Who controls the Watcher in the Water?

[Ent]

Very interesting, @Lobelia B. S-B.
Since the beast has 'crept or been driven' out, Ent wonders if there was in fact 'purpose' behind the driving of that 'creeping' or if driven by the balrog, why.

Could the Orcs have driven it out? Certainly the Dwarves didn't... it wasn't known in their time. And its unlikely the Orcs went as deep as the Dwarves, as their motivation for being there wasn't the same. They weren't 'delvers.' Just 'opportunists' for the most part, Ent thinks.

Could it be the Balrog drove it to protect the back gate, just so te Balrog didn't worry about it? Certainly it may have felt a need to protect itself from unwanted usurpers of the evil Orcs' hold on Khazad-dûm.

Why would it come up into the light? (Pondering, pondering, pondering.)

 

[Ricardo]

Well. (sniff.) I've thought about the watcher ever since Frodo talked about it when he was Mayor for a short while.
As far as who controls it, I've never thought about that part. I always just thought it was useful as a back gate guard, like Shelob was for Sauron. There's plenty of evil in Middle-earth from Morgoth without need for it all to be controlled by somebody. But it probably does mean something that Gandalf remarks about it going after Frodo. (If it would have gotten him, I might have gotten Bag End sooner. (sniff.)) I suppose its worth thinking about why it went after Frodo. Where's my umbrella. I think better when I'm holding my umbrella.

hmmm, but you got bag end before Frodo left the shire.

 

[Lobelia B. S-B]

Ah, right you are. I must be getting older..! I got it before he left on that silly adventure, only to have it taken away again by those ruffians. But it all worked out in the end as I recall. (Though I'm still missing several umbrellas and a drawer full of spoons. I''m very suspicious.)