Figure 7. Adapted from Tolkien, J. R. R. (2012). The realm of Middle-earth [Map]. The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary One-Volume Edition. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Historically, Moria was the most famous and important of all the Dwarf kingdoms, where “…Dwarves and Elves enjoyed lasting peace” (Dickerson, 2006a, pp. 438-439). By the time that the Fellowship traveled through this realm, Moria had long been destroyed and taken over by orcs. This is the setting for the battle between Gandalf the Grey and the Balrog, which ends with the destruction of this Demon and the resurrection of Gandalf the White (Dickerson, 2006a, pp. 438-439).
Recommended Readings
Garth, J. (2013). Tolkien and the Great War: the Threshold of Middle-earth. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Obertino, J. (1993). Moria and Hades: underworld journeys in Tolkien and Virgil. Comparative Literature Studies, 153-169.
The Geography of Middle-earth 