Watcher in the Water
A Watcher in the Water is a creature that features in Middle-earth.
Contents |
History
The Watcher in the Water
The historical presence of the creature designated as the Watcher in the Water was recorded by a colonizing party of Dwarves led by Balin, who traveled to the Misty Mountains to reclaim the ancient realm of Khazad-dûm. After years of ongoing territorial conflict with native Orc factions, the surviving Dwarven company attempted a desperate evacuation toward the western border. Upon reaching the exit, the Dwarves discovered that the river Sirannon had been artificially dammed, causing a deep, stagnant lake to rise directly against the West-gate. As the escape party approached the flooded perimeter, the subterranean monster surfaced from the dark pool and seized the Dwarf Óin, dragging him beneath the water while the remaining four survivors retreated back into the mines to make a final stand in the Chamber of Mazarbul
The Fellowship of the Ring traveled along the narrow walkway beneath the western Walls of Moria to seek passage through the Doors of Durin. To test the depth of the adjacent stagnant pool, Boromir cast a heavy stone into the center of the water, creating a sequence of ripples that disturbed the dark, silent lake. Gandalf decoded the gate's riddle and spoke the password aloud, causing the stone doors to swing outward to grant the travelers entry. As the party prepared to cross the threshold, the entity surfaced, launching a pale-green, luminous, and wet sinuous tentacle with a fingered end across the sand to grip Frodo Baggins by the ankle, aggressively dragging the Ring-bearer toward the deep water. As Frodo Baggins was forcefully dragged toward the boiling, foul-smelling waters of the lake, Samwise Gamgee fell to his knees and drew his knife to strike back at the attacking limb. Sam delivered a series of precise slashes that severed the tentacle's grip, allowing him to pull Frodo back toward the safety of the rocky shore while crying out for assistance. The physical injury agitated the entity, prompting twenty additional rippling arms to erupt simultaneously from the dark depths of the pool. Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords to form a protective frontline, covering the immediate retreat of the remaining Fellowship members as they rushed past the stone arches into the darkness of the mines.
Overview
Notes
- The Watcher in the Water was created by J. R. R. Tolkien where it featured in the Middle-earth universe.
In other media
Films
Other
Appearances
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: (1954)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Shadow: (1988)
External Links
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