Na Sociedade do Anel, no Capítulo 4. Uma Viagem no Escuro, como a Sociedade acaba de ser derrotada pela nevasca no Portão do Chifre Vermelho, Gandalf está tendo dificuldade em localizar o riacho (o Sirannon) "que funcionou fora dos pés dos penhascos perto de onde as portas [de Moria] estavam ".
Não há menção de um leito de rio real no "país árido de pedras vermelhas".
Deixando de lado temporariamente a quase infalibilidade de Gandalf na maioria dos assuntos (e certamente os de viagem), seria possível que o fato de ele estar perdido pudesse ter sido um truque de Saruman?
Se, por outro lado, Gandalf não estivesse perdido, e de fato estivessem viajando onde o rio anteriormente havia corrido, é possível que mais do que apenas o represamento do Sirannon tenha contribuído para a possível mudança da terra na intervenção? anos? Embora o texto especifique 'riacho' e não 'rio' e, portanto, presumivelmente em uma escala menor que um rio, com menos erosão, etc., ainda parece razoável que alguma característica topográfica ainda esteja presente, sugestiva da ( passado) existência de um fluxo.
Quando finalmente encontram o córrego (ou remanescentes dele), é um "canal profundo e estreito ... vazio e silencioso ..." Então, nesse local, pelo menos, o córrego tem evidências de um canal, embora isso possa ter sido de manufatura anã, e não devido a um efeito natural, como a erosão.
Gimli now walked ahead by the wizard's side, so eager was he to come to
Moria. Together they led the Company back towards the mountains. The only
road of old to Moria from the west had lain along the course of a stream,
the Sirannon, that ran out from the feet of the cliffs near where the doors
had stood. But either Gandalf was astray, or else the land had changed in
recent years; for he did not strike the stream where he looked to find it,
only a few miles southwards from their start.
The morning was passing towards noon, and still the Company wandered
and scrambled in a barren country of red stones. Nowhere could they see any
gleam of water or hear any sound of it. All was bleak and dry. Their hearts
sank. They saw no living thing, and not a bird was in the sky; but what the
night would bring, if it caught them in that lost land, none of them cared
to think.
Suddenly Gimli, who had pressed on ahead, called back to them. He was
standing on a knoll and pointing to the right. Hurrying up they saw below
them a deep and narrow channel. It was empty and silent, and hardly a trickle of water flowed among the brown and red-stained stones of its bed; but on the near side there was a path, much broken and decayed, that wound its way among the ruined walls and paving-stones of an ancient highroad. ‘Ah! Here it is at last! ' said Gandalf. 'This is where the stream ran: Sirannon, the Gate-stream, they used to call it. But what has happened to the water, I cannot guess; it used to be swift and noisy. Come! We must
hurry on. We are late.'
Quanto à possibilidade de Gandalf se desviar, também temos essa citação de Aragorn (Irmandade do Anel, Livro 2, Capítulo 4 - Uma Viagem no Escuro):
'Do not be afraid!' said Aragorn. There was a pause longer than usual,
and Gandalf and Gimli were whispering together; the others were crowded
behind, waiting anxiously. 'Do not be afraid! I have been with him on many a
journey, if never on one so dark; and there are tales of Rivendell of
greater deeds of his than any that I have seen. He will not go astray-if
there is any path to find. He has led us in here against our fears, but he
will lead us out again, at whatever cost to himself. He is surer of finding
the way home in a blind night than the cats of Queen Beruthiel.'
Embora se possa dizer que o propósito do discurso de Aragorn era reforçar os espíritos da Irmandade, as palavras de Aragorn raramente eram de frivolidade. Em vez de ser uma conversa polêmica prosaica, Aragorn aqui está confirmando a verdadeira natureza de Gandalf, por meio de relatos de testemunhas oculares, como eram.