Citizendia
Your Ad Here

This article deals with J. R. R. Tolkien's Balrogs. For other uses, see Balrog (disambiguation).
"Gothmog" redirects here. For the lieutenant of Minas Morgul, see Gothmog (Third Age). Minas Morgul (ˈminas ˈmɔrɡuɫ ( Sindarin: Tower of Black Magic) also known by its earlier name of Minas Ithil ( Sindarin: Tower of the Gothmog is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium.
External images
The Balrog (1976)
by the Brothers Hildebrandt
The Bridge of Khazad-dûm (1997)
by John Howe
At The Bridge (2002)
by Ted Nasmith

A Balrog is a fictional creature from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The Brothers Hildebrandt are Twin brothers who collaboratively worked as Fantasy and Science fiction artists John Howe (born August 21, 1957 in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada) is a book Illustrator, living in Neuchatel, Ted Nasmith is a Canadian Artist, Illustrator and architectural renderer. Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J Tolkien's Legendarium (ISBN 0-313-30530-7 is a collection of scholarly essays edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F

Balrogs were tall, menacing humanoid beings, with the ability to shroud themselves in fire, darkness, and shadow. They frequently appeared armed with fiery whips of many thongs. The word whip describes two basic types of tools A long stick-like device usually slightly flexible with a small bit of leather or cord called a "popper" on the In Tolkien's later conception, they could not be casually destroyed: significant power was required. Only dragons rivalled their capacity for ferocity and destruction,[1] and during the First Age, they were among the most feared of Morgoth's forces. J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium features dragons closely based on those of European legend In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar in full is the first documented time period and the setting The name The name Morgoth is Sindarin, one of Tolkien's invented languages and means "Black Enemy" Bauglir is also Sindarin meaning

Balrogs first appeared in print in The Lord of the Rings, though they figured in earlier writings that later appeared in The Silmarillion and other books. The Lord of the Rings is an epic

Contents

History

Gothmog at the Storming of Gondolinillustration by Tom Loback
Gothmog at the Storming of Gondolin[2]
illustration by Tom Loback

The Balrogs were originally Maiar, of the same order as Sauron, Saruman and Gandalf, but they were seduced by Melkor, who corrupted them to his service in the days of his splendour before the making of Arda. The Maiar (singular Maia) are beings from J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy legendarium. Sauron (ˈsaʊrɒn Quenya: /sawrɔn/ literal meaning "Abhorred") is the title character and the principal Antagonist of the Fantasy Concept and creation Saruman first appears in 1954's The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the Fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings Concept and creation Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a Postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain The name The name Morgoth is Sindarin, one of Tolkien's invented languages and means "Black Enemy" Bauglir is also Sindarin meaning [3][4] Gandalf said of the Balrogs that they were older than Sauron,[5] meaning perhaps that they were corrupted to his purpose even earlier than Sauron.

At the dawn of the First Age, upon the waking of the Elves, the Valar captured Melkor and destroyed his fortresses Utumno and Angband . In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar in full is the first documented time period and the setting In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, an Elf is an individual member of one of the races that inhabit the lands of Arda. The Valar (singular Vala) are characters in J R R Tolkien 's legendarium. Minor places in Arda#Place Name -->;Place name description1 Further description prefix with: once In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional world of Middle-earth, Angband ( Sindarin for 'Hells of Iron' although the literal meaning is 'iron prison' is But the deepest pits were overlooked,[6] and the Balrogs fled into hiding along with Melkor's other allies. Many years later, Melkor, now named Morgoth, returning to Middle-earth from Valinor, was attacked by Ungoliant, and his piercing scream drew the Balrogs out of hiding to his rescue. Ungoliant is a fictional character in JRR Tolkien 's legendarium.

When the Noldor arrived in Beleriand in pursuit of Morgoth, they won a swift victory over his Orcs in the Dagor-nuin-Giliath. In the works of J R R Tolkien, the Noldor (meaning those with knowledge) were those of the second clan of the Elves, the Tatyar, who came In J R R Tolkien 's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy writings Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains In J R R Tolkien 's fictional Middle-earth, the Dagor-nuin-Giliath ( Battle under the Stars) is the second battle of the Wars of Beleriand, Fëanor pressed on towards Angband; but the Balrogs came against him, and Fëanor was mortally wounded by Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs. Fëanor is a character from J R R Tolkien 's fictional history The Silmarillion. This article deals with J R R Tolkien's Balrogs For other uses see Balrog (disambiguation. His sons fought off the Balrogs, but Fëanor died of his wounds shortly afterward. [7]

Tolkien tells of two Balrogs slain by Elves in the fall of Gondolin. Weaponcraft The smiths of Gondolin using Noldorin techniques and magics made powerful magic blades [8] During the assault on the city, Ecthelion of the Fountain fought Gothmog in the square of the king where "each slew the other. Literature Ecthelion was one of the lords of the city-kingdom of Gondolin, ruled by Turgon; he led the House of the Fountain one of the city's twelve noble " Glorfindel fought a Balrog who waylaid an escape party from the fallen city; both fell off the mountainside in the struggle and perished. Appearances Literature Origins Glorfindel first appears in Tolkien's fantasy in The Fall of Gondolin about the conquest of the Elven

In the War of Wrath that ended the First Age, most of the Balrogs were destroyed, though some managed to escape and hide in "caverns at the roots of the earth". In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, the War of Wrath, or the Great Battle, was the final war against Morgoth at the end of the First [9]

In the year 1980 of the Third Age, the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm delved so deeply that they disturbed or released one of the hidden Balrogs. The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to what had once been an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth The Balrog killed Durin VI and his son Náin I, and was subsequently known as Durin's Bane (below). This article is about characters in JRR Tolkien's legendarium This is a list of Dwarves from J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth. The Balrog forced the Dwarves to abandon Moria. In T.A. 3019, the Fellowship of the Ring also ventured through Moria and were attacked in the Chamber of Mazarbul by Orcs and the Balrog. The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings The Fellowship of the Ring, or Company of the Ring, as described in the first volume of The Lord of the Rings, which bears the same name is In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to what had once been an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth [10] Gandalf faced the Balrog at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. He slew the Balrog but perished himself at the same time — only to be sent back as the more powerful Gandalf the White.

Characteristics

Tolkien's conception of Balrogs changed over time. In his early writing, they are numerous (hosts of them number in the hundreds),[11] roughly of human shape and size,[12] and are frequently killed in battle with Elves and Men. They were always fierce demons, associated with fire, armed with fiery whips of many thongs and claws like steel, and Morgoth delighted to use them to torture his captives. [13]

But in the published version of the The Lord of the Rings, they have become altogether more sinister: powerful, larger, and less common. Christopher Tolkien notes the difference, saying that in earlier versions they were "less terrible and certainly more destructible", and quotes a late note saying "at most seven" ever existed. [14] By this time they have ceased to be creatures, but are instead Maiar (lesser Valar, like Gandalf or Sauron), spirits of fire whom Melkor had corrupted before the creation of the World. The Maiar (singular Maia) are beings from J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy legendarium. [15] It requires power on the order of Gandalf's to destroy them;[16] and as Maiar, only their physical forms could be destroyed.

Tolkien says of the Valar (including the Maiar) that they can change their shape at will, and move unclad in the raiment of the world, meaning invisible and without form. [17] But it seems that Morgoth, Sauron, and their associated Maiar could lose this ability: Morgoth, for example, was unable to heal his burns from the Silmarils or wounds from Fingolfin and Thorondor;[18] and Sauron lost his ability to assume a fair-seeming form after his physical body was destroyed in the downfall of Númenor. The Silmarils ( Quenya pl Silmarilli, radiance of pure light) are three brilliant jewels which contained the unmarred light of the Two Trees Fingolfin in songs The song "Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill" of the German power-metal band Blind Guardian tells the story of the fight between In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the eagles were immense flying Birds that were sapient and could speak Sauron (ˈsaʊrɒn Quenya: /sawrɔn/ literal meaning "Abhorred") is the title character and the principal Antagonist of the Fantasy Númenor (ˈnuːmɛnɔɹ is a Fictional place in J R R Tolkien 's writings which the author intended to be an allusion to the legendary Atlantis. [19]

Tolkien does not address this specifically for Balrogs. In "the Bridge of Khazad-dûm" in The Fellowship of the Ring, the Balrog appears "like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater". Though previously the Balrog had entered the "large square chamber" of Mazarbul (through a doorway with a stone door on hinges, which cannot have been very large), at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm it "drew itself to a great height, and its wings spread from wall to wall" in what was a vast hall.

The Balrog's size and shape, therefore, are not given precisely. It is easy to conclude that it could change both; and some conclude that this spirit of flame and shadow may not be very corporeal — though when Gandalf threw it from the peak of Zirakzigal, the Balrog "broke the mountain-side where he smote it in his ruin". [5]

Whether Balrogs have wings (and if so, whether they can fly) is a vexed and heated debate that has raged for years on the Internet. This is due partly to Tolkien's changing conception of Balrogs, but mostly to his imprecise but suggestive and possibly figurative description of the Balrog that confronted Gandalf in Moria. [20]

The two key quotes:

His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings.

… suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall …

The argument hinges on whether the "wings" are physical wings or simply figurative wings of shadow. Many additional facts are adduced to the argument (such as the possible shape-shifting character of Balrogs, or that they seem never to fly, even when it would be to their advantage), but there is not enough firm description in Tolkien's writing to settle the argument definitively. Good summaries are available at The Encyclopedia of Arda and (a partisan view) Xenite.org.

The Balrog of Moria used a flaming sword ("From out of the shadow a red sword leapt flaming") and the characteristic many-thonged whip of flame in its battle with Gandalf. A flaming sword is a fictional Sword glowing with Flame by some Supernatural power In The Silmarillion, they also used black axes and maces. [21]. Earlier writings also speak of steel claws and iron mail. [22]

Name

The name, but not the meaning, is relatively early: it appears in the Fall of Gondolin, one of the earliest texts Tolkien wrote (ca. In the writings of JRR Tolkien, the "Fall of Gondolin" is the name of one of the original Lost Tales which formed the basis for a section in his later 1918). At the time the name is described as "an Orc-word with no pure Quenya equivalent: 'borrowed Malaroko-'". Its meaning at the time was Cruel demon.

In the Gnomish (=early Sindarin) wordlist from the same period Balrog is given as balc 'cruel' + graug 'demon', with a Quenya equivalent Malkarauke. Variant forms of the latter include Nalkarauke and Valkarauke.

By the 1940s, when the writing of The Lord of the Rings had begun, Tolkien had come to think of Balrog as Noldorin (Sindarin) balch (cruel) + rhaug (demon), with a Quenya equivalent Malarauko (from nwalya- (to torture) + rauko (demon).

The last etymology given for Balrog, written as part of Quendi and Eldar, gives the Quenya form Valarauko (Demon of Might), defining Balrog as the Sindarin translation. The War of the Jewels is the 11th volume of Christopher Tolkien's series The History of Middle-earth, analyzing the unpublished manuscripts of This etymology was adopted in the published The Silmarillion.

The Sindarin plural form for Balrog is not clear. Tolkien consistently used Balrogs, but this is generally considered an anglicization because Sindarin does not form plurals in that way. Anglicisation or anglicization (see -ise vs -ize) is a process of conversion of verbal or written elements of any other language into a more comprehensible English In one case Tolkien used Balrogath,[23] similar to Periannath for 'Halflings', Dagorath for 'battles'. In J R R Tolkien 's legendarium, Hobbits are a diminutive race that inhabit the lands of Middle-earth. However, the '-ath' suffix was often used as a 'class plural' (cf. giliath for 'all stars of the firmament'), and thus 'Balrogath' might mean 'Balrogkind' rather than simply 'Balrogs'. Linguists disagree on how a simple Sindarin plural would be formed, but most often suggest either *Balroeg or *Belryg.

The plural form for Quenya Valarauko is attested as Valaraukar.

Gandalf on the bridge of Khazad-dûm calls the Balrog "flame of Udûn" (Udûn being the Sindarin name of Morgoth's fortress Utumno). Concept and creation Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a Postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain Minor places in Arda#Place Name -->;Place name description1 Further description prefix with: once

Gothmog is called a "son of Melko",[24] though creatures that appear as offspring of the Valar in early recensions of the stories instead become Maiar in later versions.

Individual Balrogs

Gothmog

Gothmog appears in various versions of Silmarillion material. The Silmarillion is a collection of J R R Tolkien 's mythopoeic works edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in He is physically massive and strong, and in one version he is some 12 feet tall. [25] He wields a black axe and whip of flame as his weapons. As the chief of the Balrogs, Gothmog is perhaps the single most physically powerful of Morgoth's servants.

He holds the titles of the Lord of the Balrogs (but see Lungorthin below), the High Captain of Angband, and Marshal of the Hosts. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional world of Middle-earth, Angband ( Sindarin for 'Hells of Iron' although the literal meaning is 'iron prison' is While Sauron is widely considered to be Morgoth's second in command, Gothmog is clearly Morgoth's champion at arms as his armies deal the Noldor their most crushing defeats on the battlefields of Beleriand. Sauron (ˈsaʊrɒn Quenya: /sawrɔn/ literal meaning "Abhorred") is the title character and the principal Antagonist of the Fantasy As High Captain of Angband he is particularly visible in several of the six great battles fought by Melkor's evil forces against the Elves. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, an Elf is an individual member of one of the races that inhabit the lands of Arda.

In the Second Battle, Dagor-nuin-Giliath, he leads a force that ambushes Fëanor and wounds him mortally. In J R R Tolkien 's fictional Middle-earth, the Dagor-nuin-Giliath ( Battle under the Stars) is the second battle of the Wars of Beleriand, Fëanor is a character from J R R Tolkien 's fictional history The Silmarillion. He leads Balrogs, Orc-hosts, and Dragons as Morgoth's commander in the field in the Fifth Battle, Nírnaeth Arnoediad, and slays Fingon, High King of the Noldor. In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy writings Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains In J R R Tolkien 's legendarium of Middle-earth, the (Dagor Nírnaeth Arnoediad or (Battle of Unnumbered Tears was the climactic Fifth Battle Character overview He was a Noldorin Elf, the eldest son of Fingolfin, older brother of Turgon, Aredhel, and Argon In the works of J R R Tolkien, the Noldor (meaning those with knowledge) were those of the second clan of the Elves, the Tatyar, who came In that same battle, he captures Húrin of Dor-lómin, who had slain his personal guard of Battle-trolls, and brings him to Angband. Appearance and history. was shorter in stature than other men of his kin in this he took after his mother's people but in all else he was like Hador his grandfather In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Dor-lómin was a part of the land of Hithlum in Middle-earth. In J R R Tolkien 's world of Middle-earth, Trolls are very large (twelve feet tall or more humanoids of great strength and poor intellect As Marshall of the Hosts he is in command of the Storming of Gondolin. Weaponcraft The smiths of Gondolin using Noldorin techniques and magics made powerful magic blades He is near to killing Tuor when Ecthelion of the Fountain, Noldorin Elf-lord, intervenes, slays and is slain by Gothmog in single combat. Literature Tuor was a great hero of the Third House of Men in the First Age, the only son of Huor and Rían and the cousin of Literature Ecthelion was one of the lords of the city-kingdom of Gondolin, ruled by Turgon; he led the House of the Fountain one of the city's twelve noble

In The Book of Lost Tales, Tolkien describes Kosomot, the original version of Gothmog, as a son of Morgoth and the ogress, Fluithuin or Ulbandi,[26] but the idea of the children of Valar was largely abandoned in later writings. The Book of Lost Tales is the title of a collection of early stories by J The Valar (singular Vala) are characters in J R R Tolkien 's legendarium.

Gothmog is Sindarin and means 'Dread Oppressor'. [27]

Kosomot is often considered Gothmog's Quenya name;[28] however, in the Qenya name-list of The Fall of Gondolin another version appears, Kosomoko. [29] (According to later etymology, his name in Quenya would rather be Osombauko. )

In The Lord of the Rings, a different character bears the name "Gothmog"; see Gothmog (Third Age). The Lord of the Rings is an epic Gothmog is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium.

Lungorthin

Lungorthin appears in Tolkien's early Lay of the Children of Húrin as "Lungorthin, Lord of Balrogs". The Lays of Beleriand, published in 1985 is the third volume of Christopher Tolkien 's 12-volume book series The History of Middle-earth, in which he analyzes This might be another name for Gothmog (above), though Christopher Tolkien thought it more likely that Lungorthin was simply "a Balrog lord". [30]

Balrog of Moria

Durin's Bane is the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings, encountered by the Fellowship of the Ring in the Mines of Moria. The Lord of the Rings is an epic The Fellowship of the Ring, or Company of the Ring, as described in the first volume of The Lord of the Rings, which bears the same name is In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to what had once been an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth Gandalf apparently dies in the struggle to defeat it, but defeats it in a fierce battle and returns as "The White Wizard" to the ents, or Gandalf the White. Concept and creation Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a Postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain

This Balrog survived the defeat of Morgoth in the War of Wrath and escaped to hide beneath the Misty Mountains. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, the War of Wrath, or the Great Battle, was the final war against Morgoth at the end of the First In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy world of Middle-earth, the Misty Mountains (also known by its Sindarin name of Hithaeglir [31] For more than five millennia, the Balrog remained in its deep hiding place at the roots of the mountains in Khazad-dûm, until in the Third Age the mithril-miners of Dwarf-King Durin VI disturbed it in T.A. 1980. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to what had once been an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings This article is about characters in JRR Tolkien's legendarium The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings Durin was killed by the Balrog, whence it was called Durin's Bane. [31][32]

The Dwarves attempted to fight the Balrog, but its power was far too great. Despite their efforts to hold Khazad-dûm against it, King Náin and many other Dwarves were killed and the survivors were forced to flee. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to what had once been an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth This is a list of Dwarves from J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth. This disaster also reached the Silvan Elves of Lórien, many of whom also fled the "Nameless Terror". In J R R Tolkien 's fiction Lothlórien is a Welsh -sounding name given to the fairest forest realm of the Elves remaining in Middle-earth [31] (It was not recognized as a Balrog at the time. ) The Elves called the place Moria, the "Black Pit"[33] or "Black Chasm"[34] (though the name Moria also appears on the West Gate of Moria, constructed thousands of years earlier in the Second Age). In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, an Elf is an individual member of one of the races that inhabit the lands of Arda.

For another 500 years, Moria was left to the Balrog. Then around T.A. 2480 Sauron began to put his plans for war into effect, and he sent Orcs and Trolls to the Misty Mountains to bar all of the passes. The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings Sauron (ˈsaʊrɒn Quenya: /sawrɔn/ literal meaning "Abhorred") is the title character and the principal Antagonist of the Fantasy In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy writings Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains In J R R Tolkien 's world of Middle-earth, Trolls are very large (twelve feet tall or more humanoids of great strength and poor intellect In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy world of Middle-earth, the Misty Mountains (also known by its Sindarin name of Hithaeglir [32] Some of these creatures came to Moria, and the Balrog allowed them to remain.

The Battle of Azanulbizar was the climax of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings include many wars and battles set in the lands of Aman, Beleriand, Númenor, and J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings include many wars and battles set in the lands of Aman, Beleriand, Númenor, and It took place before the eastern gate of Moria in T.A. 2799 and was a victory for the Dwarves. The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings However, the victors did not conquer Moria because Dáin Ironfoot, having slain the Orc Azog, felt the terror of the Balrog at the gate. Dáin II Ironfoot was a Dwarven king of Erebor from J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy legendarium concerning Middle-earth The following is a list of Orcs of Middle-earth, created by fantasy [31] Despite an attempt to recolonize Moria by Balin in T.A. 2989,[32] Durin's Bane remained there a menace whose nature was hidden to the outside world. Balin is a fictional character in J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium. The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings

In January, T.A. 3019, the Fellowship of the Ring travelled through Moria on the way to Mount Doom. The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings The Fellowship of the Ring, or Company of the Ring, as described in the first volume of The Lord of the Rings, which bears the same name is They were attacked in the Chamber of Mazarbul by Orcs. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to what had once been an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth [35] The Fellowship fled through a side door, but when the wizard Gandalf the Grey tried to place a "shutting spell" on the door to block the pursuit behind them, the Balrog entered the chamber on the other side and cast a counterspell. Concept and creation Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a Postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain Gandalf spoke a word of command to stay the door, but the door shattered and the chamber collapsed. Gandalf was severely weakened by this encounter. The company fled with him, but the Orcs and the Balrog, taking a different route, caught up with them at the bridge of Khazad-dûm. The Elf Legolas instantly recognized the Balrog and Gandalf challenged it. Appearances Literature Legolas was the son of Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm of Northern Mirkwood, who appears as "the Elvenking" Since Gandalf and the Balrog were both Maiar, they were beings of the same order. The Maiar (singular Maia) are beings from J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy legendarium. As they faced each other, Gandalf broke the Bridge beneath the Balrog, but as the Balrog fell it wrapped its whip around Gandalf's knees, dragging him to the brink. As the Fellowship looked in horror, Gandalf cried "Fly, you fools!" and fell.

After the long fall, the two landed in a subterranean lake, which extinguished the flames of the Balrog's body, greatly weakening it. The Balrog fled, and Gandalf pursued the creature for eight days until they climbed to the peak of Zirakzigil, at which point the Balrog's body burst into flames again. Minor places in Middle-earth#Place Name -->;Place name description1 Further description prefix with Here they fought for two days and nights. J R R Tolkien 's High fantasy book The Lord of the Rings concerns itself with among other things the War of the Ring, a war waged by the In the end, the Balrog was defeated and cast down, breaking the mountainside where it fell. [5] Gandalf himself died following this ordeal, but was later sent back to Middle-earth with even greater powers as Gandalf the White. Tolkien does not discuss the ultimate fate of the Balrog.

Adaptations

The Balrog from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
The Balrog from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 Fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson based on the similarly titled first

For movie adaptations of the book, the issues regarding Balrog wings and size needed to be resolved. The Balrog in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated version resembled a winged lion complete with a mane, who walked upright, not much larger than man-sized but considerably heavier, and it did fly. Ralph Bakshi (born October 29 1938 is an American director of animated and occasionally live-action films

Peter Jackson's film versions of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, released in 2001 and 2002 respectively, ultimately decided on a very large winged monster that resembled lava covered with a dark crust. The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 Fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson based on the similarly titled first The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers is a 2002 Fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson based on the second volume of J However, during the fight with Gandalf, the Balrog could not fly. This may have been because the physical characteristics of the wing did not permit flight (they did not have any sort of flesh on them, but like the rest of the Balrog's body appeared to be made out of shadow and fire, thus the Balrog's wings may not have needed substance to be capable of flight), or the Balrog may have been too injured and engaged in combat with Gandalf to fly. It was also killed only when Glamdring was struck by lightning, temporarily infusing the energy into the sword. The following list of weapons and armour of Middle-earth includes all weaponry and Armour directly taken from J John Howe designed this version of the creature, explaining in The Art of the Fellowship of the Ring book; "It doesn't say they don't have wings, so why not? That was Peter's tongue-in-cheek approach, too!"

Concept art was drawn up for a "slime balrog"; the balrog fell into the lake and its fires were extinguished, and the "shadow" aspect of it emphasized, a "thing of slime" (as described in the book) and pure darkness. The concept was not used in the film for budgetary reasons.

In the computer game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth, and its sequel, both based on Jackson's movies, the Balrog can use its wings, although only in short leaps. The Lord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-earth (aka ' tLotRtBfME') is a Real-time strategy (RTS game for the PC developed by EALA The Lord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-earth II is a Real time strategy computer game published by Electronic Arts, based upon the fantasy

Though the Balrog of Moria was never named by Tolkien himself, Iron Crown Enterprises later dubbed him Muar for their Middle-earth role playing (MERP) products. Iron Crown Enterprises is a publisher of role playing, board, miniature battle, and Collectible card games ICE was incorporated in Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP is a Role-playing game based on the writings of J

In the game, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, the Balrog uses its wings to fly into the air, and comes crashing down, sending a tremendously damaging shockwave of flames at the player. The Lord of the Rings The Third Age is a 2004 role-playing game (RPG by EA Games for all three of the late sixth-generation game consoles

In the game, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, a Balrog named Thaurlach was included in the second major update to the game, Book 11. The Lord of the Rings Online Shadows of Angmar (commonly abbreviated to LOTRO) is a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game It appeared as a final encounter in the Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu, the new 12-player instance located at the far northeast corner of Angmar. The balrog has been imprisoned, and thus, has lost so much of its power that a party of 12 players, along with an elf-lord, are capable of killing it. As of the time of the update, the Balrog has the second-highest amount of health of any creature that can be fought.

In the upcoming game, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, Balrog is a playable character[36][37]. The Lord of the Rings Conquest is the upcoming video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by Electronic Arts.

References

  1. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, "Turambar and the Foalókë", p. 85: "yet of all are they [dragons] the most powerful, save it be the Balrogs only. "
  2. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, "The Fall of Gondolin": "… seven dragons of fire are come with Orcs about them and Balrogs upon them …"
  3. ^ The Silmarillion, "Valaquenta", p. 31.
  4. ^ The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", Chpater 3, p. 47.
  5. ^ a b c The Two Towers, "The White Rider".
  6. ^ The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", Chapter 3, p. 51.
  7. ^ The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", Chapter 13, p. 107.
  8. ^ The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", Chapter 13, pp. 242–3.
  9. ^ The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", Chapter 14, p. 251.
  10. ^ The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm".
  11. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, p. 170.
  12. ^ The Treason of Isengard, p. 197.
  13. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, p. 169.
  14. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, "The Fall of Gondolin", p. 212–3.
  15. ^ The Silmarillion, "Valaquenta", p. 31.
  16. ^ Gandalf at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, for example, tells the others that "This is a foe beyond any of you. "
  17. ^ The Silmarillion, "Ainulindalë", p. 21.
  18. ^ The Silmarillion "Quenta Silmarillion", Chapter 18, p. 154.
  19. ^ The Return of the King, Appendix A, Part I, Section (i).
  20. ^ The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm".
  21. ^ The Silmarillion, "Of the Fifth Battle", pp. 193-4.
  22. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, pp. 169, 181, 194.
  23. ^ Morgoth's Ring, "Annals of Aman", Section 2.
  24. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, "The Fall of Gondolin", p. 183
  25. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, p. 194: ". . . it pierced the Balrog's belly nigh his own face (for that demon was double his stature) . . . "
  26. ^ Lost Tales, Part I, p. 93.
  27. ^ Lost Road, "The Etymologies", p. 359, 372.
  28. ^ Lost Tales, Part II, p. 216.
  29. ^ Parma Eldalamberon, No. Parma Eldalamberon ( Quenya 'The Book of Elven-tongues' is a journal of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship dedicated to the linguistics of J 15, p. 26, the 'Name List to The Fall of Gondolin'.
  30. ^ The Lays of Beleriand, p. 102.
  31. ^ a b c d The Return of the King, Appendix A (III).
  32. ^ a b c The Return of the King, Appendix B.
  33. ^ The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Ring Goes South".
  34. ^ The Return of the King, Appendix F, Part II.
  35. ^ The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm".
  36. ^ What is “THE LORD OF THE RINGS: CONQUEST”? Pandemic Studios’ Eric “Giz” Gewirtz Tells Us About It! | Hobbit Movie News and Rumors | TheOneRing.net™ | The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Movie News and Rumors
  37. ^ IGN: The Lord of the Rings: Conquest Unveiled

Works cited

See also

External links

Dictionary

balrog

-noun

  1. A fiery demonic creature.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic