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of Middle-earth - on sale June 23rd. It is arguably the most iconic scene in
The Lord of the Rings. And while on its surface it seems like a match between an old
wizard and a monster of shadow and flame, the true meaning and nature of this conflict
runs deep in the lore of Tolkien’s world. Today, on Nerd of the Rings we look at
Gandalf’s confrontation with the Balrog, the words he uses in his rebuke,
and the deeper meaning within. Now, we’ll look at Gandalf’s
speech a phrase at a time, but let’s first take a look a the text itself
to remind us of the words Gandalf uses: The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in
the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring
gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached
out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came
from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm. ‘You cannot pass,’ he said. The orcs
stood still, and a dead silence fell. ‘I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of
the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn.
Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.’ First we have: I am a servant
of the Secret Fire. Naturally, the question is - what is the Secret
Fire? For that answer, we must go to the very beginning of The Silmarillion. In the
Ainulindalë, we learn how the Ainur - that is the Valar and Maiar - took part in a great
song, and Eru, the God of Tolkien’s world, gave these thoughts the Secret Fire,
which burns at the heart of the world. It is summarized in the second chapter
of the Silmarillion as follows: In the beginning Eru, the One, who in the
Elvish tongue is named Ilúvatar, made the Ainur of his thought; and they made a great Music
before him. In this Music the World was begun; for Ilúvatar made visible the song of the Ainur,
and they beheld it as a light in the darkness. And many among them became enamoured of its beauty,
and of its history which they saw beginning and unfolding as in a vision. Therefore Ilúvatar gave
to their vision Being, and set it amid the Void, and the Secret Fire was sent to burn at the
heart of the World; and it was called Eä. This Secret Fire is, quite simply, what
gives true life to any creation. We find it also goes by another name in Tolkien’s
text - the Flame Imperishable. For when Eru instructs the Ainur to devise
the world in their song, he says: And since I have kindled you with the Flame
Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his
own thoughts and devices, if he will. While Eru gives living things this flame
imperishable, allowing them independent thought and will, created beings cannot wield
this flame - meaning only Eru himself can give true life. We see an example of this when
the vala Aulë creates the dwarves. Initially, they are incapable of doing anything without
Aulë being present and willing their actions into being. It is only after Iluvatar gives
them the Flame Imperishable that they are capable of independent thought and action -
creating the dwarves as we come to know them. Even the most powerful of the Valar - the
dark lord Morgoth, did not have this power, which is why he had to take other creatures -
like Iluvatar’s elves, to twist into his orcs. As such, it is fitting that Gandalf
refers to himself as a servant of the Secret Fire - it is a way of saying
that he serves, above all others, the One, Eru Iluvatar, the only one
who can wield the Flame Imperishable. It’s worth noting that while most, if not
all the Fellowship would have no idea what Gandalf is referring to here, the balrog
would know exactly what Gandalf is talking about. Because like Gandalf himself, the
balrog is a maia - and was present at, and took part in, the Music of the Ainur. Both
of these beings, now facing off thousands upon thousands of years later, were present at the
very creation of the world - when Eru used the Secret Fire. And what Gandalf is pointing out
here is that, while the Balrog has long ago abandoned following the will of Eru and fell
to the service of the first Dark Lord Morgoth, Gandalf has remained true to his purpose -
and still serves Eru and the Secret Fire. In Gandalf’s second phrase he refers to himself
as “wielder of the Flame of Anor.” Now there are a couple prevailing theories regarding what the
Flame of Anor might be. First we will begin with what I personally think is the least likely -
a Ring of Power. While it isn’t revealed in the book until Frodo’s arrival at the Grey Havens,
Gandalf, for all his time in Middle-earth, possesses Narya, one of the three elven
rings of power. In The Silmarillion, we learn that Cirdan the Shipwright gives Gandalf
the ring when he first arrives in Middle-earth: ‘Take now this Ring,’ he said; ‘for thy
labours and thy cares will be heavy, but in all it will support thee and defend thee
from weariness. For this is the Ring of Fire, and herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts
to the valour of old in a world that grows chill. This has led many to believe that Gandalf is
making a direct reference to the fact that he wields Narya, the ring of fire. Indeed, many
of Gandalf’s acts involve using fire - just a bit earlier in the story, we saw Gandalf set
fire to one of Legolas’ arrows mid-flight during the Warg attack - so Gandalf's abilities,
and his ring seem a pretty natural fit. However, it’s worth noting that the elven
ringbearers are generally very secretive about the fact that they possess them.
It is only late in Frodo’s conversation with Galadriel that he is able to perceive
that she likewise possesses a ring of power. But perhaps the biggest bit of evidence that
the Flame of Anor is NOT referring to his ring comes down to real-world timing.
It turns out Tolkien had written this passage of Gandalf’s standoff with
the balrog before he decided to give Gandalf a ring of power. In The History of
Middle-earth Part 7: The Treason of Isengard, Christopher Tolkien notes that in the earlier
version of the tale, Elrond had confirmed that the three rings were taken over the Sea and are
no longer in Middle-earth. Also in earlier drafts, we see Tolkien contrast Gandalf’s
fire with the flame of the balrog… ‘You cannot pass,’ he said. ‘Go back. I
am the master of the White Fire. The red flame cannot come this way.’ The creature
made no reply, but standing up tall so that it loomed above the wizard it strode
forward and smote him. A sheet of white flame sprang before him [?like a shield], and
the Balrog fell backward, its sword shivered Here, it is apparent that Gandalf is speaking of
a power that we immediately afterward see in use, as his white fire blocks the
balrog with a shield-like flame. Now, we’ll get to what Gandalf calls the balrog
in contrast to himself in just a bit, but the final clue to the meaning of Flame of Anor is the
word Anor itself. Anor is a Sindarin word meaning “Sun”. This likely means that the
light Gandalf wields is like that of the Sun. The Sun itself deriving from an
untarnished fruit of one of the Two Trees. And there is good reason that this would
be relevant to the balrog, for we read in the Silmarillion that Morgoth passed his
feelings about the sun on to his servants… “But Morgoth hated the new lights,
and was for a while confounded by this unlooked-for stroke of the Valar.
And Arien (that is the maia who guides the sun) Morgoth feared with a great
fear, but dared not come nigh her... With shadows he hid himself and his servants from
Arien, the glance of whose eyes they could not long endure; and the lands near his dwelling
were shrouded in fumes and great clouds.” And it is this good and pure light, a hatred
of which Morgoth passes to his servants, that would contrast so well
with the balrog himself… Before telling the balrog to go back to the
shadow, Gandalf informs the demon “The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun”. First,
we’ll briefly touch on the dark fire. We’ve had a lot of talk of flame and fire and how they
relate to Gandalf, but let’s not forget the balrog itself is a demon of not just shadow,
but also flame. Here we see Gandalf giving us a contrast between his own fire - the flame of
Anor, and that of the balrog - the dark fire, what we can think of as the evil fire. Here is
telling the balrog that his dark flame will not help him, because Gandalf himself is a servant of
the secret fire and wielder of the flame of Anor. Then he calls the balrog by a name -
Flame of Udun. And full disclosure, when I first came to Lord of the Rings through
the Peter Jackson films, I totally thought this was some kind of incantation Gandalf was yelling
in preparation for the balrog’s strike. However, we find that he is referring to the
balrog directly as Flame of Udun. To find the meaning of Udun, we turn to the
earliest days of the world - as we have with so much of this clash between these ancient
beings. We learn that Udun is a less commonly used Sindarin name of Utumno, Morgoth’s
first fortress in the newly created world. The lands of the far north were
all made desolate in those days; for there Utumno was delved exceeding deep, and its pits were filled with fires and
with great hosts of the servants of Melkor. This fortress would have been where the balrogs
- and indeed this balrog himself - would have come under the service of Morgoth - where this
once great angelic being like Gandalf himself became twisted into a demon of shadow
and flame. We look at the term flame of Udun, knowing it not only as the
location from whence the balrog came, but also it’s meaning - for Utumno, and Udun, are
translated into “dark pit, underworld” or “hell.” Finally, Gandalf says for the third
time “You Cannot Pass”. On its surface, this is quite straightforward - Gandalf will
not allow the balrog to pass out of Moria. It’s quite understandable considering
the destruction such a creature could bring - not to mention the terror it
would inflict should it ally with Sauron. However, in that earlier version of the text that
Christopher Tolkien gives us in the History of Middle-earth, we see a line that Christopher
says was probably immediately struck out. It is forbidden for any Balrog to come beneath the sky since Fionwë son of
Manwë overthrew Thangorodrim. Now, this is obviously a very early version
of Tolkien’s legendarium and not what is in the final text by any means. We see that
rather than Eonwe, the herald of Manwe, this character is still conceptualized as
Fionwe, son of Manwe. And that it was he who overthrew Thangorodrim. But it is interesting
to me that, even if for only a fleeting moment, Tolkien considered the option that the balrog
could not leave Moria, for it was forbidden. Which begs the question that, if this had
been the version Tolkien had gone with, what would have happened if the balrog
indeed stepped out into the sunlight? Now that we know about the Secret Fire,
the Flame of Anor, and the Flame of Udun, let’s take another look at the great
confrontation on the Bridge of Khazad-dum… ‘You cannot pass,’ he said. The orcs stood still,
and a dead silence fell. ‘I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You
cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot
pass.’ The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. It
stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height,
and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in
the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the
onset of a storm. From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming. Glamdring glittered white
in answer. There was a ringing clash and a stab of white fire. The Balrog fell back, and its
sword flew up in molten fragments. The wizard swayed on the bridge, stepped back a pace,
and then again stood still. ‘You cannot pass!’ he said. With a bound the Balrog leaped full
upon the bridge. Its whip whirled and hissed. At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and
crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from
his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked.
Right at the Balrog’s feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into
the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into
emptiness. With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished.
But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard’s knees,
dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the
abyss. ‘Fly, you fools!’ he cried, and was gone. Gandalf’s confrontation with the balrog
is one of incredible depth and deeper meaning in the history of Middle-earth.
And I have to say, it’s one of the many things that make me so grateful for the
work of Christopher Tolkien. Without him, we wouldn’t have a clue of the incredible
deeper meaning of this dramatic event. It is truly a clash of epic proportions, with great
immortal beings who have been on opposite sides, wielding their respective flames of light and
darkness, since the earliest days of the world. It never fails - anytime I talk, read, or think
about Middle-earth, I’m left wanting more. And with the upcoming release of Magic the Gathering’s
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, we’ve got a new way to experience Tolkien’s
world. Whether you’re a seasoned Magic player or a newbie like me, there’s tons of fun
to be had in this super fun card game. Or, if you’re one who likes to collect cards - also
like me - there’s a lot of really great cards, full of book characters, locations, and relics
- not to mention alternate versions with iconic artwork from the Brothers Hildebrandt and
the Ralph Bakshi film. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth goes on sale June 23
- and be sure to tune in next week when I host a Learn to Play stream here on Nerd
of the Rings. Check out the link in the description to learn more and order packs of
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