Watcher in the Water

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Character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium Book illustration by artist John Howe. Name Watcher in the Water Titles The Watcher in the Water The Watcher Race Unknown (see speculations) Culture Unknown (see speculations) Date of birth Unknown [1] Book(s) The Return of the Shadow The Fellowship of the Ring

The Watcher in the Water is a tentacled monster in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings; it appears in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of The Lord of the Rings.^[2] Lurking in a lake beneath the western walls of the dwarf-realm Moria, it is said to have appeared after the damming of the river Sirannon,^[2] and was first recorded by Balin's dwarf company 30 or so years before the Fellowship of the Ring sets out from Rivendell. The origins of the creature are not described in Tolkien's works, but writers have compared it to squids, the legendary kraken, and even to Tolkien's dragons.

[edit] Literature

In The Lord of the Rings, while the Fellowship is moving towards Mount Doom to complete its quest of destroying the One Ring made by the Dark Lord Sauron, Gandalf must decide which path to take: through the mountains and on to the Elven Woodland realm or under and through the treacherous mines of Moria, where the Balrog resides, and on to the Dimrill Gate. They take the mountain pass, weather conditions are too treacherous for the Fellowship to pass. Though Gandalf is reluctant to enter Moria, possibly because of the Balrog,^{[citation needed]} they are forced to flee the mountains and turn to the path through Moria.

The Fellowship locates the entrance to Moria: the Doors of Durin. The Doors are protected and require a password to be spoken; the Fellowship is blocked until Gandalf recalls it, and until then the Fellowship is forced to wait outside, where wolves and wargs dwell. Unknown to the Fellowship, something else resides in the lake, the "Watcher in the Water".

Frodo and Boromir unintentionally disturb the water and the Watcher attacks Frodo Baggins as the Fellowship of the Ring is about to enter Moria. The creature grasps Frodo with a long, pale green, luminous tentacle. Samwise Gamgee drives the tentacle off with his sword, but twenty other tentacles emerge from the water. The Company retreats into Moria as the tentacles hurl the enormous stone doors shut and uproot the trees that grow on either side of the entrance. The doors are sealed off, trapping the Fellowship in the mines. The Fellowship has no alternative but to go through the mines and exit them on the other side via the Dimrill Gate. Gandalf and others of the Company note that the Watcher had grabbed only Frodo, the Ringbearer. Frodo and Gandalf were not sure whether it was one creature or many.^[2] As Gandalf comments, "Something has crept or been driven out of the dark water under the mountains. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world".^[2]

After journeying further into the mines, the Fellowship finds the Book of Mazarbul, a record of the dwarf Balin's failed expedition to reclaim Moria and its eventual downfall.^[2][3] In this manuscript, a scribe relates: "We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there ... went five days ago ... the pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes ... drums, drums in the deep ... they are coming."^[3]

The "Watcher in the Water" is the only name Tolkien gave to this creature in the Lord of the Rings, and in any of his writings.^[3][4]

[edit] Concept and creation

See also: The History of The Lord of the Rings

An early version of the Fellowship's encounter with the Watcher is found in The Return of the Shadow, part of The History of Middle-earth series, wherein the textual development of Tolkien's Middle-earth-related fantasy is discussed and analyzed by his son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien. The book (one of four in the series) focuses upon The Lord of the Rings.

The episode is found in the chapter "The Mines of Moria", equivalent to "A Journey in the Dark" in The Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien's account of the creature at this stage is practically the same as in the final published version, except for the names of other characters, however, its emergence, physical appearance, attacking abilities on the Fellowship, and rupture of the Moria Gate are already present in his initial writings.^[5]

Since Tolkien never explicitly stated what the creature is, others have felt free to speculate on its identity and origins. In A Tolkien Bestiary, David Day calls the Watcher a kraken; however, he also implies that there are some differences between the kraken of Scandinavian folklore and the Watcher in the Water.^[6] However, Tolkien never called the Watcher a kraken nor described the presence of krakens in Middle-earth.^[7] In The Complete Tolkien Companion, J. E. A. Tyler postulates the Watcher was a cold-drake: "...these dragons rely on their strength and speed alone (the creature that attacked the Ring-Bearer near the Lake of Moria may have been one of these)."^[8] Another writer compared it to squids.^[7]

Essayist Allison Harl speculates that the Watcher may be a kraken created by Morgoth and bred by him in Utumno.^[9] Harl also believes that Watcher in the Water represents itself as gatekeeper whose goal, in the context of the archetypal journey, is to guard the Doors of Durin keeping the heroes from entering into new territory, psychologically or spiritually. This "guardian theory" has also been theorised by other writers such as Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers.^[9][10]

[edit] Portrayal in adaptations

Further information: Adaptations of The Lord of the Rings

Games Workshop model of the Watcher in the Water

The Watcher in the Water in Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Watcher in the Water is mentioned in both film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings: Ralph Bakshi's animated The Lord of the Rings (1978) and Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Bakshi's work follows the book relatively faithfully for this sequence, with only the Watcher's tentacles seen. After Sam frees Frodo from its clutches, Boromir rushes forward and hacks at its tentacles for a few seconds. Unlike in the book, it is implied the Watcher kills Bill the pony.^{[citation needed]} In Jackson's adaptation, the Watcher is portrayed as a colossal, black, giant squid-like monster with a gaping mouth and rows of sharp teeth. Here, too, it grabs Frodo with its tentacles as described in the book, and reaches out for the rest of the Fellowship following Frodo's rescue.^[11]

The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game by Games Workshop, based on Jackson's film, calls the Watcher in the Water the "Guardian of the Doors of Durin".^[12]

Due to the popularity of creature several other items depicting the Watcher were released after the film.^[13][14]

The Watcher made its first appearance in The Fellowship of the Ring video game and has since appeared in several games. The version of the Watcher differs dramatically from the film and the book; the creature is portrayed as an amalgamated figure made to look like a hybrid of a mixture of sea creatures, it includes characteristics such as appearing like a finned sea snake, a squid and lobster.^{[citation needed]} The Watcher is used as a hero in Battle for Middle-earth II however making no formel appearance.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

Middle-earth Portal

• Alan Lee
• John Howe

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Screenshot of the The Watcher in the Water from the 1978 film
• Lord of the Rings Board Game by Reiner Knizia and the Watcher in the Water
• "The monstrosity of the gaze: critical problems with a film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings" - an article including the Watcher in the Water