Forum

It is known that Aragorn son of Arathorn entered the Dwarf-city of Moria at some time prior to the War of the Ring and that his experiences there made him reluctant to return to Moria when the Fellowship needed to cross the Misty Mountains. It was never made clear when Aragorn first entered the Dwarrowdelf, but in Moria -- Through the Doors of Durin we have the following entry in "A Tale of Years of the City" (page 9):
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2980: Aragorn son of Arathorn returns from his Errantries in Gondor and Rohan,
and dwells for a time in forest of Lórien. Afterwards, he enters Moria by the East-gate.

My issue with this is the timing. The year 2980 (Third Age) was already very eventful for Aragorn:

• Aragorn as Thorongil) leads an attack against the Corsairs of Umbar.

• He leaves the service of Ecthelion of Gondor and is last seen traveling East.

• Aragorn patrols the borders of Mordor seeking out the plots of Sauron and his servants.

• Returning from the borders of Mordor, Aragorn is allowed to enter Lórien, where he is reunited with Arwen daughter of Elrond.

• Aragorn and Arwen spend a season together in Lothlórien and, on the evening of Midsummer, they plight their troth on the hill of Cerin Amroth.

• Aragorn departs from Lórien and travels to Rivendell where he speaks with Lord Elrond.

• Aragorn departs Rivendell to embark on great journeys "far into the East and deep into the South".

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When, in 2980, with all the above going on, did Aragorn have the time or opportunity to enter Moria? It makes more sense to me that he did so some time during his time in the service of King Thengel of Rohan or perhaps while on a mission for the steward Ecthelion of Gondor. I would be tempted to adjust the timeline accordingly.

P181 of Moria (alpha, published page might be changed slightly but don’t have the final pdf on my phone) goes in to this in more detail, explains why their default is 2980 and also considers other candidate years and the potential purpose in those years.

P181 of Moria (alpha, published page might be changed slightly but don’t have the final pdf on my phone) goes in to this in more detail, explains why their default is 2980 and also considers other candidate years and the potential purpose in those years.

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Yes, the matter is certainly addressed later in the book (and not only on page 181). My only real issue is with the year 2980 being the default. My own assumption is that Aragorn, upon leaving Lórien, would have likely traveled north through the relatively friendly vales of Anduin and used the High Pass to reach Rivendell rather than using the Redhorn Pass or attempting a passage through Moria. His goal at that point was to reach Rivendell and speak with Elrond, not investigation.

I tend to agree with you Otaku-sempai, this timeframe doesn't work for Aragorn.

His goal was to reach Rivendall (moderately fast) to speak with Elrond, not to investigate in the Moria. I'll look into this in more detail to see if I see any other interesting details.

Arthur.