Fria Ligans 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.

Yes. Aragorn was busy. But does it ever say or imply that Aragorn went all the way through Moria?

Given that Gandalf led the Fellowship,straight through over a period of three days (and intervening nights),Moria does not have to be a lengthy journey to be well inside it.

If - during his respite in Lothlorien most likely- Aragorn went with some Lorien warriors up into the Dimrill Dale (its simple to compose various scenarios for Galadriel & Celeborn to arrange such a trip); then an excursion through the gates on that side, penetrating some way into the interior is not unreasonable, nor does it have to take as long as a week in duration.

Gandalf must have discussed Moria with Aragorn during their long friendship, and it is clear to me that Gandalf knew Aragorn would confidently lead the Fellowship out of the last part of Moria and to a place that the wizard might be able to follow and rendezvous with as well, if he survived the Balrog encounter.

So, AFAIC, Aragorn easily scouted the easternmost halls and some levels of Moria at this time: and the memory of that experience gave him a great sense of caution. Maybe even a permanent Shadow point of Dread? The Ranger was wise enough to know that such a place was beyond him to penetrate far on his own, and he would not lead others into that Dread either (not by choice anyway)

Okay, if Aragorn took the Redhorn Pass on his return to Rivendell in 2980 then he might have taken the time to conduct a cursory investigation of Moria through the East-gate. It still seems unlikely to me, but it's at least conceivable. I still feel that it would be more likely that he entered the Dwarf-city either earlier in his period of great journeys and errantries (2957-2980) or as a part of the hunt for Gollum (3001-3017; apparently not in the company of Gandalf). I don't really think that it would have been during the season that he spent in Lothlórien with Arwen. Surely, if that was what Tolkien had actually intended then there would have been mention of it in "...A PART OF THE TALE OF ARAGORN AND ARWEN" (Appendix A). However, I see how it fits thematically with Moria: Through the Doors of Durin, allowing the player-heroes a chance to interact with Aragorn.