Watcher in the Water

The Watcher in the Water was a mysterious creature with many tentacles that lurked within a dark stagnant pool or lake beneath the western Walls of Moria, which was created by the damming of the Sirannon river. The water had gradually grown deeper and crept closer to the West-gate of Moria, leaving only a narrow walkway where once the Elven-way allowed traffic between Ost-in-Edhil and Khazad-dûm many years before in the Second Age. The full shape of the creature was unknown, but its visible parts were its tentacles, which were long, sinuous, pale-green, and luminous, with a fingered end. The Watcher in the Water gave off "a hideous stench" that was said to make the lake boil.The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. IV: "A Journey in the Dark"
== History ==
In the year 2989 of the Third Age, an expedition led by Balin attempted to reclaim Moria. Their activity attracted the attention of Orcs, who began to attack the Dwarves. In the year 2994, the Dwarves tried to escape from the Mines but were stopped by the Watcher in the Water, who took Óin.
On January 13 of the year 3019, when the Fellowship of the Ring arrived by the pool of water, many immediately began to feel uneasy by the water. As they pondered the riddle of the Doors of Durin, the Watcher in the Water was disturbed when Boromir threw a stone into the dark waters, disturbing the Watcher in the Water. Moving towards the shore from the southern end, the Watcher in the Water attacked the Fellowship just as Gandalf managed to open the West-gate to enter Moria. It grasped Frodo Baggins by his ankle and attempted to drag him by his foot into the water. Samwise Gamgee used a knife to slash at the tentacle that was holding Frodo, causing it to release the hobbit, but enraging it enough for it to attack with twenty other tentacles moments later. Gandalf then commanded the Fellowship to retreat through the Doors to escape the Watcher's attack. The Watcher tried to follow them, using several of its tentacles to finger the cliff-wall. Just as the Fellowship got out of its reach into Moria, the Watcher's coiling arms grasped the enormous stone Doors and wrenched them shut, and the force of this action uprooted the ancient holly trees which grew on either side of the Doors. The trees fell across the Doors and barred them from the outside, trapping the Fellowship within Moria. When Frodo asked Gandalf what the creature was and if there were more, Gandalf revealed that he did not know, but speculated that it must have been drawn out from the deep places beneath the Misty Mountains. Gandalf noted to himself that the creature had seized Frodo first of all the members of the Fellowship, possibly suggesting the influence of the One Ring, or indicating that the Watcher in the Water could sense its presence. 
When the Fellowship found the Book of Mazarbul in the Chamber of Mazarbul, Gandalf read Ori's account that "the pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin. We cannot get out". Gimli commented that at least for them, it was good that the creature was sleeping at the southern end due to the pool not being high enough.The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. V: "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm"
The fate of the Watcher in the Water is unknown, but the Dwarves succeeded in retaking Moria during the Fourth Age.The History of Middle-earth, The Peoples of Middle-earth, "IX. The Making of Appendix A": (iv) "Durin's Folk"
== Speculation ==
While Tolkien never elaborated on the exact nature of the Watcher in the Water, Gandalf theorized that the Watcher came from a dark lake beneath the Misty Mountains, possibly one of those beneath Moria. If this theory is true, it is possible that the Watcher may have been one of the nameless things said to have gnawed earth deep beneath the Mountains.
Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull have suggested that the description of the creature recalls that of a cephalopod, though they noted that this was unlikely since the Watcher "has at least twenty-one tentacles or arms rather than eight or ten".The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, pg. 283
In David Day's A Tolkien Bestiary, the Watcher in the Water is described as a great kraken, being an ancient and terrible creature that was bred by Morgoth in Utumno before Varda rekindled the Stars. It is speculated that krakens dwelt in dark waters and were a bane to all of the Free Peoples. Some of these speculative krakens survived into the Third Age by hibernating in the farthest depths of abysmal seas. One kraken that dwelt beneath Moria awoke around the same time as Durin's Bane. It came to the river Sirannon, which it dammed, and built up the pool by the West Gate. It was the guardian of the West Gate, the Watcher in the Water, and none could pass without a challenge. David Day's speculation is unlikely because The Silmarillion specifies that all of Morgoth's servants loathed and shunned the water and would only venture on the sea in dire need. Though the Watcher appeared to be malicious, it is more probable that it may have been operating independently of the Dark Lord, similar to Smaug and other dragons in the same Age.
== In adaptations ==
=== The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) ===
The Watcher in the Water is a green, multi-tentacled monster. Only the tentacles can be seen. It takes Bill the Pony (who, in the actual books, is revealed several books later to have escaped and somehow made his way back to Bree) and pulls the Doors of Durin shut once the Fellowship is inside the mountains.
=== The Lord of the Rings film trilogy ===
The Watcher in the Water is portrayed in Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) as a highly computer-generated creature. The Watcher is disturbed by Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, who throw rocks in the water to pass the time while Gandalf tries to figure out the password to enters Moria. (This differs from the original story, in which it was Boromir who disturbed the water by throwing a stone.) By the time the riddle of the Door is figured out and spoken, the Watcher is already provoked. It emerges slightly, catches Frodo, and lifts him in the air, despite Samwise Gamgee's attempts to defend him. The rest of the Fellowship, attempting to injure the Watcher's many serpentine tentacles save him. The Watcher drops Frodo when it is injured, and he is caught by Boromir. Legolas shoots the Watcher in the eye as the Fellowship retreats into the Mines of Moria. Just as they enter completely, the Watcher tears down the doorway behind them, and the way out is blocked by falling rocks. The Fellowship is then forced to travel into the darkness of Moria.
During the scene in the Chamber of Mazarbul, the fact that the Watcher took Óin is omitted from Gandalf's reading of the Book of Mazarbul.
Although J.R.R. Tolkien described the creature to have twenty-one tentacles, Peter Jackson instead gave it twelve visible tentacles, due to the effects team finding that twenty-one tentacles were difficult to render properly.
Due to the popularity of the films, it has been common for the Watcher in the Water to be depicted as the kraken that Peter Jackson created - but it should be noted that Tolkien never described the creature's physical attributes aside from the tentacles.
=== Video games ===
==== The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring video game ====
The Watcher in the Water is depicted as a sea serpent-like creature, with several thick tentacles that shoot out of the pool. The player, in the persona of Aragorn, needs to shoot them with a bow to stun the creature while Gandalf attempts to decipher the password for the West-gate.
==== The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers video game ====
The Watcher in the Water appears in the mission "Gates of Moria", one of several missions in the game that portray events from the Fellowship of the Ring despite the game's focus on the events of The Two Towers. The Watcher is depicted virtually identically to the way it appears in the 2001 film The Fellowship of the Ring, though its tentacles are visible in the lead up to the Doors of Durin instead of solely harrying the party directly in front of the Doors. The player - who can be any of Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli - must parry the Watcher's tentacle attacks, then slice off a parried tentacle, which will provoke the Watcher to rear its head above the water, where it can be actually damaged with ranged attacks. After a short period, the Watcher will dive back and under and attack with tentacles once more, and this process will repeat until either the player character or the Watcher perishes.
==== The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age ====
In The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, the Watcher in the Water is the first real boss that Berethor's party has to face. Its attacks consist mainly of tentacle attacks and "Reeking Spout", a gust of foul breath and slime that deals significant damage to the whole party. After a brief but fierce battle, Berethor's company is able to anger the Watcher enough to clear the way for them to enter Moria. Shortly after, they end up fighting the Watcher again, this time in a huge lake that has flooded part of Moria. This time, they kill it for good.
However, this game is non-canonical to the book, and even to the movie, so the Watcher's fate is still unknown.
==== The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II ====
In EA's The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, the Watcher in the Water is a power to use in Isengard and the Goblins in the Evil Campaign or in a Skirmish. When it attacks, it uses its tentacles to smack any surrounding enemies. When picking up an enemy with one of its tentacles, it eats it and its health heals. It is a commander on the Good Campaign in Missions 2, 6 & 8.When it dies or its time is done it goes back into the water pool where it goes to its home until it is summoned again. In the Evil Campaign it cost ten power points, while in a Skirmish it costs 15.
==== The Lord of the Rings Online ====
The Watcher in the Water first features in the Moria introduction, where it drove off the Dwarves of the Iron Garrison in their first attempt to enter Moria. Upon beginning Volume II of The Lord of the Rings, the player enters Moria with his/her legendary, which can be named and tailored to a specific play-style, making the new weapons very innovative and much more powerful than regular weapons. Before entering Moria, the prologue has the player at the Walls of Moria. After completing Book I you may enter Moria. However, the first expedition goes wrong, and the watcher takes Bróin . While Bróin is not dead, several other Dwarves are killed and the group flees. Upon returning, you have been granted a legendary weapon, which is capable of hurting the watcher. After a prolonged fight of tentacle cutting and more hacking and slashing, the watcher retreats and you may enter Moria. After being driven out of the Black Pool before the Doors of Durin, it is encountered and driven off again in the Water-Works of Moria later in the Epic series. Its final appearance is in a twelve-man raid in which the objective is to finally put an end to the creature. This instances rewards one of the rarest and infamous trophies in the game. However, it takes a large group to do this raid, or a group of high level players. It is recommended that before starting Moria you are level 50 and have completed Volume I: The Shadows of Angmar (in which you aid Gandalf and the Fellowship by fighting the False king of Angmar's forces). It is also noted that the killing of the watcher was never confirmed in the books.The Lord of the Rings Online
==== LEGO The Lord of the Rings ====
In LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Video Game the Watcher in the Water appears in a role virtually identical to that in the films, though the events of its encounter with the Fellowship is added onto for gameplay purposes.
==== Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ====
In Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, there is rumored to be another Watcher within the Sea of Núrnen, seemingly larger than the Watcher in the Water.
== Gallery ==
File:Watcher in the Watera.jpg|The Watcher in the Water Power from The Battle for Middle-earth II
File:The Watcher - LOTR The Card Game.JPG|The Watcher in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, The Watcher in the Water Adventure Pack
File:The Watcher (The Road Darkens Scenario) - LOTR The Card Game.JPG|The Watcher in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, The Road Darkens Expansion
== Translations ==
Foreign Language 	Translated name
Afrikaans 	Bode in die Water
Albanian 	Vrojtues në Ujë
Amharic 	በውኃ ውስጥ ተጠባባቂ ?
Arabic 	المراقب في الماء
Armenian 	պահապան ջրի մեջ
Basque 	Uretan Behatzailea
Belarusian Cyrillic 	вартаўнік ў вадзе
Bengali 	পানিতে প্রহরী
Bosnian 	Posmatrač u Vodi
Bulgarian Cyrillic 	наблюдател във водата
Cambodian 	មើលនៅក្នុងទឹក
Catalan 	Observador en L'aigua
Cebuano 	Bantayan diha sa Tubig
Chinese (Hong Kong) 	水中監視者
Chinese (Simplified) 	水中的监视者
Croatian 	Stražar u Vodi
Czech 	Hlídač ve Vodě
Danish 	Iagttager i Vandet
Dutch 	Waker in Het Water
Esperanto 	Prizorganto en la Akvo
Estonian 	Vaataja Vees
Filipino 	Bantay sa Tubig
Finnish 	Veden valvoja
French 	Guetteur de l'Eau
Frisian 	Horloazje yn it Wetter
Galician 	Observador na Auga
German 	Wächter im Wasser
Greek 	Παρατηρητής στο Νερό
Gujarati 	પાણી નોંધક
Hausa 	Tsaro a cikin ruwa
Hebrew 	צופה על המים
Hindi 	पानी में चौकीदार
Hungarian 	A Tó őre
Icelandic 	Áhorfandi í Vatni
Italian 	Osservatore nell'acqua
Japanese 	水中の監視者
Javanese 	Penonton ing Banyu
Korean 	호수의 감시자
Latvian 	Vērotājs no Ūdens
Lithuanian 	Stebėtojas į Vandenį
Macedonian Cyrillic 	стражар во вода
Nepalese 	पानी मा हेरविचार
Norwegian 	Sjøens vokterVokteren i vannet
Pashto 	په اوبو کې څیړونکی
Persian 	نظاره گر در آب
Polish 	Czatownik z Wody
Portuguese (Brazil) 	Vigia na Água
Romanian 	Gardă în Apă
Russian 	Глубинный Страж
Serbian 	ватцхер у води (Cyrillic) Vidovita u Vodi (Latin)
Shona 	Mucherekedzi Mumvura
Sinhalese 	ජලය මුරකරු
Slovak 	Strážca vo Vode
Slovenian 	Stražar v Vodi
Spanish (Spain and Latin America)	Guardián del Agua
Swahili 	Mlinzi katika maji
Swedish 	Bevakare i Vattnet
Tajik Cyrillic 	нигаҳбонашон дар об
Tamil 	நீரில் கவனிப்பவர்
Thai 	ร้ายที่อยู่ในน้ำ
Turkish 	Sudaki Gözcü
Ukrainian Cyrillic 	спостерігач у воді
Urdu 	پانی میں نگہبان
Uzbek 	Сувда Қоровул (Cyrillic) Suvda Qorovul (Latin)
Uyghur 	ۋاتچھەر ىن تھە ۋاتەر
Welsh 	Gwyliwr yn y Dŵr
Yiddish 	וואַטשער אין די וואַסער
== References ==
de:Wächter im Wasser
es:Guardián del Agua
fr:Guetteur de l'Eau
it:Osservatore nell'Acqua
pl:Czatownik
ru:Глубинный Страж
Category:Monsters
Category:Mystery
Category:Minor characters (The Lord of the Rings)
Category:The Fellowship of the Ring (film) characters