The Lord of the Rings perilous path through the Mines of Moria. They are attacked by the Watcher in the Water before the doors of Moria. Inside Moria, they learn of the fate of Balin and his colony of Dwarves. After surviving an attack, they are pursued by Orcs and by an ancient demon called a Balrog. Gandalf faces the Balrog, and both of them fall into the abyss. The others escape and find refuge in the Elven forest of Lothlórien, where they are counselled by its rulers, Galadriel and Celeborn. With boats and gifts from Galadriel, the Company travel down the River Anduin to
Themes of The Lord of the Rings foreshadowed that of Christ. The fall of Gandalf, who fell to save his companions, thus parallels the crucifixion of Christ to save the human race. One of the most obvious Christian themes in Tolkien's writings is the resurrection of Gandalf, who had to sacrifice everything—even his years of plans, efforts, and his very hopes that the Dark Lord might be defeated—in order to secure the safety of the Fellowship. Like Jesus who carried his cross for the sins of mankind, Frodo carried a burden of evil on behalf of the whole world. Frodo walks his "Via Dolorosa" to Mount Doom