Difference between revisions of "1218: Doors of Durin"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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(It was Gandalf who solved the riddle.)
(The doors react about as well as Cutie in 919.)
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Based on the Lord of the Rings:  An incident in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' where the titular fellowship is trapped outside the door to the 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 (Gandalf), initially interprets this to mean that a friend could speak the password and enter.  Only after much unsuccessful effort he finally realizes it's actually a very simple riddle:  The password is the Elvish word for 'friend' ('mellon'), and the inscription should in fact be interpreted as "Say ''friend'', and enter". (See {{w|Use–mention distinction}}.)
 
Based on the Lord of the Rings:  An incident in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' where the titular fellowship is trapped outside the door to the 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 (Gandalf), initially interprets this to mean that a friend could speak the password and enter.  Only after much unsuccessful effort he finally realizes it's actually a very simple riddle:  The password is the Elvish word for 'friend' ('mellon'), and the inscription should in fact be interpreted as "Say ''friend'', and enter". (See {{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'. (A portmanteau of 'mellon' and 'Morgoth'; much like how 'frenemy' is a portmanteau of 'friend' and 'enemy'. Morgoth being essentially the Middle-Earth version of Satan, taken from the Silmarillion:  Morgoth is often referred to as 'The Enemy' rather than by name. Sauron, known as 'The Enemy' later on, was Morgoth's second in command before Morgoth was banished from the world.)  The doors apparently immediately slam shut the moment Cueball says 'Mellogoth', suggesting he may be correct.
+
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'. (A portmanteau of 'mellon' and 'Morgoth'; much like how 'frenemy' is a portmanteau of 'friend' and 'enemy'. Morgoth being essentially the Middle-Earth version of Satan, taken from the Silmarillion:  Morgoth is often referred to as 'The Enemy' rather than by name. Sauron, known as 'The Enemy' later on, was Morgoth's second in command before Morgoth was banished from the world.)  The doors apparently immediately slam shut the moment Cueball says 'Mellogoth', suggesting he may be correct. Or that the doors take offense to the word, which xkcd has previously made fun of in [[919: Tween Bromance]].
  
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 watcher in the water' for lack of a proper name(it 'watches' the doors). Randall seems to think that the pond draining into the mines would anger another horror within: the Balrog (a high-level servant of Morgoth) living within the depths of the mines (Balrogs being primarily creatures of fire and shadow, having a bunch of water dumped on it is unlikely to please it). He then goes on to wonder how long the Watcher could last in a battle with the angry (but wet) Balrog.
+
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 watcher in the water' for lack of a proper name (it 'watches' the doors). Randall seems to think that the pond draining into the mines would anger another horror within: the Balrog (a high-level servant of Morgoth) living within the depths of the mines. Balrogs being primarily creatures of fire and shadow, having a bunch of water dumped on it is unlikely to please it but may weaken it. He then goes on to wonder how long the Watcher could last in a battle with the angry (but wet) Balrog.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Revision as of 14:16, 29 May 2013

Doors of Durin
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?
Title text: 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

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: 1218: Doors of Durin
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

Based on the Lord of the Rings: An incident in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' where the titular fellowship is trapped outside the door to the 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 (Gandalf), initially interprets this to mean that a friend could speak the password and enter. Only after much unsuccessful effort he finally realizes it's actually a very simple riddle: The password is the Elvish word for 'friend' ('mellon'), and the inscription should in fact be interpreted as "Say friend, and enter". (See 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'. (A portmanteau of 'mellon' and 'Morgoth'; much like how 'frenemy' is a portmanteau of 'friend' and 'enemy'. Morgoth being essentially the Middle-Earth version of Satan, taken from the Silmarillion: Morgoth is often referred to as 'The Enemy' rather than by name. Sauron, known as 'The Enemy' later on, was Morgoth's second in command before Morgoth was banished from the world.) The doors apparently immediately slam shut the moment Cueball says 'Mellogoth', suggesting he may be correct. Or that the doors take offense to the word, which xkcd has previously made fun of in 919: Tween Bromance.

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 watcher in the water' for lack of a proper name (it 'watches' the doors). Randall seems to think that the pond draining into the mines would anger another horror within: the Balrog (a high-level servant of Morgoth) living within the depths of the mines. Balrogs being primarily creatures of fire and shadow, having a bunch of water dumped on it is unlikely to please it but may weaken it. He then goes on to wonder how long the Watcher could last in a battle with the angry (but wet) Balrog.

Transcript

Megan: I've got it!
Megan: What's the elvish word for friend?
Cueball: Mellon.
RUMBLE
White Hat: So what's the elvish word for "frenemy"?
Cueball: ...Mellogoth?
SLAM!!


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Discussion

Is it relevant that there is actually a font named "Mellogoth"? https://www.google.com/search?q=mellogoth 203.148.205.177 10:57, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Morgoth actually means "Dark Enemy" in Sindarin, "koth" meaning "quarrel" or "enmity".


Forgive me if I'm wrong as I was never able to read past the house of Tom Bombadil in the actual book but, in the film at least, wasn't it Frodo who solved the riddle? Gandalf merely answered Frodo's question of what the word for friend was which triggered the door but it was Frodo who worked out the meaning of the riddle. 69.129.202.222 16:06, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

You are correct. Frodo solved the riddle in both the book and the film.82.65.98.192 16:11, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

No, in the book it was Gandalf.
'I was wrong after all,' said Gandalf, 'and Gimli too. Merry, of all people, was on the right track. The opening word was inscribed on the archway all the time! ...'
Wwoods (talk) 16:51, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

On the idea of "who would win", one discussion board seems to thinkit would be the Balrog, hands down.

When Gandalf fights the Balrog, they do at one point plumment into an underground lake. The Balrog's fire gets quenched, but he becomes "a thing of slime, stronger than a strangling snake." The Balrog subsequently bursts into flame again when Gandalf chases it back outside, so perhaps its incendiary quotient is a measure of its current health? 174.239.193.32 23:35, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

Is it worth noting that "mellon" is Sindarin, since "Elvish" could refer to other languages as well, such as Quenya. (The word for friend in Quenya is meldo.) Tharkon (talk) 19:45, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

I think it is worth noting that the idea of forcing water into areas to annoy evil supernatural forces is a bit of an XKCD theme. It is also referenced in #969 and #1330. 173.245.50.105 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Balrogs are by no means "lowly servants" of Morgoth- they were among his most powerful servants, second only to dragons, and were originally maiar (as gandalf is, and Sauron was). 162.158.88.8 15:17, 4 January 2017 (UTC)