A magical substance made by the Elves from mithril, and used by them to devise writing or inscriptions with extraordinary properties. Designs created using ithildin could only be seen by the light of the Moon and stars, hence its translated name 'starmoon'. Even under those conditions, the designs would remain hidden until a magical formula was spoken. When so activated, images and words created with ithildin would slowly come to life, until they glowed with a glimmering silver light.
The designs and lettering on the West-gate of Moria were made from ithildin, concealing the Doors of Durin until one spoke the necessary incantation and awoke the starmoon with a touch.4 By the end of the Third Age, the words that brought the ithildin to life were nearly forgotten, so that even the Wizard Gandalf had to make a mental effort to recall them to his mind.
The nature of ithildin suggests a connection with 'moon-letters', another form of magical writing that was only visible by the light of the Moon. These moon-letters are not directly said to have been made with ithildin, but the similarities of their purpose and workings suggest that they were related, and some substance with properties very similar to those of ithildin must have been used in their making.
Notes
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II 1697 is the first mention in history of the Doors of Durin that were marked with ithildin, so the substance must have been in existence at this date. Of course this is the absolute latest possible date for its creation; it presumably dated back farther than this, perhaps by centuries or even millennia. The fact that it incorporated mithril, however, implies that it was probably first devised in Eregion, and therefore no earlier than about II 750.
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2 |
It is not clear how widely ithildin was used. Gandalf was familiar enough with the substance to remember the specific spell that brought it to life, which rather implies that he had come across it before, though he may have gained the same information through research rather than experience. The substance contained mithril, which could be found only in Khazad-dûm, but in earlier days the Dwarves would trade far afield. Thus it was conceivable for Elves outside the particular region around Khazad-dûm to have worked with the substance.
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3 |
Gandalf's translation of ithildin as 'starmoon' is close, but not completely literal. The name comes from ithil, 'Moon' and din, 'glint', 'sparkle', also used of small faint stars. So the name would literally be 'moon-sparkle', or more poetically 'moon-star'.
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4 |
The use of ithildin to trace the Doors of Durin, and the need for a spell to awaken their outlines, raises a curious point. The West-gate was said to have been intended for friends to use easily (hence the simple password mellon or 'friend'), but the Doors would have been permanently invisible during the day (or indeed at any time, for those who did not know the awakening spell). They must, therefore, have been rather hard to open, for any friendly visitors who arrived by daylight, or who did not know the magic that revealed their outline.
When the Doors of Durin were originally made, the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm were at peace with their neighbours. Their Doors would usually have been left open, and were attended by a watcher, so presumably their magical qualities and hidden nature presented less of a hindrance in the times before warfare descended on Eregion.
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- Updated 27 January 2026
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