Book of Mazarbul
The record of Balin's return to Moria with a group of Longbeard Dwarves in T.A. 2989.
Etymology
Mazarbul means "records" in Khuzdul. This name was used in connection with the Chamber of Records of Khazad-dûm and the Book of Records found in that chamber.
The Books
History & Contents
The Book of Mazarbul was begun in T.A. 2989, upon Balin's return to Moria. The book recounted a battle with the Orcs that inhabited the old halls of Khazad-dûm, in which Balin's Dwarves were victorious. They settled in the Twenty-first Hall, above the East-gate, and Balin himself ruled his new domain from the old Chamber of Records, also called the Chamber of Mazarbul. Over the next five years, the Dwarves seem to have settled quite successfully into their new home, exploring under the Mountains as far as the West-gate, and recovering Durin's Axe and apparently other priceless items made of mithril.
The Lordship of Balin was short-lived. Ori, who was with him in Moria, recorded in the last pages of the Book how an army of Orcs came unexpectedly out of the east, slaying Balin outside the East-gate. The Dwarves defended themselves, but they were beleaguered from the the east by the Orcs, and from the west by the mysterious Watcher in the Water. Their last stand was in the Chamber of Mazarbul, where the Orcs eventually overcame and destroyed them.
The victorious Orcs seem not to have understood the significance of the Book, so that rather than carrying it off or destroying it, they left it to rot in the Chamber. There it was found twenty-four years later by the Company of the Ring, burned, slashed and blood-stained, and missing a number of pages, but still readable in some parts. Gandalf passed it to Gimli to return to King Dáin, after which we hear no more about it. If Gimli was able to keep it through the battles that followed, and didn't discard it with his gear at Parth Galen, it is possible that he carried it throughout his travels in Middle-earth, returning it at last to Dáin's heir Thorin III in Erebor.
Composition Details
The Book of Mazarbul was written by many different authors, using the runes of both Moria and Dale, as well as Elvish letters. The pages of the book were marked with numbers referring to the years after Balin's arrival in Moria. Tolkien created sample three pages from the book (three of those read aloud by Gandalf in the Chamber of Mazarbul).
First Sample Page (by Tolkien)
The first page Tolkien created was the first page read aloud by Gandalf in the Book of Mazarbul. It was written using Angerthas Erebor. The page is numbered at the top.
Second Sample Page (by Tolkien)
This second page created by Tolkien was written using Tengwar. Gandalf described the text as written by "a large bold hand using an Elvish script", which Gimli describes as Ori's hand. The page is numbered with at the bottom of the page.
Third Sample Page (by Tolkien)
Tolkien's third and final sample page was the last page of the Book of Mazarbul read aloud by Gandalf. It is written in Angerthas Moria, except for the last line ("a trailing scrawl of elf-letters"), written in Tengwar. The page is numbered at the top.
Tolkien's Comments
The use of English to represent the Common Speech in primary sources such as the pages of the Book of Mazarbul was a result of Tolkien's vision of completely translating all Westron into modern English, even in authentic documentation, although upon reflection Tolkien said that this translation was "an erroneous extension of the general linguistic treatment" (The Peoples of Middle-Earth, pp. 298-9: "Of Dwarves and Men").
Tolkien comments on his general treatment of the Book of Mazarbul pages: "...the text was cast into English spelt as at present, but modified as it might be by writers...who where transliterating the English into a different alphabet"; "...since documents of this kind nearly always show uses of letters or shapes that are peculiar and rarely or never found elsewhere, a few such features are also introduced..." (same reference as above, pp. 298-9).
References
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Book II: Chapter 5: The Bridge of Khazad-dûm.
- Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien: "Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul"
The Films
Appearances
Portrayal
The Book of Mazarbul appears on screen nearly identical to its description in the book. The outer cover decoration is of typical Dwarven design and the inside pages are written in a variety of different styles, using Angerthas Erebor (and, presumably, Angerthas Moria), as well as Tengwar.
Cover and Interior Runes
The outside cover of the Book of Mazarbul in the films reads:
- "Records (of the) Longbeards of Khazad-dûm".
The second to the last page of the book is written using Cirth (Angerthas Erebor) and Tengwar (full mode). The translation is as follows:
- Cirth: "And so we come to our final hope Oin is going to the West-gate to see
if we can escape that way."
- Tengwar: "The orcs have taken all the lower levels and the upper halls to the
fifth level. Our stores of food are running low and we have no water to drink. Unless Oin can find a way out at the West- gate we are doomed whether the orcs get us or not."
The last page of the book is written using Cirth (Angerthas Erebor) and Tengwar (full-vowel mode). The translation is as follows:
- Cirth: "We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and Second Hall.
Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there bravely whil the rest retreated to Mazarbul. We still hold the chamber but hope is fading now. Óin's party went five days ago but today only four returned. The pool is up to the wall at West-gate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin----we cannot get out. The end comes soon. We hear drums, drums in the deep."
- Tengwar: "They are coming."
