How did Gollum get out of Moria?

***IronParrot*** · 11-12-2002, 08:18 PM

Okay, so he's tracking the Fellowship, right? And the way out of Moria is by the Bridge of Khazad-dum, which is of course smitten by Gandalf. So somehow, Gollum would have had to get out of Moria's eastern exit before the Fellowship, knowing that they were coming. So did he just run ahead of them? That's not particularly good tracking, considering they took a big detour through the Chamber of Mazarbul... but maybe he took that same route ahead of them, because of the fissure in the main corridor down to the Bridge.

Thoughts?

Keith K · 11-12-2002, 11:47 PM

The orcs must have repaired the bridge. Or perhaps there was another way out. After all, Gollum was pretty resourceful.

Millane · 11-13-2002, 08:18 PM

It isnt necassarilly bad tracking if Gollum had of ran ahead he might have guessed that the fellowship would destroy the bridge after they passed which would be the obvious thing to do...
Also i think that he could have run ahead in fear of the balrog... something tells me that gollum wouldnt be all that brave and hold his position tracking the fellowship when a balrog appears... i think he would bail pretty quick.
Thats all i got sorry

BeardofPants · 11-13-2002, 09:07 PM

There's more than one way out, I guess.

Goldberry1 · 11-13-2002, 10:24 PM

Finding another way out seems to be the choice that I would guess.

The Lady of Ithilien · 11-13-2002, 10:32 PM

That's a real good question. Guess I've always assumed he came out with the pack of Orcs that pursued the fellowship that evening.

**crickhollow** · 11-13-2002, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Guess I've always assumed he came out with the pack of Orcs that pursued the fellowship that evening.

That's a really good assumption. He didn't come sniffling through the woods until after the Orcs had passed.

Menelvagor · 11-14-2002, 01:36 AM

Yes, that's what I always assumed, though I doubt he acually travelled with them. Probably just followed them to find another exit.

***IronParrot*** · 11-14-2002, 01:52 AM

Well, while it's true that Moria orcs did pursue the Fellowship, and were even among the band that captured Merry and Pippin, I always assumed that they were orcs that weren't actually in Moria, but brethren hiding on the east side of the Misty Mountains who hunted the Fellowship out of vengeance.

olsonm · 11-14-2002, 02:35 AM

Frodo saw (or thought he saw) Gollum before they enter Lorien. It's highly likely that the orcs had alternative routes out of Moria; but I would believe these to be farther away. Perhaps Gollum knew Moria better than the Fellowship or maybe he did leave prior to the collpasing of the bridge.

Dunadan · 11-14-2002, 05:33 AM

Considering he'd lived for 500 years under the Misty Mountains, I think it's not stretching the imagination too much to think that he could find his own way out. Either by anticipating where the party were heading, by finding another way or by following the orcs.

Draken · 11-14-2002, 06:49 AM

I think the party would have seen him overtake him and cross the bridge ahead of them. I'm sure the orcs would have managed to quickly bodge some sort of repair to the broken bridge and he could have slipped over that. Or perhaps there were ventilation shafts to the surface that he was small enough to get through.

CrystalBolger · 11-14-2002, 07:53 AM

i think that he had another way out. hes so small that he would have fit almost newhere. in the Hobbit, there were places in the Misty Mountains that goblins could get thru. Gollum prolly knew every way out of there.
(by the way, Gollum is 1 of my fave characters)

WallRocker · 11-14-2002, 08:52 PM

I'd have to believe that Gollum came out with the pursuing Orcs after the fellowship left the Mines of Moria.

Agburanar · 11-15-2002, 06:22 AM

The dwarves must have had another exit. Remember that Moria spanned three mountains and The company only travelled under the one furthest south. The main Mithril lodes were under Charadras and Finhuidol and the dwarves must have had a way to transport equipment, mithril, armour etc. out. It couldn't all have travelled across the bridge, not enough room.

***Khamûl*** · 11-16-2002, 01:13 AM

Here's a question: How did Gollum get into Moria?

The Watcher in the Water destroyed the Doors of Durin after the Fellowship escaped into them. Another side door, perhaps?

***Sister Golden Hair*** · 11-16-2002, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Khamûl
Here's a question: How did Gollum get into Moria?

The Watcher in the Water destroyed the Doors of Durin after the Fellowship escaped into them. Another side door, perhaps?

Intriguing question Khamul.

olsonm · 11-16-2002, 01:26 AM

Gollum was already in Moria when the Fellowship arrived. He entered from the East and had slowly worked his way west and just happened to be there when the Fellowship arrived. This is explained in Unfinished Tales.

Wayfarer · 11-16-2002, 01:28 AM

I think it might be pertinent at this juncture to refer you to a brief not by tolkien which refers to gollum as 'smeagol hudene'.

BeardofPants · 11-16-2002, 01:44 AM

Perhaps a more pertinent question would be, why in the name of hades in this VAST mine would there be only a few entrances?

Given that Gollum was there for a significant amount of time, I don't think it's too much of a stretch that there's more than a few entrances into the mines, and that he probably stumbled across them.

11-12-2002, 08:18 PM	#1
*IronParrot* Fowl Administrator Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Calgary or Edmonton, Canada Posts: 53,420	How did Gollum get out of Moria? Okay, so he's tracking the Fellowship, right? And the way out of Moria is by the Bridge of Khazad-dum, which is of course smitten by Gandalf. So somehow, Gollum would have had to get out of Moria's eastern exit before the Fellowship, knowing that they were coming. So did he just run ahead of them? That's not particularly good tracking, considering they took a big detour through the Chamber of Mazarbul... but maybe he took that same route ahead of them, because of the fissure in the main corridor down to the Bridge. Thoughts? __________________ All of IronParrot's posts are guaranteed to be 100% intelligent and/or sarcastic, comprising no genetically modified content and tested on no cute furry little animals unless the SPCA is looking elsewhere. If you observe a failure to uphold this warranty, please contact a forum administrator immediately to receive a full refund on your Entmoot registration. Blog: Nick's Café Canadien

11-13-2002, 08:18 PM	#3
Millane The Dude Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: at the altar of my ego Posts: 1,685	It isnt necassarilly bad tracking if Gollum had of ran ahead he might have guessed that the fellowship would destroy the bridge after they passed which would be the obvious thing to do... Also i think that he could have run ahead in fear of the balrog... something tells me that gollum wouldnt be all that brave and hold his position tracking the fellowship when a balrog appears... i think he would bail pretty quick. Thats all i got sorry __________________ Ill heal your wounds, ill set you free,

11-13-2002, 09:07 PM	#4
BeardofPants the Shrike Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA <3 Posts: 10,647	There's more than one way out, I guess. __________________ "Binary solo! 0000001! 00000011! 0000001! 00000011!" ~ The Humans are Dead, Flight of the Conchords

11-13-2002, 10:24 PM	#5
Goldberry1 Elven Warrior Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: DC or Delaware, depending on the time of year Posts: 244	Finding another way out seems to be the choice that I would guess. __________________ Oh, your collegiate grief has left you dowdy in sweatshirts, absolute horror!

11-14-2002, 01:52 AM	#9
*IronParrot* Fowl Administrator Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Calgary or Edmonton, Canada Posts: 53,420	Well, while it's true that Moria orcs did pursue the Fellowship, and were even among the band that captured Merry and Pippin, I always assumed that they were orcs that weren't actually in Moria, but brethren hiding on the east side of the Misty Mountains who hunted the Fellowship out of vengeance. __________________ All of IronParrot's posts are guaranteed to be 100% intelligent and/or sarcastic, comprising no genetically modified content and tested on no cute furry little animals unless the SPCA is looking elsewhere. If you observe a failure to uphold this warranty, please contact a forum administrator immediately to receive a full refund on your Entmoot registration. Blog: Nick's Café Canadien

11-12-2002, 11:47 PM	#2
Keith K Elf Lord Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: charlotte, n.c. Posts: 1,081	The orcs must have repaired the bridge. Or perhaps there was another way out. After all, Gollum was pretty resourceful.

11-13-2002, 10:32 PM	#6
The Lady of Ithilien Elven Warrior Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Right here in between yesterday and tomorrow. Posts: 357	That's a real good question. Guess I've always assumed he came out with the pack of Orcs that pursued the fellowship that evening.

11-14-2002, 01:36 AM	#8
Menelvagor Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: lurking on the edge of conversations Posts: 924	Yes, that's what I always assumed, though I doubt he acually travelled with them. Probably just followed them to find another exit.

11-14-2002, 02:35 AM	#10
olsonm Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: minneapolis MN Posts: 920	Frodo saw (or thought he saw) Gollum before they enter Lorien. It's highly likely that the orcs had alternative routes out of Moria; but I would believe these to be farther away. Perhaps Gollum knew Moria better than the Fellowship or maybe he did leave prior to the collpasing of the bridge. __________________ Gandalf lives...oh and Frodo too. Haldir Lives!!!

11-14-2002, 05:33 AM	#11
Dunadan The Quite Querulous Quendi Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Oxon, UK Posts: 638	Considering he'd lived for 500 years under the Misty Mountains, I think it's not stretching the imagination too much to think that he could find his own way out. Either by anticipating where the party were heading, by finding another way or by following the orcs.

11-14-2002, 06:49 AM	#12
Draken Elf Lord Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Durham, England Posts: 694	I think the party would have seen him overtake him and cross the bridge ahead of them. I'm sure the orcs would have managed to quickly bodge some sort of repair to the broken bridge and he could have slipped over that. Or perhaps there were ventilation shafts to the surface that he was small enough to get through. __________________ I'm beset by self-doubt ....or am I?

11-14-2002, 07:53 AM	#13
CrystalBolger Hobbit Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 18	i think that he had another way out. hes so small that he would have fit almost newhere. in the Hobbit, there were places in the Misty Mountains that goblins could get thru. Gollum prolly knew every way out of there. (by the way, Gollum is 1 of my fave characters) __________________ normal pple frighten me ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ im only 99.9% insane! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ did u know ent-draught is addictive and does weird things 2 young hobbits? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ it came to me, my own, my love, my own, my precioussssssssss ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What hasss it gotsss in its pocketsesss? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bagginsssss! We hatesss it!

11-14-2002, 08:52 PM	#14
WallRocker Elven Warrior Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: At the computer... Posts: 376	I'd have to believe that Gollum came out with the pursuing Orcs after the fellowship left the Mines of Moria.

11-15-2002, 06:22 AM	#15
Agburanar Elf Lord Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Dorset Posts: 608	The dwarves must have had another exit. Remember that Moria spanned three mountains and The company only travelled under the one furthest south. The main Mithril lodes were under Charadras and Finhuidol and the dwarves must have had a way to transport equipment, mithril, armour etc. out. It couldn't all have travelled across the bridge, not enough room. __________________ I would wish, were it to any avail, that the LORD OF THE RINGS FILMS had never been wrought. ROLLING STOCK, WE'RE ROLLING STOCK!!

11-16-2002, 01:13 AM	#16
*Khamûl* Slacker Warrior Admin Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,759	Here's a question: How did Gollum get into Moria? The Watcher in the Water destroyed the Doors of Durin after the Fellowship escaped into them. Another side door, perhaps? __________________ "If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you." Gandalf to Pippin Psalm 107:31

11-16-2002, 01:26 AM	#18
olsonm Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: minneapolis MN Posts: 920	Gollum was already in Moria when the Fellowship arrived. He entered from the East and had slowly worked his way west and just happened to be there when the Fellowship arrived. This is explained in Unfinished Tales. __________________ Gandalf lives...oh and Frodo too. Haldir Lives!!!

11-16-2002, 01:28 AM	#19
Wayfarer The Insufferable Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 3,333	I think it might be pertinent at this juncture to refer you to a brief not by tolkien which refers to gollum as 'smeagol hudene'. __________________ Disgraced he may be, yet is not dethroned, and keeps the rags of lordship once he owned

11-16-2002, 01:44 AM	#20
BeardofPants the Shrike Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA <3 Posts: 10,647	Perhaps a more pertinent question would be, why in the name of hades in this VAST mine would there be only a few entrances? Given that Gollum was there for a significant amount of time, I don't think it's too much of a stretch that there's more than a few entrances into the mines, and that he probably stumbled across them. __________________ "Binary solo! 0000001! 00000011! 0000001! 00000011!" ~ The Humans are Dead, Flight of the Conchords

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Did Sauron imprison the Moria Balrog?	CAB	Lord of the Rings Books	35	08-22-2006 02:38 AM
Why wasn't Gollum turned into a wraith?	CAB	Middle Earth	98	06-27-2006 05:41 PM
Why Pippin says 'gollum, gollum' to Grishnakh	Lotesse	Lord of the Rings Books	23	05-11-2006 11:55 AM
Ask Gollum	Elessar the Elfstone	Lord of the Rings Movies	28	08-12-2005 04:13 PM
Gollum	zavron	Middle Earth	8	12-13-2002 05:48 PM