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{{disambig-more|Mazarbul|[[Mazarbul (disambiguation)]]}}
[[Image:Mazarbul_book.jpg|250px|thumb|The Book of Mazarbul, as seen in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]
[[File:The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - Book of Mazarbul.jpg|250px|thumb|The Book of Mazarbul, as seen in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Lord of the Rings film]]''.]]


The '''Book of Mazarbul''' was the record of [[Balin]]'s return to [[Moria]] with a group of [[Longbeards]] in [[Third Age 2989]].
The '''Book of Mazarbul''' is a Dwarven book containing the chronicle of [[Balin's folk]], found in the [[Chamber of Records]] in [[Khazad-dûm]]. It was written by many different authors, using [[Cirth]] of Moria and [[Dale]], as well as [[Tengwar]] . The pages of the book were marked with numbers referring to the years after [[Balin]]'s arrival in Moria.  


==History==
==History==
The book started being updated in {{TA|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 [[Doors of Durin|West-gate of Moria]], and recovering [[Durin's Axe]] and apparently other priceless items made of ''[[mithril]]''. These feats were recorded in the book.


[[Image:Mazarbul_howe.jpg|150px|left|thumb|An image of the Book of Mazarbul by [[John Howe]].]]
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 [[Great Gates|East-gate]]. The Dwarves defended themselves, but they were beleaguered from 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. As there was no hope to escape, Ori continued writing in the book, hoping that someone would find it, and would know what happened to them.<ref>{{PM|XNotes}}, #10</ref>


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|West-gate of Moria]], and recovering [[Durin's Axe]] and apparently other priceless items made of mithril.
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 [[Fellowship of the Ring|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 Ironfoot|Dáin]], after which nothing more is heard 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 Stonehelm|Thorin III]] in [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]].
 
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 [[Fellowship of the Ring|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 Ironfoot|Dáin]], after which nothing more is heard 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 Stonehelm|Thorin III]] in [[Erebor]].
 
==Composition Details==
The Book of Mazarbul was written by many different authors, using [[Cirth]] of Moria and Dale as well as Elvish [[Tengwar]]letters. The pages of the book were marked with numbers referring to the years after Balin's arrival in Moria.
 
===Third Page===
[[Image:mazarbulpage2.jpg|150px|thumb|The first sample page of the Book of Mazarbul made by Tolkien.]]


==Contents==
===Page One-three===
[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - Mazarbul page 1.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Facsimile of page I]]
The first page [[Gandalf]] read in the Book of Mazarbul was marked ''one-three'', so at least two were missing from the beginning.
The first page [[Gandalf]] read in the Book of Mazarbul was marked ''one-three'', so at least two were missing from the beginning.


This page was written using [[Angerthas Erebor]] as in a diary, written quickly without attempt at calligraphy or meticulous consistency of spelling. In writing the Common Speech, the Dwarves tended to blend its usual spelling with certain idiosyncratic phonetic usages (the Dwarves did not like to use any letter or rune in more than one value, nor to express a simple sound by combinations of letters). This page was numbered at the top with the runic numeral "three".<ref>''[[Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', ''[[The Treason of Isengard]]'' and ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator]]''.</ref>
This page was written using [[Angerthas Erebor]] as in a diary, written quickly without attempt at calligraphy or meticulous consistency of spelling. In writing the Common Speech, the Dwarves tended to blend its usual spelling with certain idiosyncratic phonetic usages (the Dwarves did not like to use any letter or rune in more than one value, nor to express a simple sound by combinations of letters). This page was numbered at the top with the runic numeral "three".<ref>''[[Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', ''[[The Treason of Isengard]]'' and ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator]]''.</ref>


The page read the following. Many parts are not readable, and the parts in italic are those which Gandalf could not make out in the dim light of Moria.<ref>A translation of what is readable on this page, as transcribed by [[Christopher Tolkien]]:</ref>
The page read the following. Many parts are not readable, and the parts in (...) are those which Gandalf could not make out in the dim light of Moria.<ref>A translation of what is readable on this page, as transcribed by [[Christopher Tolkien]]:</ref>


We drove out the orcs from the Great Gate and guardroom ''and took the [[First Hall]]''. We slew many in the bright sun in the dale. [[Flói]] was killed by an arrow. He slew the great ''chieftain''[...] Flói under grass near [[Mirrormere]] [...] ''came [...]ken we repaired'' [...] We have taken the [[Twenty-first Hall]] of North End to dwell in. There is ''good air [...] that can easily be watched [...] the'' shaft ''is clear [...]'' [[Balin]] has set up his seat in the Chamber of Mazarbul [...] ''gathered'' [...] gold [...] ''wonderful lay'' [[Durin's Axe]] [...] ''silver'' helm. ''Balin has taken them for his own.'' Balin is now [[lord of Moria]]. [''Gandalf assumes this is the end of a chapter''] [...] ''today'' we found truesilver [...] well-forged ''helm[...]n[...]coat made all of purest'' [[mithril]] [...] [[Óin]] to seek for the upper armories of the [[Third Deep]] [...] go westwards to s[...] to [[West-gate|Hollin gate]].
''We drove out the orcs from the Great Gate and guardroom (and took the [[First Hall]]). We slew many in the bright sun in the dale. [[Flói]] was killed by an arrow. He slew the great (chieftain) [...] Flói under grass near [[Mirrormere]] [...] (came [...]ken we repaired) [...] We have taken the [[Twenty-first Hall]] of North End to dwell in. There is (good air [...] that can easily be watched [...] the) shaft (is clear [...]) [[Balin]] has set up his seat in the Chamber of Mazarbul [...] (gathered) [...] gold [...] (wonderful lay) [[Durin's Axe]] [...] (silver) helm. (Balin has taken them for his own.) Balin is now [[lord of Moria]]. (Gandalf assumes this is the end of a chapter) [...] (today) we found truesilver [...] well-forged (helm[...]n[...]coat made all of purest) [[mithril]] [...] [[Óin]] to seek for the upper armories of the [[Third Deep]] [...] go westwards to s[...] to [[Doors of Durin|Hollin gate]].''


===Year five===
===Page Five===
[[Image:mazarbulpage1.jpg|150px|thumb|The second sample page of the Book of Mazarbul made by Tolkien.]]
[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - Mazarbul page 2.jpg|150px|thumb|Facsimile of page II]]
Gandalf skimmed through tht rest of the book; Gandalf notes that the pages begin to be numbered "five", meaning the fifth year of the colony. This second page was written using [[Tengwar]] of the later Westron convention which used full letters for vowels. Gandalf described the text as written by "a large bold hand using an Elvish script", which Gimli describes as [[Ori]]'s hand. The runic figure at the bottom of the page is the numeral "five".
Gandalf skimmed through the rest of the book; Gandalf notes that the pages begin to be numbered ''five'', meaning the fifth year of the colony. This second page was written using [[Tengwar]] of the later Westron convention which used full letters for vowels. Gandalf described the text as written by "a large bold hand using an Elvish script", which Gimli describes as [[Ori]]'s hand. The runic figure at the bottom of the page is the numeral "five".


"''r…(ye)ars since [...] ready'' sorrow [...] ''yesterday being the [[10 November|tenth of November]] Balin, lord of Moria, fell in [[Dimrill Dale]]. He went alone to look in Mirrormere. An orc shot him from behind a stone. We slew the orc, but many more ''ca(me) [...]'' up from east up the [[Silverlode]] [...] ''we rescued Balin’s body [...]re a sharp battle [...]'' we have barred the gates ''but doubt if [...]'' can hold them long. If ''there is [...] no escape it will be a'' horrible ''fate to'' suffer, ''but I shall hold''.
''(r…(ye)ars since [...] ready) sorrow [...] yesterday being the [[10 November|tenth of November]] Balin, lord of Moria, fell in [[Dimrill Dale]]. He went alone to look in Mirrormere. An orc shot him from behind a stone. We slew the orc, but many more (ca(me) [...]) up from east up the [[Celebrant|Silverlode]] [...] (we rescued Balin's body [...]re a sharp battle [...]) we have barred the gates (but doubt if [...]) can hold them long. If (there is [...] no escape it will be a) horrible (fate to) suffer, (but I shall hold.)''


===Last Page===
===Last page===
[[Image:Mazarbul.jpg|150px|thumb|The third sample page of the Book of Mazarbul made by Tolkien.]]
[[Image:J.R.R. Tolkien - Mazarbul page 3.jpg|150px|thumb|Facsimile of page III]]
The last page of the Book of Mazarbul was read aloud by Gandalf. It is written in [[Angerthas Erebor]], similar to that of the first page, but with a different hand and different details in the runes.
The last page of the Book of Mazarbul was read aloud by Gandalf. It is written in [[Angerthas Erebor]], similar to that of the first page, but with a different hand and different details in the runes.


"We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and [[Second Hall]]. [[Frár]] and [[Lóni]] and [[Náli]] fell there ''bravely while the rest retr [...] Mazarbul. We still ho[...]g ... but hope u[...]n[...][[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."
''We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and [[Second Hall]]. [[Frár]] and [[Lóni]] and [[Náli]] fell there bravely while 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.''
 
The last line is a trailing scrawl of elf-letters reads ''They are coming...''


The last line is a trailing scrawl of elf-letters reads "They are coming"
==Etymology==
''[[Mazarbul (word)|Mazarbul]]'' means "records" in [[Khuzdul]]. So the "Book of Mazarbul" means the "Book of Records".


==Inspiration==
==Inspiration==
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 in haste whose familiarity with the written form was imperfect, and who were also (on the first and third pages) 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...".
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 in haste whose familiarity with the written form was imperfect, and who were also (on the first and third pages) 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...".
Tolkien used his knowledge of medieval manuscripts to create three facsimile pages from the Book of Mazarbul. He burnt the edges with his pipe, pierced holes along the left-hand side where the pages would have been stitched to the binding, and washed the paper with red and brown paint to resemble dried bloodstains.
The final page was written mostly in runes apart from the final scrawled line ('they are coming') which was written in the Elvish script, presumably easier to use when writing at speed.


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"<ref>{{HM|PM}}, [[Of Dwarves and Men]] pp. 298-9)</ref>.
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"<ref>{{HM|PM}}, [[Of Dwarves and Men]] pp. 298-9)</ref>.
Line 49: Line 50:
Thus, the Book of Mazarbul showcases some slightly different distributions of certain English sounds.
Thus, the Book of Mazarbul showcases some slightly different distributions of certain English sounds.


==Etymology==
==Other versions of the Legendarium==
Tolkien hoped that these facsimile documents would be reproduced in the text but the cost of including colour pages was a step too far for his publisher, who was already taking a significant gamble by publishing this enormous three volume fantasy work for adults.


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.
Eventually, they are included in the ''[[Fellowship of the Ring]]: 50th Anniversary Deluxe edition'' in [[2005]], and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]: One-volume Special edition'' in [[2021]]. They are also included in several artwork collections, such as ''[[Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', ''[[The Art of The Lord of the Rings]]'', and ''[[Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth]]''.<ref>[https://tai.tolkienists.org/ Tolkien Art Index] on Tolkienists.org</ref>
==Portrayal in Adaptations==
'''2001: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:A detailed prop was made from the movie, with Cirth and Tengwar letters written perhaps by [[Daniel Reeve]].


:The outside cover of the prop reads: "Records (of the) Longbeards of Khazad-dûm"
The manuscripts are now in the archive in the [[Bodleian Libraries]].<ref>[https://museoteca.com/r/en/work/7386/j_r_r_tolkien/final_page_of_the_book_of_mazarbul/!/ Final page of the Book of Mazarbul] on Museoteca.com</ref>


:The first page of the book read by Gandalf in the movie is written using [[Cirth]] (Angerthas Erebor) and Tengwar (full mode). A number of leaves before this page fall out when Gandalf opens the book. This apparently is the second to the last page. The translation is as follows:
==Portrayal in adaptations==
* Cirth: "And so we come to our final hope. Óin is going to the West-gate to see if we can escape that way."
'''2001: [[Pán prsteňov (2001-2003 Slovak radio series)|''Pán prsteňov'' (2001-2003 Slovak radio series)]]:'''
* 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 Book of Mazarbul makes an appearance in the fifth episode of the first series, set entirely in Moria. Gandalf (portrayed by Martin Huba) begins reading from it, but the majority of the excerpts are heard as a voiceover by the deceased elderly dwarf Ori (portrayed by František Kovár), the chronicler of Balin's expedition to Moria.


:The last page of the book is written using Cirth (Angerthas Erebor) and Tengwar (full-vowel mode). The translation is as follows:
'''2001: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
* 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."
:A detailed prop was made for the movie, with Cirth and Tengwar letters written perhaps by [[Daniel Reeve]]. The outside cover of the prop reads: "Records (of the) Longbeards of Khazad-dûm"
* Tengwar: "They are coming."


:Gandalf reads a portion of the Book of Mazarbul. The results of his translation of the runes are as follows, although in his dialogues he adds sentences not found on the last two pages (in italics):
:The first page of the book read by Gandalf in the movie is written using Cirth (Angerthas Erebor) and Tengwar (full mode). A number of leaves before this page fall out when Gandalf opens the book. This apparently is the second to the last page.
:The text read by Gandalf in the movie differs from that of the books, and is largely based on the final two pages:
:''"They have taken the Bridge and the Second Hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes... Drums. Drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark... We cannot get out... They are coming."''


* While looking at the second to last page: "They have taken the bridge and the second hall. (last page) ''We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes, ''drums...drums in the deep. (last page)"
{{references}}


* While looking at the last page: "We cannot get out. (last page) ''A shadow moves in the dark.'' We cannot get out.... They are coming."
[[Category:Books and documents within the legendarium]]
 
:What Gandalf is reading seemingly does not always correspond with the page he is viewing when doing so. He also "reads" a few lines not seen in the viewable pages. It has been suggested that Gandalf was glancing simultaneously at three pages of text, reading and translating them in his mind and then uttering the results of his thought process all the while to the Fellowship. In other words, he was composing a translation quickly from three separate pages, perhaps including one of the pages that fell out of the book when he opened it. "We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long" is a phrase from Tolkien's second sample page of the Book of Mazarbul, so this is likely from one the pages that initially fell out of the book.
 
{{references}}
<!-- The following can be removed as specific sources are attributed:-->
<small>
* [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "[[The Bridge of Khazad-dûm]]"
* [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[Appendix E]]''
* [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', "Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul"
* [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''[[The Treason of Isengard]]'', "Appendix on Runes"
* [[Wayne G. Hammond]], [[Christina Scull]], ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator]]''
* [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', "[[Of Dwarves and Men]]"
* [[Alan Lee]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook]]'', "Moria"
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "[[Balin's Tomb (scene)|Balin's Tomb]]"
* [[Ryszard Derdzinski]] (ed.), ''[http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/movie.htm Other Movie Inscriptions]''</small>


[[Category:Books within the Legendarium]]
[[de:Buch von Mazarbul]]
[[de:Buch von Mazarbul]]
[[fi:Mazarbulin Kirja]]
[[fi:Mazarbulin Kirja]]

Latest revision as of 01:20, 8 April 2023

The name Mazarbul refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Mazarbul (disambiguation).
The Book of Mazarbul, as seen in The Lord of the Rings film.

The Book of Mazarbul is a Dwarven book containing the chronicle of Balin's folk, found in the Chamber of Records in Khazad-dûm. It was written by many different authors, using Cirth of Moria and Dale, as well as Tengwar . The pages of the book were marked with numbers referring to the years after Balin's arrival in Moria.

History[edit | edit source]

The book started being updated 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 of Moria, and recovering Durin's Axe and apparently other priceless items made of mithril. These feats were recorded in the book.

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 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. As there was no hope to escape, Ori continued writing in the book, hoping that someone would find it, and would know what happened to them.[1]

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 nothing more is heard 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.

Contents[edit | edit source]

Page One-three[edit | edit source]

Facsimile of page I

The first page Gandalf read in the Book of Mazarbul was marked one-three, so at least two were missing from the beginning.

This page was written using Angerthas Erebor as in a diary, written quickly without attempt at calligraphy or meticulous consistency of spelling. In writing the Common Speech, the Dwarves tended to blend its usual spelling with certain idiosyncratic phonetic usages (the Dwarves did not like to use any letter or rune in more than one value, nor to express a simple sound by combinations of letters). This page was numbered at the top with the runic numeral "three".[2]

The page read the following. Many parts are not readable, and the parts in (...) are those which Gandalf could not make out in the dim light of Moria.[3]

We drove out the orcs from the Great Gate and guardroom (and took the First Hall). We slew many in the bright sun in the dale. Flói was killed by an arrow. He slew the great (chieftain) [...] Flói under grass near Mirrormere [...] (came [...]ken we repaired) [...] We have taken the Twenty-first Hall of North End to dwell in. There is (good air [...] that can easily be watched [...] the) shaft (is clear [...]) Balin has set up his seat in the Chamber of Mazarbul [...] (gathered) [...] gold [...] (wonderful lay) Durin's Axe [...] (silver) helm. (Balin has taken them for his own.) Balin is now lord of Moria. (Gandalf assumes this is the end of a chapter) [...] (today) we found truesilver [...] well-forged (helm[...]n[...]coat made all of purest) mithril [...] Óin to seek for the upper armories of the Third Deep [...] go westwards to s[...] to Hollin gate.

Page Five[edit | edit source]

Facsimile of page II

Gandalf skimmed through the rest of the book; Gandalf notes that the pages begin to be numbered five, meaning the fifth year of the colony. This second page was written using Tengwar of the later Westron convention which used full letters for vowels. Gandalf described the text as written by "a large bold hand using an Elvish script", which Gimli describes as Ori's hand. The runic figure at the bottom of the page is the numeral "five".

(r…(ye)ars since [...] ready) sorrow [...] yesterday being the tenth of November Balin, lord of Moria, fell in Dimrill Dale. He went alone to look in Mirrormere. An orc shot him from behind a stone. We slew the orc, but many more (ca(me) [...]) up from east up the Silverlode [...] (we rescued Balin's body [...]re a sharp battle [...]) we have barred the gates (but doubt if [...]) can hold them long. If (there is [...] no escape it will be a) horrible (fate to) suffer, (but I shall hold.)

Last page[edit | edit source]

Facsimile of page III

The last page of the Book of Mazarbul was read aloud by Gandalf. It is written in Angerthas Erebor, similar to that of the first page, but with a different hand and different details in the runes.

We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and Second Hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there bravely while 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.

The last line is a trailing scrawl of elf-letters reads They are coming...

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Mazarbul means "records" in Khuzdul. So the "Book of Mazarbul" means the "Book of Records".

Inspiration[edit | edit source]

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 in haste whose familiarity with the written form was imperfect, and who were also (on the first and third pages) 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...".

Tolkien used his knowledge of medieval manuscripts to create three facsimile pages from the Book of Mazarbul. He burnt the edges with his pipe, pierced holes along the left-hand side where the pages would have been stitched to the binding, and washed the paper with red and brown paint to resemble dried bloodstains.

The final page was written mostly in runes apart from the final scrawled line ('they are coming') which was written in the Elvish script, presumably easier to use when writing at speed.

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"[4].

Thus, the Book of Mazarbul showcases some slightly different distributions of certain English sounds.

Other versions of the Legendarium[edit | edit source]

Tolkien hoped that these facsimile documents would be reproduced in the text but the cost of including colour pages was a step too far for his publisher, who was already taking a significant gamble by publishing this enormous three volume fantasy work for adults.

Eventually, they are included in the Fellowship of the Ring: 50th Anniversary Deluxe edition in 2005, and The Lord of the Rings: One-volume Special edition in 2021. They are also included in several artwork collections, such as Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Art of The Lord of the Rings, and Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth.[5]

The manuscripts are now in the archive in the Bodleian Libraries.[6]

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

2001: Pán prsteňov (2001-2003 Slovak radio series):

The Book of Mazarbul makes an appearance in the fifth episode of the first series, set entirely in Moria. Gandalf (portrayed by Martin Huba) begins reading from it, but the majority of the excerpts are heard as a voiceover by the deceased elderly dwarf Ori (portrayed by František Kovár), the chronicler of Balin's expedition to Moria.

2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring:

A detailed prop was made for the movie, with Cirth and Tengwar letters written perhaps by Daniel Reeve. The outside cover of the prop reads: "Records (of the) Longbeards of Khazad-dûm"
The first page of the book read by Gandalf in the movie is written using Cirth (Angerthas Erebor) and Tengwar (full mode). A number of leaves before this page fall out when Gandalf opens the book. This apparently is the second to the last page.
The text read by Gandalf in the movie differs from that of the books, and is largely based on the final two pages:
"They have taken the Bridge and the Second Hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes... Drums. Drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark... We cannot get out... They are coming."

References