I've been researching Khazad-dûm for a video project, and one question kept coming back:
At what point did it actually stop being a functioning kingdom?
There seem to be three possible answers:
1. When Durin VI was killed.
2. When Náin was killed and the dwarves abandoned Khazad-dûm.
3. When the orcs later settled there and made any return effectively an invasion.
The conclusion I reached was that the second moment is the real break: the disaster began earlier, and the orcs later made any return far harder, but once the dwarves walked out there was no longer a kingdom, only the place where one had been.
I made a 24-minute video exploring that question, along with a few related details about Moria, mithril, the bridge, and Tolkien's use of "dwarves." The research and editing are mine; I used AI tools for the narration, images and music. One detail in it is wrong on purpose; the video reveals which one near the end.
I'd be very interested to hear whether people here agree with that conclusion, or whether I'm missing something.
At what point did it actually stop being a functioning kingdom?
There seem to be three possible answers:
1. When Durin VI was killed.
2. When Náin was killed and the dwarves abandoned Khazad-dûm.
3. When the orcs later settled there and made any return effectively an invasion.
The conclusion I reached was that the second moment is the real break: the disaster began earlier, and the orcs later made any return far harder, but once the dwarves walked out there was no longer a kingdom, only the place where one had been.
I made a 24-minute video exploring that question, along with a few related details about Moria, mithril, the bridge, and Tolkien's use of "dwarves." The research and editing are mine; I used AI tools for the narration, images and music. One detail in it is wrong on purpose; the video reveals which one near the end.
I'd be very interested to hear whether people here agree with that conclusion, or whether I'm missing something.