The course of the Gate-stream of
Moria (conjectural)
1
The course of the Gate-stream of
Moria (conjectural)
1A stream that rose in the western flanks of the Misty Mountains2 and flowed down past the West-gate of Moria, and then over the Stair Falls and on into the plains of Eregion, with the road that ran out of old Khazad-dûm following the stream's course. It was known in Elvish as the Sirannon, a name that translates directly as 'Gate-stream'. For most of the history of Khazad-dûm it was a strong and powerful stream, but in the later Third Age its upper course was dammed. At this time the waters beneath the West-gate swelled into a stagnant lake occupied by a creature known only as the Watcher in the Water, and the stream itself was reduced to no more than a trickle.
The course of the Gate-stream after it flowed over the Stair Falls is not completely clear. We know that it ran along the road towards Ost-in-Edhil for at least some distance, but we don't know whether it actually flowed past or through the city of the Elves of Eregion (it would have at least been reasonable for Ost-in-Edhil to have been founded on a watercourse). It seems inevitable that the stream eventually flowed into the river Glanduin, the only major river in this part of Middle-earth, and then on down Gwathló into the Great Sea.
Notes
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After the Gate-stream rose from its springs near the West-gate of Moria and ran over the Stair Falls, we have no account or map describing its further course. Given the surrounding geography, it must surely have formed a tributary of Glanduin, which was the only other river of any significance in this part of Middle-earth. The Gate-stream must therefore have followed a route similar to that shown by the dotted blue line here, but its precise course is unknown, as is the point where its waters joined those of Glanduin.
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It is not in fact completely clear where the springs of the Gate-stream were, but when the Company of the Ring encountered the swollen stream waters at the West-gate, they found that they were fed by a creek running down from the heights to the north: this was presumably the source of the original Gate-stream before it was dammed.
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- Updated 23 January 2024
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