his wish, not solely due to his power and his army of Orcs, but because of the Dwarves’ own greed as well.

What Happened To Khazad-dûm During The Third Age

The Dwarves Greed Doomed Their Home

At the start of Middle-earth’s Third Age, the Dwarven population of Khazad-dûm was starting to dwindle. Sauron had been sending his forces to try and conquer the Dwarves’ stronghold. Although they were able to hold him back due to their great numbers and the strength of their fortress, their community still eventually diminished. In contrast to their shrinking population, however, the Dwarves’ treasure only continued to grow as they mined ever deeper for mithril, which is the same precious metal that saved Frodo’s life in The Fellowship of the Ring over 1000 years later.

Khazad-dûm became the dark and empty shell that would eventually come to be known as Moria, or the Black Pit.

The Dwarves dug too deeply in their search for mithril and unearthed a dreadfully evil creature from the depths of the mountain: one of Morgoth’s Balrogs, the same one that Gandalf barely managed to defeat in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The Balrog wrought destruction on Khazad-dûm and killed King Durin IV. Though the Dwarves tried to hold on to their home, they were eventually forced to retreat, and Khazad-dûm became the dark and empty shell that would eventually come to be known as Moria, or the Black Pit.

Sauron then started sending troops of Orcs and Cave-trolls to populate the halls of Khazad-dûm to make it a stronghold of his own. Khazad-dûm was only populated by Dwarves once more when Balin, one of Thorin Oakenshield’s company in The Hobbit, returned to Moria to reclaim it as they had with Erebor, but it was not to be. Balin and the rest of his kin were slain by Sauron’s monsters a few years after returning.

Seeing the glory of Khazad-dûm before it became known as Moria was truly a sight to behold

It would seem that the fate of the Dwarves in Middle-earth is to fall prey to their greed. Khazad-dûm was overrun by a Balrog when they dug too deeply for mithril, and Erebor was claimed by a Dragon when word of its immense wealth spread far and wide. There is no denying, however, that the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm as depicted in The Rings of Power are incredibly skilled craftsmen, and that seeing the glory of Khazad-dûm before it became known as Moria was truly a sight to behold in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Khazad-dûm In Other Time Periods

Khazad-dûm Before & After The Movies & Streaming Series

Before the Second Age and the events of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the Dwarrowdelf was founded by Durin, “the Deathless,” in the distant past. This was after the first Elves had awoken, and he set out to find a home for his people. He created his stronghold, which was the introduction of Khazad-dûm. This period, when Durin “The Deathless” ruled, was the Golden Age of Khazad-dûm. It grew in size and population and was the greatest home for Dwarves anywhere in Middle-earth.

Khazad-dûm abstained from most battles, and even the Orcs respected it and left it alone during the wars of Beleriand.

During this first age, Khazad-dûm abstained from most battles, and even the Orcs respected it and left it alone during the wars of Beleriand. By the time the Second Age began, many refugees had come to Khazad-dûm, which partly led to some problems. However, this was also when the Dwarves and Elves created their relationship, which led to the events of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, when Gandolf battled Balrog in Khazad-dûm, the Dwarves had lost their home. The Longbeard Dwarves wanted to return to their home, even though they had been banished for over a thousand years. They had kept the memory alive in their metal and stone works, and they never forgot where they came from. After Balrog died, they finally had a chance to return home. After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Dwarves reclaimed their home, and a few centuries into the Fourth Age, Durin VII finally brought his people back and restored their realm.