Chamber of Mazarbul
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In J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, the Chamber of Mazarbul is a rock chamber where the characters find a book of records and where conflicts important to the plot occur.
In the chronology of the book, the chamber was the old Chamber of Records of Khazad-dûm. It was probably built during the early years of Khazad-dûm; it was later used as a base by Balin when he attempted his ill-fated attempt at recolonization in the late Third Age.
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[edit] The book version
The chamber was located to the right of a pathway that branched off the north end of the Twenty-first hall. When the Fellowship found the chamber as they passed through Moria, Balin's tomb was located inside it, and a bright shaft of sunlight streamed in from outside the mountain to land directly on the tomb. There were two stone doors leading into the chamber (one entrance from the Twenty-first hall, one from the stair tunnels that the Fellowship later use to flee the Balrog). Many deep recesses were cut into the chamber rock containing chests that had been recently looted by the orcs inhabiting Moria. In one of these was found the Book of Mazarbul, a record of Balin's recolonization efforts. It is in the chamber of Mazarbul that the Fellowship engage in a brief fight with a band of Moria orcs and a cave troll and where Gandalf makes his first stand against the Balrog.
[edit] The Newline Cinema Films version
In Peter Jackson's film trilogy, the Chamber of Mazarbul is presented much as it is described in the books, with a few notable exceptions. First, its geography has been slightly altered. It is placed in the centre of the Twenty-first Hall, rather than on the right of a corridor running off the hall to the north. Second, there is only one proper doorway leading into the chamber, rather than the two described in the book. These alterations are likely the result of geographical simplification and enhancement of geographical drama. Placing the chamber in the centre of the Twenty-first Hall gives it greater prominence and significance and provides a less cumbersome position than that of the book. The elimination of one of the doorways allows the chamber to take on an even more unique design than that found in the book (while, again, simplifying it for dramatic purposes).
In the film, the walls of the chamber are covered in runes (seemingly Angerthas Moria). These runes detail the history of Moria from its foundation by Durin to the Battle of Azanulbizar. From the rune translations, it is clear that the authors were the dwarfs led by Balin during the recolonization of Moria. The larger text is Khuzdul, the smaller text is in the Common Speech (English). The rune histories were probably written for both Dwarvish and foreign readers. Notable peculiarities have appeared in translations of this text. It is not clear whether this was deliberate on the part of the filmmakers. Khuzdul phrases appear in the midst of the English text and peculiar spellings of certain words and irregular constructions of some phrases also exist. The consistency of the irregularities seem to suggest that these may have been at least partly intentional. Several explanations have been postulated, the most obvious of which is that the dwarfs who carved the runes made mistakes. Other theories have been put forth: perhaps the dwarfs used idiosyncratic rune forms or a slightly altered mode of Westron in order to better convey the deep meanings behind Moria's history. The third theory seems the most likely, given all the available evidence. The phrase "Made in New Zealand" can also be seen in at least one place along the Mazarbul Chamber walls. The filmmaker's left this as their trademark for those who translated the runes to see. Some fans have rationalized its appearance by citing the meaning of "zeal" as "seal" in Danish, which is closely related to the Danish word for "soul". Thus, the true phrase would be "Made in new-soul land", with "soul-land" referring to Moria, a land of many dwarvish souls that had come and gone, new because it was being recolonized. The theory postulates that the word "zeal" was originally Khuzdul but made its way into modern Danish.
[edit] List of translated phrases
Below are the phrases that have been translated from the Mazarbul walls thus far:
"...of Nogrod and Belegost year sixteen..."
"...watch tower established (possible variant emphasis from alternate word construction) at highest peak..."
"...of Zirakzigil with star from Thirtieth Hall ..."
"...Second (possible variant rune usage) Age five hundred of the..."
"...fathoms gold smelter built..."
"...the establishment of Moria below..."
"...in return for silver and cloth and lumber..."
"...established (possible variant emphasis) and the Dimrill (possible variant word construction or rune usage) Stair..."
"...of Kheled-zâram (possible variant emphasis) and Fundin slain..."
"...of Durin of Ered Luin (possible variant word construction or rune usage) settle in the..."
"...one thousand and twenty news of fall..."
"...forces of Sauron's army gates to Moria..."
"...service (possible variant rune usage) of Lorien elves(') trade..."
"...second (possible variant word construction and/or rune usage) level shaft sunk to forty..."
"...year seventy-two (possible variant word construction or rune usage) Great Gate..."
"...Zirakzigil in year forty of the..."
"...caves (possible variant rune usage) above Kheled-zâram (possible variant emphasis) great rices..."
"...in seams to east of Durin's door..."
"...growth of trade to western (possible variant word construction or rune usage) gate year..."
"...ninety-seven (possible variant word construction or rune usage) Eregion laid waste by billions..."
"...of Eregion founded by Noldor (possible variant word construction or rune usage) bring..."
"...shut against hordes and continuous attacks (possible variant phrase and/or word construction and/or rune usage)..."
"...year seven (possible variant word construction or rune usage) hundred and fifty..."
"...made in New Zealand. Dragon..."
"...on the shores of Azanulbizar..."
"...in diamonds and gold..."
