The following article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 2.Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy had its issues, including poor pacing, a bloated narrative, an unnecessary love triangle, and a heavy reliance on computer generated-imagery instead of practical makeup. However, the films can be praised for their in-depth exploration of Dwarven culture and history. In The Lord of the Rings film series, we don’t get to learn much about the ways of the Dwarves outside of what Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) reveals. The Hobbit films explore the tragic circumstances that forced the Dwarves out of their homes.
The Dwarves of Khazad-dûm created a sprawling underground kingdom where they diligently worked as miners, blacksmiths, and craftsmen. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shows a different time in Khazad-dûm, before the fearsome Balrog turns Khazad-dûm into the ruinous “Mines of Moria” that we see in The Fellowship of the Ring, the Dwarves thrived underground. They take pride in their independence and natural ability to create tools, weapons, and devices. The Dwarves are happy to see the High Elven politician Elrond (Robert Aramayo) fail in his attempt to best Durin IV (Owain Arthur) in a rock-smashing contest known as the “Rite of Sigin-tarâg.”
Durin IV's Wife Disa Introduces Viewers to the Idea of Resonating
We get to learn more about Dwarven culture when Elrond joins Durin IV and his family for a meal. Durin IV’s wife, Disa (Sophia Nomvete), scolds her husband for his temper. She’s charmed by Elrond’s kind nature and understands that her husband has deep love for his friend. However, Durin IV casts doubts on his old friend’s sincerity. In the two decades since they saw each other last, Elrond never visited Durin IV. He missed both his wedding and the birth of his children. Elrond only returns to ask Durin IV to join him in Celebrimbor's (Charles Edwards) forge. It seems like he only shows up when he wants something.
Elrond takes these criticisms to heart and takes a moment to reflect on his immortality. What felt like just the passing of a season to him was a lifetime for Durin IV. Although Durin IV is hesitant to accept his apology, Elrond takes the time to catch up on his friend’s life in the years since by conversing with Disa. It’s here where Disa explains how she and her husband first met.
Disa explains that Durin IV first noticed her when she was using a power known as “resonating.” As Disa explains it, resonating allows Dwarves to literally “sing to the stones” and commune with the Earth itself. Outside of being a beautiful natural process, resonating plays a critical role in the Dwarves’ expansion. By detecting the objects that lie beneath them, they are able to create the subterranean complex where their mines reside. Disa describes it as a process of mutual respect; the Dwarves recognize the areas where they must “leave the mountain untouched.”
Would Resonating Have Prevented the Balrog Attack?
This is an interesting aspect of Dwarven culture that hopefully we will learn more about as the series continues. Although we don’t actually see Disa resonating in the first two episodes, some teaser trailers have shown brief glimpses of the process. It is clear that resonating could help the dwarves and tell them where they should not mine, but as we know from The Lord of the Rings, the Balrog was released because the dwarves got greedy and mined too deep into their mountain.
So could resonating have prevented the attack on Khazad-dûm? Maybe, but we've clearly glimpsed the Balrog in the teaser trailers, and it seems as if Durin's father, During III, has something up his sleeve already. Although Disa seems to have a good head on her shoulders, the Dwarven king seems eager to keep the elves at an arms-length. But, we also know that Durin IV and the Dwarves will eventually have to join their Elven allies in order to stop the onslaught of Sauron’s forces. There is a lot of time between now and the War of the Last Alliance, so anything is possible.