Editing 1218: Doors of Durin

{{comic
| number    = 1218
| date      = May 29, 2013
| title     = Doors of Durin
| image     = doors of durin.png
| titletext = If we get the doors open and plug up the dam on the Sirannon so the water rises a little, the pool will start draining into Moria. How do you think the Watcher would fare against a drenched Balrog?
}}

==Explanation==
The comic is based on the ''{{w|Lord of the Rings}}'', specifically a scene from ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring}}'', where the eponymous fellowship is trapped outside the door to the {{w|Moria (Middle-earth)|Mines of Moria}}. There's a spoken password to open the doors, an Elvish inscription on them provides a clue: "Speak friend, and enter". The party leader ({{w|Gandalf}}) initially interprets this to mean that a friend could speak the password and enter. Only after many unsuccessful efforts does Gandalf realize it is actually a very simple riddle: The password is the Elvish word for "friend" ("mellon"), and the inscription should in fact be interpreted as "Speak [out loud the word] ''mellon'' [(the Elvish word for ''friend'')], and [you will be able to] enter". See the Wikipedia article {{w|Use–mention distinction}}.

In this comic, Cueball, White Hat, and Megan reenact the scene, with Cueball taking the role of Gandalf. The doors apparently open off-panel when the password is spoken. White Hat then wonders aloud what the Elvish word for "frenemy" is, and Cueball postulates "mellogoth". This is a {{w|portmanteau}} of "mellon" and "coth", much like how "frenemy" is a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy". The {{w|Sindarin}} word-root ''coth'', in its {{w|Lenition|lenited}} form ''goth'', is best known as part of the name of {{w|Morgoth}} (literally, "Black Enemy") of the ''{{w|Silmarillion}}''. The doors apparently immediately slam shut the moment Cueball says ''mellogoth''. It is unclear whether this is because the opposite of the password has been spoken, or because the doors take offense to the word/concept ''frenemy'', of which xkcd has previously made fun in [[919: Tween Bromance]].

According to Fiona Jallings's textbook ''A Fan's Guide to Neo-Sindarin'', ''-n'' + ''c-'' would cause nasal mutation at the word boundary when forming a compound word, so a more correct compound word formed from ''mellon + coth'' would be ''mellochoth''.

The title text ponders what would occur if the Sirannon, a stream running adjacent to the path leading to the doors, were to be completely blocked with the doors left open. The already partially blocked Sirannon had formed a pool before the doors; which contained some sort of monstrous horror from the depths of the Earth, referred to as the {{w|Watcher in the Water}}. Randall seems to think that the pond draining into the mines would connect the Watcher with another horror within: the {{w|Balrog}} (a low-level servant of Morgoth) living within the depths of the mines. Balrogs are primarily creatures of fire and shadow, so having a bunch of water dumped on it is unlikely to please it but may weaken it. He then goes on to wonder about the outcome of a battle between the two monsters.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat, Megan, and Cueball stand. Megan has her finger up.]
:Megan: I've got it!
:Megan: What's the elvish word for friend?
:Cueball: ''Mellon.''

:[The trio stand. A off-panel door opens.]
:''RUMBLE''

:[White Hat has his palm out, while Cueball has his palm on his chin.]
:White Hat: So what's the elvish word for "frenemy"?
:Cueball: ''...Mellogoth?''
:'''SLAM!!'''

{{comic discussion}}
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